He wasn’t just a player; he was a character. James Holzhauer finally reveals why ‘Jeopardy!’ producers secretly decided the Masters tournament needed a villain—and then chose him.
Jeopardy!’s James Holzhauer reveals why game show introduced him as a ‘villain’ during Masters special
JEOPARDY!’S James Holzhauer has revealed why the popular game show labeled him the antagonist during the Masters tournament.
In May, James, 38, came out on top after defeating contestant Mattea Roach, 24, in the Jeopardy! Masters special.
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Ken Jennings hosted the Jeopardy! Masters tournmentCredit: Getty
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James Holzhauer- who came out on top on the special- revealed how he became the ‘game show villain’Credit: NBC
The Masters champion took to TV Insider and dished on what happened behind the scenes.
He revealed how he became labeled as the “game show villain” in the description of his headshot.
James shared: “When I showed up to Jeopardy! Masters, they asked me what occupation I wanted to be listed.
“I half-jokingly said game show villain, but honestly, it is kind of true. I backed off gambling a bit.”
He continued: “This is really how I’m making my money is being this television personality.
“The producers came to me saying: ‘We can’t put this. The audience will think we are making fun of you. What if we put a self-described game show villain? Would that be okay?'”
The Jeopardy! star added: “I like it. It adds something to the equation where it becomes: Who do we root for here?”
James concluded: “It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but there is something to be said about bringing extra personality to the table.”
MOCKING KEN
In May, the TV star kept with villain persona when he antagonized host Ken Jennings, 49, on the trivia show.
When postdoctoral researcher Matt chose from the category: Author’s Pretty Decent Reviews, the answer read: “The Detroit Free Press said: ‘The Mummy’ was ‘vintage’ this novelist; ‘elegantly erotic and full of enchanting terror.'”
Matt incorrectly replied: “What’s Stoker?”
Ken joked: “I also refer to James as ‘elegantly erotic but full of enchanting terror.'”
The contestants and studio audience laughed as Ken shared the correct answer: “Anne Rice.”
James snidely quipped: “Keep it in your pants, Ken.”
In another episode, the champ challenged the host and wrote on his podium: “Stop ducking a rematch, Ken.”
James lost to Ken but defeated player Brad Rutter during the famed three-legend GOAT tournament in 2020.
‘A LITTLE SHARPER’
In the same interview with TV Insider, James also revealed what he would like the trivia program to change.
He wished: “There have been a lot of turnovers backstage, I will say.
“The whole production team has turned over, so you kind of see some of the things were lost when they changed hands there.”
James ended: “I think it’s still a great show, but it could use a little tweaking here and there.
“Some of the question writing could be a little sharper than it has been.”
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James revealed he was ‘making my money’ by ‘being this television personality’Credit: ABC
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James with Ken after becoming the champion of Jeopardy! MastersCredit: ABC
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James was labeled ‘game show villain’ on his headshotCredit: Jeopardy!
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