Some people are sad when they lose, but if you’re James Holzhauer, you’ll probably have a good laugh and make a Drake joke on Twitter.
On Monday (June 3), 34-year-old professional sports bettor/Jeopardy! phenomenon Holzhauer took to Twitter for the ultimate spoiler: “Knew I shouldn’t have invited Drake to the Jeopardy taping.”
What Holzhauer is referring to is his big loss on the game show and the infamous Drake curse that says that whatever team the rapper roots for typically loses.
Fans were rooting for Holzhauer, who was the show’s most dominant player since Ken Jennings. He set the record for the most money won during one episode and was predicted to surpass Jennings’ $2.52 million win during his 74-game winning streak in 2004. Eleven times during his winning streak, Holzhauer went an entire game without buzzing incorrectly.
Unfortunately, though, his streak has come to an end after his 33rd game. He was just $58,484 short of Jennings’ total, and the amount that separated him from Monday’s winner, Chicago-based librarian Emma Boettcher, was $22,002.
Even host Alex Trebek, who famously shys away from playing favorites, lost his composure in disbelief at the end of the game.
“Nobody likes to lose,” the contestant told The New York Times in an interview before the show’s broadcast. “But I’m very proud of how I did, and I really exceeded my own expectations for the show. So I don’t feel bad about it.”
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With the shocking streak came a rare celebrity status for Holzhauer. Clark County, Nevada, declared a “James Holzhauer Day.” Additionally, he was given a key to the Las Vegas Strip and was even offered a chance to general manage a minor-league baseball team in Upstate New York for a day.
The show benefited from Holzhauer’s smarts too, as they drew their best household ratings in 14 years.
See Holzhauer’s tweet about Drake below.
Knew I shouldn’t have invited @Drake to the @Jeopardy taping.
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June 3, 2019