James Holzhauer finally lost on “Jeopardy!” and he went out in pretty unspectacular fashion on Monday, wagering just $1,399 in his final “Final Jeopardy” round.
As the fateful episode of the syndicated game show makes the rounds through the U.S. markets, many viewers are dumbfounded about why Holzhauer went so low. Darren Rovell of The Action Network is the one who got that answer.
First, this explanation requires some setup, and the explanation requires a little math. Holzhauer went into Monday’s “Final Jeopardy” with $23,400. That was $3,200 behind leader Emma Boettcher.
He got the question correct, bringing his total to $24,799 — but his uncharacteristically small wager even shocked host Alex Trebek.