James Holzhauer keeps on rolling through Jeopardy! records, and he just passed another one. With his 27th win on the show on Friday, Holzhauer’s total winnings have surpassed $2 million — $2,065,535 to be exact.
Holzhauer, a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas, is only the second person in Jeopardy! history to earn more than $2 million in non-tournament play. The first, of course, was the legendary Ken Jennings, who still holds the longest winning streak on the show with 74 wins. Holzhauer, who has been racking up money much more quickly, is rapidly approaching Jennings’ $2,520,700 total, the record for regular-season winnings. (Brad Rutter holds the record for all-time winnings, with tournaments included, at $4,688,440.)
Holzhauer’s winning streak has been a boon for Jeopardy!, whose ratings recently hit a 14-year high. So far he has broken the single-game record for winnings twice, and earned more than $100,000 in a single game (which he is the only person to have done) five times. The show wrapped shooting on the current season in April, so it’s possible his streak could extend into next season.
Trebek — who announced his stage four cancer diagnosis earlier this year — has asssured fans he will remain as host when the show returns for its 36th season in September.
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