James Holzhauer Becomes Second-Winningest 'Jeopardy!' Contestant With Win 21

By Jessika Walsten
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

James Holzhauer won his 21st consecutive Jeopardy! game Thursday, making him the second-winningest contestant in the game show's history.

Holzhauer, who won $80,615 during Thursday's game, has $1,608,627 in total winnings so far.

The professional gambler is second to Ken Jennings, who won 74 games with $2,520,700 in winnings.

Holzhauer's hot streak has catapulted Jeopardy!'s ratings. During the week ending April 21, the CBS Television Distribution show notched a 6.7 live plus same day household rating. The game show topped all of syndication among households.

Related: 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Announces Cancer Diagnosis

Jessika Walsten
Jessika Walsten

Jessika is content engagement director of Broadcasting + Cable, Multichannel News and NextTV. She has been with the brands in various roles since 2013. In her current role, she works primarily behind the screen, keeping an eye on the website and fixing any site bugs. A graduate of USC Annenberg, Jessika has edited and reported on a variety of subjects for NextTV, including profiles on industry leaders and breaking news.