Naperville's 'Jeopardy!' Champ Holzhauer Adds Another Title, $500K

NAPERVILLE, IL — As much “Jeopardy!” success as James Holzhauer has experienced on his way to nearly $3 million in winnings in the quiz show game show, even he admits to not knowing what kind of obstacles he would face in his latest challenge.

Holzhauer, the Naperville native who has become one of the all-time “Jeopardy!” greats went into Jeopardy Masters knowing he would face stiff competition. But after he managed to hold on for a victory in the final that aired Wednesday, Holzhauer — who captured $500,000 with the title — said that all his experience on stage couldn’t prepare him for what he faced.

Holzhauer said in a taped interview released this week that he was “on the ropes” more than normal, especially in the final that pitted the final three of the six-player field against one another over 10 episodes. He said a bit of “buzzer mojo” allowed him to advance out of the semifinal round before he ran into one of the bigger challenges he has faced on the game-show stage en route to the Masters championship.

“This could have gone a lot of ways,” Holzhauer said in the interview, which the Las Vegas resident posted on his Twitter feed this week. “If I didn’t have my buzzer mojo going, I could have easily been out in the semifinals, but when I found myself back onto the stage, it somehow clicked.”

He added: “I knew everyone was going to be great — there were no easy outs in the lineup ever. I just had to go in, play my best, and hope it was good enough.”

In addition to the $500,000 grand prize, Holzhauer - who is a professional sports gambler – was invited back to next year’s Jeopardy Masters with the two competitors he beat out in this year’s final.

“Jeopardy!” also donated $100,000 to Project 150, a Las Vegas non-profit that was founded by Holzhauer and his wife, Melissa. The organization provides support and other services to homeless high school students. Holzhauer , a Naperville North graduate, said that the money will be used for scholarships and for food and clothing for the students that the charitable organization assists.

Holzhauer said in the interview that he relishes the role of “game show” villain but that his repeated appearances on “Jeopardy” have allowed him to improve his stage presence. That was noticeable in his interactions with Masters host Ken Jennings, a long-time rival of Holzhauer’s who has now moved into a new role after the death of long-time host Alex Trebek.

But in victory, Holzhauer provided a Naperville nod to not only his hometown but to his brother, Ian, who is a Naperville City councilman. On one of the Masters episodes, James Holzhauer said that the last time he visited, he was having lunch with Ian when a fan approached the table.

James said he prepared himself for what he thought would be a request for a photo or autograph. But instead that the fan approached the table and asked if Ian was indeed the Naperville City Councilman.

“That made his life,” James Holzhauer said on the show.

Ian Holzhauer did not immediately respond to an interview request from Patch on Friday.

But as James Holzhauer prepares to return to a more normal life in the wake of his Masters championship, his brother said the opportunity walk away with the title in the first Masters tournament of its kind will bring some welcomed stress relief.

“More than anything, I think he’s just relieved,” Ian Holzhauer told The Daily Herald. “He gets to relax and focus on stuff other than trivia for a little while.”

Holzhauer admitted as much when asked what he will be doing in the coming months before returning to defend his Masters championship next year.

"I'm not going to look at any trivia stuff for a long time to be honest with you," he said in the taped interview. "But when I do, I will know that I need to be loaded for bear."