It’s Over! James Holzhauer Lost on “Jeopardy!” Last Night!

James Holzhauer’s reign as “Jeopardy!” champ FINALLY came to an end yesterday.  After 32 straight wins and more than $2.4 million in winnings, James lost to a Chicago librarian named Emma Boettcher.  And the tragedy is that James came into last night’s game only about $58,000 short of KEN JENNINGS’ all-time record of $2.52 million.

James ends his run with $2,464,216.  That includes the $2,000 he “earned” last night for coming in SECOND.

So how did James lose?  Well, he entered Final Jeopardy TRAILING Boettcher.  He had $23,400, and she had $26,600.  They both got the correct answer, but James had only bet $1,399, while she wagered $20,201.  That gave her a grand total of $46,801.  She beat James by $22,002. James knew that Emma would bet enough in Final Jeopardy to beat him even if he BET IT ALL, which she did.  She ended up with $46,801, while James would have had $46,800 if he went all in.