‘Jeopardy!’ Champ James Holzhauer Had a Close Shave, Winning His 18th Game By Just $18

Whew! That was a close one. Jeopardy! contestant extraordinaire James Holzhauer is breathing a sigh of relief after his latest win. He barely squeaked by, sealing his 18th victory by just $18. Poetic much?

People were freaking out a little bit over the tight margin as he beat out contestant Adam Levin. Holzhauer earned $54,017 while Levin came in at $53,999. 46-year-old Levin told the Boston Globe that he was able to study Holzhauer’s style for five games before going up against him.

At the time, he didn’t realize how much money the champ had under his belt. Despite losing, he was just happy to be making an appearance on the game show and doing battle with such a tough competitor. Although this episode aired on April 29, it was taped in February.

It still remains to be seen how many more records the sports bettor will break. Holzhauer made headlines last week after hitting the $1,000,000 mark on Jeopardy! within the shortest span of time.

Fans are watching to see if he will best the reigning phenom, Ken Jennings, who went on to win a grand total of $2,520,700. For many, this last episode was a real nail-biter, and the look of relief of Holzhauer’s face was obvious.

If you missed the moment, catch it below with this short clip.

Are you following Holzhauer’s games? Do you think he will be bested?