James Holzhauer Has Message for ‘Jeopardy’ Winner Emma Boettcher After His Defeat

James Holzhauer has tipped his hat to Emma Boettcher, the 27-year-old librarian who finally bet him in his historic Jeopardy! streak.

Holzhauer won 32 games of Jeopardy! in a row and fell just short of breaking the record for all-time highest winnings on the game. He was taken down on Monday by Boettcher, a Chicago native with a background in Shakespeare studies.

When she officially won the game, Holzhauer crossed to Boettcher’s podium to give her a sporting high five. The professional gambler was not excited to see his streak end, but he was not a sore loser either.

“CONGRATULATIONS to Emma on a world-beating performance. There’s no greater honor than knowing an opponent had to play a perfect game to defeat me,” Holzhauer wrote on Twitter.

“James will eventually beat himself by flubbing one of his big bets,’” he went on, paraphrasing his critics’ predictions. “Nope, James got his ass kicked straight up by an elite player who nailed her own big bets.”

Holzhauer went on, thanking Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, whose record he almost beat, and the show’s fans in general.

“To @KenJennings: You win this round. But if Jeopardy ever gives me 43 second chance games, look out!” he joked.

“To everyone: Thanks for the support, and remember to be good humans,” he concluded.

Holzhauer’s Jeopardy! streak was characterized by bold bets, particularly on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy. Fans thought it was suspicious, therefore, that he lost by betting just $1,399 on Final Jeopardy on Monday. The final question was on Shakespearean literature — on which Boettcher is an expert — and she beat him using many of his own strategies.

Still, Holzhauer made history on the show by nearly beating Jenning’s winnings record in less than half of the episodes. Holzhauer won an average of $77,000 per episode, beating the record for the highest winnings in a single episode first for the season, then for the series as a whole. On his best night, he took home $110,914 in a single episode.

Jennings was not angry over being dethroned. On the contrary, he told the Washington Post that he enjoyed watching Holzhauer play.

“Honestly, I feel a little bit of the same letdown I did when I lost in 2004. I was enjoying the streak maybe more than anybody. I really wanted to see what this guy could do,” Jennings said. “I also feel for him, you know? It really does show what a fickle mistress Jeopardy! is. A couple breaks go the wrong way, and any night could be the last night.”

Jeopardy! airs on week nights at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.