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James Holzhauer, Jeopardy champion

Wanderoz

By Wanderoz
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RealAvalon Grand Master

RealAvalon

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What is that makes this 22-time Jeopardy champ so highly fuckable to me?

 

I keep hoping there will be a situation where he has to come out front, drop something, & have to bend over!!!

No idea. Maybe it's just a comparative thing with the other contestants.

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purplekow Grand Master

+ purplekow

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He is a very smart player and rarely misses a question. However, there is something about him that does not sit well with me and I keep rooting for him to lose. In any case, with his winnings already, he will be back for all sorts of Jeopardy special tournaments. Ken Jennings I found equally unappealing and he keeps showing up in the tournaments. However, when he is in those tourneys he seems more beatable. I think both of these contestants have excellent timing with the buzzer and as a result, the longer they are on the show, the more skilled they become with the timing, adding to their advantage.

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JayCeeKy Veteran

JayCeeKy

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Difficult to do with that mechanical smile.

There has been some speculation that James may be on the "autism spectrum" and even he admits that it is difficult for him to display emotions such as smiling. Having been turned down as a Jeopardy contestant several times, a friend told him that his only hope was to "smile, smile, smile" which, I suspect, comes across as mechanical and forced (which it is).

 

The NYT had an informative article on James. He has a German father and Japanese mother and, although he was viewed as a math prodigy in school, he got poor grades b/c he skipped so many classes (in favor of making money betting on sports). As the original OP stated, I also find him a very attractive man. A photo from his graduation from Univ. of Illinois, 2005

 

07holzhauer2-superJumbo-v3.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp

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Boink Experienced

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There has been some speculation that James may be on the "autism spectrum" and even he admits that it is difficult for him to display emotions such as smiling. Having been turned down as a Jeopardy contestant several times, a friend told him that his only hope was to "smile, smile, smile" which, I suspect, comes across as mechanical and forced (which it is).

 

This explains a lot. I do find his smile and general facial contortions pretty creepy. And, I hate to admit this, but I do kinda root for him to lose because he strikes me as someone who was doing pretty good in life before winning all that money. (He mentioned his four year old daughter has already traveled to 14 different countries.) Also, it seems a large part of his winning is his prowess with the buzzer. More often than not, I see the other contestants frantically pushing their buzzer because they know the answer but it's almost like they can't get through.

 

But I do have to give him props on his intelligence. He gets a lot of answers right that I couldn't even guess at. I also like his strategy of always starting with the highest priced questions.

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purplekow Grand Master

+ purplekow

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I do not think there is cheating going on like with the 50's game show scandals, but there are certain skills that are needed to play Jeopardy on TV which can only be honed on the air. Buzzer timing. Coolness of thought when in front of a live TV audience. The ability to select first as the champion, All major advantages and he has used them all.

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glutes Grand Master

+ glutes

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Well, they do say that his run on the show has brought the highest ratings they've seen in 15 years.

 

Send Alex out on a high. (And I don't disagree.)

 

Alex Trebek shares health update after wrapping current season of "Jeopardy!

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeopardy-host-alex-trebek-shares-health-update-cancer-treatment-after-wrapping-current-season-of-jeopardy/

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spider Proficient

spider

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I have a different read on James Holzhauer.

Does the name Charles Van Doren ring a bell to anyone?

 

I seriously doubt this. If anything they’d pay him off to get him out and move on. He seems unstoppable, but he did actually come close to losing a few days ago.

 

I also find him a little creepy, but no more than others I know who are similarly focused on one thing. In his case sports betting which I’m guessing consumes his life.

Edited by spider
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LaffingBear Veteran

LaffingBear

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Add me to the list of those kinda hoping he loses.

 

The spectrum-speculation triggers a "hmmm, that might explain it" for me.

 

It's not just the forced smile. The all-in push motion, the weird daily double bets reportedly inspired by notable dates, and a few creepy comments, particularly about his wife, render him unlikable to me.

 

I too believe a big part of his success is mastery of the button. I acknowledge the risk-taking of how often he puts it all on the line.

 

Makes for some interesting TV. I rarely react to Jeopardy with feelings about the players; I watch to test myself in the knowledge. In this case, my reaction is "there's someone I have no desire to meet."

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BgMstr4u Veteran

BgMstr4u

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I think he’s a phenomenon. Wildly smart. But more than that, he has a grasp of the mathematics of the game rarely seen up close before. That he openly identifies as a sports gambler from Vegas makes me proud in a weird way. I grew up in Vegas and have usually been vaguely ashamed of where I came from. Here’s a genius level intellect who makes his living being smart in the world of gambling. Being very, very smart is not the usual take on Vegas, though I know plenty of very smart Vegas people. Nice to see it up front in public.

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