Jeopardy! icon James Holzhauer got fans excited on Sunday, July 28, when he shared a photo alongside his fellow Jeopardy! Masters competitor Mattea Roach.
“OMG YOU GUYS I JUST MET A JEOPARDY LEGEND,” Holzhauer posted on X alongside a photo of himself standing next to Roach.
Fans flooded the comments to share their excitement of seeing the two legendary Jeopardy! players together for the first time since they competed on Season 2 of Jeopardy! Masters.
“Two Jeopardy legends in one pic!” wrote one fan.
“I should be so fortunate; love watching you both!! Truly amazing!” said another.
OMG YOU GUYS I JUST MET A JEOPARDY LEGEND pic.twitter.com/w3chlkQiXB
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) July 28, 2024
Another added, “Icons being icons.”
“Toss in Sam Buttrey and you three are my all-time Big Three Jeopardy champions—les trois grands—with all due respect to Ken [Jennings]!” wrote another.
“James says this when looking in the mirror too!” quipped one commenter.
Another wrote, “Hope to see you both next year on Jeopardy Masters!”
“Is it possible to have this much awesome in one picture? Two of my favorite human beings,” said another.
Holzhauer and Roach have faced off on Jeopardy! in both seasons of Masters. They both made it to the finals of Season 1, with Holzhauer ultimately winning after two games. However, the scores were close, with Holzhauer clinching the win with 43,795 points over Roach’s 41,685.
(Credit: ABC/Christopher Willard)
Roach bagged $572,983 after winning 23 straight games on regular Jeopardy! between April and May 2022 and returned to Masters for the second season earlier this year. However, they weren’t able to repeat their success and were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Holzhauer made it to the finals once again but was beaten by Yogesh Raut and Victoria Groce, the latter becoming the new Masters champion.
Holzhauer has previously spoken about how much respect he has for Roach and their Jeopardy! game. Following the first season of Masters, the self-confessed game show super villain tweeted his praise for Roach.
“I’ve faced the greatest Jeopardy players ever: @bradrutter, @Jeopardyarmy, that Mormon guy,” Holzhauer wrote. “In 50+ games I had never once felt absolutely frazzled, completely unable to ring in, merely spectating as an opponent takes over the game…until @mattearoach did it this week. Twice.”
He continued, “Mattea’s performance would have been unbelievable in the best of times. Considering everything they went through this month, this was the gutsiest Jeopardy achievement since Cindy Stowell’s. An absolute, star-making masterclass in how to play the game.”
“I’m lucky the scores were even this close entering Final: had I uncovered Matt’s brutally difficult Daily Double, it would have been 22,800 to zero,” he added. “I benefited from more luck in the end. But no one will forget Mattea’s #JeopardyMasters dominance.”
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