Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings says a face-off with James Holzhauer is 'inevitable' but his 'broke down brain' won't match up to the contestant who he calls a 'supercomputer with a pulse'
- Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings says face-off with James Holzhauer is 'inevitable'
- Jennings says he's not as good as he once was and would have to play 'with my broke down brain'
- He thought Holzhauer could have beat his record 2004 win of $2,520,700
- But Emma Boettcher thrashed Holzhauer Monday and ended his winning streak
- Jennings compared Holzhauer's skill to AI-powered IBM supercomputer Watson
- 'Watching James on that show, feels as close to Watson as you can get' he said
- The champ said Alex Trebek 'can turn it on' for cameras despite having cancer and 'America appreciates that'
All-time Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings says a face-off between himself and the man who almost beat his record is 'inevitable'.
The 45-year-old's life changed when he won 74 consecutive games and took home $2,520,700 in 2004 and he was rooting for Nevada man James Holzhauer, who was $56,484 short of the amount when he was knocked out of the competition in Monday's episode.
He's hopeful they'll face off on the buzzer soon but isn't sure he'll be as good as he was 15 years ago.
'Jeopardy! only does those special tournaments so often,' he told Good Morning America on Thursday. 'And obviously I can't get 29-year-old Ken to show up with his sleek, 29-year-old brain, it's got to be me with my broke down brain.'
Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings says a face-off between himself and the man who almost beat his record is 'inevitable'
James Holzhauer was $56,484 short of beating the record amount when he was knocked out of the competition in Monday's episode
Jennings was actively tweeting along with the rest of America when Emma Boettcher thrashed Holzhauer this week and ended his game show reign.
The champ is surprised he has managed to hang on to the title for so long.
'For many years I have assumed that the record is beatable,' he continued. 'It seemed like he might be the guy, the chosen one, so I was very excited. I wanted to see it come down to the wire, I wanted to see if it could be beaten because I think it can be done.'
Jennings did get to go back to the California studio to face AI-powered IBM supercomputer Watson in 2011 though. He thinks Holzhauer would be tough competition for the machine.
'Watching James on that show, he feels as close to Watson as you can get and still have a pulse,' Jennings said. 'My guess is playing against James is going to be a lot like playing against Watson.'
The 45-year-old's life changed when he won 74 consecutive games and took home $2,520,700 in 2004
Jennings does admit coping with the reality of losing his status as the champion was tough the further Holzhauer progressed.
'It hit me all at once, I'm not that "Jeopardy! guy" anymore,' Jennings said. 'He's that "Jeopardy! guy", I'm like your dad's 'Jeopardy! guy.''
He has emailed the contestant with advice on creating career opportunities off the back of Jeopardy like he did with writing books and appearing on TV shows 'instead of doing law school or something awful like that'.
Holzhauer played a perfect game, not missing a single question, he couldn't catch up to Emma Boettcher on Monday's program. Boettcher majored in literature and wagered on Shakespeare
Jennings added about his communications with the professional Las Vegas gambler: 'I just told him like take some time to think about what it is you want, because you do have a window, like do you want a different job, do you have a book idea, do you have a podcast idea? Because make some phone calls, now is the time.'
He believes he won't waste the opportunity after appearing on the show hosted by Alex Trebek.
Jennings visited the set shortly after Trebek announced he had been diagnosed with cancer and said 'as soon as the cameras turn on he can turn it on'.
'That really means a lot to America,' he added.
Record-holder Jennings tweeted at Holzhauer, sharing a photo from Avengers: Endgame after Thanos has wiped out half the universe. He also emailed him with career advice
Jennings did get to go back to the California studio to face AI-powered IBM supercomputer Watson in 2011 though. He thinks Holzhauer would be tough competition for the machine
