James Holzhauer's First Rodeo on 'The Chase' Was Actually Before His Time on 'Jeopardy!'
Jan. 28 2021, Published 9:42 p.m. ET
Jeopardy! legend James Holzhauer is now a chaser on the new ABC game show The Chase, along with his fellow GOATs. However, James’ new TV role isn’t his first time on The Chase. Pre-Jeopardy!, James Holzhauer was actually a contestant on The Chase, and unsurprisingly, he was pretty impressive his first time on it.
Since then, James has excelled in the world of game shows, and became a household name in 2019 when he broke records on Jeopardy!. Because of his earnings on Jeopardy! and his new job as a chaser, James Holzhauer’s net worth is much higher than the average Jeopardy! player, and definitely higher than the average human.
When James Holzhauer was first on ‘The Chase,’ no one knew who he was.
The Chase began as a British television quiz show in which a quiz master, or the chaser, was pitted against the average person to chase them down to “the bank.” Basically, it’s the perfect opportunity to show off your chops against the smartest guy in the room. And who better to show up a supposed quizmaster than the brilliant James Holzhauer? James is now known for breaking the record for the highest winnings in one episode of Jeopardy!.
Before becoming a Jeopardy GOAT, though, James was a contestant on The Chase in 2014. He went up against a chaser, Mark Labbett, nicknamed “The Beast,” who was seemingly unbeatable until James took him down. In 2014, when James was a contestant on The Chase, he won $58,333. Mark has since tweeted that he believes James was the best player to ever play The Chase.
Now that James Holzhauer is a chaser on ‘The Chase,’ his net worth is way higher than when he was a contestant.
James Holzhauer is one of the richest game show contestants of all time. His net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth, is about $2 million. However, his Jeopardy! earnings are even higher than that. On his Jeopardy! run, James raked in a remarkable $2,462,216, although Ken Jennings still holds the record for earning more than $3 million on Jeopardy!. Now that James is a resident chaser on The Chase, his net worth at $2 million is pretty substantial.
Not only is James known for his time on Jeopardy!, and now for kicking butt on The Chase, where fans agree he is the most brutal and fun to watch out of the Jeopardy GOATs, he is a professional gambler and TV show contestant. While The Chase was James’ first big appearance way back when in 2014, he appeared on the show 500 Questions in 2015.
He was so impressive when he first appeared on The Chase that the producers actually asked him to audition to be a chaser. Maybe if he had, though, he wouldn’t have become the “Jeopardy James” we know him to be. Nor would he get the viewership he’s getting now as television’s new “High Roller.”
Tune into The Chase every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
