The transcript discusses a Film Theory episode analyzing James Holzhauer's strategy on Jeopardy and the theories surrounding his eventual loss. It explores whether Jeopardy intentionally made games harder or easier to end James's winning streak, comparing it to Ken Jennings's past experience. The episode concludes that James lost during an unusually easy game against a well-prepared opponent, leaving open the question of whether Jeopardy influenced the outcome.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. James Holt won 32 games on Jeopardy.
2. James Holt's average daily winnings were $76,693, almost four times the average daily winnings of $19,939.
3. James Holt's strategy was to accrue a decent amount of cash and then bet most or all of it on the Daily Doubles.
4. In the Final Jeopardy round, James Holt typically wagered a large amount of money.
5. In his last game, James Holt wagered only $1,399, which seemed uncharacteristic.
6. James Holt's opponent, Emma, was a big bettor and had written her master's thesis on Jeopardy clues.
7. Emma wagered a large amount of money in Final Jeopardy, which put pressure on James Holt.
8. The average daily winnings on Jeopardy, excluding tournament games, was $19,939.
9. James Holt's winnings were insured by prize indemnity insurance.
10. Jeopardy's advertising space is sold months in advance, making it difficult for the show to capitalize on increased ratings.
11. The combined Quarry at score is a metric used to measure the difficulty of a Jeopardy game.
12. The average combined Quarry at score for James Holt's games was 45,406.
13. Two games late in James Holt's run had significantly lower combined Quarry at scores, indicating that the questions were harder.
14. The game that James Holt lost had the highest combined Quarry at score in Jeopardy history, indicating that the questions were very easy.
15. James Holt's accuracy rate on Final Jeopardy clues was 97%.