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‘Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time’ tournament: Who won Game 2?

James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings were neck-and-neck, while Brad Rutter was once again a non-factor

Jeopardy! contestants James Holzhauer (left) and Ken Jennings once again dominated the show's "Greatest of All Time" tournament Wednesday night.
Jeopardy! contestants James Holzhauer (left) and Ken Jennings once again dominated the show's "Greatest of All Time" tournament Wednesday night.Read moreJeopardy!
    by Rob Tornoe
    Published 

  1. Jeopardy! The Greatest of All-Time Tournament

  2. Remaining dates: Thursday, Jan. 10; Tuesday, Jan. 14

  3. Time: 8 p.m.

  4. Channel: 6ABC

  5. Streaming: ABC app (requires cable login), fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Now (all require a subscription)

The second night of Jeopardy’s The Greatest of All Time tournament came down to the final clue, but ended up being a blowout.

Both James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings entered the second match’s Final Jeopardy with a chance to win in the category “19th-century leaders.” The contestants’ final clue was: “Tall, lanky Joel Barlow was an ambassador carrying messages between these two world leaders, both mocked for being short.”

Jennings incorrectly answered, "Who are Napoleon and Monroe?” while Holzhauer wagered big and ended up with the correct response: “Who are Napoleon and Madison?”

As a result, Holzhauer defeated Jennings by $25,014 and tied up the epic trivia tournament at one game apiece. It was a trademark performance for the professional sports gambler, who was dominant during several moments in both rounds and won two high-stakes Daily Doubles, including $16,800 for correctly naming the capital city close to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve: “What is Gaborone?”

For the second-straight night, Lancaster native Brad Rutter was largely a non-factor. He finished the night with a cumulative total of just $14,400, including a negative finish during the second game that preventing him from even participating in Final Jeopardy.

» READ MORE: Jeopardy!’ tournament starts with a narrow win and a Philly-themed taunt

Naturally, Holzhauer ribbed his competitor a bit on Twitter as the game aired:

Thanks to Holzhauer’s win, the tournament will now add a fourth night, which will take place Tuesday, Jan. 14. The next match will air Thursday on ABC at 8 p.m. The first contestant to win three matches will be named the show’s “Greatest of All Time,” hence the title. They’ll also walk away with a $1 million prize, while the two runner-ups will each earn $250,000.

» READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Jeopardy!'s epic prime time trivia tournament

» READ MORE: The ‘Jeopardy!’ titans all know their stuff, but here’s why the youngest may have an edge

Here are some more highlights from Wednesday’s competition:

  1. Holzhauer booed Green Bay: The professional sports gambler grew up a Bears fan in the suburbs of Chicago, so naturally he gave an emphatic thumbs down and a “boo!” after correctly answering which 118-mile-long inlet receives the waters of the Fox River: “What is Green Bay?” The Packers will face off against the Seahawks on Sunday in the NFL playoffs, and it’s a lock Holzhauer will be pulling for Seattle.

  2. Not-so-star-studded: Unlike Tuesday’s show, there weren’t many celebrity appearances Wednesday . Jimmy Kimmel Live! host Jimmy Kimmel (more Disney-ABC synergy) offered a clue about fly-fishing, while actress Glenn Close offered a wordy clue in the category “I just took a DNA test.”

  3. Two letters off: During Double Jeopardy, Jennings won two clues after Rutter and Holzhauer offered answers that were just a few letters off. Holzhauer answered “electroencephalograph” when he meant “electroencephalogram,” while Rutter offered “uncharacteristic” instead of the correct answer, “uncharacteristically.” “Sorry guys,” Jennings offered.

  4. “I’m walking here!”: Jennings offered his best Dustin Hoffman impersonation when answering a clue in the “Classic movie quotes” category. But no one knew the correct answer to the clue, “Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka: ‘You stole fizzy lifting drinks... So you get nothing! You Lose!’ this 3-word farewell." That gave Trebek the opportunity to say, "What is ‘Good day, Sir!’ "