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‘Jeopardy!' record holder Ken Jennings doubts he could beat phenom James Holzhauer

By James Tutten

FILE - In this May 2, 2019, file photo, "Jeopardy!" sensation James Holzhauer speaks after being presented with a key to the Las Vegas Strip in front of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign in Las Vegas. A one-minute video circulating online appears to show the 32-time champion of the game show losing for the first time. “Jeopardy!” officials did not immediately respond Monday, June 3, 2019 to questions about its authenticity, and there was no indication in the clip about when Holzhauer’s apparent defeat would air. (Caroline Brehman/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

By James Tutten

Ken Jennings, the reigning champ of “Jeopardy!,” sat down with "Good Morning America" on Thursday to talk about nearly losing his record to the recently defeated James Holzhauer.

Holzhauer's performance on the game show captivated viewers before his winning streak ended this week.

Holzhauer came within $60,000 of breaking Jennings’ record of $2,520,700 over 74 days.

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Jennings' time on the show was more than a decade ago and during the interview he expressed doubt that he could best the man known by some as “Jeopardy James.”

“Usually when they say ‘you can have 15 minutes of fame,’ it does not become 15 years,” Jennings said. “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.”

He said the time on the show changed his life and opened new opportunities to chase his dreams of becoming a full-time author.

Jennings and Holzhauer are the only two people in the show’s history to break over $2 million.

When Jennings was asked if he thinks going against Holzhauer would be easier than going against

IBM’s artificial intelligence computer Watson he said, “Watching James on that show, he feels as close to Watson as you can get, and still have, you know, a pulse.”

Jennings added, “His accuracy is just, unbelievable.”

Jennings also opened up about visiting the show’s host Alex Trebek, whose battle with stage 4 cancer has also made headlines around the world.

“He [Trebek} was in good spirits, and showed me some of the of letters, hundreds of thousands of letters he’s been getting. It was touching how much it meant to him,” Jennings said.

After Holzhauer's defeat on Monday, Trebek was quick to add that it would not be the last time he is featured on the program.

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