James Holzhauer has made a name for himself as a game show villain. Before taking his reputation to The Chase, Holzhauer dominated his run on Jeopardy! in 2019, possibly changing the game as he racked up 32 wins and claimed every single spot in the Top 10 of single-game winnings. But according to fellow Jeopardy! Masters contestant Andrew He, it’s not just trivia that the professional sports gambler is great at, as He recalled receiving the best parenting advice from the super-champ.
The self-proclaimed game show villain sits at No. 3 on the list of biggest winners in Jeopardy! history, as his victory on Jeopardy! Masters took him to over $3.4 million won on the show. Andrew He spoke on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast about meeting the legend in real life, and the contestant recalled the sweet advice James Holzhauer gave him after He’s partner went into early labor in the middle of shooting the tournament. He said:
[James Holzhauer] js very fierce. He’s the real deal. You can see why he won all those games in such dominant fashion. We had some wonderful conversations, actually one of the best pieces of parenting advice I got was from James Holzhauer, which is a little bit strange. In classic James form, it was, ‘Don’t let anyone tell you that they know what they’re doing, because nobody knows what they’re doing.’ And I took that to heart. So I don’t get too tough on myself when I can’t figure things out.
That is really good advice, because when you’re a new parent, well-meaning advice tends to come at you from all sides, and in my experience at least, it can be overwhelming to feel like everybody’s got it figured out but you. Andrew He also recalled what it was like to get the message that he was about to become a father:
We went to lunch and normally we’re not supposed to have our phones on us, so I think I had my phone in my backpack. I just reached into my backpack and was like, ‘I need to check this thing.’ My partner is very, very far along, and even though we don’t expect it to happen, you know I just had a feeling. The text that I see, I don’t think I knew exactly how to react, so I did the only thing which made sense at the time, which was to read it aloud to the entire room.
James Holzhauer and Andrew He’s other fellow contestants immediately pushed to halt production so that He could get home to his partner, telling the father-to-be that the show couldn’t force him to continue filming. That didn’t turn out to be an issue, as producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss added that “it was unanimous from everyone” that the priority became getting He home as quickly as possible.
Andrew He confirmed that he made it in plenty of time, thanks to the people at Jeopardy! who “moved mountains” to get him back. Jeopardy! Masters didn’t resume filming for about six weeks, Sarah Foss said — which possibly contributed to Ken Jennings confusing a contestant on the syndicated show with James Holzhauer (twice) — and when it did, He provided fans with an unexpected announcement, saying on the show:
I have a newborn son. Thanks to just everyone in the world, I guess, but especially the Jeopardy! crew. I had the double blessing of going from being here on the stage to within 24 hours going with my partner and welcoming the arrival of our son.
You can watch James Holzhauer and Andrew He’s journeys on Jeopardy! Masters, as ABC is re-airing the tournament starting at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, July 25. All episodes are also available for streaming with a Hulu subscription. Check your local listings to see when the syndicated episodes of Jeopardy! play in your area.
