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'Jeopardy!' Champ James Holzhauer Can't be Stopped, But is Weather His Achilles' Heel?
'Jeopardy!' Champ James Holzhauer Can't be Stopped, But is Weather His Achilles' Heel?
Jan 17, 2024 3:44 PM

This file image made from video and provided by Jeopardy Productions, Inc. shows "Jeopardy!" contestant James Holzhauer on an episode that aired on April 17, 2019.

(Jeopardy Productions, Inc. via AP)

At a Glance

James Holzhauer is on a record-setting pace on the game show 'Jeopardy!'One game in his win streak included some answers about weather.Holzhauer only provided the correct question to one answer in this category.There have been a number of interesting weather answers in the game show's history.

James Holzhauer is dominating "Jeopardy!" like few others.

The professional sports gambler from Las Vegas has racked up 21 straight wins on the game show, averaging about $76,600 per win as of the shows that have aired through May 2.

He smashed the previous record for single-game winnings , with a combination of "all-in" bets on daily double clues, picking the high-dollar answers first, beating his opponents to the buzzer and, of course, his encyclopedic knowledge.

"When you look at his performance, he has no weaknesses," longtime host Alex Trebek told ABC's Robin Roberts during an interview on about Trebek's battle with pancreatic cancer.

Let's be clear, Holzhauer would blast me out of the water if I ever made it on the show. I would be thrilled to buzz in first every once in awhile, even if I didn't know the correct question, collect my $1,000 or $2,000 consolation prize, and shake the hand of a trivia savant.

But maybe Holzhauer has an Achilles' heel?

What is Weather?

Like many fans, I've been fascinated watching Holzhauer since he won his first match that aired on April 4.

He'll give the correct response to a majority of answers in each category. In each match, he may answer incorrectly once, if at all. And he seems to always buzz a fraction of a second before his competitors.

In the show that aired on April 26, "Crazy Weather We're Having!" was one of the six categories in the first round. Holzhauer's challengers were Robin Falco and Tyler Lee.

At last, a weather category. I figured he'd roll through this like any other category, but it turns out that wasn't exactly the case.

Let's replay how the category played out in true Holzhauer fashion, starting with the high dollar clues, and show you who buzzed in and answered correctly and incorrectly, according to the "Jeopardy!" archive, . **Note** Time ran out in the opening round before the $200 clue was revealed.

$1,000 Clue:

In 2013, there were 114-degree temperatures in La Rioja, the wine belt of this South American country.

Holzhauer: "What is Chile?" (incorrect)Lee: "What is Argentina?" (correct)

That was one of only two incorrect responses James had the entire match.

$800 Clue:

Traveling at 35 miles per hour, here's a 2000-foot high dust storm over this southwestern capital city in the year 2012. (Photo of dust storm was shown)

Lee: "What is Phoenix? (correct)

That's 0 for 2, James. You live in Las Vegas, right?

$600 Clue:

A S.C. man said this experience "cooks you from the inside out like being in a microwave" and says it's happened to him 11 times.

Holzhauer: "What is being struck by lightning?" (correct)

Order restored. By the way, if that clue horrified you, prime up on some .

$400 Clue:

In early 2017, an unlikely tornado struck this southeastern state in Germany called Bayern by locals.

Lee: "What is Bavaria?" (correct)

Holzhauer managed to buzz in and answer correctly only one of those four answers. In his defense, we'll never know if he knew the answers to the questions he was a tad too slow to buzz in.

But, frankly, I was a bit stunned.

As usual, though, this minor hiccup didn't matter in the end. Holzhauer won $49,600, easily defeating the next closest challenger, Robin Falco, who scored $3,300.

"Jeopardy!" Weather Answers of the Past

and have, of course, been occasional categories on "Jeopardy!" over the show's most recent 35-year run.

According to the , here are some sample weather-related answers used over the years. We're going to challenge you, so we'll stick with $2,000 Double Jeopardy clues or those used in Final Jeopardy. Scroll to the bottom for the answers.

Double Jeopardy Round $2,000 Clues

1) Referring to an unsettled situation, this word used in meteorology can be "regional" in political science.

2) Typhoons, hurricanes and the lows on weather maps are all examples of these atmospheric circulations.

3) Around 1806 this British commander drew up a "wind force scale and weather notation".

4) A sudden onset of winds increasing by at least 18 mph; it precedes "line" to describe a line of active thunderstorms.

5) When you're down and out, you're said to be "in" this belt of calm, light winds near the equator.

Final Jeopardy Clues

1) Low- and high-pressure systems and tropical moisture set the stage for a 1991 nor'easter nicknamed these two words.

2) Circa 1860 Robert FitzRoy of Britain's meteorological office rejected prediction and prophecy in favor of this word.

3) In the 1940s an anemometer aided Antarctic experiments that first determined this measurement heard in weather reports.

4) Edward Lorenz' idea of linking this creature to changes in the weather became the basis of chaos theory.

5) With an average of 7.4 inches of precipitation annually, it's the driest state in the U.S.

Let's put some space between the answers above and the question key below, so you're not tempted to peek.

In February 2019, a was cited in a "Jeopardy!" clue.

The "Jeopardy!" clue crew even paid a visit to The Weather Channel headquarters in Atlanta to tape some clues for a Double Jeopardy round that aired on .

Let's see how you did. Here are the correct questions to the clues above.

Answer key:

Double Jeopardy $2,000:

1) What is instability?

2) What are cyclones?

3) Who is Francis Beaufort?

4) What is a squall?

5) What are the doldrums?

Final Jeopardy:

1) What is Perfect Storm?

2) What is forecast?

3) What is wind chill?

4) What is the butterfly?

5) What is Nevada?

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