'Jeopardy!' Fans Angry James Holzhauer Will Play Emma Boettcher, Not Ken Jennings, in Tournament of Champions
Die-hard Jeopardy fans love the idea of their favorite champions going head-to-head; however, when the Tournament of Champions lineup was announced on Wednesday, some fans were less than satisfied.
After the dust settled from the initial excitement about James Holzhauer's return, Twitter users quickly voiced their disapproval after seeing that Emma Boettcher will face Holzhauer once again.
Boettcher defeated Holzhauer on June 3, ending the Las Vegas sports bettor's 32-game streak. The Chicago-based researcher defeated Holzhauer after putting in a higher wager during the "Final Jeopardy!" round.
Though she managed to dethrone the previously undefeated trivia whiz, many Twitter users didn't think Boettcher deserved to face off against him again. Others hoped to see the battle between Holzhauer and Ken Jennings.
"Emma did not earn it. She only won 3 games," one Twitter user said. "Totally unfair to other, more deserving champions."
"WHAT?? Why Emma??? How does she qualify? Others have won more (and Ryan is still going!!). It should be based on qualifications," another groused. "They need to dump Emma. Something sounds fishy here."
"Ok, maybe we were not loud enough... We wanted Ken to compete against James NOT Emma," one Twitter user stated emphatically.
Despite Twitter's disappointment, Holzhauer seems excited by the opportunity for "revenge."
"Am I eager for revenge? You Boettcher a** I am," Holzhauer tweeted Wednesday.
Full list of competitors below:
| James Holzhauer | Las Vegas, Nev. | 35 | $2,462,216 | 32 |
| Josh Hill | North Little Rock, Ark. | 34 | $163,721 | 7 |
| Ryan Fenster | Seatac, Wash. | 34 | $156,497 | 7 |
| Kyle Jones | Aurora, Colo. | 35 | $145,403 | 7 |
| Rob Worman | Edina, Minn. | 34 | $133,900 | 6 |
| Alan Dunn | Johns Creek, Ga. | 35 | $120,802 | 5 |
| Steven Grade | Atlanta, Ga. | 35 | $115,501 | 5 |
| Eric R. Backes | Round Rock, Texas | 35 | $105,602 | 4 |
| Anneke Garcia | Salt Lake City, Utah | 35 | $104,497 | 4 |
| Lindsey Shultz | Pittsburgh, Penn. | 35 | $101,002 | 4 |
| Emma Boettcher | Chicago, Ill. | 35 | $97,002 | 3 |
| Gilbert Collins | Princeton, N.J. | 34 | $84,201 | 5 |
| Rachel Lindgren | Bend, Ore. | 34 | $75,999 | 5 |
| Dhruv Gaur | Gainesville, Ga. | 34 | $100,000 | College Champion |
| Francois Barcomb | New Paltz, N.Y. | 35 | $100,000 | Teachers Champion |
The Tournament of Champions' 10-day event airs November 4-15 and will give the top 15 competitors of Jeopardy seasons past an opportunity to win a $250,000 grand prize.