James Holzhauer teases he might be the villain of Jeopardy Masters in exclusive clip

James Holzhauer JEOPARDY! MASTERS
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Six previous Jeopardy champions are set to assemble for the new masters tournament starting this week, but one shadow looms larger than the rest.

James Holzhauer first came onto Jeopardy in 2019, embarking on a 32-game winning streak that, among other things, earned him the 16 highest single-day winnings totals. Holzhauer's experience as a sports gambler gave him the confidence to constantly gamble everything on Daily Doubles (a move he would signify with what became his trademark "all in" hand push), which helped him accrue those eye-popping totals.

James Holzhauer JEOPARDY! MASTERS
James Holzhauer JEOPARDY! MASTERS

ABC/Christopher Willard James Holzhauer on 'Jeopardy Masters.'

Holzhauer's success on Jeopardy made him a role model to other players. Andrew He, who has acknowledged Holzhauer's influence, will now go up against him in Jeopardy Masters.

"There's so many reasons to be excited, but I heard a really interesting rumor about our 'game show villain' over here," He says in the exclusive clip above from the first episode of Jeopardy Masters.

That rumor involves feet and intimidation, and you'll have to watch the clip above to verify it. But there seems little doubt that Holzhauer is the heel of this tournament.

Jeopardy Masters begins Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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