When I first heard that Jeopardy! legend James Holzhauer wouldn't be competing in Jeopardy! Masters season 3, I thought that the show would be missing something without him, but, after watching the episode 1 Knockout rounds, I've changed my mind because the contestants are just as gutsy and knowledgeable as he is. I thought that James would definitely compete in Jeopardy! Masters season 3 because he won season 1 and placed third in season 2 behind winner Victoria Groce and runner-up Yogesh Raut, both of whom are competing in season 3.

As the season 2 third place finisher, James was invited to compete in Jeopardy! Masters season 3. However, I was shocked to hear that James turned down his invitation. Although I'm a huge fan of the nine Jeopardy! icons who are competing--Victoria, Yogesh, Brad Rutter, Roger Craig, Matt Amodio, Juveria Zaheer, Neilesh Vinjamuri, Adriana Harmeyer, and Isaac Hirsch--I thought that James' absence would've been strongly felt. After watching episode 1 though, my feelings changed, because both games were so thrilling.

The Jeopardy! Masters Contestants Have Made True Daily Doubles

Their Gutsy Wagers Made the Games Exciting

With his background as a professional sports gambler, James wasn't afraid to take big risks while competing on Jeopardy!. In 2019, James had a 32-game winning streak during which he set multiple single-game winnings records. He later won the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. In 2023, he won the first Jeopardy! Masters tournament, and he placed third in 2024. James won $2,464,216 in his 33 regular Jeopardy! game appearances, behind only Ken Jennings, who won $2,522,700, but in 75 regular games. James holds all of the Top 10 single-game winning records.

On April 9, 2019, James broke Roger's record for the highest single-day Jeopardy! winnings. Roger won $77,000 on September 14, 2010, but James shattered that record with his winnings of $110,914. He later sured that, and now holds the record at $131,127. I loved watching James make a gesture as though he was pushing all of his poker chips in as he made true Daily Doubles. I watching these jaw-dropping episodes, and marveling at how James' confidence and gutsiness made every episode so thrilling.

I thought that this element of risk would be missing from Jeopardy! Masters season 3 without James, but I was wrong because, during the episode 1 Knockout rounds, the contestants were just as bold as him. In the first game, which featured Victoria, Yogesh, and Brad, Yogesh had a considerable lead over his competitors when he found the first Daily Double. He had a score of 5,800 points over Victoria's 1,200 and Brad's 800, so I was shocked when he made it a true Daily Double. However, he got the question right and doubled his score, which led to his win later in the game.

During Double Jeopardy!, Victoria found the first Daily Double of the round. With 5,000 points, I was happy to see that she also made it a true Daily Double to try to catch up to Yogesh's 19,400 points. She was also only slightly ahead of Brad, who had 3,800 points. Victoria got the question right, and doubled her score to 10,000 points. When Yogesh found the second Daily Double of the round, he joked that he was going to bet it all, but then opted to bet 5,000. Because he was in the lead, he didn't need to risk everything, so I thought that he made a smart wager.

Jeopardy! Masters season 3 episode 1 Knockout round game 2 featured Matt, Roger, and Juveria as its competitors. Matt found the first Daily Double fairly early, so I wasn't surprised when he made it a true Daily Double and wagered all of his 1,000 points, especially because his fellow contestants each had zero points. Unfortunately for Matt, he answered incorrectly, but it didn't make a difference in the game because they were all back where they started.

During Double Jeopardy!, when Roger found the first Daily Double, his score was 4,400, while Matt's was 6,600, and Juveria's was 4,000. With the game so tight, I was thrilled to see Roger bet it all and double his score when he got it right. He then found the second Daily Double, and he made a wise wager of 6,000. He had 9,600 points, but Matt and Juveria were close behind him with 6,600 and 6,000 points respectively. It wouldn't have made sense to risk all of his points at that time in the game. Roger answered correctly and earned a score of 15,600, which led to his win.

During the first two Knockout rounds of Jeopardy! Masters season 3, I realized that we didn't need James to bring the excitement. The contestants were just as daring with their Daily Double wagers, making the games very exhilarating to watch. As they played, I quickly forgot about James because Yogesh, Victoria, and Roger were just as bold with their wagers. They kept me on the edge of my seat until the ends of the games when Yogesh and Roger emerged victorious and earned three match points each. Victoria and Matt placed second, earning one match point each, while Brad and Juveria placed third and earned no match points.

The Jeopardy! Masters Contestants Are Incredibly Knowledgeable

They Were Very Impressive With The Jeopardy! Masters Categories

Throughout his time on Jeopardy!, James was known as an encyclopedia of knowledge. He revealed that he used children's books to accumulate facts about topics that he wanted to learn more about to prepare for the game. James' mastery of so many subjects, combined with his bold wagers, is what made him so successful on Jeopardy! He had to not only have the fearlessness to bet a lot of money, but the confidence that he'd know the answers to the questions in order to get them right.

I was very impressed to see how well the Jeopardy! Masters contestants did with challenging categories ranging from "A Little Alliteration" to "The Peabody Awards" in game 1 to "Beastly TV Titles" to "Science Vocab" in game 2. I know that James is extraordinarily intelligent and well-read, but so are the nine Jeopardy! Masters season 3 contestants. They were chosen for this tournament for a reason, and they're true Jeopardy! legends.

I thought that Jeopardy! Masters season 3 would feel as though it was missing something without James, but I changed my mind once I watched the first two Knockout rounds. Victoria, Yogesh, Brad, Matt, Roger, and Juveria were a joy to watch, and it's always an honor to experience them working their magic on the Jeopardy! stage. I can't wait to see Neilesh, Adriana, and Isaac compete as well. I'm greatly enjoying Jeopardy! Masters season 3, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing who'll take home the $500,000 grand prize.

Jeopardy! Masters airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC.