'Jeopardy!' Host Ken Jennings Teases Champ James Holzhauer With Spicy On-Air Flirtation

Elyse Wanshel
·2-min read

“Jeopardy!” had a recent live steamy Louis and Lestat moment (thanks Anne Rice!) with two of its former champs.

Earlier this month, James Holzhauer, the second all-time regular season earnings champ, returned to play “Jeopardy! Masters” delighting fans with quite a few witty jabs at his former rival — and the show’s current host — Ken Jennings.

Due to the on-air ribbing, Jennings decided to have a little fun with Holzhauer on Friday’s episode with a clue involving vampires — and the moment did not suck.

Contestant Matt Amodio chose from a category called “Authors,” to which Jennings then read the clue: “The Detroit Free Press said ‘The Mummy’ was ‘vintage’ this novelist; ‘elegantly erotic & full of enchanting terror.’”

Amodio answered incorrectly with, “What’s Stoker?”

After the buzzer rang, Jennings joked: “I also refer to James as ‘elegantly erotic but full of enchanting terror.’” While fellow contestant Mattea Roach covered her mouth as she laughed aloud, Jennings then shared the correct answer: “Anne Rice.”

Holzhauer interrupted with his own spicy quip: “Keep it in your pants, Ken.”

But Holzhauer couldn’t let their on-air flirtation go, and later that day tweeted the clip with the caption: “We actually had to pause taping so Ken could take a cold shower.”

“Jeopardy!” fans were mixed on the saucy banter between the two men, with some finding it sexy, while others thought it was inappropriate.

Regardless of how one feels about the moment, the friendly hostility between Jennings and Holzhauer makes perfect sense. In 2020, Holzhauer lost to Jennings in the “Greatest of All Time” tournament — winning one match, while Jennings won three.

Related...