Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer has come to expect victory from his younger brother, James.
What he didn’t expect was a shoutout from the “Jeopardy!” legend.
Heading into Wednesday’s taped finale of “Jeopardy! Masters” — a prime-time televised competition between six of the top recent “Jeopardy!” champions — Ian had no idea if James emerged as the winner to cap the 10-episode marathon.
And unable to watch the climactic episode until two hours after it aired, big brother turned off his phone and watched with his wife and children as James pulled off a stunning victory in the inaugural event.
In addition to the $500,000 grand prize, bringing his total “Jeopardy!” winnings to nearly $3 million, James Holzhauer received an invite to next year’s “Jeopardy! Masters” event with the other finalists, Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio.
“Jeopardy!” also donated $100,000 to Project 150, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit organization founded by Holzhauer and his wife, Melissa, that offers support and services to homeless high school students.
“It’s very nerve-wracking to watch,” Ian Holzhauer said. “I mean, these are the best players in history.”
During the closely-contested finale, James gave a nice tribute to his hometown during the interview portion of the second match. A professional sports gambler, Las Vegas has been his home for a while. But Naperville remains close to his heart.
“I talk about Las Vegas a lot,” James said during Wednesday’s episode, “but I don’t really shout out my childhood home of Naperville, Illinois, where I still have a lot of friends and family rooting me on.”
The 38-year-old Naperville North High School graduate also told a funny story about a recent visit home and a lunch outing with Ian. As someone approached their table, James said he braced for another “Jeopardy!” fan wanting to talk or requesting an autograph.
Instead, the “fan” approached Ian and said, “Excuse me, are you Ian Holzhauer … Naperville city councilman?”
“It made his life,” James joked of his brother.
In the “Jeopardy! Masters” finale, Ian anxiously watched as James battled Roach for the top spot. Based on the combined scores of two finals matches, Holzhauer trailed Roach going into Final Jeopardy. Although both contestants gave incorrect responses, Holzhauer was victorious because he wagered fewer points.
Watching James’ success has become a family event involving the DVR and finding common viewing times. Ian said he watched the “Jeopardy! Masters” episodes with his family at home and with some of his wife’s family remotely from Washington, D.C. James and Ian’s father and stepmother watched the finale on their own in Naperville.
After the epic victory, Ian texted a quick congratulations note to his brother. Swamped with the championship attention. James had time for only a one-word reply … a misspelled “thanks.”
“More than anything, I think he’s just relieved,” Ian said. “He gets to relax and focus on stuff other than trivia for a little while.”
