Jeopardy! Super-Champ Harrison Whitaker Never Stopped Being Nervous

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Spoilers ahead for the December 1, 2025, episode of Jeopardy!

When a contestant on Jeopardy! performs as well as a top winner like Harrison Whitaker, it’s natural to assume they were destined for the show. Viewers also became curious about where Whitaker came from. Although he’s often identified as being from Terre Haute, Indiana, many noticed his accent sounded somewhat British – possibly because he now lives in the U.K. There was plenty of time for speculation, as Whitaker impressively won 14 games before losing to Libby Jones on December 1st. During his nearly three-week run, Whitaker became the 19th Jeopardy! super-champion after his tenth win and set a new record for the highest single-day winnings in season 42, earning $50,000 in one game.

James Whitaker seemed destined for quiz show success, and he began preparing very early in life. Host Ken Jennings jokingly mentioned that Whitaker could actually list all the U.S. presidents in order before he learned to read! This dedication to knowledge made him a formidable competitor on Jeopardy!, and it’s even led to a job writing questions for the British show University Challenge. He famously said he’d use his winnings to open a bar with incredibly difficult trivia nights – he’d already received complaints about making trivia too hard! However, he’s now reconsidering that plan. “I probably need to test the idea out first,” Whitaker admits. “I love the idea, but I’m starting to think not everyone would.”

Wow, what a ride! Watching those 15 games unfold was amazing. But it’s crazy to think how quickly it all happened – most of it was filmed practically back-to-back, right? I remember getting started on October 7th, filming my first four games. Then, just two weeks later, I was back for five games on Monday and another five on Tuesday! After a quick trip home to England, I came back again a week after that and played my first game… unfortunately, we lost that one.

That’s incredible! I was wondering about jet lag, but it sounds like you were dealing with a lot more than that, constantly traveling back and forth. It’s amazing you managed to play at all, especially since you were often running on just three or four hours of sleep after each stretch of filming.

That’s really something! Do you have any regrets about how things went? I was hoping to stay, but work kept me too busy, and I’m based in the U.K. most of the time, so it wasn’t really possible. For next year’s Tournament of Champions, though, I’m planning to set up a base camp in the Pacific Time Zone and adjust well ahead of time.

You appeared remarkably composed after losing the game, and very kind to Libby. Was it a mix of emotions – sadness that your winning streak ended, but also a sense of peace? It’s hard to know if you felt any relief alongside the disappointment of not continuing.

You’ve hit the nail on the head. It’s definitely sad knowing it’s over – there are no second chances. You can’t go back and ask for another try. But ultimately, you know you’re going to lose eventually, and I couldn’t have lost to a better person. Libby is an incredible player, and she played exceptionally well. I also played a good game, so I don’t regret anything. I’ve enjoyed talking to Libby both before and after our matches, and I’m genuinely happy that she was the one who beat me.

I noticed you seemed quite nervous when speaking at the podium. Did that nervousness ever ease up as things went on?

Honestly, it didn’t really. It’s strange, because looking back at winning 14 games, you’d think I might have relaxed a bit during games four through eleven. But the truth is, every time I had to speak, I felt like it could be my last. I really wanted to appear calm and in control, like other champions do, but I could never manage that. If my heart rate dropped below 150 beats per minute, I considered it a success.

You had a close game once, but most of the time, I win by a large margin. When I’m playing, is there a point where I can see how much of the game is left and feel confident I’ve already won? Yeah, I definitely try to find the high-value clues and Daily Doubles early, like everyone else. But even after the Daily Doubles are gone, I want to finish the game as quickly as possible and create a comfortable lead. I find playing Jeopardy! really stressful and emotionally draining – it feels like I’m really putting myself out there. You might even notice it when I hit the buzzer; I sometimes put my whole body into it. The sooner I can secure a win, the better.

With Jeopardy! now available on streaming services like Hulu and Peacock, contestants are becoming more well-known. But have you managed to stay anonymous here in the U.K.? So far, nobody recognizes me, and honestly, that’s fine with me. It’s strange getting tons of messages, new followers, and emails every morning, then going to work and having absolutely no one notice!

Someone pointed out that when you search for my name online, the word “accent” appears quickly. They asked if I have a British accent. I don’t believe I do. It’s interesting because people who knew me back in America say my voice hasn’t changed at all. It makes me wonder if, when I was a kid growing up in Indiana and visited Disney World, people thought I sounded British then? Probably not, but it’s a strange thought.

You have a very formal and proper way of speaking, and some Americans might interpret that as sounding British. That’s a polite way to say it!

I’ve seen some comments online that I speak too quickly. I honestly didn’t realize I was talking fast – it feels natural to me when I’m presenting, like I’m matching the energy of the show. But it’s clear I was mistaken, and I’m happy to admit that I need to work on slowing down.

I may have brought up some negative comments from online – people have said I speak too quickly and have an accent. Are you checking Reddit to see what viewers think of your performance on Jeopardy!, or are you avoiding that kind of feedback? I glanced at Reddit early on, just to make sure people weren’t reacting badly. Once I felt like most viewers saw me as a regular person, I stopped checking as much. There’s one subreddit I occasionally visit – I won’t mention which one – and one morning I saw a top post from someone who really disliked the current Jeopardy! champion. It was a bit amusing.

Did you happen to read their reasoning?
I read the reasoning, and then I moved on.

You’ve competed on both Jeopardy! in the US and University Challenge in the UK, and you’ve lived in both countries. I’m curious about the differences you’ve observed in how people approach quizzes and trivia in each place. The differences are quite significant. I generally don’t emphasize cultural differences between the US and UK – I think we’re more similar than people realize. However, the quizzing cultures are distinct. In the UK, there’s a strong tradition of valuing academic knowledge and obscure facts, sometimes to an extreme. In the US, there isn’t really a space for that kind of hyper-specialized knowledge. Jeopardy! is the most intellectually challenging quiz show we have, and I enjoy it a lot. But even in bar trivia, you won’t find questions about something like the poetry of Hokusai. In the UK, you can pursue any area of study and find a community for it, whereas in the US, there’s a limit to how far you can take it.

You played the last game that determined qualification for the postseason. Had you lost, you would have competed in the 2026 Tournament of Champions, but now you’ll be playing in 2027. Were you thinking about that during the game? Honestly, I haven’t watched Jeopardy! consistently since moving to the U.K. in 2021, so I wasn’t familiar with the tournament rules or cut-off dates. When they mentioned it, I was confused. But I’m definitely relieved I won’t have to compete against strong players like Scott Riccardi and Paolo Pasco.

You know, having over a year to get ready for the Tournament of Champions feels like a blessing and a curse. It’s a lot of studying! I definitely need to build in some downtime – no point prepping when my brain needs a break. I’ll get started eventually, of course. But honestly, what I’m not thrilled about is spending the next year constantly analyzing the competition. Like with any new champ, I find myself wondering, ‘How would I stack up against them?’ It’s always easier facing someone you know, but right now, I’m stuck trying to figure out all these unknowns, and that’s the tougher challenge.

Were there any topics you struggled with during the game that you’d like to review before the Tournament of Champions? Yes, definitely. As for whether I want to review them, I’m not so sure. For example, I know absolutely nothing about cars, and occasionally Jeopardy! has a category about them. When I see that, I really panic! I don’t think I have the time or ability to learn all about different car brands and models like Chevrolet and Toyota. It just feels overwhelming.

Honestly, I was surprised by how many different car-related topics there could be. While it seems unlikely, you really never know what might happen. Also, I plan on listening to more country music in the next year than usual.

I don’t really have any lingering regrets about specific clues or categories from the games. If I were playing alone, I’m confident I’d get almost everything right. But when you’re competing under pressure against two skilled players, it’s a completely different experience. It’s funny, actually, because in the game I lost, there was a category about characters from plays. I’m a huge theater fan—I even used to read scripts for the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York. I’ve read countless plays, and I knew all the answers, but I didn’t get a single one right that game because my opponents were just so strong.

Was that decided by who buzzed in fastest? I’ve noticed a weird thing happens to me when I know the answer – if I’m really confident, I often don’t actually get to answer. It’s like something subconsciously slows me down. There was a round about architects earlier, and I knew all the answers, but I was feeling too pleased with myself. I’d think, ‘Oh, that’s Zaha Hadid, easy!’ and then someone else would buzz in before I could.

Perhaps the trick is to avoid getting comfortable or enthusiastic about topics you already know. Essentially, I need to maintain a consistent level of anxiety throughout.

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2025-12-03 00:56