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AN upcoming Jeopardy! contestant’s recent social media post has fans believing Isaac Hirsch’s winning streak might be over soon.
Isaac won his seventh game at the podium on Thursday, continuing his run on the game show.
Isaac Hirsch competing on Jeopardy![/caption]
Upcoming Jeopardy! contestant James Hayakawa posing with host Ken Jennings[/caption]
Isaac Hirsch going for his third win on Jeopardy![/caption]
However, viewers are convinced a contestant competing on Monday’s episode of Jeopardy! could knock him off the pedestal and win the top spot – Isaac wins Friday’s games and advances, that is.
James Hayakawa, an actor living in Chicago, announced on his Instagram page earlier this week that he’s fulfilling his “life-long dream” and competing on the game show.
He shared a photo of his Jeopardy! invite, along with a snap of himself on the show and posing with host Ken Jennings.
“So excited to finally announce that I will be competing on Jeopardy! This has been a lifelong dream of mine, and it is surreal to see it come true!” James wrote in his caption.
Jeopardy!’s official Instagram page responded, “Can’t wait!” while a slew of others shared their support.
FANS’ PREDICTIONS
The post was shared on an online message board where fans revealed their hopes for the Jeopardy! newcomer.
“I’m betting that James wins, because I personally would not want to draw this kind of attention to myself if I had lost,” one person said.
“A lot of contestants post this stuff on their socials, regardless of whether they win. It’s a unique life experience worth documenting, someone else replied.
“This is an exemplary post, by the way. Many of us who were on the show have likely struggled with how to phrase such an announcement and mostly gave up and didn’t post in advance at all,” a third praised.
“James Hayakawa figured out the formula without giving away any forbidden details and without sounding arrogant or needy. Bravo!”
Jeopardy! is a show near and dear to Isaac’s family, as he revealed during his first appearance that his father was a contestant 30 years ago.
“My dad was on Jeopardy! in the ’80s and one of the first years Alex hosted, and he lost,” Isaac said, mentioning the late host Alex Trebek.
“I used to tease him about it as a kid. Like Weird Al’s ‘I Lost On Jeopardy!,’ being like, ‘It’s about you, Dad!’”
Jeopardy! Host Timeline
Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show's inception in 1964.
Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.
Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.
Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.
Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.
Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.
Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.
Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.
Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.
Ken laughed at Isaac’s remark and Isaac replied, “So today, we get to find out how real karma is.”
After Jeopardy! shared the story in an Instagram post, Isaac’s dad, Steven, pleaded in the comments for a second chance.
“If Ken Jennings is going to keep mentioning that I lost on Jeopardy, I want another chance! Bring me back for another shot at winning!” Steven wrote.
Isaac is also no stranger to the game show circuit, as he previously competed on ABC’s The Chase.
In 2023, he won $140,000 on the show, defeating Chaser and nine-day Jeopardy! champion Buzzy Cohen.
Isaac also appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2017 and took home $5,000 after botching the $20,000 question.
On Friday, he’ll compete for his eighth win, giving him the second-longest winning streak all season behind Adriana Haymeyer, who won 15 consecutive games.
Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings standing behind his podium on set[/caption]
