Traina Thoughts: James Holzhauer's Spoiled 'Jeopardy!' Loss Gets Same Ratings as NBA Finals

Jeopardy episode featuring end of James Holzhauer's streak gets NBA Finals ratings.

Jeopardy!

1. Spoilers DO pay off.

While the Internet and Twitter were losing their minds over last night's Jeopardy! results being spoiled, it all paid off in the end for the show.

The end of James Holzhauer's historic streak was leaked Sunday night. By Monday morning, major outlets had reported the results and all hell broke loose since most of the country had to wait until 7 p.m or 7:30 p.m. local time to watch the show. And guess what? Despite knowing Holzhauer finally lost, the country still tuned in.

10.1 overnight rating for Jeopardy yesterday as the epic @James_Holzhauer streak came to a stunning end. The 10.1 is the highest overnight of James’s 33 show run.

— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) June 4, 2019

James Holzhauer's Downfall Propels #Jeopardy to Highest Ratings in 14 Years https://t.co/RQFf5Vl2nK pic.twitter.com/vow6GFUQtT

— TheWrap (@TheWrap) June 4, 2019

That 10.1 rating is the same number the Raptors and Warriors got for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Game 2 drew a 10.2 rating. Yes, the NBA Finals ratings are skewed because the Toronto market doesn't rate in the United States, but the fact remains that Monday's Jeopardy! rated the same as the 2019 NBA Finals.

Here's the thing about spoilers: People hate them, but they generate buzz. For the past few weeks, the country had been talking about Jeopardy! at night—during and after the show. Monday, the country was talking about Jeopardy! all day long. And that momentum led to more curiousity.

As for the end of the episode leaking on Sunday, the Washington Posthas full details on what may have happened and a response from Jeopardy! producers.

2. As for Holzhauer's defeat, most people can take a lesson from Jeopardy James on how to lose gracefully.

We have a new champion! Congratulations, Emma Boettcher!

Stream the final episode of James Holzhauer's incredible streak here, available now through Friday: https://t.co/hUk4MCbBVo pic.twitter.com/9dTwuOnZLr

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) June 4, 2019

Holzhauer has offered no excuses while heaping praise on the person who beat him, Emma Boettcher.

"James will eventually beat himself by flubbing one of his big bets.” Nope, James got his ass kicked straight up by an elite player who nailed her own big bets.

— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June 4, 2019

To everyone: Thanks for the support, and remember to be good humans.

— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June 4, 2019

And as far as the ridiculous conspiracy theories from people who think James lost on puprose, he swatted them down perfectly.

Sure, I could stick around and play a game that pays me $150,000 per hour, but I'd really rather get toys thrown at my crotch for free https://t.co/xb6Fg6MMKP

— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June 4, 2019

3. Todd Gurley says he doesn't have Drake's number in his phone because the rapper is bad luck. But the better part of this clip is when the Rams running back is asked who is the most famous person in his phone.

Bad news, @Raptors fans... @TG3II tells @Hawk that the @Drake curse is real 😂😂

Watch 📺: https://t.co/8BT3qFxht6@gillette | #GuardDown pic.twitter.com/UFKXJxC9ZO

— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) June 3, 2019

4. It's always dangerous when you say, "Nobody cares about..." However, I'm gonna do that right now. Nobody cares about the MLB draft. So when ESPN's Jeff Passan tried to act like he was covering the NBA draft last night and tipped picks as if sports fans across America were waiting with baited breath for them, it was sad.

5. This video is from Saturday, but I just saw it this morning. WWE's Finn Balor giving an interview while, let's just say, feeling good, at the Liverpool-Tottenham game and then revealing that he was dating the reporter interviewing him was pretty humorous.

Have a drunk Finn Balor enjoying the #UCLfinal 😂😂😂 https://t.co/lpN8mQBCct

— Just Talk Wrestling (@JustTalkWrestle) June 1, 2019

6. The newest SI Media Podcast features an interview with Washington Post sports media reporter Ben Strauss. Topics that I covered with Ben include the sale of Sports Illustrated, the weird way ESPN and Stephen A. Smith handled Baxter Holmes's feature story on Magic Johnson, and the increasing presence of Stephen A. Smith everywhere. We also touched on the bizarre stance that ESPN keeps taking about "covering politics."

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play.

7. One of my best friends from college wrote a book about seeing every stadium/arena for every MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL team. Check it out on Amazon. There are even a few stories about me in the book!

If you’re one of those sports fans into seeing different stadiums/arenas, check out the book @RichOMalley wrote. He’s one of my best friends & is deranged so he went to every stadium/arena for each team in the 4 major sports leagues. pic.twitter.com/AXjXgikpOW

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) June 4, 2019

8. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: If you're a fan of The Office, you will love this.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

IN CLOSING: The entire Warriors team is hurt and they're still 5.5 point favorites Wednesday.