Why James Holzhauer is bad for Jeopardy!: His domination makes for deadly dull TV

Variety

Holzhauer joined Ken Jennings on Tuesday night in becoming the second player to cross the $1 million mark. He also is now in fourth place in all-time Jeopardy! wins. But according to Daniel D'Addario, Holzhauer's domination is bad for the game. "If every episode is a blowout in which two of three contestants are basically never competitive, does that not grow uninteresting over time?" he asks, pointing out that there is a "show" aspect to game shows. "Holzhauer’s run is a thrilling achievement, and deadly dull television," says D'Addario. "Jeopardy!’s inherent appeal is the story it tells of competition — comebacks, falls from the top, surprise reversals of fortune, all of which speak to the manner in which people respond under pressure. A person who has basically no response to pressure thanks to his demeanor and his professional experience is either perfect casting for a show like this, or, perhaps, a less-than-edifying companion through weeks and weeks of episodes that have lost a certain fundamental crisp interest. A steady march that goes the same way each episode evokes not the heady cut-and-thrust of a game well played but the dreary awareness that a game show, just like all other aspects of life in the late 2010s, can be optimized." ALSO: Does it matter if Holzhauer broke Jeopardy!?