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And he only needed four matches (with a healthy dosage ofamusingtweets) to do it!
Congratulations.I must admit, Im doing great.
Youve found me in a good mood, Devon.
I openly wept at your win last night.
I was so happy.I appreciate vulnerability in a journalist.
I dont know if you could tell on television, but I was weeping.
It meant a lot to me.
I got very emotional.
I was very relieved.
I was pretty sure going in that I didnt have much of a chance.
I was pleasantly surprised.
How would you describe your level of confidence going into the tournament?Low.
Whats lower than low?
I finally figured Id go and have a good time.
It turned out to be a pretty smart play.
Wait, so you didnt want to do the tournament at all?Which sure looks pretty dumb now.
I told the show, Really, you already want to do a Ken, James, Brad showdown?
No, I dont want to do this anymore.
Im out of my prime.And then I got some emails strongly telling me I should change my mind.
Did the money help?You know, not really.
The main thing about this tournament was the bragging rights.
All three of us are doing just fine on our game show winnings.
You dont want to say that because its notrelatable,as they say on television, but its true.
Youre watching threeJeopardy!millionaires.
Nobody needs the money.
Its really about how much we love the game.
I just hope for some breaks.
I usually dont have great luck against him.
How do you possibly contain that?
Hes that dominant of a player.
He made us play his game.
Thatstrategically aggressive style.Find those Daily Doubles and bet huge at every opportunity.
Whoever does that is going to win.
What was the energy in the room like before the first match commenced?I came in very anxious.
As soon as the game starts, you just lock in on that.
Theres no time to worry.
Youre trying to keep up with the game.
All three of us had enough experience to really enjoy it, play really loose, and have fun.
Of course while keeping a laser-like focus to win.
I think that came across on television, too.
Theyve been watching a certain way for decades.
But we really did have fun!
James jumpstarted a little bit of trash-talk and feuding on Twitter.
Hes a pro-wrestling fan and you’re able to see that in his approach to the game.
Ive never felt confidant playingJeopardy!that way, and admittedly it was fun to throw a little shade.
Winning onJeopardy!is hard, but being funny on Twitter is harder.
I admire the confidence of it.
You know what the show needs?
It was very seductive.
Thats the dark side of the show, going all-in on those Daily Doubles.
I guess that means I have some gambling addiction inside me waiting to be tapped.
I should be careful going to Vegas now that James turned me into a depraved sports bettor bang out.
You often look pleasantly surprised when you get certain clues correct.That is not a put-on!
Generally, when I have a good feeling about a clue, Ill buzz in.
James is just a robot.
Hes completely accurate all the time, but he doesnt buzz in unless hes sure.
Thats the most impressive thing to me about him.
He knows all that stuff.
Why do you think Brad struggled so much throughout the tournament?
Hes unbelievable and the most tenacious player Ive ever played against.
Healwaysfinds a way to win.
He just never found his footing.
He found so much luck finding Daily Doubles, but found all the hardest ones.
I wouldve gotten the majority of those clues wrong myself.
He took those bullets.
Brad seems genuinely happy for me to win.
He gave me a big hug and said the nicest things.
I was very touched by how sweet they were about the whole thing.
Im glad I could bring that into the world.
I hung out with Alex a little bit.
He joked about howJeopardy!needs someone younger and more vital, so hes going to recommend Betty White.
He means so much to us, and he genuinely didnt know how important he was.
But Im here for it.I thought it was a beautiful way to see this chapter in his life.
Does this win seem like a natural endpoint to yourJeopardy!career?Yeah, Im out, Devon.
Im hanging up my buzzer.
I didnt call a press conference or anything, but this is it for me.
I dont know the pop star categories anymore!
Im too old with a lot of trivia now.
I cant imagine a better way to go out than this tournament.
Likely in 50 years, but whenever the time does come.
You really are the natural successor.Its very flattering because Im such a huge fan of the show.
