‘Jeopardy!’ James Holzhauer to host Game Show Boot Camp
“Jeopardy!” James Holzhauer and 10 other game show legends will compete in the Titan Throwdown on Saturday night at The Space.
The live quiz show, which will benefit Project 150, also will feature Mark Labbett of “The Chase” and former “Jeopardy!” champions Brad Rutter, Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio. It’s the centerpiece of the Game Show Boot Camp, which runs Friday to Sunday and includes seminars on how to get cast on a game show and be a great contestant.
“The toughest part of my game show journey was the 13 years it took me to pass an audition,” said Holzhauer, a Las Vegas-based pro sports bettor who won $2.46 million on “Jeopardy!” during a 32-game winning streak in 2019 that captivated the country.
“With the knowledge you’ll gain at Game Show Boot Camp, you won’t be left waiting on the sidelines.”
The boot camp starts Friday with practice game play with hands on buzzers from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Hampton Inn Tropicana. It continues Saturday with seminars and Titan Throwdown contestant quizzes and interviews before wrapping up Sunday with additional events.
“This includes tips from top performers on ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘The Chase,’ plus Maggie Speak, who for decades was in charge of Jeopardy’s casting and contestant prep,” Holzhauer said. “She’s probably the best source on the planet for this information.
“There are also opportunities to compete against our Titans in a variety of contests, including a hybrid trivia-dodgeball game, plus a live audition for ‘Jeopardy!’”
The highest-scoring boot camp participants will compete in the Throwdown against Holzhauer and the other trivia champs from “Jeopardy!,” “The Chase” and “Master Minds.”
“I think the strongest Titan may be Victoria Groce, ‘The Queen’ on ‘The Chase,’ who is regarded as the top quizzer in the USA,” Holzhauer said. “But I know several of America’s very best trivia players will be among the contestants, so I expect a good battle.”
Tickets to the 8 p.m. event at The Space are available at thespacelv.com for $100 each and include a meet-and-greet with the Titans. Tickets to the boot camp are available for $300 each at gameshowbootcamp.com.
One hundred percent of ticket sales for both events will benefit Project 150, a local charity that provides free support and services to homeless, displaced and disadvantaged high school students in Nevada.
“The event was conceived by my wife, Melissa, who has long hoped that we could use my game show fame to raise money for a good cause, much as we did at the GOAT watch party in January 2020,” Holzhauer said. “Outside forces delayed the event until now, but we’re still thrilled to be presenting a first-of-its-kind spectacle.”
Holzhauer added that restrictions will prevent them from live-streaming the event or distributing a recording.
Official “Jeopardy!” auditions will take place at various times Sunday for those boot camp attendees who have passed the preconference testing and are invited by “Jeopardy!”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
