Jeopardy! Masters winner James Holzhauer is well-known for slinging insults at rival contestants, but now he is getting as taste of his own medicine from fellow super-champ Matt Amodio.
The pair have gotten into a social media spat that started after Holzhauer shared an article in which Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone said she’d love to appear on Jeopardy! During the Variety Award Circuit podcast, Stone revealed she wants to do the regular version of the game show, not the “watered-down” celebrity edition, and applies every June.
“You can only take [the application test] once a year with your email address. So every June, I take the quiz and they don’t tell you how you did… guess what? I haven’t gotten on the show. I watch it every single night and I mark down how many answers I get right.”
Sharing his thoughts on Stone’s comments, Holzhauer tweeted, “I know she doesn’t want to go on Celebrity Jeopardy because the competition there is beneath her. As someone who shared the stage with @AmodioMatt, I sympathize.”
He also took aim at the show’s recent string of tournaments, writing, “The fatal flaw in her plan is that it would require regular Jeopardy to cast a first-time contestant.”
@James_Holzhauer is also unimpressed by Emma Stone playing someone with a child’s brain in an adult body in @PoorThingsFilm, as he does this every day and nobody gives him a Golden Globe for it
— Matt Amodio (@AmodioMatt) January 14, 2024
Some users were surprised by Holzhauer’s dig at Amodio, with one commenter responding, “Woke up and chose violence,” while another said, “What’s………… an unprovoked attack?”
Amodio, who won 38 consecutive games in 2021, didn’t take the insult lying down. He snapped back at Holzhauer, comparing him to Stone’s character in the Oscar-nominated movie Poor Things.
“James Holzhauer is also unimpressed by Emma Stone playing someone with a child’s brain in an adult body in @PoorThingsFilm, as he does this every day and nobody gives him a Golden Globe for it,” Amodio wrote.
Fans were happy to see Amodio fighting back, with one X user writing, “I like it, don’t back down Matt, his ego is even bigger than his winnings.”
Of course, Holzhauer responded in kind, sharing a photo of himself whispering into Amodio’s ear during last year’s Jeopardy! Masters tournament. He captioned the photo, “Holzhauer 3:16 says I just whipped your ass,” a reference to a famous line by wrestling legend Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Amodio was undeterred and fired back again, writing, “Like his jokes, @James_Holzhauer will also be asking for 7 months to come up with his answers on #JeopardyMasters.”
Like his jokes, @James_Holzhauer will also be asking for 7 months to come up with his answers on #JeopardyMasters
— Matt Amodio (@AmodioMatt) January 15, 2024
The good-natured banter between the two contestants was present throughout the Masters tournament, which Holzhauer won in dominant fashion. Fellow super-champ Mattea Roach finished in second place, while Amodio placed third.
While the season was airing, Holzhauer often took to social media to poke fun at Amodio. In one post, he shared an image of Amodio transforming into Brad Rutter, another super-champ who suffered a third-place defeat against Holzhauer during the 2020 Greatest of All-Time tournament.
#JeopardyMasters first impressions pic.twitter.com/krl9xl2aft
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) May 9, 2023
In another post, Holzhauer referred to Amodio as ‘mid,’ despite the fact Amodio was the one person to secure a win over the self-confessed game show supervillain during the points-based tournament.
As finalists, Holzhauer, Roach, and Amodio will all return for the second edition of Jeopardy! Masters this May, along with three yet-to-be-confirmed contestants. Ken Jennings, another long-time rival and banter buddy of Holzhauer’s, will host the competition.
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With all of the incredible Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping casting announcements, co-casting directors Debra Zane and Dylan Jury are opening up more about the process and how they chose certain actors. Zane, who worked on the original Hunger Games movies, even discussed picking Jennifer Lawrence to take on the role of Katniss Everdeen. "It’s hard to explain. It’s gut instinct. I remember casting a different film years ago and just knowing someone would get the part," she told Teen Vogue. "With Jennifer, she was coming off Winter’s Bone and had Oscar buzz, but all the big-name actresses were reading for Katniss. And she just was Katniss. That’s what casting is: finding the most suitable actor. Sometimes someone surprises you and shows a new emotional layer that’s even better than expected. That’s the most exciting part, when someone exceeds what you imagined." Meanwhile, Jury joined the franchise with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. However, casting for Sunrise on the Reaping was different because "[this book] came out simultaneously with the movie development. That made it very crazy and challenging for different reasons." One casting announcement fans were especially excited about was Maya Hawke as Wiress. Regarding the importance of resemblance, Zane commented, "We’re proud of matches like Maya Hawke." As for Whitney Peak playing Lenore Dove, Jury said, "When we saw her and Joe together. That was probably at the clearest moment," only for Zane to add, "We do so much on Zoom, but we did have an opportunity to see them together [in person]. We were shooting them on an iPhone and Dylan was operating the iPhone and I was peeking over his shoulder into the screen and could just… it was really like, Oof. You know?!" THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING will revisit the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. The rest of the cast includes Joseph Zada, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Molly McCann, Iona Bell, Lili Taylor, Ben Wang, Kelvin Harrison Jr., McKenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close, and Billy Porter. Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in theaters on November 20, 2026.
Caitlin Clark might be the most popular figure in women's basketball right now, but she continues to draw shots left and right, both on and off the court. The Iowa product has stayed even keeled and mostly unrattled, but that doesn't mean she won't fight back. That's why, in the light of Kelsey Plum's recent comments, she decided to take matters into her own hands and clapped back at her with a simple, six-word message. Plum shared a picture of her during the WNBA's All-Star Weekend, which showed half of a Nike logo in the background. Clark was quick to spot it and just wrote "Thank u for the Nike ad." This happened just hours after Plum seemingly took a shot at Clark and her Team Clark teammates for reportedly not getting involved in their pre-game protest. “The T-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum revealed. “That really needed to be mentioned,” Sabrina Ionescu added while both laughed. WNBA All-Stars warmed up with a T-Shirt that read 'Pay us what you owe us,' ahead of their new CBA agreement, which is expected to be signed in the offseason. WNBA players get around 9 percent of the league's revenue, and they're asking for a bigger share since most of them also have to play overseas during the offseason because of the salary disparity. Plum is the vice president of the WNBPA, so it's not surprising to see her so involved in the protest and the demands. Then again, it's hard to understand the reasoning behind the tattle telling, as not only does it show that there might not be a united front ahead of these negotiations, but it also drives attention away from where it should be.
On Saturday night, Kelsey Plum was part of Team Collier's 151-131 win over Team Clark in the WNBA All-Star Game, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Following the game, the Los Angeles Sparks star was asked about WNBA All-Stars wearing shirts before the game that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Specifically, Plum was asked about how that idea came together. "The T-shirt — just a united front," she said. "That was determined this morning, that we had a meeting for. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that." Plum said it with a chuckle. However, she was sitting next to New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who rolled her eyes and said, "Didn't really need to be mentioned" before laughing. It was awkward, especially because Caitlin Clark, as well as all of the members of Team Clark, wore the shirts. If Clark didn't wear the shirt, you could understand some backlash. But she did. It should also be noted that Team Collier featured the president of the WNBA Players Association, Nneka Ogwumike, as well as the first vice president, Plum, and two vice presidents, Napheesa Collier and Brenna Stewart. It makes sense if they took on greater leadership roles in a statement like this against the league. Whether Plum likes it or not, the reason the WNBA has any sort of leverage heading into these negotiations with the league is Clark. She would do well to remember that the next time she wants to take an unnecessary shot at Clark, who is responsible for the greatest surge in fan attention the WNBA has ever seen.
Before Ryan Reaves was traded to the San Jose Sharks earlier this summer, he had a front-row seat to Auston Matthews' first season wearing the “C” for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Matthews dealt with injury setbacks throughout the year, missing 15 games after hurting himself during training camp. He still found a way to finish the season, racking up 78 points in 67 regular-season games, adding 11 points in 13 playoff outings. Reaves appeared on the "Leafs Morning Take" podcast on Monday to discuss that and many other topics. Reaves opened up on his two seasons in Toronto. The enforcer offered insight into what made the 2024–25 campaign unique and how Matthews handled the spotlight during his first year as the team captain. “I think a lot of (Matthews') leadership is led by example,” Reaves said. “He works incredibly hard in practice. And on the ice, I think you see how hard he works in all three zones. “Obviously, grinding through some issues this year, and, you know, really trying to grind through it for the team.” Reaves said that even though Matthews was forced to miss time throughout the season, the captain maintained a presence Reaves — a 38-year-old veteran — found instructive, especially for younger players in the locker room. “To me, Auston was a guy who really led by example, really tried to drag guys into battles, practice,” Reaves said. “Never took days off, never, never coasted in practice. Always working his (expletive) off, on the ice before everybody else, off the ice last, you know. “(It’s) something that, as a vet, it was great to see. It really teaches those young guys how to, how to be, you know, the best in the world.” Reaves, however, acknowledged that Matthews wasn’t the most vocal captain he’d ever played with. That said, the veteran still respected Matthews' approach to leading the Maple Leafs. “Everybody leads differently, right?” Reaves said. “You can’t be the most vocal and the most leading by example, you can’t, you can’t do it all.”