One would imagine that James Holzhauer — the person whose “strategically aggressive” strategy effectively broke Jeopardy! — would have memorized all sitting U.S. senators as a precaution. But on Monday night, Holzhauer and his fellow contestants failed to give the question to the following $2,000 answer in the “Social Studies” category: “He’s a senator from Nebraska and the author of Them: Why We Hate Each Other and How to Heal.” Holzhauer & Co. failed to answer even with Sasse’s mug in front of the clue.
The miss reveals that the pro sports bettor has something of a knowledge gap: Of the 32 other clues he’s missed or gotten wrong during his 20-game win streak, many have had to do with politics or history. Other errors include guesses on the Spanish Civil War, Nelson Mandela, and the Bill of Rights.
For future reference, Sasse is a first-term Republican in the Judiciary and Intelligence committees whose email accounts were once signed up to a Nickelback newsletter. Despite physical similarities — and a shared tendency to condemn the president but vote in his favor — he is not, in fact, former Arizona senator Jeff Flake.
