James Holzhauer Extends 'Jeopardy' Winning Streak by $18; Has Earned over $1.3M

James Holzhauer's incredible Jeopardy! streak reached 18 in Monday's episode, albeit just barely.

After having dominated the competition for 17 consecutive games, the 34-year-old professional sports gambler survived a tough test from sports information director Adam Levin. As ESPN.com's David Purdum noted, Holzhauer's $54,017 was just enough to edge out Levin ($53,999) by $18. Levin's performance is the highest non-winning total in Jeopardy! history, according to Purdum.

Holzhauer had $33,517 going into Final Jeopardy, with Levin having $27,000. Levin risked all but $1 on the final question, but he came up just short.

"I did everything I could possibly do and the best I could, and I was a few dollars short, but I wouldn't trade it," Levin told the Boston Globe's Jaclyn Reiss. "I had a huge smile on my face for as much of the time I could, because I was living the dream."

Levin, who walked away with $2,000 as runner-up, will have to settle for being the first one to truly make Holzhauer sweat.

Holzhauer's latest winnings put him at a total of $1,329,604 through 18 appearances, an average of $73,866 per game. 

Jeopardy! legend Ken Jennings earned more than $2.5 million during a 74-game winning streak. At his current pace, Holzhauer would need just 34 games to eclipse Jennings' mark.

Brad Rutter ($4.6 million) holds the career record for most earnings on the show.