The biggest Jeopardy! tournament, Jeopardy! The Greatest Of All Time, brings together the top three contestants ever for an ultimate showdown. Starting Tuesday, January 7, Jeopardy! The Greatest Of All Time set out to officially determine who is the greatest champion in the show's history.
With a whopping $1 million at stake, three of the most iconic competitors – Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings, and James Holzhauer – have duked it out in a riveting battle for game show supremacy. Alex Trebek is, of course, hosting the tournament.
Considering the three players taking part in Jeopardy! The Greatest Of All Time, the tournament has become a sensation. But in addition to watching, understanding the rules and who the contestants are is important.
Jeopardy's Greatest Of All Time Contestants
Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings, and James Holzhauer are not only the top three highest earners in Jeopardy! history, but in American game show history as well. Rutter currently holds the top spot, first appearing on the show in 2000 when he was still in college. He won five nights in a row, but back then, winners were forced to retire after winning five shows, so he wasn't able to see how long he could stay on. However, he would go on to win the 2001 Tournament of Champions, the 2002 Million Dollar Masters Tournament, and the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions, cementing him as the show's highest earner. He also won the 2014 Battle of the Decades and 2019 All-Star Games, furthering his earnings lead. Technically, the only "person" Rutter has ever lost to is IBM's Watson in the 2011 Jeopardy! IBM Challenge.
Ken Jennings holds the record for the longest winning streak in Jeopardy! history, winning a whopping 74 games in a row. In 2003, the rule was amended to allow contestants to play more than five games, and Jennings was the first player to truly test the limits. His run began on June 2, 2004, and went all the way until November 30. He went for so long that he wasn't allowed to participate in that year's Tournament of Champions, as contestants were only allowed back on if they had been unseated. Jennings became a minor celebrity during his streak, and participated in several tournaments afterwards, including the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, Battle of the Decades, and All-Star Games. However, he lost all three to Rutter, coming in second in each.
James Holzhauer is the most recent Jeopardy! superstar, whose Jeopardy! run last year went for 33 games and captivated America. A professional gambler from Las Vegas, "Jeopardy James" revolutionized the way the game is played, consistently betting his entire pot every time he landed on a daily double. His strategy resulted in massive payouts, winning $131,127 on April 17 – far and away the highest single-day total in the show's history. In fact, he holds the top 10 single-day payouts of all time. He was finally unseated in June 2019 by librarian Emma Boettcher, but got his revenge by beating Boettcher in the 2019 Tournament of Champions.
Jeopardy's Greatest Of All Time Rules Explained
Jeopardy! The Greatest Of All Time maintains the traditional rules, but with a few twists. Each night, the contestants play two full rounds of Jeopardy! – single, double, and final – and their total score will be the sum of what they won in the two games. At the beginning of each game, a drawing will determine who gets control of the board at the outset, since the previous night's winner usually starts during regular games. Whoever has accumulated the most points at the end of the night wins the game, and the tournament goes every night (besides Mondays) until a player has won three times. If Rutter, Jennings, and Holzhauer all win twice, the three-way, winner-take-all final will occur on January 16.