The top ‘Jeopardy!’ winners will return to the stage to compete for the title of The Greatest of All Time. On January 7, 2020, the famous game show will return for a never-before-seen tournament that will put the top winners to the test.
Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings, and the newest addition to the ‘Jeopardy!’ Hall of Fame record-holders, James Holzhauer, will battle it out in the thrilling showdown.
News Highlights
- ‘Jeopardy!‘ is coming out with a unique Greatest of All Time tournament in January 2020.
- Record-holders Rutter, Jennings, and Holzhauer will battle it out for the winning title.
- Game show host Alex Trebek is highly speculative of the outcome, with many factors in play.
All Eyes on James Holzhauer
The tournament for the Greatest of All Time title was announced shortly after another winning spree by one of the game show’s legends, James Holzhauer. He won the Tournament of Champions and took home another $250,000 along with his over $2 million regular game winnings.
During these regular games, his winnings amounted to $2.46 million. That’s just slightly below the current record-holder for most significant regular-season earnings – Ken Jennings.
Breaking ‘Jeopardy!’ Records
With a $2.7 million win so far, this Las Vegas sports betting enthusiast is going to be drawing a lot of attention at the tournament. Since his appearance in April, James Holzhauer managed to sustain a 32-game winnings streak, broken earlier this year by Emma Boettcher. He also broke the record for the highest win per game – $110,914. James topped it up three other times, with his and the game’s current record standing at $131,127.
The Ultimate ‘Jeopardy!’ Face-Off
America’s favorite quiz show is getting its ABC airing in prime time after a decades-long pause. With the three top contestants in its history fighting for the Greatest of All Time title, there is a lot of commotion surrounding it. As the show’s host, Alex Trebek, said:
You have to realize, I think, that Ken and Brad are going to be at a slight disadvantage. They won the majority of their monies 10, 15 years ago, so they’ve aged a bit. Are their reflexes going to be as good as James Holzhauer’s? Who knows? But we’re going to find out in this tournament. It’s going to be a blast, and we’re all excited about it.Alex Trebek
A Closer Look at the Other Participants
Viewers will have to see how the whole showdown will pan out since Jennings and Rutter do have some insight into Holzhauer’s strategy. His way of choosing top value clues first, and using them on the Daily Double is what got him the success he has now. However, the courage to do that is a small part when compared to the knowledge it actually takes to follow through.
Brad Rutter
Brad Rutter first appeared in 2000 when the show’s rules limited the consecutive wins per player to five. He made a fortune but was unable to make a name for himself during regular gameplay. He is the single highest game show prize winner in the US with $4.68 million.
Ken Jennings
Ken Jennings is just as worthy of an opponent. He appeared and won a 72-game streak, amassing a total of $2.52 million. While this is still more than Holzhauer’s wins, it is worth mentioning that the latter managed to achieve his in less than half the number of games.
‘Jeopardy!’ Coming to ABC
The last time the game show aired on a major network like ABC was in the summer of 1990. Back then, a special edition called ‘Super Jeopardy!’ brought four players to the ring.
The show is also known for putting a computer against its players, as it did to Jennings and Rutter back in 2011. IBM’s Watson faced the two legendary contestants in March that year, beating both of them and now serving as an inspiration for the GOAT tournament.
$1 Million Grand Prize
It can take anywhere between three to seven days until a player is pronounced a winner for coming out first in three matches. This person will get the $1 million prize and the Greatest of All Time title, while the other two will receive $250,000 each.
The Mastermind Behind the Tournament
If all this is making you wonder who the mastermind behind the entire concept is, look no further than ABC reality programming chief Rob Mills. Following his nearly-binding statement that such a challenge of the show’s legends had to happen, expectations arise for viewers and network both.
After all, Holzhauer’s wins alone saw the average viewership reach 8.8 million, peaking at 14 million on the hottest game nights. The tournament is expected to get even more attention.
