James Holzhauer picked up a huge win in Wednesday’s Day 2 of Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time, and he’s continued to let his fan-favorite personality shine in both the contests and on Twitter.
The quiz asks the user to choose favorite Jeopardy subjects, themes, Alex Trebek look and Daily Double bet — to name a few. Based on the answers, you’d draw either Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter or Holzhauer. Well, “Jeopardy James” took the quiz and, uh, he didn’t get himself.
Upon getting the result of Ken Jennings, Holzhauer took to Twitter and shared the screenshot with a reaction of “wut.”
Yeah, that caption will do. I’m not sure what it takes to draw Holzhauer — I took it and got Jennings as well. But you’d hope that James Holzhauer would be … well … James Holzhauer.
Brad Rutter has never lost a tournament to a human being, but it’s not looking good in the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time one.
Brad Rutter has never lost on Jeopardy! — well, to a human being at least. But he’s on his way to being defeated in a tournament by a person for the first time and has some work to do in the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time series if he wants to beat James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings and be declared the Jeopardy! GOAT.
Going up against the contestant with a 74-game win streak (Jennings) and another with the top-10 single-game winnings record (Holzhauer), Rutter more than deserves to compete among his fellow GOATs because he has the record for most money won on Jeopardy! with a cool $4,688,436 — and counting because he’s guaranteed at least $250,000 from this tournament.
Now, the vast majority of his winnings came from tournaments because when Rutter first appeared on the show in 2000, contestants were limited to five game wins before having to retire undefeated. So he won his five games and walked away with $55,102 and two Chevy Camaros. So he never lost in regular-season play.
Since then, Rutter has returned to Jeopardy! for several special tournaments and won nearly all of them. He won the 2001 Tournament of Champions, the Million Dollar Masters in 2002 (he won by $1), the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005 (Jennings finished second) and the Battle of the Decades in 2014 (Jennings was second, again). In 2019 in the team-oriented All-Star Games, Team Brad came in first ahead of Team Ken.
The only time he wasn’t on top at the end of a tournament was in 2011 when he and Jennings competed in The IBM Challenge, facing off against Watson, an IBM computer. Naturally, Watson won, while Jennings finished second and Rutter third.
So again, Rutter has never lost to a human in a Jeopardy! regular-season game or tournament.
But in the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament, Rutter hasn’t been off to the best start, and because of that, it’s fair to wonder how exactly he’s still never lost to a human competitor after finishing third in the first two matches (each match consists of two games with a combined score).
Despite ultimately winning the aforementioned tournaments against people, Rutter lost a game during two different tournaments, according to J! Archives, but still ended up with titles.
In the first of two final games in the 2001 Tournament of Champions, Rutter finished second. But in the last game of the final, he destroyed his competition to win the tournament championship and $100,000. Then in the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions, Rutter tied for second in the Round 4, Game 3 contest before eventually winning the whole thing.
So when he finished third in the opening game of the first Jeopardy! GOAT match Tuesday — and in the second game that day, plus both games Wednesday — it was not the first time he’s lost a game within a tournament.
And although it seems like he’s solidifying his position as the third-best Jeopardy! player ever, he could still win this tournament.
Ahead of the third GOAT tournament episode Thursday, Jennings and Holzhauer each have one match win. They’ve both capitalized on Daily Doubles — much like Holzhauer did during his 32-game win streak in 2019 — while Rutter’s deficits have been largely tied to doing the opposite.
(Eric McCandless/ABC via AP)
For a while during Wednesday’s match, Rutter was playing better compared with the previous episode. He hung around with Holzhauer and Jennings for a little, and when he fell behind, it still wasn’t by a totally insurmountable amount. And then came the Daily Doubles.
In the second game, Rutter got a Daily Double off the first clue of Double Jeopardy. He went all in with his 3,800 points and gave an incorrect response about DNA. Then he got multiple clues wrong and was suddenly at -5,200, and he couldn’t dig himself out of the hole fast enough to have points to wager in Final Jeopardy. That ensured he’d finish third in yet another game.
Rutter’s past game losses didn’t prevent him from winning tournaments, and neither do his defeats in the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament. But based on his performance compared with Holzhauer and Jennings, it looks like his undefeated streak is going to end.
That said, he’s going to walk away from this tournament with just shy of $5 million earned overall from the game show — at a minimum. He’s a GOAT, even if he doesn’t have the official title.
This is not your average Jeopardy! sports category.
Jeopardy! is no stranger to sports questions and, sometimes, full categories. And during the second match of the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament on Wednesday night, fans were treated to the first full sports category in this special competition between James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.
For this tournament’s format, each one-hour match is broken into two regular Jeopardy! games, and the player with the most points — not dollars, although the numerals are the same — from the combined two games wins the match. And then the first player to win three matches is the Jeopardy! GOAT.
In the first game of the second match, there was a football category in the opening regular Jeopardy round called College Football: After The Game.
As we’ve previously noted — and as any regular Jeopardy! viewer could tell you — the clues in this GOAT contest are noticeably more difficult than regular-season Jeopardy! But how many in this category do you think you could get right?
Thanks to J! Archive, we can take a look at the clues without the pressure of rapidly trying to answer before the GOATs. The answers are below, but try not to cheat.
Here we go…
200: In 2004, an NCAA award was established in the name of this center on the 1933 Michigan team & future politician
400: Before starring on a 4-letter TV drama, Mark Harmon starred for this 4-letter school as a QB, averaging 7.2 yards a carry in ’73
600: Nickname of the team that was led to an undefeated 1958 season by future brigadier general Pete Dawkins
800: In 1998, football fans debated who was the NCAA’s best QB: Peyton Manning or this WSU Cougar; their pro careers went opposite ways
1000: Steve Largent went on from this university to a HOF pro career, then returned home to represent the area in Congress
Before giving you the answers (or questions, really), please enjoy this delightful photo of Holzhauer and host Alex Trebek.
(Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
200: Who is Gerald Ford? (Holzhauer) 400: What is UCLA? (Rutter) 600: Who are the Army Black Knights? (Holzhauer) 800: Who is Ryan Leaf? (Holzhauer) 1000: What is the University of Tulsa? (No one got this clue.)
As a professional sports gambler, it’s hardly surprising Holzhauer got most of these questions right, but it’s still pretty impressive considering these are much more challenging than traditional Jeopardy! clues.
Jennings won the first match, Holzhauer won the second, and that means this tournament is guaranteed to go until at least Friday but could run into next week.
Brad Rutter > People making fun of him on Twitter.
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The second night of the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament wrapped up in dramatic fashion Wednesday night and continued to be the perfect type of distraction TV we need in what is a wild world these days.
I won’t spoil it for you, because that’s just not the type of person I am. I think the word you’re looking for here is “hero”. You can find the results right here with my pal Charles Curtis’ great breakdown of the second, one-hour episode.
But I will spoil it a little – Brad Rutter, much like on the first night, didn’t win. But he still won and will continue to win for as long as this tournament goes on.
Let me explain why.
Rutter made his first appearance on Jeopardy! way back in the year 2000 – when HDTV’s weren’t really a thing and Twitter definitely wasn’t a thing. Champions were only allowed five title defenses before they were sent home with a nice check and whatever prizes they won – Rutter got two cars for being an undefeated 5-day champion. That’s not bad.
But here we are in the year 2020 and this guy is still getting a chance to play Jeopardy! on the biggest stage this game has ever seen, as he has a front-row seat to what should be a classic battle between Ken Jennings (who won 74 straight games) and James Holzhauer (who had 32 straight wins). Chances are if you told Rutter 20 years that he’d be in this position he sign up in a hurry.
Rutter is here because he is the record-holder for money earned on the show with $4,876,036, which he has won through various special games and events over the years. That’s not bad, either.
Think he cares about all the jokes being made about him on Twitter that past two nights by people who will never get a chance to even play this wonderful game?
Yeah, I don’t think so either.
None on this should be embarrassing for Rutter. He’s living the dream of many Jeopardy! fans, getting to play more of the legendary game while competing head-to-head with two incredible legends. Plus, he’s won more money than both players, which is something I’d take over the win streaks.
Chances are things will continue to not go his way in the remaining episodes of this tournament.
And chances are he couldn’t care less.
Because his lengthy and profitable run on this show if proof that he’s a winner, no matter how many Holzhauer beats him to the buzzer.
Wednesday’s biggest winner: Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy waited until he was officially introduced as the new coach of the Dallas Cowboys before admitting that he lied a little bit in his job interview with Jerry Jones. I mean, who hasn’t done that before? (I haven’t and if any of you @ my boss about this I will deny all. Also, if my boss subscribes to this newsletter I’d like to wish you a happy Thursday, Nate.)
Quick hits: Ed Orgeron shotgunning Red Bulls… Rudolph’s gloves go for a ride… Garrett’s awkward meeting with Jones… And more!
– Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph thought a reporter was going to use his game-worn gloves to raise money for charity. Instead, they ended up on Ebay. But then a fan did something awesome.
The Jeopardy Greatest of All Time tournament continues to be some really fun television as Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter faced off in the second episode on Wednesday night.
Jennings won the first night and the first one to three total wins is the champ, so things were a little more intense on night two.
But Jennings did find a moment to have some fun of his own, thanks to some prompting by Alex Trebek.
Jennings landed on a Daily Double in the night’s first game and needed to keep pace with Holzhauer so he went all in. But then he had to do Holzhauer’s classic all in gesture:
James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter faced off in the opening edition of Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time on Tuesday with Jennings taking Day 1 by a mere 200 points over Holzhauer.
So, of course, we shouldn’t expect that narrow Day 1 loss to dampen the Jeopardy legend’s spirits. Come Wednesday, Holzhauer was right back at his game with the trash talk against Jennings, pointing out how Jennings had never won a Jeopardy tournament.
Holzhauer won the most recent “Tournament of Champions” while Jennings — despite his record 74-day winning streak — had never won a tournament after his streak. Holzhauer grouped Jennings in the same class as President Donald Trump who, uh, hasn’t won a Jeopardy tournament either.
The numbers don’t lie.
The three Jeopardy legends will continue their GOAT tournament on Wednesday. The first to three wins takes home the $1 million prize.
The Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament is officially underway as game show greats James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter compete in a special series to determine who is truly the best of the best.
Jennings — who holds the record for consecutive games won with 74 — won the first match in the opening hour-long episode of the GOAT tournament Tuesday. A match is the combined score of two regular games, and the first player to win three matches will be crowned the Jeopardy! GOAT.
He won the first game, and Holzhauer won the second. But with their combined points totals for the first match, Jennings is on top after beating out Holzhauer by a ridiculously slim margin with 63,400 points versus 63,200. (Rutter gambled big on Daily Doubles and lost, finishing the first match with 10,400 points.)
And his sass game was strong Wednesday when he hilariously owned ESPN analyst and former NFL punter Pat McAfee, who was offering his support to the professional sports gambler.
While all three contestants certainly have loyal fans, Holzhauer has an advantage when it comes to recency bias with Jennings and Rutter first appearing on the show in 2004 and 2000, respectively. He dominated the game like no one ever has, and whether or not you think he’s the GOAT, he undeniably changed Jeopardy! forever with his strategy.
His 2019 Jeopardy! run reignited the GOAT debate and led to this special tournament — which could be as short as three matches or as long as seven — which was specifically designed to crown the best of the best.
So regardless of whether casual fans, diehard viewers or McAffee think Holzhauer is the GOAT, if he doesn’t win this tournament, he’s officially not.
Here’s a same of Jeopardy James’ tweets reacting to the first match:
So far in #JeopardyGOAT: six Daily Doubles, six all-in wagers.
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Jeopardy! legend Ken Jennings had to sit there in his Seattle home all of last spring and watch as the confident and personable James Holzhauer went on his dominant run and won over large parts of America.
Time and again during that streak Jennings had to hear others, including Holzhauer, speak of how this professional gambler from Las Vegas, this Jeopardy James character, could take out anyone in this game, even the great Ken Jennings.
Imagine how Jennings felt having to listen to these claims. Jennings, as we know, is the GOAT of Jeopardy, having won a record 74 games in a row. Holzhauer only had a 32-game streak but still, in this day-and-age of what have-you-done-for-me-lately attitudes, everyone was wow’d by how much money Holzhauer was winning on each show and how easily he was beating his competition, and how his strategy was game-changing!
On Tuesday night Jennings finally got his shot at Holzhauer (and Brad Rutter), as the first episode of Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time aired. It was a very close night and a perfect way to kick off the tournament. I’m going to give a spoiler here, so if you didn’t watch, go away right now. Dump your phone in your coffee. Turn and sprint out of your office. Throw your computer off the desk.
Do whatever it takes (within reason).
Because here comes a spoiler.
Jennings, the GOAT, let everyone know he’s still the baddest man in the Jeopardy planet as he went all-in on a Daily Double in the Double Jeopardy round and then held on to win the first game of the night with 33,200 points. Holzhauer finished in second with 16,600 and then Rutter was third with 5,200 after missing an all-in Daily Double in the Double Jeopardy round.
What a message sent by Jennings, who is second only to Rutter in most money earned on Jeopardy. What. A. Stud.
Here’s a man who won 74(!) in a row and had to hear doubters weigh in with thoughts that some big personality professional gambler could take down the champ.
Shame on them!
Sure, Holzhauer won the night’s second game but Jennings won the overall night by 200 points over Jeopardy James and takes a 1-0 lead into the rest of the tournament.
Tuesday night was the first episode of the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament, which is a primetime showdown between three of the best to ever play the game – James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.
