‘Jeopardy! GOAT': Here’s Why Brad Rutter’s All-Time Winnings Record Is Not in Jeopardy
He’s up against Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer in ABC’s special tournament
Margeaux Sippell | January 10, 2020 @ 4:00 PM
Last Updated: January 10, 2020 @ 5:21 PM
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Ken Jennings could win it all on next Tuesday’s game of “Jeopardy! Greatest Of All Time” (the show is off Friday and Monday) but he won’t be able to beat Brad Rutter’s all-time winnings record. Here’s why.
Rutter currently holds the record for most money won on “Jeopardy!” with a collective $4,688,436. Now, keep in mind, that includes special tournaments, where the stakes are much higher and players can win millions at a time. In regular-season play, average winnings are under a hundred thousand — unless you’re James Holzhauer, who holds the record for most single-game winnings with $131,127.
Jennings has the next highest number of all-time earnings counting tournaments, stacking up with about $1.3 million behind Rutter — with his total earnings since 2004 coming to $3,370,700. Behind him is Holzhauer, who has won $2,712,216 total since April of 2019.
It’s important to note that in this special “Greatest of All Time” tournament, the players will not keep their individual-game earnings. Instead, the first of the three men to win three games will take home a set prize of $1,000,000 and no more. The other two will each walk away with $250,000 as a consolation prize.
That means that the most Jennings’ total winnings could possibly reach is $4,370,700, leaving him about $300,000 shy of overtaking Rutter’s record — even if he does win the “GOAT” title.
Regardless, Jennings still holds the title for highest earnings in regular-season play, with $2,520,700 from the 74-game winnings streak he went on in 2004. Behind him is Holzhauer with $2,462,216, who came agonizingly close to beating Jennings’ record this summer with his 32-game winnings streak, only to see it all blown to bits by Emma Boettcher in the final hour. For more info on Rutter’s background, click here.
Tune in to Game 4 of “Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time” Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC.
Oscars 2020: We Predict the Nominations in All 24 Categories (Photos)
TheWrap Awards Editor Steve Pond offers his picks for this year's Oscar nominees, in all 24 categories.
Best Picture
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917” (pictured)
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
“Parasite”
If the number of nominees goes to nine:
“Ford v Ferrari”
Best Director
Pedro Almodóvar, “Pain and Glory”
Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” (pictured)
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Renée Zellweger, “Judy” (pictured)
Best Actor
Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
Robert De Niro, “The Irishman”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” (pictured)
Best Supporting Actress
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” (pictured)
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Best Supporting Actor
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (pictured)
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women” (pictured)
“The Two Popes”
Best Original Screenplay
“Knives Out” (pictured)
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” “Parasite”
Best Cinematography
“The Irishman”
“Joker”
“The Lighthouse” (pictured)
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood”
Best Film Editing
“Ford v Ferrari” (pictured)
“The Irishman”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
“Parasite”
Best Original Score
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (pictured)
Best Original Song
“Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II”
“(I’m Gonna) Love M e Again” from “Rocketman”
“Spirit” from “The Lion King”
“Stand Up” from “Harriet”
“Glasgow” from “Wild Rose” (pictured)
Best Costume Design
“Dolemite Is My Name”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Little Women”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Rocketman” (pictured)
Best Production Design
“The Irishman” (pictured)
“Little Women”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
“Parasite”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Bombshell” (pictured)
“Joker”
“Judy”
"Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
“Rocketman”
Best Sound Editing
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Joker”
“1917” (pictured)
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
Best Sound Mixing
“Ford v Ferrari” (pictured)
“Joker”
“1917”
“Rocketman”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
Best Visual Effects
“Avengers: Endgame” (pictured)
“The Irishman”
“The Lion King”
“1917”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
Best International Feature Film
“Corpus Christi”
“Les Miserables”
“Parasite” (pictured)
“Pain and Glory”
“Those Who Remained”
Best Animated Feature
“Frozen II”
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
“I Lost My Body”
“Missing Link”
“Toy Story 4” (pictured)
Best Documentary Feature
“American Factory”
“Apollo 11” (pictured)
“The Cave”
“For Sama”
“Honeyland”
Best Animated Short
“Dcera (Daughter)”
“Kitbull” (pictured)
“Mind My Mind”
“The Physics of Sorrow”
“Sister”
Best Live Action Short
“Little Hands”
“Miller & Son”
“Nefta Football Club” (pictured)
“The Neighbors’ Window"
“Refugee”
Best Documentary Short
“Fire in Paradise” (pictured)
“Ghosts of Sugar Land”
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”
“St. Louis Superman”
"Walk Run Cha-Cha"
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TheWrap awards editor Steve Pond picks all of this year’s nominees
TheWrap Awards Editor Steve Pond offers his picks for this year's Oscar nominees, in all 24 categories.