Jeopardy!legend James Holzhauer declined his invitation to compete inJeopardy! Mastersseason 3, but he still had an influence on the show as he recommended someone to replace him.James is best known for his 32-game winning streak in 2019, during which he set multiple single-game winnings records and later won theJeopardy! Tournament Of Champions.After he wonJeopardy! Mastersseason 1, he returned for season 2 and placed third behind winner Victoria Groce and runner-up Yogesh Raut. However, James decided to sit outJeopardy! Mastersseason 3.
James Holzhauer suggested that the show reach out to a fellowJeopardy!icon to take his place duringJeopardy! Mastersseason 3.
In a behind-the-scenes blog on the officialJeopardy!website, executive producer Michael Davies revealed thatJames suggested that the show reach out to fellowJeopardy!icon, and host Ken Jennings' biggest rival, Brad Rutter, to take his placeinJeopardy! Mastersseason 3. He wrote,“James Holzhauer, the 2023 Jeopardy! Masters champion and last year’s third-place finisher, declined our invitation to participate. Graciously, he recommended that we reach out to the person who has won more money playing Jeopardy! than any human (or computer) alive: Ken’s rival of 20 years, Brad Rutter.”
Brad has won the most money of anyJeopardy!player in history. He’s been Ken’s rival for 20 years as they’ve competed in variousJeopardy!tournaments together, including when they unsuccessfully battled IBM’s computer Watson in 2011. James' recommendation of Brad forJeopardy! Mastersseason 3means thatviewers will now be treated toBrad competing against several newJeopardy!legends he’s never played with before, which will be an exciting test of his gameplay. Those contestants include Victoria, Yogesh, Roger Craig, Matt Amodio, Juveria Zaheer, Neilesh Vinjamuri, Adriana Harmeyer, and Isaac Hirsch.
In 2020,Ken defeated both James and Brad when he placed first in theJeopardy! Greatest Of All Timetournament, hosted by the beloved late Alex Trebek, taking home the $1 million prize. James placed second, while Brad came in third. Brad made hisJeopardy! Mastersseason 3 debut during episode 1, and, despite placing third in that first game, he definitely brought the entertainment value.
Ken and Brad referenced their rivalrytwice. At the beginning of the episode, Ken shared that it was his first time meeting Brad from the opposite side of the podium as host. Brad quipped that he was sure that Ken was thrilled to see him, to which Ken replied that it was always a delight.
During his interview with Ken, Brad joked that his goal for the tournament was to make fun of him, which made Ken laugh. Ken responded that he was sure he’d give Brad many opportunities to do so. It was fun to see this friendly competition between Ken and Brad, especially because James has declared himself to be a game show villain, and his brand of humor ismissing fromJeopardy! Mastersseason 3.Brad was the perfect choice to replace James, proving that James is always full of genius ideas.
Jeopardy! Masters
Cast
Hosted by Ken Jennings, Jeopardy! Masters is a game show television series that follows the core show’s footsteps with a twist. In Masters, the six highest-ranked Jeopardy! contestants are brought together in a ten-episode competition where they’ll battle to become the ultimate Jeopardy! Masters Champion.
