‘Jeopardy! Greatest of all Time’: Money, jokes and everything that happened
The “Jeopardy!: Greatest of All Time” special kicked off Tuesday — and it was pretty great.
Viewers tuned into a star-studded stage as Katy Perry, Kevin Hart and Lionel Richie offered video clues to the show’s three biggest winners, Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, who were competing for a grand prize of $1 million and the title of “G.O.A.T.”
The contestants took jabs at each other, like Holzhauer teasing Rutter about his hometown of Philadelphia. And one of host Alex Trebek’s clues included a curse word.
But the Daily Doubles round was, perhaps, the deciding factor, as Jennings ended the night with 63,400 points, Holzhauer with 63,200 points and Rutter in far third with 10,400 points.
#JeopardyGOAT was a trending topic on Twitter and users seemed to enjoy the drama: “I'm not sure if I've ever seen a Jeopardy! contestant openly mock another for not buzzing in first is amazing” one user wrote. And, “Ok, I’m not going to lie, #JeopardyGOAT is the better than I could have dreamed even if it is making me feel dumb,” tweeted another.
Tuesday’s episode was the first of a series of one-hour matches, each consisting of two complete games. The winners will be decided by total points, per the “Jeopardy!” website.
While Jennings holds the lead, each contestant made some waves in their previous appearances. Rutter, during his time on the show, took home more than $4.6 million in total winnings. Jennings, who holds the longest winning streak ever on “Jeopardy!,” pocketed more than $3.3 million over the course of his 74-day win streak, including a $300,000 second-place prize when he faced off against IBM's Watson computer.
And Holzhauer won more than $2.7 million in his 32 appearances. He also holds the top spot for the highest single-game winnings, raking in $131,000 in April 2019.
Host Alex Trebec, with contestants, James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, on the set of "Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time." (Eric McCandless/ABC via AP).
The first-place winner will receive $1 million while the runners-up will get $250,000 each.
Jennings, who owns four properties with his wife, according to TMZ, could invest in more if he wins. He’s also pledged a good deal of his funds to charity. Holzhauer and Rutter could donate more to charity as well, as both have done so with previous winnings.
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Tuesday’s show came as Trebek battles pancreatic cancer, which he revealed last March. He told the Associated Press that his illness “took a toll” last month during the taping of the special but was assured by producers that his hosting performance was flawless.
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In a message to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, also facing pancreatic cancer, Trebek said, “We're starting a new year. Let's see if we can't complete the year as pancreatic cancer survivors.”