‘Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time’: Meet the players and game 1 winner of the epic showdown

GRAND RAPIDS Mich. (WOTV)- There can only be one “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” champion! Will it be Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter or James Holzhauer? No one knows just yet, but one thing is clear-this primetime two-night tournament is off to a fantastic start!

The rules are simple. The first contestant to win three receives $1 million and the G.O.A.T title. The two runners up will receive $250,000 each.

The three fierce competitors are:

1. Ken Jennings, 45

Holds the record for most Jeopardy! wins (74 total)
Has earned over $3 million from wins

2. Brad Rutter, 41

Holds the title of the highest money winner in Jeopardy! history
Has earned over $4 million from wins

3. James Holzhauer, 36

Holds the title for the top-single day wins on Jeopardy!
Has earned over $2 million from wins

The epic showdown

Fans of the show (including myself) were in for a thrill when all three contestants aced all questions in the Jeopardy! round. I mean, when the three highest money winners in the long-running show’s history compete against one another for the ultimate title and $1 million- it’s expected.

Me wondering how all of these people can fit so much random information in their brain #JeopardyGOAT pic.twitter.com/dzX1BdulpA
— kim (@kimrosa_) January 8, 2020

Same Kim, same.

As if a flawless first round didn’t already have us sitting at the edge of our sofas, the second round really had our hearts racing!

I am so dialed into #JeopardyGOAT right now. Love the battle of the greatest nerds!!!
— Bobby Bones (@mrBobbyBones) January 8, 2020

The turning point

Brad Rutter’s chance of leading the competition fell short after he bet all of his earnings and lost them during three Daily Double opportunities in Double Jeopardy!

Although he placed third in Game 1, he didn’t leave the night empty-handed. He finished the evening with $10,400 in earnings from the previous game.

And the winner is…drum roll please

Ken Jennings!

During the first Daily Double of the night, Ken bet all of his earnings and answered his question correctly! This bold move allowed him to end the night in 1st place with $63,400.

Just $200 away from the Game 1 victory was James Holzhauer who ended the night with $63,200.

Whew! What a night it’s been and there’s still more to come!

Watch “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” tonight at 8|7c on ABC!