‘Jeopardy!‘ is probably one of the most famous TV shows, going on for a good number of 39 seasons as of 2023. It is basically a classic game show with questions and answers. However, there’s a twist.
The twist in the show is that, instead of answering, the participants are required to supply the questions for answers that are already given. The winners of this American quiz competition, created by Merv Griffin, win huge cash prizes. Let’s see who the top 10 winners of ‘Jeopardy!’ are.
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1. Brad Rutter
At number one, we have Brad Rutters. He is a record store employee, who lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. During his first run in 2000, Rutters achieved to be a five-day champion, earning a whopping amount of $55,102. He had to retire after his fifth day, unfortunately, limited to the rules of the game. Years following his championship in 2000, he has then won a lot more tournaments, making his total earning an amount of $4,938,436.
2. Ken Jennings
Ken Jennings was an ultimate star in ‘Jeopardy!’, competing for a total of 74 days, and winning a cash prize of $2,520,700. He was one of the participants who got to take full advantage of the rule changes of the game, extending the limit from five days until the participant is beaten. Ken is a computer scientist from Washington. Including all of his later achievements in the game, Ken won a total amount of $4,370,700.
3. James Holzhauer
James Holzhauer is a sports gambler in Las Vegas, who won a whopping amount of $2,462,216 in his 2019 game. He was a daring competitor, placing bets on daily doubles and final Jeopardy. He set the record for the highest single-day scores. James went on to add more impressive amounts in later 2019 and 2020 games, making his total $2,962,216.
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4. Amy Schneider
Amy Schneider is the first openly transgender champion to compete and win in ‘Jeopardy!’. She was second in place behind Ken Jennings in the 2022 game, earning a consecutive 40 games. She is also the first open transgender to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, as mentioned in Cinemablend. She took home an amount of $1,382,800 in her 2020 streak. Including all of her later winnings, Amy Schneider took home a total of $1,32,800.
5. Matt Amodio
Matt Amodio was also in the 2022 streak of the championship and was only two games shy of Amy Schneider. He went on to complete a 38-day game winning $1,518,601. Although he accounted for two days lesser than Amy, he still won a bigger amount due to his previous earnings, ahead of the Tournament of Champions. Winning an additional amount of $10,000 in the 2022 tournament, Matt has taken home a total of $1,529,601.
6. David Madden
David Madden is an art historian, who lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He had a total running of 19 days on the show in 2005, earning him an amount of $430,400. Following this, he was also a part of the All-Star team along with Ken Jennings and Larissa Kelly, splitting $1 million, each with an amount of $333,333. Including the Tournament of Champions, David took home an amount of $775,733.
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7. Cris Pannullo
Cris Pannullo was the third person to make the top 10 in all-time winnings, in 2022. He went on a total run of 21 days, earning an amount of $748,286. His amount also earned him seventh place in the Leaderboard of Legends in the show. Only four other contestants are known to have won more money than Pannullo in regular-season plays.
8. Larissa Kelly
Larissa Kelly was the first female champion to win more than five games. Competing for a run of six days in the 2008 show, Kelly won a cash prize of $222,597. She was also a part of the All-Star team which earned her an amount of $333,333. Securing another $100,000 in the Tournament of Champions, Larissa went home with a total of $661,930. Funnily enough, her husband Jeff Hoppes is also a champion in ‘Jeopardy!’, defeated by Ken Jennings in the 70th game.
9. Matt Jackson
Matt Jackson is a Yale graduate, who went on for a streak of 13 days, winning a cash prize of $411,612. In the Tournament of Champions, he came in second place, earning another $100,00. He was also a part of Ken Jennings All-Star team, which earned him another $100,000. After his 13-day show in 2015, he secured the fourth-highest earner in ‘Jeopardy!’ history. Jackson took home a total amount of $613,612.
10. Mattea Roach
Mattea Roach is a 23-year-old tutor from Toronto, Canada. She was the youngest player when they started their streak in 2022. She is also the highest-winning person from Canada. In her 23-day run, she compiled an amount of $560,983, also making her one of only three contestants to reach their age in the show’s victories. With all her later earnings, she totaled an amount of $572,983.
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