‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings Set to Reunite With James Holzhauer During Upcoming Masters Tournament
America’s favorite TV quiz show is heading to primetime and reconvening top competitors in the highly anticipated Masters tournament. Longtime contestant and current host Ken Jennings will oversee the event featuring Jeopardy! champions. They include “all in” James Holzhauer, vying once again in the game of all games.
Here’s what we know about the upcoming ABC series reuniting legendary Jeopardy! players.
Ken Jennings vs. James Holzhauer
In 2004, Jennings set the Jeopardy! record for the longest winning streak, with 74 consecutive victories, earning $4,522,700 on the popular game show. He also holds the title of the highest-earning game show contestant in America.
Holzhauer is the second-highest Jeopardy! regular-play winner, taking home $2,462,216 during regular-season play after a 32-game winning streak in 2019. He has since returned to the Jeopardy! stage to compete in Tournament of Champions, where he won first place and $250,000. He also competed in The Greatest of All Time, winning another $250,000 as runner-up, bringing his total winnings to $2.9 million.
USA Today credits the professional poker player with putting Jeopardy! “back in the headlines … with an aggressive style and revolutionary betting approach that resulted in a single-game record of $131,127.”
In 2020, longtime host Alex Trebek crowned Jennings the GOAT, earning $1 million in ABC’s Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time, which pitted him against Brad Rutter and Holzhauer. The memorable matchup among these top players drew 16 million TV viewers.
The champions also appeared on The Chase in 2021, a game show where “competitors must pit their wits and face off against a Chaser, a ruthless quiz genius determined to stop them from winning cash prizes,” according to ABC.
What is ‘Jeopardy! Masters’?
The upcoming Jeopardy! Masters marks Holzhauer’s first return to the franchise since Jennings became the host. Although the two won’t get to compete against each other, viewers can expect some fun shenanigans.
Executive producer Michael Davies shared details in a recent episode of the podcast Inside Jeopardy! He said the ABC primetime event will feature 10 one-hour episodes hosted by Jennings. Each episode will include two games with contestants selected based on their overall ranking.
Players must qualify for future Masters contests by winning regular-play games and securing a top-ranking position in an invitational. Davies said he has exciting plans to expand the long-running game show’s post-season play and hopes Jeopardy! Masters becomes an annual “Super Bowl–style event.”
Who will compete in ‘Jeopardy! Masters’?
The six invited competitors for the upcoming Jeopardy! Masters include fan-favorite Amy Schneider, who won the 2022 Tournament of Champions and earned $1.38 million after a successful 40-game winning streak.
Other contestants are Matt Amodio, who holds the third-place record for highest winnings with $1.5 million, and Mattea Roach, who ranks among the top 10 all-time winners with $560,983. Sam Buttrey, Andrew He, and Holzhauer will also participate.
As the show’s host, Jennings can’t compete to earn the coveted title of Jeopardy! Master despite being the GOAT.
Davies said each contestant will appear in every episode, playing in a “points-based system.” The format will be about wins and losses, not the most money won.
ABC has yet to announce a premiere date for Jeopardy! Masters but says it’s “coming soon.”
