‘Jeopardy!’ Bosses Drop News on Brad Rutter Returning to Show
Jeopardy! fans might have been disappointed that former champ Brad Rutter wasn’t a part of the recent Masters tournament, but they may finally see the show’s highest-earning contestant again next year.
Rutter, who won the 2001 Tournament of Champions and is Jeopardy‘s highest-earning contestant ever, is back in the limelight due to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel series finale, which featured a clip of Rutter on 2005’s Ultimate Tournament of Champions. The scene clearly got Rutter in the mood for more Jeopardy, as he told Vulture he’s “always down” to compete on the show again.
On the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, the show’s producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss reacted to Rutter’s statement, hinting that he could return to the show for next year’s Masters.
“I know our listeners know we got this little thing called the JIT, the Jeopardy Invitational Tournament,” Foss said, referring to the new tournament that will see former Jeopardy! greats competing to earn a spot in the 2024 Masters tournament.
“Many of you wondered, ‘Where’s Brad Rutter? How is he not part of Masters?'” Foss continued. “And yes, Brad Rutter has made more money on Jeopardy! than any other contestant in history; those stats are so impressive. So what we now wanna see is, how is Brad right now? Can he come to the JIT, competing against some other greats, and prove that he deserves a spot as one of the current greats in Masters next year?”
Rutter last appeared on the show in 2020’s The Greatest of All Time tournament, where he finished in third place behind recent Masters winner James Holzhauer (2nd place) and the show’s now host Ken Jennings (1st place). The GOAT tournament marked the first time Rutter had lost a game against a human opponent (he and Jennings lost to IBM’s computer system Watson in 2011). His total earnings of $4,953,436 (including tournaments) is a record for the show, ahead of Ken Jennings’ $4,370,700.
Fans certainly want to see Rutter play again, though many think he should be offered a spot on Masters rather than having to win the Invitational to earn his place.
“To me Brad Rutter seems like a no-brainer. We all know that he did poorly at the GOAT and to be honest I don’t particularly like his chances but if he wants to give it a try I say roll out the carpet for him,” wrote one fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
“He’s interested in coming back and if he wants to it would seem honestly kind of strange to not put him directly into the Masters,” the fan added.
Others disagreed, with one commenter writing, “Honestly I’m not sure I agree. [Rutter] kind of needs to prove that he belongs competing with James at this point.”
But others felt that Rutter’s track record spoke for itself. “Brad has beaten Ken before, at least twice. The GOAT tournament was the first time he’d ever lost even a match in J!. He is also the top money winner in J! history,” said one viewer. “Come on man, there’s no question he deserves it if he wants to be back.”
Holzhauer won this year’s Masters and will return to defend his crown in next year’s tournament alongside runners-up Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio. The other spots will be made up of the winner of the next Tournament of Champions, the winner of the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament, and a producers’ “wild card.”
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