Surprisingly, Ken Jennings Is Not the 'Jeopardy!' Champion With the Most Money Won
Jan. 27 2022, Updated 11:50 a.m. ET
Everyone knows Ken Jennings thanks to his 74-game streak on the popular trivia game show Jeopardy!
However, despite his record for most games won, he is not the Jeopardy! champion with the most winnings, if you include tournaments.
And no, it's not James Holzhauer either, who became known for his all-in attitude to Daily Doubles.
So, who is the highest money winner on Jeopardy!? Keep reading to find out!
10. Roger Craig — $530,200
Coming in tenth place is Jeopardy! champion Roger Craig, who won just over a half-million dollars during his seven-day run in 2011.
However, Roger held the record for the highest single-day winnings on the quiz show until 2019 with $77,000 when he was surpassed by James Holzhauer's record-breaking $131,127 day.
9. Jason Zuffranieri — $532,496
This math teacher from New Mexico first appeared on Jeopardy! in 2019 and went on to win 19 consecutive games.
He is actually the fifth-highest money winner in regular competition and he is tied with David Madden in fifth place for the highest number of consecutive games won.
8. Matt Jackson — $611,612
Matt Jackson, a paralegal from Washington, D.C., earned $413,612 over the course of 13 games and an additional $100,000 in the 2015 Tournament of Champions. In 2019, he earned second place in the show's "All-Star Games" alongside his teammates Ken Jennings and Monica Thieu.
7. Larissa Kelly — $655,930
Larissa is the female contestant with the most money won on Jeopardy! thanks to her impressive six-game streak in 2008 and her appearance on Jeopardy! All Star Games where she split $1 million with Brad Rutter and David Madden.
6. David Madden — $763,733
Speaking of David Madden, he is a 19-day champion, which is the fifth-longest Jeopardy! winning streak on the show.
5. Amy Schneider — $1,382,800
The newest addition to the list of highest-winning Jeopardy! champions is Amy Schneider, whose impressive streak ended in January 2022 after 40 consecutive games.
Amy, an engineering manager from Oakland, Calif., earned $1,382,800, "putting her in fourth place for highest all-time regular-season cash winnings on the show," per CBS News.
4. Matt Amodio — $1,518,601
Another 2021 addition to this list is doctorate candidate Matt Amodio, who won 38 consecutive games, making him second to none other than Ken Jennings.
It's no surprise his run on the show was dubbed the "Amodio Rodeo."
3. James Holzhauer – $2,962,216
James set multiple single-game records for winnings during his 32-game streak on Jeopardy!, earning $2,464,216 in regular play.
Add in the $250,000 top prize in the Tournament of Champions in 2019 and $250,000 runner-up prize in the Greatest of All Time Tournament in 2020, and "Jeopardy James" walked away with nearly $3 million in winnings.
2. Ken Jennings – $4,370,700
Ken definitely earned his guest-hosting duties on Jeopardy!
Since his first appearance on the quiz show in 2004, Ken has earned over $4 million in winnings.
1. Brad Rutter — $4,938,436
Despite coming in last place in the Greatest of All Time Tournament, Brad Rutter is No. 1 when it comes to overall winnings, raking in close to $5 million since he won his first game in 2000.
We have a feeling it will be a long time until someone knocks Brad off this pedestal.
