«Jeopardy! is a rare entertainment program that values intellect above all else. For more than 60 years, with iconic hosts like Art Fleming, Alex Trebek, and Ken Jennings (who will never appear in "Traitors"), the show has rewarded ordinary Americans (and Canadians) with cash prizes for their knowledge.
But among this multitude of participants, who are the best? And how do we determine the "best"? In this case, we used real money; the next 10 participants won the most money. Therefore, other famous game-changers, such as Chuck Forrest or Arthur Chu, cannot be mentioned here, as their winnings are simply not sufficient.
With that in mind, let's grab our buttons and rank the top 10 Jeopardy! players of all time.
Read also: Easter eggs in Young Sheldon: All the cameos, references, and hints about the future in The Big Bang Theory«
10. David Madden
David Madden plays Jeopardy! — Sony
David Madden, the art critic whose recent, almost villainous appearance on Rob Lowe's "The Floor" essentially makes him a game show pro, has won a total of $763,733 on "Jeopardy!".
Madden won 19 straight games before losing to Victoria Groce. After the regular season, Madden competed in the 2006 Tournament of Champions, losing in the semifinals to Bill McDonald; the 2019 All-Star Game as part of Brad Rutter's winning team; and the 2024 Invitational Tournament, losing in the semifinals to Amy Schneider.
Madden also did philanthropic work, walking across the United States in support of the Fisher House Foundation. He also, he says, "founded the National History Bee and National History Bowl, two history quiz tournaments that have reached hundreds of thousands of students across the United States… My Jeopardy! win gave me the seed money and the impetus to return to academic competition. I can't thank the show enough, as it truly is my dream job.".
9. Victoria Grous
Victoria Grous plays Jeopardy! — Sony
Musician, author, and quiz show star Victoria Groce won $772,801 during her time on Jeopardy!.
During the regular season, Groce won her first championship, defeating David Madden. Then, on the following episode, she was eliminated from the tournament, losing to Ray Freson.
Groce's success was largely due to a series of tournaments. She won $100,000 at the 2024 Invitational Tournament, defeating Amy Schneider and Andrew He in the finals. Groce commented on her relative lack of experience, saying, "I was hoping I knew as much as everyone else. I knew everyone else had far more experience at this level and far more hours of play than me.".
The Cinderella story continued. Groce won the 2024 Masters tournament, defeating James Holzhauer and Yogesh Raut to claim $500,000 and the Alex Trebek Trophy. Regarding her performance, she said, "I never felt like I could take anything for granted until I secured my place in the competition. I have tremendous respect for the game and tremendous respect for my incredible opponents.".
8. Mattea Roach
Mattea Roach plays Jeopardy! — Sony
Canadian teacher and TV presenter Mattea Roach won $810,983 during her appearance on the TV game show "Jeopardy!".
Roach played 23 straight games in the regular season before losing to Danielle Maurer by just one dollar.
Roach then competed in the 2022 Tournament of Champions, losing in the semifinals to Andrew He. Roach then competed in the 2023 Masters, finishing second to James Holzhauer, while Matt Amodio finished third. The following year, Roach also competed in the 2024 Masters, this time losing in the quarterfinals.
Speaking about his experience on Jeopardy!, Roach noted that it radically changed his outlook from pessimism to optimism: "I genuinely didn't believe... that I was capable of experiencing such unbridled joy. And realizing that such joy was possible for me forever changed me for the better.".
7. Jamie Ding
Jamie Ding plays Jeopardy! — Sony
Jamie Ding, who has frequently appeared in bright yet stylish orange outfits during his time on the show, is the latest addition to the Jeopardy! Legends list. As of this writing, his total winnings stand at $882,605—and that's before he's even played in any tournaments.
In the spring of 2026, Ding racked up 31 consecutive wins, winning most matches by huge margins thanks to his bold and large bets in the Double Daily Round—in fact, Ding lost the largest sum of money ever on a single bet in the Double Daily Round—$21,200—and still won the game. In Game 32, he lost to Greg Shahada, an eccentric player who had himself won convincingly against Ding and then won two more games.
Dean reflected fondly on the past and used his new platform to speak out on issues affecting his fellow immigrants in America, telling People, "As an immigrant and a person of color, I've been able to be part of the history of an American institution. 'Jeopardy!' is truly an institution, America is turning 250, and the federal government is persecuting immigrants in ways we've never seen in recent memory. So I hope immigrants will be treated positively, too.".
6. Yogesh Raut
Yogesh Raut plays Jeopardy! — Sony
The first millionaire to appear on "Jeopardy!", author Yogesh Raut, a native of Springfield, Illinois, earned $1,096,403 during his time on the show.
Routh won just three games in the regular season, losing to Katie Palumbo in his fourth appearance. But that was enough to secure a spot in the 2024 Tournament of Champions, and he won the whole damn thing.
Following this victory, Routh wrote about the mindset of a great Jeopardy! player: "There's a common misconception that top-notch trivia players are essentially robots, rattling off dry, context-free facts from their 'photographic' memory... this does great damage to the personality traits that are actually associated with success at trivia: boundless curiosity, pride in one's passion, a desire to connect with others through their passions, and creativity.".
Raut then competed in the 2024 and 2025 Masters tournaments back-to-back. In 2024, he finished second, losing to Victoria Groce. But in 2025, he won the tournament again, proving that curiosity truly knows no bounds.
5. Amy Schneider
Amy Schneider plays Jeopardy! — Sony
Amy Schneider took fifth place, receiving a total of $1,682,800.
During the regular season, Schneider racked up 40 consecutive wins before suffering a loss to Ron Talsma. Schneider then won the 2022 Tournament of Champions, defeating his final opponents, Andrew He and Sam Buttrey. "Any of the three of us could have won if a few things had gone differently," Schneider said after the victory. "I'm glad we each had a real chance to test our skills against each other.".
The following year, Schnyder competed in the Masters tournament but withdrew without winning a single match. Then, in 2024, Schnyder competed again, this time reaching the semifinals, where he also withdrew.
Schneider also competed in the 2024 invitational tournament, finishing runner-up to eventual winner Victoria Grous. She played in the same tournament the following year, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Luigi de Guzman.
4. Matt Amodio
Matt Amodio plays Jeopardy! — Sony
With his laconic and eccentric way of answering clues (no matter what question he asked, he always phrased it simply as "What?"), mathematician Matt Amodio captured the hearts and minds of "Jeopardy!" viewers, winning a total of $1,818,601.
Amodio won 38 regular-season games in a row before losing to Jonathan Fisher. "I'm honored to be on this stage," Amodio said of his historic winning streak. "And everything that's happened since then, I just can't imagine.".
At the 2022 Tournament of Champions, Amodio reached the semifinals, where he lost to Sam Buttry. Three years later, Amodio won the 2025 Invitational, defeating finalists Roger Craig and Juveria Zahir. At the 2026 Invitational, he reached the semifinals, where he lost to Andrew He.
Amodio also competed in three Masters tournaments. In 2023, he finished third, won by James Holzhauer. However, in the 2024 and 2025 tournaments, he was eliminated early, in the quarterfinals.
3. James Holzhauer
James Holzhauer plays Jeopardy! — Sony
James Holzhauer, a professional gambler, as evident by his pantomime of betting all his chips on a game of "Double Down," makes a striking impression on episodes of "Jeopardy!", almost playing a pro-wrestler villain, a persona he cultivated on shows like "The Chase." His winnings total $3,612,216.
Holzhauer won 32 regular-season games in a row before losing to Emma Boettcher. The secret to his success? He studied topics in children's books because "they move quickly, touching on different themes, and I saw a lot of answers come straight from them." He also ate "a slice of cheese pizza, a candy bar, and a bag of chips" on every game day.
Holzhauer then competed in the 2019 Tournament of Champions and won, defeating Böttcher and François Barcombe. He has also competed in two Masters tournaments, winning the event in 2023 and finishing third in 2024.
Holzhauer also competed in the "Greatest of All Time" tournament, where he faced Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in a best-of-three match. Winning one match to Jennings' three, Holzhauer finished second.
2. Ken Jennings
Ken Jennings plays Jeopardy! — Sony
The current host of the television game show "Jeopardy!" and the player who arguably cemented the idea of "the best player of all time" in the cultural consciousness, Edmonds, Washington native Ken Jennings has won $4,370,700 during his time on the game. He began his career as a programmer, but will likely never use a personal computer again.
Jennings currently holds the longest regular season winning streak, 74 games in a row, before being surpassed by Nancy Zerg. Following this epic streak, Jennings competed in several "Jeopardy!" specials, beginning with the 2005 "Ultimate Tournament of Champions," which Brad Rutter won and Jennings finished second.
Jennings also competed in the IBM Challenge, where he and his human colleague, Rutter, competed against an IBM supercomputer named Watson. In a devastating blow to humanity, Watson easily defeated both humans. Jennings then competed in the 2013 Battle of the Decades competition, where he again finished second, behind Rutter.
Five years later, Jennings made the All-Star Game, teaming with Matt Jackson and Monica Thie and again finishing second to Rutter (and his team, Larissa Kelly and David Madden).
Jennings' final tournament before transitioning full-time to host was the "Greatest of All Time" competition. This time, he won fairly over Rutter and James Holzhauer.
1. Brad Rutter
Brad Rutter plays Jeopardy! — Sony
Lancaster, Pennsylvania native Brad Rutter is the all-time leading Jeopardy! player, having won $4,938,436 during his time on the game.
Rutter's first appearance in the tournament was in 2000, when players were only allowed to win five games in a row before being "retired" and moving on to the Tournament of Champions. Rutter did indeed play in the Tournament of Champions and won, defeating Ted Carithers and Rick Knutsen.
Rutter's next challenge was the Million Dollar Masters tournament, which he also won, becoming the show's first millionaire in 2002. Rutter also won the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, defeating Jerome Vered and Ken Jennings. However, Rutter did not win the IBM Challenge, as the Watson supercomputer proved unbeatable.
However, Rutter made a triumphant comeback, winning the Battle of the Decades and All-Star Games. Then Jennings defeated Rutter in the Greatest of All Time tournament, after which Rutter quickly exited the Masters.
Will anyone be able to break Rutter's record? Time will tell.
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