Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time has brought together three of the best Jeopardy! champions — Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter — for the ultimate competition, hosted by Alex Trebek. HollywoodLife sat down EXCLUSIVELY with the three iconic contestants at the Television Critics’ Association winter press tour on Jan. 8 to discuss the possibility of another Greatest of All Time tournament. Their answers might surprise you. “I don’t know how often you go back to the well, honestly,” Ken said. “The magnitude of it is decreased if there’s a rematch every six months. I know I’m getting older. I don’t know how much longer — I’m not joking — I don’t know how much longer I am Jeopardy! tournament viable.”
James added, “We’re really at the point where there are exactly three people who are viable for this kind of competition. What happens if the next super contestant comes along? You kick one of us off or put four of us on? Something’s got to give. And I think part of why it’s been such a big deal, is it’s been such a long time coming.”
Jeopardy! is currently in its 36th season and more socially relevant now that it’s ever been. The GOATs talked about why the show is still one of the most popular series on TV. “Everybody loves Alex and he’s been the constant through it all,” Brad told HollywoodLife. “He takes the gig very seriously but at the same time he has a little twinkle in his eye and people find that very relatable. He’s like America’s uncle and they feel like he’s a family member who comes into their house every night.”
Ken noted that Jeopardy! is one of the last shows people still watch together. “It’s cross-generational,” he added. “People watch with mom, watch with grandpa. It’s like a tradition for people and I think that’s the key. You associate it with good times.”
Ken, Brad, and James are the three highest money winners in Jeopardy! history. The competition is airing over consecutive nights on ABC. The first to win three matches receives $1 million and the title of “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time.” The two runners up will each receive $250,000.