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- 2024 Tournament of Champions winner revealed
- Yogesh Raut wins as Troy Meyer is left in sudden last place
- Troy Meyer wins his first final
- Match one goes to Ben Chan in shock twist
- Carsen Holaday
- Darian Lusk
- Isabelle Hajek
- Matthew Aquino
YOGESH Raut has been crowned as the winner of the 2024 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions.
Ben Chan was the only player to answer Final Jeopardy correctly, but had suffered a Daily Double loss earlier in the game that set him back, leaving him with $6,400 at the end.
Yogesh and fan-favorite Troy Meyer both answered incorrectly, but Troy's huge bet caused him to drop from the top score to third place with just $6,399 while Yogesh was crowned the winner with $13,399.
"Troy, Troy Troy. you did that every night. brutal," one fan noted on X, formerly known as Twitter, pointing out that his wagering lost him two games.
Meanwhile, fans were shocked to see Troy leave his seat to congratulate Ben and Yogesh as his full height was revealed - which might explain why he's been seated throughout the competition.
"Troy sat because he's a giant," one viewer wrote as another added, "Now we know why Troy was seated."
Yogesh won the Jeopardy! ToC grand prize of $250,000 and a spot in May's Jeopardy! Masters. Ben got to take home $100,000 in second place while Troy ended up with $50,000 after only winning one game in the competition.
Read our Jeopardy! ToC blog for the latest updates...
20th Mar 2024, 10:00By Carsen Holaday
Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament starts tonight
The first-ever Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament premieres tonight at 7 pm ET on ABC.
Tune in to see the following competitors play in the quarterfinals:
- Andrew He– 2022 Tournament of Champions finalist
- Pam Mueller– 2000 College Championship winner
- Dan Pawson – 2009 Tournament of Champions winner
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20th Mar 2024, 09:30By Carsen Holaday
Masters lineup nearly complete
Yogesh Raut secured his place in May's Jeopardy! Masters by winning the 2024 Tournament of Champions last night.
The competitors for the upcoming Masters include:
- Matt Amodio - 2023 Masters finalist
- James Holzhauer - 2023 Masters winner
- Mattea Roach. - 2023 Masters finalist
- Yogesh Raut - 2024 ToC winner
- 2024 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament winner to be named
- Producer's pick to be named
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20th Mar 2024, 09:00By Darian Lusk
Full JIT lineup revealed, part three
The lineup for the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament concludes:
- Jason Zuffranieri - 19-day champion
- Arthur Chu - 11-day winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions runner-up, who infamously sparred withAlex Trebek
- Victoria Groce - Chaser on The Chase, who is one of the best trivia players in the world
- Matt Jackson - 13-day champion and 2015 ToC runner-up
- Terry O’Shea - a 2014 College Championship winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions semifinalist from Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Dan Pawson - nine-day champion, 2009 Tournament of Champions winner
- Jennifer Quail - eight-day champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions runner-up
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20th Mar 2024, 08:29By Darian Lusk
Full JIT lineup revealed, part two
The lineup for the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament continues:
- Ben Ingram - eight-day champion and 2014 Tournament of Champions winner
- Alex Jacob - 2015 Tournament of Champions winner
- Mackenzie Jones - eight-day champion and 2015 ToC quarterfinalist
- Sam Kavanaugh - 2021 Tournament of Champions winner who called his snub from Masters Season 1a "gut punch" on social media
- Larissa Kelly - six-day champion and 2019 All-Star Games winner
- Alan Lin - six-day champion and 2009 ToC runner-up
- David Madden - 19-day champion in 2005 and the second-longest streakholder to Ken for decades. All-Star Games winner
- Pam Mueller - 2001 ToC semifinalist and 2019 All-Star Games third-placer
- Austin Rogers - 13-game champion and 2017 ToC runner-up
- Monica Theiu - 2012 College Championship winner
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20th Mar 2024, 08:02By Darian Lusk
Full JIT lineup revealed, part one
The lineup for the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament includes:
- Andrew He - 2022 ToC finalist
- Amy Schneider - 2022 ToC winner
- Sam Buttrey - 2022 ToC finalist
- Brandon Blackwell - Chaser onThe Chaseand Teen Tournament semifinalist
- Colby Burnett - 2013 Tournament of Champions winner and third-place in the team-based 2019 All-Star Games
- Lily Chin - 2017 College Championship winner and 2017 ToC semifinalist
- Leonard Cooper - 2013 Teen Tournament winner and All-Stars Games player
- Celeste DiNucci - 2007 Tournament of Champions winner
- Chuck Forrest - Season 2 five-day champ from 1985 (before the win cap was lifted) - he invented the famed Forrest Bounce technique. 1986 Tournament of Champions winner
- Dhruv Gaur - 2019 Tournament of Champions semifinalist
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20th Mar 2024, 07:31By Carsen Holaday
Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament starts tonight
The full lineup for the brand-newJeopardy! Invitational Tournamentdropped last week on Jeopardy!’s official Instagram.
Unlike other tournaments this season, JIT opens the floodgates to iconic older champions returning after decades away from the buzzer.
Ken Jennings will host the new competition, which premieres tonight now that the Tournament of Champions is over.
BRING IT! Jeopardy! drops lineup for new tournament with huge legends and shocking snubCopied
20th Mar 2024, 07:01By Carsen Holaday
What to know about Brad Rutter
Brad Rutter was born on January 31, 1978, in Lancaster,Pennsylvania.
The 46-year-old is agame showcontestant,televisionhost, producter, and actor.
He plays as a Chaser on ABC's hit TV series The Chase and also competed on Jeopardy!, where he became the highest-earning contestant.
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20th Mar 2024, 06:33By Darian Lusk
Jeopardy! bosses discussed JIT, part two
Despite the stacked lineup, a few big names were missing, which Whitcomb-Foss responded to on the podcast.
She said, “Of course, there were folks who we reached out to who weren’t available for a number of different reasons.
"I want to make sure everyone knows that Brad Rutter, Julia Collins, Roger Craig, and Emma Boettcher all did receive invites.
"And for a variety of reasons, they weren’t able to compete with us in this JIT, but we certainly hope we’ll be able to welcome them back at a future one.”
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20th Mar 2024, 06:01By Darian Lusk
Jeopardy! bosses discussed JIT, part one
Show bossesMichael DaviesandSarah Whitcomb Fossdiscussed the upcoming Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament on the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast.
“We’ve now produced the JIT, and we know how sensational it is,” Davies said.
“And we’re just excited for all of you to see these legendary players compete against each other on the Alex Trebek Stage. It is strong.”
The lineup of 27 icons was officially announced last week and includesSam Buttrey,Amy Schneider, Chuck Forrest of the "Forrest Bounce" and Chasers like Brandon Blackwell and Victoria Groce.
“In particular, people have been talking about Brandon Blackwell and Victoria Groce, not people who were necessarily on the radar as Jeopardy! greats,” Whitcomb-Foss added.
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20th Mar 2024, 05:31By Darian Lusk
Fans think Brad Rutter will 'never compete again'
Jeopardy! fans took to social media, whereRedditusers predicted that Brad Rutter's decision to bow out of the Invitational Tournament is a hint he's done for good.
"I don’t think we will see Brad again. He seemed embarrassed by the GOAT performance. I hope he does come back but i don’t think we will see him on the Alex Trebek Stage again," one fan wrote.
"I'll be shocked if we ever see Brad again. He has nothing to gain from entering any of these big mega tournaments, and really just everything to lose," another comment read.
"He said himself after GOAT that he didn't have the motivation to prepare that the other two had. If he enters this and loses early, it just emboldens those who think his big tournament winning streak he had was a bit fluky."
Another added, “I can't imagine they'd phrase it this way if they 'declined' the JIT because they'll be on the Masters, unless they are just trying to be coy and not give away the producers pick for the Masters."
A fourth wrote, "I don't really think he owes Jeopardy or the fans anything else at this point.
TOO BRAD Jeopardy! legend's fans convinced he'll 'never compete again' after shock moveCopied
20th Mar 2024, 05:00By Darian Lusk
Brad Rutter turned down tournament invite
Jeopardy! great Brad Rutter has turned down an offer to compete in the new Invitational Tournament, which starts tonight now that the Tournament of Champions is over.
Jeopardy!has assembled a jam-packed lineup for its first-everJeopardy! Invitational Tournament(JIT), but fans spotted Brad's noticbale absence.
Brad is thehighest money winnerof all time across any TVgame show, followed by hostKen Jennings($4.3M) andJames Holzhauer($2.9M).
He first competed in 2000 before the 5-game win cap was lifted went on to win a slew of tournaments until losing phenomenally in 2020's G.O.A.T against James and Ken.
Brad - now a chaser onThe Chase- hasn't come back since or had any involvement with the show.
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20th Mar 2024, 04:31By Darian Lusk
Fans react to Yogesh’s buzzer strategy, part two
Jeopardy! fans went on to say that Yogesh Raut's use of the buzzer was "bizarre to watch."
"I watch Jeopardy daily. I have NEVER witnessed a person be so hard on something that did not belong to them. It’s bizarre to watch," wrote a fifth.
"I’m only just noticing this, but Yogesh’s buzzer technique is giving me anxiety like is he using his entire palm?!" gawked a sixth.
"This Yogesh guy in Jeopardy’s buzzer-smashing technique makes me root hard against him. No chill!" wrote one more.
Other more suggestive jokes were made as well, given the rapid-hand approach.
That said, the strategy apparently paid off as Yogesh won the game in a runaway with a massive 28 correct responses to its 60 clues.
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20th Mar 2024, 04:00By Darian Lusk
Fans react to Yogesh's buzzer strategy, part one
Jeopardy! fans took toX(formerly Twitter) to vent about how Yogesh's buzzer attack detracted from the proceedings.
"I hope they’ve asked Yogesh for a security deposit on his buzzer," one comment read.
"Omg, I am so triggered watching him," another viewer wrote.
"It’s so obnoxious lol I think Yogesh hitting the buzzer is only eclipsed in speed by his rattling the words when selecting the clue," wrote a third.
"I wonder if Sony will charge Yogesh if he finally breaks his signaling device," joked a fourth.
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20th Mar 2024, 03:29By Darian Lusk
Yogesh Raut gets backlash over buzzer use
Yogesh Raut won Tuesday's decisive match, giving him the three wins it takes to earn the crown.
However,Jeopardy!fans couldn't ignore how the three-day champ and pro trivia player (who revealed he downed a Red Bull before the game) was using his buzzer.
Yogesh opts for a two-handed buzzer approach, which sees him pounding the button multiple times with his entire right hand for nearly every clue.
BUZZER BEATER Jeopardy! champ called out for 'smashing' buzzer and 'giving fans anxiety'Copied
20th Mar 2024, 03:00By Carsen Holaday
Watch Ken Jennings reflect on first Jeopardy! game
Ken Jennings reveals he nearly lost his initial Jeopardy! game as fans realize he likely never would have been host
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20th Mar 2024, 02:31By Darian Lusk
Fans reflect on Ken Jennings' confession
Jeopardy! fans realized if Alex had ruled the other way, Ken would have never been aJeopardy! champ and likely never been host.
"It would have been his only, and long-forgotten, appearance …" one social media user wrote.
"It's so strange to think about how we were a judge's ruling away from Ken just being a footnote in the annals of Jeopardy history," wrote another fan on Reddit.
"Its interesting to think how things would be so different today if Ken lost that very first game in 2004. Im glad it worked out this way," wrote a third.
"It's crazy, you wonder if Ken hadn't spawned that, do we get the resurrection of Brad, or does he just go down in the annals as yet-another-5-day-champion?
"Do we get the Watson tournament? The GOAT? Which then spawns off into our current Masters tournament? It's pretty amazing what came about because of that one ruling.
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20th Mar 2024, 02:01By Darian Lusk
Ken Jennings nearly lost his first game, part three
Ken Jennings recalled to CBS the tense moment where he thought he might lose his first Jeopardy! game.
"And I had just written down, Who is Jones? And Alex pauses for a second, like, 'Ooh, is that enough? Is he just guessing a last name?'" Ken said.
"And so, Alex looks to the judges, and he gets the high sign, and he says, 'That's correct.'
"And I realize, 'I'm gonna be a 'Jeopardy!' champion for the rest of my life! And it was just an immediate rush of euphoria that, it's hard to explain.
"As good as the birth of my kids (I can say that now that they're teens and outta the house). It was just an amazing moment."
As CBS wrote, that "microsecond decision" led to the standing record of 74 straight victories, $2.5 million, "game show immortality", and eventually the job of host.
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20th Mar 2024, 01:30By Darian Lusk
Ken Jennings nearly lost his first game, part two
In the sitdown video interview atKen's $3m Seattle mansion, he revealed his first win was no runaway.
It all came down to Final Jeopardy and then-host Alex Trebek nearly didn't accept his response.
The Final Jeopardy! answer was, "She's the first female track & field athlete to win medals in five different events at a single Olympics."
Ken responded with "Who is Jones?" using only the last name of Marion Jones.
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20th Mar 2024, 01:01By Darian Lusk
Ken Jennings nearly lost his first game, part one
Ken Jennings made a startling confession about his 74-time winning streak with CBS Sunday Morning.
TheJeopardy!host is currently presiding over one of the most nail-bitingTournament of Championsfinals ever.
But way back in 2004 he was just "a bad computer programmer," as he told CBS when he first stepped foot on the stage as a contestant.
Ken would go on to win 74consecutive Jeopardy! games, which is the standing record, and eventually becomeAlex Trebek'ssuccessor.
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20th Mar 2024, 00:33By Carsen Holaday
Watch Yogesh Raut win the Tournament of Champions
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2024 — Troy Meyer fans hope for 'comeback win' as he faces Yogesh Raut and Ben Meyer
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20th Mar 2024, 00:00By Darian Lusk
Yogesh Raut never made amends for past criticism
Yogesh Raut has used many of his interview segments to brag about his clear trivia prowess, includingdefeating James Holzhauer in high school triviaand now-host Ken.
While he returned for the ToC in a much more jovial fashion, he also never made it a point to address his past statements.
Ken even gave Yogesh an opening to make amends upon his ToC return, asking him if he had "any regrets" during the finals; Yogesh offered with a joke reply.
Yogesh also called out beloved show figures like Amy Schneider during his Facebook posts, mentioning, "Amy Schneider's BS relating quizzing expertise to 'privilege.'"
Amy Schneiderwas the previous ToC winner, making history as the first transgender contestant to win in 2022.
Amy will have to gift Yogesh acustom championship belt, as is traditionfor the victory.
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20th Mar 2024, 23:29By Darian Lusk
Yogesh previously criticized show
Shortly after last year's loss, Yogesh took to his public Facebook page criticizingJeopardy!as"unimportant" and a "glorified reality show".
"Jeopardy has not nor will ever be the Olympics of quizzing. Jeopardy is not the problem, its centrality to American quizzing culture is," he wrote, in part.
"There will never be healthy quizzing culture in this country until we can learn to stop pretending Jeopardy! is important."
He added that his three wins will “never top the list of my quizzing accomplishments - not even my quizzing accomplishments of 2022.
"It is entertaining to watch but it bears the same relationship to real quizzing that ‘Holey Moley’ does to golf."
Such sour grapes were so unprecedented that NBC ran the headline: "Jeopardy!' champ Yogesh Raut takes aim at the relevance of the very game he won 3 times."
Some fans even demanded he bebanned for good, but now he's won its most esteemed tournament.
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20th Mar 2024, 23:01By Darian Lusk
Yogesh Raut has a controversial history with show
Yogesh Rautis a writer, podcaster, psychologist, and professional online trivia player of Indian descent based in Vancouver, Washington.
The three-day champ amassed a dominant $98,800 (including a rareperfect game) in 2023.
He the first three-day champ to make the ToC finals sinceEmma Boettcherin 2019 (who ended James Holzhauer's streak).
He's the first three-day champ to win the tournament, reserved for the biggest winners from the season prior, since 2006.
This was the first time all three-day winners from Season 39 competed in the ToC, amajor twistthat not everyone liked.
That's largely because Yogesh has a controversial history with the show and made headlines for how he handled his initial defeat.
RAUT'S RANT Jeopardy! champ attacks fans after he's accused of 'arrogant' behaviorCopied
20th Mar 2024, 22:33By Darian Lusk
Fans bittersweet after Yogesh Raut's victory
Jeopardy! fans flooded social media feeling bittersweet about the victory given his rivals lost on unlucky blows andYogesh's past commentsabout the verygame showhe's now the ambassitor of.
"Not the way i was hoping for it to go #jeopardy," one X user wrote.
"Loses on Jeopardy after three games -S**t-talks on the show -Goes back to win the Tournament of Champions -Refuses to elaborate," wrote another.
"Disappointed with today's outcome to say the least. But congrats to the winner," a Reddit user wrote.
"What. The heck. I was really hoping Troy would wager $0 in Final," wrote a second.
A third wrote, "Congrats to Yogesh as our a new ToC champ and Master! He's been very consistent in this ToC, excited to see more of him in the future.
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20th Mar 2024, 22:01By Darian Lusk
Recap of tonight’s final game. part three
With that, Yogesh won his decisive third victory and was named the winner.
"That is three wins for Yogesh Raut, the winner of this Tournament of Champions! What a finals," Ken declared.
The finalists got up and exchanged hugs and Yogesh stood beside his podium in disbelief.
Nine-day champ Benearns $100,000 for second place whilesix-day champ and breakout star Troyearns $50,000 for third.
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