How Does Matt Amodio’s ‘Jeopardy!’ Winning Streak Compare to Other Champs?

Paige Strout October 12, 2021, 11:15 am

'Jeopardy!' Matt Amodio, Contestant Comparison — Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

After 39 consecutive wins, Jeopardy! champion Matt Amodio‘s winning streak has officially come to an end. Since his debut on the legendary quiz show earlier this summer, Amodio broke several Jeopardy! records and got close to breaking many others.

On Friday, October 1, Amodio’s 33rd win broke champion James Holzhauer‘s record for the second-highest consecutive wins, placing him behind current record holder Ken Jennings with 74. Additionally, Amodio became the third person in the show’s history to surpass $1 million in regular-season play winnings, having won a total of $1,519,601 over his 39 appearances.

Until we see him again, see how Amodio ranks among the Jeopardy! greats below.

'Jeopardy!' Releases Unseen Footage Of What Happened After Matt Amodio Lost (VIDEO)

Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer maintain a solid lead

Despite winning over $1 million, Amodio had a long game of catch up to play before beating Holzhauer and Jennings for the most regular-season winnings, having won $2,462,216 and $2,520,700, respectively. According to a stats comparison video on the show’s YouTube page, Amodio and Jennings share the same percentage of correct responses at 92%, with Holzhauer beating them with 97%. Holzhauer also holds the highest percentage of Final Jeopardy responses at 94%, with Amodio in second with 76% and Jennings in third with 68%

Following that same ranking, Holzhauer holds the highest average of winnings per show with $76,944, followed by Amodio with $38,418 and Jennings with $34,064.

Matt Amodio was further ahead than Ken Jennings was during his winning streak

While Jennings is one of the show’s greatest champions, Amodio broke one of his records, having surpassed the $1 million threshold in 28 games compared to Jennings’ 30. As of his last episode, Amodio was close to $200,000 ahead of Jennings’ winnings by his 39th game. As Jennings surpassed the $2 million mark in his 59th episode, Amodio would have needed to beat his amount within the next 20 games to break the record.

However, Holzhauer achieved both milestones in the least amount of time, having earned over $2 million by his 27th game.

How does Matt Amodio measure up to Brad Rutter?

Champion Brad Rutter currently holds the title for the highest amount of total winnings on the show, having won $4,938,436 in both regular-season and tournament games. After hitting the show’s 5-game winning limit during his first appearance in Season 17, Rutter became the show’s highest-earning contestant after winning the 2002 Million Dollar Masters Tournament. After Jennings’ 74-day winning streak broke his record, he returned again in 2005 for the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, during which he surpassed the $2 million benchmark.

It would have taken Amodio a significant amount of time and hard work to dethrone Rutter as the highest winner of all time. However, if Amodio returned in the future for tournament play, there’s no telling how much more he could win.

The end of Amodio’s Jeopardy! era

In a surprising turn of events, Amodio was dethroned by both challengers on Monday, October 11, lagging behind the two for most of the episode. His fate was sealed by his incorrect Final Jeopardy answer, bringing his total down to $5,600. Contestants Jonathan Fisher and Jessica Stephens put an end to his era, with Fisher taking home the win with a total of $29,200.

Amodio gracefully accepted his loss, tweeting, “Congrats to today’s two brilliant challengers for making it an exciting game of #Jeopardy today! Let’s celebrate a match well played by Jonathan and Jessica!”

@AmodioMatt … a haiku for you:
~~
Very smart. So smart.
Thirty eight games, lots of cash
Until next time, Matt
~~ pic.twitter.com/rliFV7ftHU

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) October 12, 2021