‘Jeopardy!’ Legend Brad Rutter & Others Turned Down JIT Invitation

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Jeopardy! has put together a star-studded field for the inaugural Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament, but there are some notable absences, including legendary players such as Brad Rutter and Julia Collins.

Show bosses Michael Davies and Sarah Whitcomb-Foss discussed the upcoming JIT on the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, where they teased what was to come and addressed those absences.

“Everyone listening, you now get to have the same pre-JIT excitement we had in Jeopardy! production time before we made the JIT,” Davies said, referring to the fan reaction to the recently revealed field of 27.

“We’ve now produced the JIT, and we know how sensational it is,” he continued. “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 line-up was officially announced last week and includes the likes of 2021 Professors Tournament winner Sam Buttrey, the 2021 Tournament of Champions winner Sam Kavanaugh, 2022 Tournament of Champions winner Amy Schneider, as well as former contestants turned Chasers, 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. “But you have to remember, Victoria defeated none other than David Madden (who is also in the JIT), a 19-game champion. Really excited to have those two.”

Despite the stacked field, a few fan favorites are missing, something which Whitcomb-Foss responded to on the podcast.

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“One thing we knew is we wanted to make this field big; we wanted to include as many champions as we could,” she explained. “Of course, we couldn’t include everyone. We had gone pre-2022 TOC season. We were looking for those people who hadn’t had a chance yet to make it into the Masters pyramid.”

She added, “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.”

Fans took to social media to react to the news, with one commenter on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum writing, “All things considered, as much as it sucks we don’t get those four, we still have a stacked list for JIT!”

“I was wondering about Roger Craig!” said another. “He was the first guy to “Moneyball” the Jeopardy archive, and held the 1-day highest score record until Holzhauer. He was also two missed True Daily Doubles away from beating Ken and Brad in the Battle of the Decades finals in 2014.”

“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,” another wondered.

Another added, “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 AT Stage again.”

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“The Rutter era is over. It’s time for a new generation of champions,” said another.

Even though the JIT is missing some big hitters, Davies promised fans will love the intensity of the competition. “You just wait until you see the episodes,” he teased.

The JIT will begin airing the day after the Tournament of Champions, which will end either Tuesday (March 19) or Wednesday (March 20), depending on results.

You can check out the full 27-player line-up here. And let us know in the comments your favorites heading into the tournament.

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