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Three 'Jeopardy!' legends to face off in 'Greatest of All Time' event

We'll soon know which 'Jeopardy!' contestant is truly the 'Greatest of All Time.'

The three greatest players in "Jeopardy!" history will soon face off to determine who's the greatest player of all time. 

Fresh off winning the Tournament of Champions, James Holzhauer will compete against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, for a prime-time "Jeopardy!" "Greatest of All Time" special event on ABC. 

“Based on their previous performances, these three are already the ‘greatest,’ but you can’t help wondering: Who is the best of the best?” Alex Trebek said in a statement

The three players all hold several "Jeopardy!" records under their belts. Jennings gained fame for his record 74-game winning streak, which is still the longest in the show's history. His winnings total $3,370,700. 

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Rutter is the highest money winner of all time across any television game show. He's won $4,688,436 across his "Jeopardy!" appearances. He's never lost a match against a human opponent. In 2011, he finished third in a match against IBM's Watson (and Ken Jennings), but since the episode was an exhibition between man and machine, the records did not count toward official show records. 

Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Jeopardy!" champions Ken Jennings, left, and Brad Rutter, right, look on as an IBM computer called "Watson" beats them to the buzzer to answer a question during a practice round of the "Jeopardy!" quiz show in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011.

Holzhauer is the show's most recent star. He holds the record for all 15 of the top single-game winnings records on the game show, and recently won the 2019 Tournament of Champions. His winnings total $2,712,216. 

Credit: Jeopardy Productions to The Conversation
James Holzhauer, a sports gambler from Las Vegas, has dominated 'Jeopardy!' like no one else in its 35-year history.

The "Greatest of All Time" special event premieres on ABC on Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. EST. The multi-night event will continue until one contestant wins three matches. The first to win three matches will receive $1 million and the title of "Jeopardy!" The Greatest of All Time. The other two contestants will each receive $250,000. 

“We’re excited to bring Jeopardy! to prime time! It’s been a long time in the making – we wanted to create a unique experience sure to wow not just our fans, but all audiences,” said Mike Hopkins, Chairman, Sony Pictures Television in a statement. “We are thrilled to have James, Brad and Ken, three powerhouse players each worthy of the title ‘The Greatest of All Time.’ With Alex hosting this is truly going to be something special. I can’t wait to see who comes out on top!” 

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