'Jeopardy!' Hall of Fame: The Biggest Winners in the Game Show's History

Welcome to the Winner's Circle

What is ... a champion? Jeopardy! has kept viewers hooked for decades with its rapid rounds and fierce competition, not to mention the excitement of watching a competitor on a serious winning streak.

Once such epic streak? Amy Schneider's more than $1 million-grossing series of wins, the first ever by a woman. A 40-game champion, Schneider followed in the footsteps of Julia Collins, who previously held the longest consecutive winning streak for a woman on the game show (20 games).

They are only a couple of names lucky enough to be among Jeopardy's biggest winners, and only time will tell who will join them, Ken Jennings, Matt Amodio, and more in the future.

In the spring of 2023, some of these impressive winners also participated in the first-ever Jeopardy! Masters tournament, which featured previous champions facing off round-robin style over the course of 10 hour-long episodes with the games being scored in points. To celebrate the ongoing success of Jeopardy!, we've rounded up the contestants with the most consecutive wins, plus the player who's pocketed the highest earnings of all time.

Ken Jennings

Ken Jennings was working as a software engineer in Utah when he was selected for the trivia competition in 2004, beginning a bid that would make history.

Shooting to stardom with an unprecedented winning streak, Jennings won 74 consecutive games and $2,520,700, making him the highest-winning player in regular season play, per Jeopardy! records.

Host Ken Jennings

In 2020, Ken Jennings trumped fellow Jeopardy! all-stars Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer and won the ABC special Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament. That year, he also signed on as a consulting producer for the game show.

Following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek in November 2020 and the ousting of former producer Mike Richards over the summer, Jennings stepped on to the stage to split hosting duties with Emmy-nominated Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik for the remainder of season 38.

During season 39, Bialik announced that she would be stepping back from her hosting duties and walked off set in support of the WGA strike, joining a handful of other writers and former champions. Jennings took over Bialik's hosting duties for the remaining episodes she was scheduled for, as well as the fall 2023 episodes of Celebrity Jeopardy!.

Amy Schneider

Schneider, an engineering manager from California, made history in January 2022 in setting the second-longest consecutive winning streak at 40 games.

In other firsts, she became the first woman to win more than $1 million in regular-season play, and was the first transgender contestant to qualify to compete in the game show's Tournament of Champions.

Schneider won $1,382,800 from the game show.

Matt Amodio

Amodio, a Yale University computer science Ph.D. student, ranks third on the consecutive-wins list, having reigned for 38 games in 2021. The former champion is also in Jeopardy's enviable million-dollar club, earning $1,518,601 during regular-season play. He won an additional $150,000 by placing third in the first season of Jeopardy! Masters.

James Holzhauer

The sports gambler from Las Vegas became a familiar face on Jeopardy! in 2019, racking up a 32-game winning streak and raking in $2,462,216 during regular-season play, second only to Jennings.

Holzhauer sits at the No. 1 spot for single-game winnings at $131,127, though — in a top 10 list only his name is on.

Speaking to PEOPLE in 2019, the contestant opened up about giving some of his earnings away to Project 150, a foundation that helps homeless teenagers in Nevada attend and finish high school.

"It's nice to be able to have a voice," Holzhauer said. "Especially for people who need it."

Holzhauer placed first on Jeopardy! Masters in 2023, earning himself an additional $500,000 and the Trebek Trophy, as well as $100,000 to donate to Project 150.

Cris Pannullo

Former poker player and customer success operation manager Cris Pannullo won $748,286 after his 21-game winning streak in 2022.

Pannullo is one of many former winners who is slated to appear on the game show's Tournament of Champions following the 2023 WGA strike.

Mattea Roach

Mattea Roach, a tutor from Toronto, earned their spot on the Jeopardy! leaderboard in 2022 with a 23-game win streak. Roach walked away with $560,983, landing in sixth place on the top 10 highest winnings from regular season play.

In 2023, during a semi-finals episode of Jeopardy! Masters, Roach revealed the sad news that their father died from a brain aneurysm. Roach dedicated what “might be my last game of the series” to their dad, Phillip. They ended up placing second in the tournament, earning an additional $250,000 in winnings.

Julia Collins

Before Schneider's historic reign, Collins held the honor of the longest consecutive winning streak for a woman, winning 20 games in a row in 2014. The supply chain professional is also still one of the highest-earning winners for regular season play, pocketing $428,100 during her time on the show.

Brad Rutter

Rutter ranks as a Jeopardy! icon in his own right, holding the all-time winnings record (including tournaments) at $4,938,436. He first took the podium in 2000, winning big with competitions like the $1 Million All-Star Games in 2019.

Sharing his plans for his prize money at the time, he told the Associated Press the windfall gave him "a little bit more for the nest egg, and I can support myself without having to wait tables like everyone else in Hollywood."