We all like to play along with Jeopardy! and many of us think that we would do pretty well on the game show, but when it comes to the six Jeopardy! Masters contestants, they have absolutely proven they are among the best Jeopardy! players of all time. That is what makes this tournament, a brand new one for the game show, so enticing.
Premiering on May 8, at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC, Jeopardy! Masters is a month-long tournament that will see six former Jeopardy! champions compete for the title of Jeopardy! Master. The contestants are: Matt Amodio, Sam Buttrey, Andrew He, James Holzhauer, Mattea Roach and Amy Schneider.
All but Holzhauer actually just competed as part of 2022's Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, and Holzhauer competed in a similar tournament a few years ago, Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time. Jeopardy! Masters is set to be a longer, more intense competition between the contestants.
So, while we got to know many of the Jeopardy! Masters contestants during their respective initial runs, let's say hello again and break down why they are vying for this coveted title.
Matt Amodio
Profile: Matt Amodio is a postdoctoral researcher at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard from Cambridge, Mass.
Previous run: Amodio competed across seasons 37 and 38 of Jeopardy!, as well as the 2022 Tournament of Champions
Career winnings: $1,518,601 (fifth all-time)
Jeopardy! stats:
- Consecutive games won: 38 (third all-time)
- Most buzzes in a single game: 43
- Most correct responses in a game: 42
- Highest Double Jeopardy! round score: $48,400
- Highest score in a Jeopardy! round: $18,600 (tied)
- Highest non-James Holzhauer single-game score: $83,000
Sam Buttrey
Profile: Sam Buttrey is an associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Pacific Grove, Calif.
Previous run: Buttrey made his Jeopardy! debut on the 2021 Professors Tournament, which he won, then made it to the finals of the 2022 Tournament of Champions, finishing third.
Career winnings: $150,000
Jeopardy! stats:
- Average correct response score: 96.1%
- Had a 95% correct response rate in the 2022 Tournament of Champions semifinal
Andrew He
Profile: Andrew He is from San Francisco and works as a software developer.
Previous run: He had a five-day winning streak in season 38 that ended with Amy Schneider, though in the 2022 Tournament of Champions final he beat Schneider twice in the six-game series, finishing second overall.
Career winnings: $259,365
Jeopardy! stats:
- Largest correct Daily Double wager in season 38: $14,000
- Highest score in a Jeopardy! round: $18,600 (tied)
- Largest winnings ever in first game: $52,001
James Holzhauer
Profile: Holzhauer is a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas, though he also works with the Project 150 charity in Vegas and was a fixture on the ABC game show The Chase.
Previous run: playing during season 35, Holzhauer had a 32-game winning streak and racked up big daily winnings. He also won the 2019 Tournament of Champions and participated in the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament.
Career winnings: $2,962,216 (third all-time)
Jeopardy! stats:
- Consecutive games won: 32 (fourth all-time)
- Single game winnings record: $131,127
- Holds the top 10 spots for single game winnings
- One of only two players to earn more than $2 million in regular season play; Ken Jennings is the other
- Surpassed the $2 million total winnings mark in nearly half the number of games as Jennings
Mattea Roach
Profile: a writer and podcaster living in Toronto, including hosting "The Backbench" about Canadiana politics.
Previous run: playing in season 38, Roach became the first Gen Z super-champion. They were a semifinalist in the 2022 Tournament of Champions, but won a special exhibition game with Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio.
Career winnings: $560,983 (10th all-time)
Jeopardy! stats:
- Consecutive games won: 23 (fifth all-time)
- Sixth highest winnings total ever for regular season play
- 92% average correct response rate
- 71.1% average buzzer score
Amy Schneider
Profile: Schneider, a writer from Oakland, Calif., is the first transgender Jeopardy! super-champion, which led her be named one of People Magazine's Women Changing the World in 2022. She has an upcoming podcast, "Amy Always Wins," hosted by Rob Corddry.
Previous run: Schneider competed during season 38 and then went on to win the 2022 Tournament of Champions.
Career winnings: $1,632,800 (fourth all time)
Jeopardy! stats:
- Consecutive games won: 40 (second all time)
- Regular season winnings: $1,382,800
- Most buzzer attempts in a single game in season 38
- Ran the most total categories in season 38: 28
- Tied the most run categories in a single game: 3
- Highest score in a Jeopardy! round: $18,600 (tied)
Jeopardy! Masters is going to feature 10 episodes across May on ABC, beginning May 8 and running through May 24. Episodes will be available to stream the day after they air on Hulu.
