Posted on 05/25/2005 6:24:27 PM PDT by Cagey
Ken Jennings, the most successful "Jeopardy!" player in the show's long history suddenly earned as asterisk next to his name Wednesday night: He was badly beaten in the final round of the "Ultimate Tournament of Champions," losing to Brad Rutter, who now stands as "Jeopardy's" leading money winner.
By winning Wednesday night, Rutter earned $2 million, which - added to his previous winnings on the show - means he's got a grand total of $3.1 million. Jennings, who came in second, earned $500,000, and that added to his record total of $2.5 million won last fall means he's at $3 million.
So game, set and match to Rutter, a Lancaster, Pa. native who became the show's first millionaire in 2002 when he aced the so-called Million Dollar Masters tournament.
Wednesday's match was a heavily hyped sweeps stunt, so purists might argue that it doesn't really count; after all, Jennings's reign came during the show's regular run last year. But fans also hoped their hero - who will star in his own game show on Comedy Central later this year - would dazzle once again. But dazzle he did not. Jennings, a Utah software engineer, often looked tentative over the last three nights, while Rutter was aggressive and - frankly - far more impressive.
Wednesday night was more or less representative: Rutter started off strong, zipping through the first round, while Jennings and third-place Jerome Vered, a L.A.-based writer, were forced to play catch-up.
The game was effectively over before "Final Jeopardy" because Rutter had more than double Jennings' total. Jennings then got the answer to the question wrong, but underneath his written response added: "Go Brad!"
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
They're all impressive in my book.
I was sure I had the astronaut question,but nooooooooo!
Well, those of us in the west coast are still waiting to watch tonight's Jeopardy. I won't be surprised now, sigh.
I missed the end--was Rutter correct or not in Final? I know he bet $0 so it didn't matter, but I was curious.
Yes, Rutter was the only one of the three who correctly answered Cooper and Carpenter to the final question. Ken was overreaching tonight to try and catch Rutter; ringing in on too many questions without knowing the answer.
I watched Monday and Tuesday but was unable to tonight so I know less that you do. I was curious to how it ended up and found this story on a news search.
Hopefully, someone will add some details regarding Final Jeopardy tonight.
Yes. Rutter was the only one of the three to get Final Jeopardy correct.
The guy in glasses said Carpenter and Shepard. Ken said Cooper and Shepard. Rutter said Carpenter and Cooper.
Thanks. It was weird, I said Cooper and Sheppard. I knew Sheppard (so I thought) but don't even know how I thought of Cooper. Figures, the right answer is the one I didn't know was right. The brain works in mysterious ways.
"Ken was overreaching tonight to try and catch Rutter; ringing in on too many questions without knowing the answer."
yes, that was amazing, I'd never seen him like that.
I can't believe how he took the leap that Jean Pierre Rampel played the piano. Duh, flute, even I knew that. And if I didn't know I wouldn't guess, if I were Ken. But Ken was not himself tonight.
Amazing how competative these folks really are. They are mellow and show good sportsmanship, but you can really see how much they want to win.
I wish I had just a tad more of that spirit myself.
GOOD GOING BRAD!
He was the only one who got Final Jeopardy right last night too, so he won really righteously.
I missed this episode. What was the final jeopardy clue?
Boy, I just couldn't get that one. Kept thinking Heston but knowing he was still with us.
Interesting about the 10 big ones plaques, though.
Agreed...Brad was awesome.
Ken was able to keep winning due to 1) his intelligence, 2) his ability to continually see the clues in the answers, and, more importantly, 3) learing how to use the button. The button is the key and after all that practice those three combinations wiped out challengers.
I noticed that Brad understood the button also. I could see Ken actually whincing as Brad beat him to the button over and over.
Remember that really good player before the rules change...Chuck? He and his friends made a button device and he practiced, practiced and practiced. Yes, you must know the question but buzzing in is the key.
It was a great idea, a great tournament and a great finale.
He did that quite a bit during his run, too. He'd ring in, then think for a couple seconds to come up with the answer. But yes, it did kind of come back to bite him tonight.
Brad was just a buzzsaw, barely giving the others a chance to ring in. But even Jerome ends up with another $250,000, so I don't feel too bad for the "losers".
Carpenter, Cooper, Glenn, Grissom, Schirra, Shepard, Slayton.
Shepard didn't go into orbit. And technically, his name isn't spelled S-h-e-p-h-e-r-d, either.
Jennings was under so much more pressure. Rutter really had nothing to lose. Although, Rutter is one heluva player. Must give him his props.
Rutter was impressive, winning all three days, two of them decisively. The tournament format gave the challengers an advantage over Jennings. Recent experience and practice with their button timing. Jennings, who dominated the button during his run, frequently was obviously frustrated by a quicker Rutter. Not that Jennings will ever complain about it. He remained as classy in defeat as he was in victory, putting "Go Brad" beneath his final question. And as for Brad also getting a show on Comedy Central... wasn't his occupation given as "TV game show host?"
Before he won his initial million on Jeopardy’s Masters Tournament three years ago, he worked as a sales clerk in a Lancaster music and video store. Since his newfound celebrity, he serves as the host of a local TV quiz show called InQuisitive that covers the central PA media market, where high school students are the contestants. And he is in his glory in that position – says that he always believed that hosting such a show was his destiny.
He attended Johns Hopkins University after high school, majoring in English and History, but dropped out of college because he just didn’t feel that was where he belonged. Yet he is more ‘educated’ than many people I know with PhDs behind their names. He’s got a terrific sense of humor and is incredibly humble. Actually, his humility is probably his most endearing quality. He believes that he has accumulated whatever knowledge he has simply by ‘paying attention’ to everything around him (in the week or so before the Ultimate Tournament of Champions all he really did to ‘prepare’ was to review world capitals via flashcards, and try to recollect all the plot lines to Shakespeare’s plays :).
His Dad is a stockbroker so I assume that, after spending a little ‘mad money’, and making the circuit of the TV talk shows, the bulk of his latest $2 million in winnings will be invested wisely. :)
~ joanie
I recall seeing a spot on Brad Rutter recently where he was driving the Porsche he bought shortly after his earlier winnings and he commented that was his only major purchase since becoming "wealthy".
From that short interview I did see some of the qualities you just wrote about.
No, "purists" wouldn't argue; people who are fair would. The only reason we know who Brad Rutter is is because he beat Ken Jennings.
What's up with this anti-Ken bias? Does the writer think he's a conservative because he's a Mormon from Utah?
Thanks for the details on Brad. Tell him hubby and I were judging each and every super-tournament based on whether or not one could/would be a "Ken killer". Brad exceeded our expectations and I gave him a standing "O".
Nothing against Ken Jennings, the guy is a genius. And it was really cute and sweet that he wrote "Go Brad" on his answer for final Jeopardy.
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