Brad Rutter facts for kids

Bradford Gates Rutter (born January 31, 1978) is a famous American game show contestant. He is also a TV host, producer, and actor. Brad Rutter has won over $5.1 million from game shows. This makes him one of the highest-earning contestants ever in American game show history.

He is especially known for his amazing success on the TV game show Jeopardy!. He has won over $5 million from Jeopardy! tournaments. Until 2020, Brad Rutter had never lost a Jeopardy! game against another human player. This incredible winning streak included his first five-day run in 2000. He also won 17 matches in five different tournaments.

In 2020, he competed in the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) Tournament. He finished third in this tournament. This was his first time losing to a human opponent on Jeopardy!.

Brad's Early Life

Brad Rutter went to Manheim Township High School in Neffsville, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1995. While in high school, he was a key member of the school's quiz bowl team. His team even won second place at the 1994 Texaco Star National Academic Championship.

Brad is one of only 19 people to be named to the National Academic Championship Hall of Fame. In 2005, he started a scholarship fund. This fund was in memory of his high school quiz bowl coach, Anne Clouser.

Brad has said he was not always the best student in school. He even dropped out of Johns Hopkins University, where he studied English. Before becoming famous on Jeopardy!, he worked at a record store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Brad's Jeopardy! Journey

Brad Rutter first appeared on Jeopardy! on October 30, 2000. Back then, the rules said that a contestant who won five days in a row would retire undefeated. They would also get a spot in the Tournament of Champions. Brad won five days in a row, taking home $55,102. He also won two Chevrolet Camaro cars.

The rules changed in 2003, before Ken Jennings' long winning streak. This change allowed contestants to keep playing as long as they kept winning.

Winning Tournaments

Because he was a five-day champion, Brad was invited to the 2001 Tournament of Champions. He won this tournament and took home the $100,000 top prize.

He was invited back for the 2002 Million Dollar Masters Tournament. Brad won this too, earning a huge $1,000,000. This made him the highest money-winner in Jeopardy! history at that time.

In 2005, Brad returned for the Ultimate Tournament of Champions. He won this tournament as well, adding $2,115,000 to his winnings. In the finals, he beat Ken Jennings and Jerome Vered. After this win, Brad became the highest money-winner ever on American game shows. Ken Jennings later took back this record in 2008.

Facing a Supercomputer

From February 14–16, 2011, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings faced off against IBM's supercomputer, Watson. This special event was called the Jeopardy! IBM Challenge. It was the first time a human played against a machine on Jeopardy!.

Watson, the computer, won easily with a score of $77,147. Ken Jennings came in second with $24,000, and Brad Rutter was third with $21,600. IBM donated its $1 million prize to charity. Brad and Ken also donated half of their winnings to charity. Brad gave $100,000 to the Lancaster County Community Foundation. This match was just for fun, so the results did not count towards official records.

More Tournament Wins

Brad Rutter also played in the Jeopardy! 2014 Battle of the Decades. This tournament brought together top champions from the past 30 years of Jeopardy!. Brad won his games in the 1990s week, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals.

On May 16, 2014, Brad won the entire tournament and $1,000,000. He beat Ken Jennings and Roger Craig in the final game. With this win, Brad once again became the highest money-winner on American game shows.

In 2019, Brad teamed up with fellow Jeopardy! champions Larissa Kelly and Dave Madden. They won the Jeopardy! All-Star Games. Brad was the team captain, and they split the $1,000,000 top prize.

Brad competed in the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time event in January 2020. He played against Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer. He finished in third place and won $250,000.

In 2025, Brad Rutter competed in the Jeopardy! Masters Tournament. He finished in 7th place and received $15,000.

Other Game Show Appearances

Brad Rutter has appeared on other game shows too. He was on 1 vs. 100 in 2006 and 2007. He answered many questions correctly.

He also competed in the 2010 World Quizzing Championship, finishing 140th. In 2011, Brad was a contestant on Million Dollar Mind Game, where his team won $600,000.

In 2020, Brad became one of the "Chasers" for the ABC revival of The Chase. He joined Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer as Chasers.

In May 2020, Brad appeared on a new version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He was an expert helper for celebrity contestant Catherine O'Hara. He helped her answer many questions correctly, and she won $250,000 for charity.

Brad's Personal Life

Until 2009, Brad Rutter lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There, he hosted a local quiz show for high school students called InQuizitive. He also helped judge the high school National Academic Championship.

Now, Brad lives in Los Angeles, where he is working on his acting career.

Brad is a big fan of the Philadelphia Eagles football team. During the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time Tournament in 2020, he even gave them a shout-out. He wagered 4,133 points, which was a reference to the score of Super Bowl LII. In that game, the Eagles won their first Super Bowl by beating the New England Patriots 41–33.

See also

• American game show winnings records
• List of notable Jeopardy! contestants
• Strategies and skills of Jeopardy! champions