James Holzhauer Roasts Brad Rutter’s Jeopardy! Masters Season 3 Performance After Rejecting Invitation

Lorianne Palinkas has been a reality television writer for Screen Rant for four years. After teaching middle school English for twenty years, she knows a thing or two about high drama, complicated alliances, and even singing competitions. Growing up in New York City gave her a solid foundation in the arts and culture.

James Holzhauer took a dig at Brad Rutter’s performance on Jeopardy! Masters after declining his own invitation to compete in the tournament. During Jeopardy! Masters season 3, Brad took James’ place in the tournament when James opted out of the season. James won Jeopardy! Masters season 1 and placed third in season 2. Unfortunately, Brad was eliminated from season 3 after earning only one match point in the Knockout rounds. His fellow competitors, Adriana Harmeyer and Neilesh Vinjamuri, were also eliminated, while Matt Amodio, Isaac Hirsch, Juveria Zaheer, Roger Craig, Victoria Groce, and Yogesh Raut advanced to the quarterfinals.

James shared a picture of the Jeopardy! Masters season 3 standings before the last two Knockout rounds, with the caption, “Hey Brad’s score is still on there.”

In an X post, James shared a picture of the Jeopardy! Masters season 3 standings before the last two Knockout rounds, showing Brad’s score of zero, with the caption, “Hey Brad’s score is still on there.” Brad later earned only one match point in the Knockout rounds and was therefore eliminated from the tournament.

James’ post was a reference to his hilarious joke in the 2020 Jeopardy! Greatest Of All Time tournament, in which he, Brad, and now-Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings competed for the title, with Ken winning, James placing second, and Brad coming in third. During one of the games, James quipped that Brad’s score of zero from the previous round was still on his screen after it reset.

What James Holzhauer Roasting Brad Rutter Means For Rivalry

James Is Leaning Into His Game Show Villain Persona

Throughout his time on Jeopardy!, James wanted to be known as a game show villain. He’s famous for his gutsy Daily Double wagers, which have earned him the Top 10 single-game winnings records in the history of the show. James roasting Brad after all of these years shows that he’s still leaning into his game show villain persona, which is really funny and a treat for long-time Jeopardy! fans. Everyone knows that James is anything but a villain, so it’s hilarious to see him playing that role.

Our Take On Brad Rutter’s Jeopardy! Masters Performance

Brad Should’ve Gone Further In The Competition

I’ve been a Brad fan since his Jeopardy! debut 25 years ago, so I’m always delighted to see him come back to compete. He’s the highest-earning Jeopardy! contestant of all time, winning over $5 million in regular and tournament gameplay. Brad is a Jeopardy! legend, so I was shocked and disappointed to see him leave Jeopardy! Masters so early in the tournament because, based on his history with the show, he should’ve gone much further. However, Brad’s competition this year was very fierce, so he had his work cut out for him.

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By Cher Thompson

Mar 22, 2024

I hope that the rivalry between James and Brad continues and that they both compete in a future Jeopardy! tournament. It’s so much fun to watch them roast each other, just like Brad did to Ken during Jeopardy! Masters season 3 when Brad said that his goal in the tournament was to make fun of Ken. This playful banter based on years of history among the players is part of what makes the Jeopardy! tournaments so entertaining. Hopefully, James and Brad will have a Jeopardy! rematch in the near future.