Jeopardy! airs some special tournaments throughout the season. Most of the tournaments start on a Monday and some tournaments started on Wednesday. February, May and November are the common months for the premiere of new tournaments. Eliminated contestants leave with some departing money for participating in the tournament. The longer you stay in the tournament, the more money you're likely to win.
Tournaments[]
The tournament format was itself devised by Alex Trebek, expanding on a format used during the original series. Each lasts 2 weeks over 10 episodes. In all games bar the finals, the players play for points (though dollar signs are still used for aesthetic purposes); for the finals, they play for cash.
- Quarterfinal (Games 1-5), Day 1 of Recording: 3 competitors from each game. The winner of each game advances to the semifinals, and among those who did not win, the four players in the order of the highest final score advance to the semifinals as wild cards. DJ! in case of a tie, Selections are made in the order of results at the end of the round, and in case of a tie, Jeopardy! Selection will be made based on performance at the end of the round. If there is a game where all 3 players end at 0 or less, there is no automatic semifinalist in that game and a wild card is added. For fairness between wildcards, players who have not yet played a game are isolated in a separate space so that they do not know the outcome of the previous game.
- Semifinal (Games 6-8): Only the winner of each game advances to the next round. Even if all three players end under 0, the tiebreaker will determine the winner.[1]
- Final (Games 9, 10): The cumulative results of the two games will determine 1st to 3rd place. The two games are separate, so you can't bet the prize money you won on the first day in the Daily Double or Final Jeopardy! on the second day. DJ in each game! Competitors with a negative score at the end will receive a $0 grade for that day.
In general, there is a set prize money for each advancement stage, and the finalist gets the greater of the minimum guaranteed prize money or the two-day cumulative performance.
In the original series, each tournament only had nine participants and simply consisted of three semifinal matches and the two-day final, with all players keeping their money at the end of each game, and Grand Champions also receiving the tournament prize.
Tournament of Champions[]
Featuring champions who won the most games (minimum of three regular-play wins to qualify until the 2021 tournament, minimum of four regular-play wins to qualify effective the 2022 tournament) as well as winners of the College Championship. In the first 19 seasons, all 5-time undefeated champs automatically qualified. Leading up to 2000, winners of the Teen Tournament were guaranteed a spot in the Tournament of Champions. Since 2011, winners of the Teachers Tournament (except Larry Martin, who suddenly and unexpectedly died shortly after winning the 2018 event) were guaranteed spots in the ToC. Effective the 2022 tournament, the winners of the Professors Tournament and National College Championship will be guaranteed a slot in the ToC. Unlike other tournaments (see below), the contestants not playing in their respective quarterfinal game are not allowed to watch from the audience, as the point is to win their quarterfinal game rather than simply beating a wild card score.
Winning the ToC is a great honor for Jeopardy's contestants. The contestants who set the best record in the regular game do not even win the championship, but are eliminated from the preliminary rounds, and there are cases where the Top 3 do not even make it to the finals. So many things happen in the ToC, and in the S22, 19-win champ David Madden and 6-win champ Kevin Marshall even lost to 4-win champ Bill MacDonald in the semifinals.
Also, even for a 10+ time champion, it's really hard to win. In addition, legendary champion Ken Jennings, with 74 wins, continued to lose to Brad Rutter in other tournaments, but ultimately emerged victorious in the Greatest of All Time tournament in 2020. As if to disprove that, James Holzhauer is the only ToC winner among the champions who have won 10 or more games in regular competition so far. He wouldn't have won if it hadn't been for a wide gap with Emma Boettcher in Game 1 of the final. Like the World Cup, ToC has many variables, so it can be said to be an interesting competition for viewers.
Rematches are often held in one tournament. The winner of the group and the wildcard contestant often face off in the final, and in S26, the contestants from group 5 had a rematch in the final. Starting from S21, participants who competed in regular competitions had rematches in ToC, and so far, they have occurred in S22, S29, and S36.
During the Fleming-era tournaments, Grand Champions won a tropical vacation and were presented with a trophy called the Griffin Award, named for Merv Griffin himself.
- There was no Tournament of Champions from Season 1, 17, 20, 23, 27, 30, 33, 35, and 38.
- The Tournament Player list: Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
Occurance | Season | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | November 11, 1985 | November 22, 1985 |
2 | 3 | November 3, 1986 | November 14, 1986 |
3 | 4 | November 9, 1987 | November 20, 1987 |
4 | 5 | November 7, 1988 | November 18, 1988 |
5 | 6 | November 6, 1989 | November 17, 1989 |
6 | 7 | November 5, 1990 | November 16, 1990 |
7 | 8 | November 4, 1991 | November 15, 1991 |
8 | 9 | November 9, 1992 | November 20, 1992 |
9 | 10 | November 15, 1993 | November 26, 1993 |
10 | 11 | November 14, 1994 | November 25, 1994 |
11 | 12 | November 13, 1995 | November 24, 1995 |
12 | 13 | November 18, 1996 | November 29, 1996 |
13 | 14 | February 2, 1998 | February 13, 1998 |
14 | 15 | February 8, 1999 | February 19, 1999 |
15 | 16 | May 8, 2000 | May 19, 2000 |
16 | 18 | October 22, 2001 | November 2, 2001 |
17 | 19 | May 5, 2003 | May 16, 2003 |
18 | 21 | September 20, 2004 | October 1, 2004 |
19 | 22 | May 8, 2006 | May 19, 2006 |
20 | 24 | November 5, 2007 | November 16, 2007 |
21 | 25 | March 11, 2009 | March 24, 2009 |
22 | 26 | May 10, 2010 | May 21, 2010 |
23 | 28 | November 2, 2011 | November 15, 2011 |
24 | 29 | February 13, 2013 | February 26, 2013 |
25 | 31 | November 10, 2014 | November 21, 2014 |
26 | 32 | November 9, 2015 | November 20, 2015 |
27 | 34 | November 6, 2017 | November 17, 2017 |
28 | 36 | November 4, 2019 | November 16, 2019 |
29 | 37 | May 17, 2021 | May 28, 2021 |
30 | 39 | November, 2022 | November, 2022 |
Teen Tournament[]
An annual tournament featured high school students ages 13-17. The format structure was similar to that of the Tournament of Champions. On the current syndicated version, the Teen Tournament started on February 16, 1987. In November 1998, a Teen Reunion Tournament was held at the Wang Center in Boston, bringing back 12 former Teen Tournament contestants to compete in a single-elimination tournament.
At least one similar tournament was held during the original series in May 1967, involving high school seniors and the winner receiving a $10,000 scholarship.
- There was a 2nd Teen Tournament that took place during S23 to start the Summer Games.
- There was no Teen Tournament in Seasons 31, 32, 34, 36-38; and it is possible that the Teen Tournament has already been discontinued.
- In Season 35, two Teen Tournaments were held: The first was held in November 2018, and the second was held in June 2019 in response to the many teens who took the online test and auditioned to get on the show.
Occurance | Season | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | February 16, 1987 | February 27, 1987 |
2 | 4 | February 8, 1988 | February 19, 1988 |
3 | 5 | February 6, 1989 | February 17, 1989 |
4 | 6 | February 5, 1990 | February 16, 1990 |
5 | 7 | February 11, 1991 | February 22, 1991 |
6 | 8 | February 24, 1992 | March 6, 1992 |
7 | 9 | February 1, 1993 | February 12, 1993 |
8 | 10 | February 7, 1994 | February 18, 1994 |
9 | 11 | February 6, 1995 | February 17, 1995 |
10 | 12 | May 6, 1996 | May 17, 1996 |
11 | 13-A | February 3, 1997 | February 14, 1997 |
12 | 14-B | November 3, 1997 | November 14, 1997 |
13 | 15-A | February 22, 1999 | March 5, 1999 |
14 | 16-B | November 1, 1999 | November 12, 1999 |
15 | 17 | April 30, 2001 | May 11, 2001 |
16 | 18 | February 4, 2002 | February 15, 2002 |
17 | 19 | February 3, 2003 | February 14, 2003 |
18 | 20 | February 9, 2004 | February 20, 2004 |
19 | 21 | January 26, 2005 | February 8, 2005 |
20 | 22 | February 6, 2006 | February 17, 2006 |
21 | 23-A | February 5, 2007 | February 16, 2007 |
22 | 23-B | July 16, 2007 | July 27, 2007 |
23 | 24-A | February 11, 2008 | February 22, 2008 |
24 | 25-B | November 10, 2008 | November 21, 2008 |
25 | 26 | November 2, 2009 | November 13, 2009 |
26 | 27 | February 17, 2011 | March 2, 2011 |
27 | 28 | April 30, 2012 | May 11, 2012 |
28 | 29 | January 30, 2013 | February 12, 2013 |
29 | 30 | July 21, 2014 | August 1, 2014 |
30 | 33 | November 9, 2016 | November 22, 2016 |
31 | 35-A | November 7, 2018 | November 20, 2018 |
32 | 35-B | June 17, 2019 | June 28, 2019 |
Seniors Tournament[]
The Seniors Tournament, which launched in 1987, featured 15 contestants all aged 50 and older (hence the name); the same format used for the Tournament of Champions and Teen Tournament (the latter of which launched 3 months prior) was used. Since its discontinuation in 1995, players aged 50 and older have appeared in regular games. As always, the winner received an automatic spot in the Tournament of Champions.
Occurance | Season | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | May 4, 1987 | May 15, 1987 |
2 | 4 | May 9, 1988 | May 20, 1988 |
3 | 5 | July 10, 1989 | July 21, 1989 |
4 | 6 | July 9, 1990 | July 20, 1990 |
5 | 7 | July 8, 1991 | July 19, 1991 |
6 | 8 | July 6, 1992 | July 17, 1992 |
7 | 9 | July 12, 1993 | July 23, 1993 |
8 | 10 | July 11, 1994 | July 22, 1994 |
9 | 11 | July 10, 1995 | July 21, 1995 |
10 | 12 | December 18, 1995 | December 29, 1995 |
College Championship[]
The College Championship has been held annually featuring college students, all full-time undergrad students without prior degrees. The structure is similar to the Teen Tournament and Tournament of Champions. The very first College Championship premiered on May 8, 1989.
- There was no College Championship in Season 31, 35 and 37.
- The first winner, Tom Cubbage, also won the 1989 ToC, with Jeff Stewart runner-up at the 1994 ToC and Cliff Galiher third at the 2007 ToC.
Occurance | Season | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | May 8, 1989 | May 19, 1989 |
2 | 6 | May 7, 1990 | May 18, 1990 |
3 | 7 | May 6, 1991 | May 17, 1991 |
4 | 8 | May 4, 1992 | May 15, 1992 |
5 | 9 | May 3, 1993 | May 14, 1993 |
6 | 10 | May 2, 1994 | May 13, 1994 |
7 | 11 | May 1, 1995 | May 12, 1995 |
8 | 12 | February 12, 1996 | February 23, 1996 |
9 | 13 | May 12, 1997 | May 23, 1997 |
10 | 14 | May 4, 1998 | May 15, 1998 |
11 | 15 | May 3, 1999 | May 14, 1999 |
12 | 16-A | February 7, 2000 | February 18, 2000 |
13 | 17-B | November 8, 2000 | November 21, 2000 |
14 | 18 | November 7, 2001 | November 20, 2001 |
15 | 19 | November 11, 2002 | November 22, 2002 |
16 | 20 | November 10, 2003 | November 21, 2003 |
17 | 21 | November 10, 2004 | November 23, 2004 |
18 | 22 | November 7, 2005 | November 18, 2005 |
19 | 23 | April 30, 2007 | May 11, 2007 |
20 | 24 | May 5, 2008 | May 16, 2008 |
21 | 25 | May 4, 2009 | May 15, 2009 |
22 | 26-A | February 1, 2010 | February 12, 2010 |
23 | 27-B | November 8, 2010 | November 19, 2010 |
24 | 28 | February 1, 2012 | February 14, 2012 |
25 | 29 | May 6, 2013 | May 17, 2013 |
26 | 30 | February 10, 2014 | February 21, 2014 |
27 | 32 | February 1, 2016 | February 12, 2016 |
28 | 33 | February 13, 2017 | February 24, 2017 |
29 | 34 | April 9, 2018 | April 20, 2018 |
30 | 36 | April 6, 2020 | April 17, 2020 |
Teachers Tournament[]
The Teachers Tournament debuted in 2011, and features 15 teachers competing in the same 2-week format as the Tournament of Champions, Teen Tournament, and College Championship. The first Teachers Tournament debuted on May 2, 2011. And the last one was held during Season 36. It is presumed that the Teachers Tournament was discontinued in 2020, and subsequently replaced by the Professors Tournament in 2021.
- No Teachers Tournament was held in Season 37, and in Season 38 the Professors Tournament was held instead.
- Larry Martin, the champion for the 2018 Teachers Tournament, suddenly and unexpectedly died January 25, 2019, eight months after winning the tournament, before competing in the 2019 Tournament of Champions.
- Colby Burnett, the winner of the competition, won the 2013 ToC, while Francois Barcomb finished third at the 2019 ToC.
Occurance | Season | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 27 | May 2, 2011 | May 13, 2011 |
2 | 28 | February 15, 2012 | February 28, 2012 |
3 | 29 | November 7, 2012 | November 20, 2012 |
4 | 30 | November 11, 2013 | November 22, 2013 |
5 | 31 | February 2, 2015 | February 13, 2015 |
6 | 32 | May 2, 2016 | May 13, 2016 |
7 | 33 | May 8, 2017 | May 19, 2017 |
8 | 34 | May 7, 2018 | May 18, 2018 |
9 | 35 | May 6, 2019 | May 17, 2019 |
10 | 36 | May 25, 2020 | June 5, 2020 |
Special Tournaments[]
Super Jeopardy![]
Super Jeopardy! aired Saturday nights on ABC in summer 1990 (from June 16 to September 8). It featured 35 former champions from the first six seasons of the current version plus Burns Cameron, a former champion from the Art Fleming era; this tournament awarded a $250,000 top cash prize to the winner and was hence referred to as "The $250,000 Challenge" (worded as "The Quarter-of-a-Million-Dollar Challenge"). As usual, the players played for points, though with increased values (200-1,000 in the Jeopardy round, 500-2,500 in the Double Jeopardy round; the only time where the second round values were not double the first), and there were four contestants in each quarterfinal match; the semifinals and final itself had the usual three. For the quarterfinals and semifinals themselves, there were no wild card spots for the high-scorers among non-winners; it was "win or go home".
Day # | Episode # |
---|---|
1 | June 16, 1990 |
2 | June 23, 1990 |
3 | June 30, 1990 |
4 | July 7, 1990 |
5 | July 14, 1990 |
6 | July 21, 1990 |
7 | July 28, 1990 |
8 | August 4, 1990 |
9 | August 11, 1990 |
10 | August 18, 1990 |
11 | August 25, 1990 |
12 | September 1, 1990 |
13 | September 8, 1990 |
10th Anniversary Tournament[]
From November 29, 1993 to December 3, 1993, Jeopardy! held a special one-week 10th Anniversary Tournament to honor the Trebek version's tenth anniversary, featuring one Tournament of Champions-qualified contestant from each of the first nine seasons. Eight contestants were drawn at random and revealed over the course of four episodes. After Tom Nosek won the 1993 Tournament of Champions, he received the ninth position.
The contestants competed for a winner's prize of a combined two-day final score total plus a $25,000 bonus. The event resembled the show's regular tournaments (albeit without a quarterfinal round), with three semifinal matches to determine three finalists, who then competed against each other in a two-game total point match.
- Frank Spangenberg won the tournament.
International Tournament/Olympic Games Tournament[]
The International Tournament featured contestants from various countries around the world. The very first international tournament, The Olympic Games Tournament, took place at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California from July 15 to 18, 1996 to commemorate the Centennial Summer Olympic Games, which opened on July 19 in Atlanta, Georgia. All the players who participated in the tournament spoke English. There were only nine contestants from nine different countries and the winners of the three semifinal matches got to qualify in a one-day final. From May 5 to 9, 1997, the show traveled out of North America to Stockholm, Sweden for the second International Tournament where Magnus Harenstam was the show's announcer. The categories were revealed in Swedish before being translated into English. It was the only international tournament to still have a three-day semifinal match and a two-day final match. From February 12-16, 2001, the third international tournament took place at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada for another three semifinal matches and a two-day final match.
Occurance | Season | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 | July 15, 1996 | July 18, 1996 |
2 | 13 | May 5, 1997 | May 9, 1997 |
3 | 17 | February 12, 2001 | February 16, 2001 |
Million Dollar Masters Tournament[]
The Million Dollar Masters Tournament was held in May 2002 to commemorate the show's 4000th episode, featuring former champions competing for $1,000,000 in a format similar to that of the regular tournaments. The shows were taped at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY.
Ultimate Tournament of Champions[]
- The Ultimate Tournament of Champions was held from February 9, 2005 to May 25, 2005, featuring former champions from the past 21 seasons, all vying to compete against 74-game champion Ken Jennings in a three-day final for $2,000,000.
- Members of the "Nifty Nine" were selected based on records set in their Jeopardy careers. Only Rutter and Spangenberg advanced beyond their initial round.
- Unlike most Jeopardy! tournaments, in which only the final rounds are played for cash, the winners of every match received their scores as winnings (or the guaranteed minimum for that round, whichever was greater). In addition, in all rounds, there were no "wild card" spots for the non-winners; it was "win or go home".
- Round 4 featured two two-day matches; Round 5 featured a three-day final match.
Round | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|
1 | February 9, 2005 | April 12, 2005 |
2 | April 13, 2005 | May 6, 2005 |
3 | May 9, 2005 | May 16, 2005 |
4 | May 17, 2005 | May 20, 2005 |
5 | May 23, 2005 | May 25, 2005 |
Battle of the Decades Tournament[]
The Battle of the Decades Tournament was held from February 3, 2014 to May 16, 2014, to commemorate the show's 30th anniversary in syndication. 45 former champions from the past 30 years, represented by decade—1980s (1984-1993), 1990s (1994-2003), and 2000s (2004-2013) all competed in three separate preliminary rounds, with no wild cards for the high-scorers among non-winners; as it was "win or go home". The 15 winners participated in five quarterfinal matches similar to that of the other tournaments, with the five winners and four wild cards for the high-scorers among non-winners advancing to the semifinals. For the semifinals, only the winners advanced to the two-day finals, where $1,000,000 was paid to the winner.
Round | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|
1980s Preliminary | February 3, 2014 | February 7, 2014 |
1990s Preliminary | March 3, 2014 | March 7, 2014 |
2000s Preliminary | March 31, 2014 | April 4, 2014 |
Quarterfinal ~ Final Match | May 5, 2014 | May 16, 2014 |
National College Championship[]
- The Jeopardy! National College Championship is airing on ABC Primetime.
- Hosted by Mayim Bialik, 36 of America’s sharpest undergrads will enter this collegiate competition, but only one will claim the $250,000 grand prize, the title of Jeopardy! National College Champion, and an automatic spot in the next Tournament of Champions. Second place takes home $100,000, and third place leaves with $50,000. The remaining contestants will receive the following prizes: $35,000 (fourth place), $20,000 (8 semifinalists eliminated), and $10,000 (24 quarterfinalists eliminated).
- In addition, in all rounds, there were no "wild card" spots for the non-winners; it was "win or go home".
- This could possibly be the successor to the College Championship.
Round | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|
Quarterfinal | February 8, 2022 | February 16, 2022 |
Semifinal | February 17, 2022 | February 18, 2022 |
Final | February 22, 2022 | February 22, 2022 |
Jeopardy! Second Chance Tournament[]
TBD
Events[]
Celebrity Jeopardy![]
A special edition of the show featuring celebrities competing for their favorite charities. Premiering in 1992, these games are usually week-long events, and occasionally are called Power Players Week featuring personalities in politics and journalism. The difficulty of the material is significantly reduced, and because of that, it was parodied several times on Saturday Night Live. Unlike regular play, where a player finishing Double Jeopardy! with zero or a negative score is disqualified from playing in Final Jeopardy!, celebrities who finish the second round with zero or negative are guaranteed a positive score to work with in the final round.
Here, even if everyone is under $0, nobody loser, Double Jeopardy! The winner is determined by score.[2]
It has not been held for a while since the Power Players Week held in Washington in 2016, but it is expected to resume in the fall of 2022 with the Primetime version after 6 years.
Road Trips[]
- Starting in 1997, some of these tournaments and events were taped at venues outside Culver City. For instance, from 1997 to 2008, the College Championship was taped at a college campus (the 2000-A College Championship, however, was taped in Culver City).
- Power Players Week was always taped at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. The Million Dollar Masters Tournament and 2006 Celebrity Jeopardy! games were taped at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY.
- The Tournament of Champions was taped on the road twice, in 2000 and 2009 respectively; the 2009 ToC was taped at the Consumer Electronics Show, NV.
- Seasons 26, 29, 30, 31, 34 or later were during this time span that didn't have any road shows, probably because it was the first season with the current set.
Kids Week/Back to School Week[]
It began on September 6, 1999 at the start of the show's 16th season and featured 10–12-year-old children (except for Season 30). Like regular play, winners kept whatever they have won at the end of the game while the second and third place finishers received consolation prizes. However, there were no returning champions for this event. A Kids Week Reunion was held during the second week of Season 25 bringing back 15 Kids Week alumni from 1999 and 2000. The games have been discontinued after a Season 31 Kids Week contestant who was eliminated before Final Jeopardy! ran backstage crying to her mom upon hearing the bad news.
In case of a tie, the game is decided by a tiebreaker issue just like in a tournament (September 20, 2002).
Occurance | Season | Airdate | Finale |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | September 6, 1999 | September 10, 1999 |
2 | 17-A | October 2, 2000 | October 6, 2000 |
3 | 17-B | December 25, 2000 | December 29, 2000 |
4 | 18-A | September 24, 2001 | September 28, 2001 |
5 | 18-B | December 24, 2001 | December 28, 2001 |
6 | 19-A | September 16, 2002 | September 20, 2002 |
7 | 19-B | January 6, 2003 | January 10, 2003 |
8 | 20-A | September 22, 2003 | September 26, 2003 |
9 | 20-B | May 3, 2004 | May 7, 2004 |
10 | 21-C | October 18, 2004 | October 22, 2004 |
11 | 22 | October 10, 2005 | October 14, 2005 |
12 | 23 | October 2, 2006 | October 6, 2006 |
13 | 24 | October 8, 2007 | October 12, 2007 |
14 | 25-A | September 15, 2008 | September 19, 2008 |
15 | 25-B | July 13, 2009 | July 17, 2009 |
16 | 26 | July 5, 2010 | July 9, 2010 |
17 | 27 | July 4, 2011 | July 8, 2011 |
18 | 28 | July 30, 2012 | August 3, 2012 |
19 | 29 | July 29, 2013 | August 2, 2013 |
20 | 31 | December 1, 2014 | December 5, 2014 |
The IBM Challenge[]
An exhibition match was held February 14-16, 2011, featuring Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter competing against the Watson supercomputer for $1,000,000. Second place won $300,000 and third place won $200,000. All three players donated their winnings to a charity of their choice.
All-Star Games[]
- The JEOPARDY! All-Star Games aired from February 20 to March 5, 2019; six teams of three competed for a chance at $1,000,000. Only one member per team can participate in each round of play.
- Each preliminary tournament match consists of two games spread out over three nights and the three highest-scoring non-winning teams will play in the Wild Card match.
- The two winning teams, and the highest-scoring Wild Card team play in a two-day total point final match, where the winning team wins $1,000,000. Second place splits $300,000, and third place splits $100,000.
The Greatest of All Time[]
This tournament lasted from January 7 to 14, 2020, and consisted of the top three winners in Jeopardy! history in Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings, and James Holzhauer, all in a contest to determine who truly is The Greatest of All Time. Like Super Jeopardy!, Rock & Roll Jeopardy! (first two seasons), Sports Jeopardy!, and Jep!, scores were kept in points and not dollars, though using the exact same values as the parent show. Each episode was played as a two-game total point match similar to a regular tournament's final match: whoever has the highest total at the end of the episode wins a match, while three matches wins $1,000,000 and the Greatest of All Time trophy. The runners-up each received $250,000. Ken Jennings won the tournament, not only notching his first ever tournament win, but also handing his primary opponent Brad Rutter his only human loss (remember the IBM Challenge does not count).
Money Guarantees[]
Tournament of Champions[]
Period | Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | |||
Tournament #1 (1985; Season 2) | $1,000 | $5,000 | Kept two-day total winnings | $100,000 | |
Tournament #2 (1986; Season 3) | $5,000 | ||||
Tournament #3 to #12 (1987–1996; Season 4–13) | $7,500 | $10,000 | |||
Tournament #13 to #16 (1998–2001; Season 14–16, 18) | $2,500 | $10,000 | $15,000 | ||
Tournament #17 to #18 (2003–2004; Season 19, 21) | $5,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $250,000 |
Tournament #19 onwards (2006–present; Season 22, 24–26, 28–29, 31–32, 34, 36–37) | $50,000 | $100,000 |
Teen Tournament[]
Period | Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | |||
Tournament #1 to #11 (1987–Winter 1997; Season 3–13) | $1,000 | $5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 | $25,000 |
Tournament #12 to #14 (Fall 1997–Fall 1999; Season 14–16) | $2,500 | $10,000 | $15,000 | ||
Tournament #15 (2001; Season 17) | $50,000 | ||||
Tournament #16 to #17 (2002–2003; Season 18–19) | $15,000 | $20,000 | |||
Tournament #18 to #19 (2004–2005; Season 20–21) | $25,000 | $75,000 | |||
Touranment #20 to #29 (2006–2014; Season 22–30) | $5,000 | $10,000 | |||
Tournament #30 onward (2016-present; Season 33, 35) | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
Seniors Tournament[]
Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | ||
$1,000 | $5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 | $25,000 |
College Championship[]
Period | Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | |||
Tournament #1 to #9 (1989–1997; Season 5–13) | $1,000 | $5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 | $25,000 |
Tournament #10 to #11 (1998–1999; Season 14–15) | $2,500 | $10,000 | $15,000 | ||
Tournament #12 to #15 (Winter 2000–2002; Season 16–19) | $50,000 | ||||
Tournament #16 (2003; Season 20) | $15,000 | $25,000 | |||
Touranemnt #17 onward (2004–present; Season 21–30, 32–34, 36) | $5,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
Super Jeopardy![]
Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | ||
$5,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $250,000 |
10th Anniversary Tournament[]
Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | |
$5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 | Two-game total + $25,000 |
International Tournament/Olympic Games Tournament[]
Period | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | ||
Tournaments #1 & #2 (1996–1997; Season 12–13) | $5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 | $25,000 |
Tournament #3 (2001; Season 17) | $10,000 | $15,000 | $50,000 |
Kids Week/Back To School Week[]
Period | 2nd Runner-Up | 1st Runner-up | Winner (Minimum Guarantees) |
---|---|---|---|
1999-2000 (Seasons 16-17) | Prizes | $5,000 ($5,000 to the week's highest Winner) + Prizes | |
2001 Back To School Week (Season 18) | $5,000 (minimum guarantees) | $10,000 | |
Miscellaneous Kids Weeks (2001-2009; Seasons 18-25) | Prizes in Season 18, but changed to $2,000 for 2nd Place and $1,000 for 3rd Place in Season 19. | ||
2008 Kids Week Reunion (Season 25) | $2,500 | $5,000 | $25,000 |
2010-2014 (Seasons 26-29 and 31) | $1,000 | $2,000 | $15,000 |
Million Dollar Masters[]
Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | ||
$10,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $1,000,000 |
Ultimate Tournament of Champions[]
Round # | 2nd Runner-up | 1st Runner-up | Winner (minimum guarantees) |
---|---|---|---|
Round 1 | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
Round 2 | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
Round 3 | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
Round 4 | $20,000 (minimum guarantees) | $30,000 (minimum guarantees) | $50,000 |
Round 5 | $250,000 | $500,000 | $2,000,000 |
Teachers Tournament[]
Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | ||
$5,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
Battle of the Decades[]
Preliminaries | Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | |||
$5,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $1,000,000 |
All-Star Games[]
First-eliminated team | Wildcard-eliminated team | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | ||
$50,000 | $75,000 | $100,000 | $300,000 | $1,000,000 |
National College Championship[]
Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3rd runner-up | 2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | ||
$10,000 | $20,000 | $35,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 |