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Jeopardymasters

The Million Dollar Masters Tournament was the modern Jeopardy's third best-of reunion tournament, and second to take place during episodes of the syndicated version. Featuring the same two-week, three-round format as the traditional tournaments on Jeopardy!, it was held in honor of the modern show's 4,000th episode, and offered a $1,000,000 top prize, the largest in the show's history to that point. Held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the event's first round ran from May 1 to May 7, and ended with the champions of all five games, as well as four "wild card" non-winners with the highest scores, moving on to the semi-finals. The three semifinal matches were televised from May 8–10, with the finals airing from May 13-14.

Fifteen fan favorite contestants from Jeopardy!'s first 17 seasons were invited back to compete in the Million Dollar Masters, as listed below:

  • Robin Carroll - (2000 ToC & 2001 International Tournament winner; all-time syndicated winnings leader at the time) Total winnings of $214,100
  • India Cooper - (1992 ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $73,400
  • Chuck Forrest - (Season 2 biggest winner and 1986 ToC winner) Total winnings of $177,800
  • Leslie Frates - (1991 ToC semifinalist and 10th Anniversary Tournament 2nd runner-up) Total winnings of $68,599
  • Bob Harris - (1998 ToC finalist) Total winnings of $68,000
  • Eric Newhouse - (1989 Teen Tournament winner, 1989 ToC & Super Jeopardy! semifinalist, 1998 Teen Reunion Tournament winner) Total winnings of $93,100
  • Claudia Perry - (1998 ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $50,303
  • Brad Rutter - (2001 ToC winner) Total winnings of $155,102
  • Leslie (Miller) Shannon - (1993 ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $69,300
  • Rachael Schwartz - (1994 ToC winner, first woman & four-day champion to win the TOC) Total winnings of $137,499
  • Frank Spangenberg - (Season 6 biggest winner, 1990 ToC semifinalist, 10th Anniversary Tournament winner) Total winnings of $154,397
  • Babu Srinivasan - (Season 17 biggest winner and 2001 ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $80,100
  • Eddie Timanus - (2000 ToC semi-finalist, first blind Jeopardy! contestant) Total winnings of $74,700
  • Bob Verini - (1987 ToC winner and Super Jeopardy! finalist) Total winnings of $196,802
  • Kate Waits- (1988 ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $59,804

2000 ToC finalist Jeremy Bate was alternate.

Quarterfinals[]

The quarterfinal round aired from May 1-7, 2002. The matchups by order of ranking at the end of the game were:

Bob Harris Rachael Schwartz Frank Spangenberg
Brad Rutter Claudia Perry Kate Waits
Chuck Forrest Leslie Frates Eric Newhouse
Bob Verini Leslie Shannon Eddie Timanus
India Cooper Babu Srinivasan Robin Carroll

The eliminated quarterfinalists received $10,000. Harris, Rutter, Forrest, Verini, and Cooper advanced as automatic semi-finalists. Perry, Frates, Newhouse, and Shannon advanced as wildcards.

Results[]

Semifinals[]

The semifinal round aired from May 8-10, 2002. The matchups by order of ranking at the end of the game were:

Eric Newhouse Bob Harris Leslie Shannon
Brad Rutter Leslie Frates India Cooper
Bob Verini Chuck Forrest Claudia Perry

The eliminated semi-finalists received $25,000. Newhouse, Rutter, and Verini advanced to the finals, which would see a rematch between Verini & Newhouse, opponents in the 1990 Super Jeopardy! semifinals.

Results[]

Finals[]

The final round aired from May 13-14, 2002. Brad Rutter won his second Jeopardy! tournament in six months to claim the $1,000,000 top prize, making him Jeopardy's biggest cash winner ever (a record he still holds, albeit after trading the title with Ken Jennings from 2004-2005.) Eric Newhouse rallied in the second game to finish in second place, winning $100,000, while Bob Verini finished in third place with $50,000.

Brad Rutter Eric Newhouse Bob Verini

Results[]

Later reunion tournament appearances[]

With the exception of Claudia Perry, Leslie Shannon, and Kate Waits, all contestants in the Million Dollar Masters tournament returned to Jeopardy! for 2005's Ultimate Tournament of Champions, where Brad Rutter outlasted 144 other Jeopardy! greats, including 74-time Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, to take home the $2,000,000 top prize to become the biggest game show money winner on television surpassing Ken Jennings. Frank Spangenberg advanced to the semifinals but lost to Jerome Vered. Rutter, Spangenberg, Eric Newhouse, Bob Verini, Chuck Forrest, and Robin Carroll all received byes to the second round by virtue of their past successes on the show, but only Rutter & Spangenberg advanced further. Bob Harris & India Cooper also advanced to the second round after winning their opening games.

With the exception of Eric Newhouse & Kate Waits, all Million Dollar Masters contestants competed in 2014's Battle of the Decades tournament, where Brad Rutter defeated Jennings again to win the $1,000,000 top prize for his unprecedented fourth Jeopardy! tournament win and regained the all-time game show winnings record as well. Chuck Forrest advanced to the semifinals and both Robin Carroll & Rachael Schwartz advanced to the quarterfinals, but the rest lost their opening game.

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