BRAD RUTTER DEFEATS KEN JENNINGS AND JEROME VERED IN THE JEOPARDY! ULTIMATE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

RUTTER TAKES HOME TWO MILLION DOLLAR GRAND PRIZE -
LARGEST SINGLE PAYDAY IN TV GAME SHOW HISTORY

Jennings, Coming in Second, Walks Away with $500,000;
Vered in Third Wins $250,000

(Culver City, CA) May 25 th , 2005 - Brad Rutter, a 27 year-old from Lancaster, PA, has made TV game show history by defeating quiz show legend Ken Jennings and L.A.-based writer Jerome Vered during the final round of the 15-week Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions, and winning a two million dollar grand prize.   Coming in second, Jennings walked away with $500,000, while third-place Vered won $250,000.   With a total payout of $2,750,000, the Jeopardy! episode marked the largest single payday in TV game show history.

The mega-tourney, which kicked-off in February 2005, brought together nearly 150 past Jeopardy! champions from as far away as Thailand, South Africa and Holland, all vying to take on master player Ken Jennings.   Based on his record-setting performance earlier this season, Jennings received a "bye" into the tournament finals, where he faced Rutter and Vered.

The three-day final showdown saw Rutter with a considerable lead over Vered and Jennings each evening. The final result was determined by each player's three-day total. During Wednesday's finale episode, Rutter responded correctly to the Final Jeopardy! Clue - and he became a multimillionaire.  

The final Jeopardy! Category was: 20 th Century Americans.

Clue : These names of 2 original Mercury astronauts, who orbited Earth in May 1962 & May 1963, are also occupations.

Correct Response : Who are Malcolm Scott Carpenter & Leroy Gordon Cooper?

Rutter is no stranger to Jeopardy! celebrity. He first appeared on Jeopardy! in 2002, winning $55,102 in his five-day run.   On his second appearance, during the annual Tournament of Champions , Rutter walked away with an additional $100,000 prize.   That same year, he made history as Jeopardy! 's first millionaire winner at the 2002 Million Dollar Masters Tournament .   Now, Rutter, adds an additional two million dollars to his overall winnings -- bringing his grand total to $3,255,102 - and making him the biggest TV game show winner in history.   Today, the former record store clerk hosts InQuizitive , a local, central Pennsylvania TV quiz show.

"It's an honor and a privilege to have won Jeopardy! 's Ultimate Tournament of Champions ," said Rutter.  "Meeting and playing against the biggest legends in Jeopardy! history has been more of a thrill than I can describe. I just hope I can be a good representative of Jeopardy! champions, past and present."  

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek commented, "This was the ultimate match-up of three quintessential Jeopardy! players.   Without ever missing a beat, Brad proved that he is the ultimate champion, and has truly mastered the game."

In November 2004, Jeopardy! phenomenon Jennings entered the record books with $2,520,700 in winnings, making him the biggest money-winner in TV game show history.   This raised the question, "How would he do against other Jeopardy! greats?" and set the course for the Ultimate Tournament of Champions - hailed by Trebek as the "Quest for Ken."

"I watched this tournament unfold, and I thought all of the contestants would have been worthy opponents," said Jennings. "Brad just played a really great game. He really wanted it."

With his second place finish in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions , Jennings' total Jeopardy! winnings come to $3,020,700, just under Rutter's $3,255,102.   These totals make Rutter and Jennings the two highest money earners in TV game show history.

Jeopardy! is the winner of 25 Emmy awards, including this year's Emmy for "Outstanding Game Show."   It is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, and is distributed domestically by King World Productions, Inc. The series is distributed internationally by CBS Paramount International Television.

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