The biggest battle in game-show history is coming to Channel 9 beginning tonight.
“Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” will pit the show’s top three alums – Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer – against each other. Host Alex Trebek will lead the epic showdown that finally answers the question: Who is the greatest “Jeopardy!” contestant of all time?
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. Tuesday and will run through Jan. 16.
“(It’s) a handsome payday for what could be just three-days work, but we hope it goes a lot longer," Trebek said.
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The first contestant who wins three of the matches will win a $1 million cash prize. The other two will take home $250,000.
Each of the champs has a lot of pedigree going into the match.
Jennings is famous for his record-breaking 74-game streak.
“If you’re our kind of people, to pit yourself against the smartest people, the hardest clues, the fastest-paced games -- that’s a real rush,” Jennings said.
Rutter holds the honor of being the top money winner on any TV game show, with $4.69 million in “Jeopardy!” winnings.
“It’s like riding a bike, you go back up there, you never forget,” Rutter said.
Holzhauer shook up the game last year when he took home more than $2.4 million in just 32 games while hunting for daily doubles and betting big.
“James, of course, hit the world like a cyclone a year-and-a-half ago when he won money faster than any other contestant in history,” Trebek said.
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Trebek recently said he has been mentally preparing for his final “Jeopardy!” show in light of his recent announcement that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
“'Jeopardy!' for the past 36 years has meant my professional life, and it has become almost as important to me as my family,” Trebek said.
The cream of the “Jeopardy!” crop had nice things to say about the iconic host.
“I think that his continuing to show up to work every day is setting a great example,” Holzhauer said.
“He’s the epitome of the old-school broadcaster, nothing gets in the way of his job,” Jennings said.
So who does Trebek think will nab the title of “Greatest of All Time”?
“I have no idea,” he said. “There are elements that favor each of the three guys. They didn’t win all that money by accident.”
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