The most anticipated game show of all times, Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (GOAT), went on floor tonight. However, even before the show could be aired, it has been marred by the rumours about the name of the winner being leaked already.
A multi-day event, the tournament saw James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter, competing against each other for the whopping $1million prize. The quiz show is hosted by Alex Trebek.
At the end of the first show, Jennings was leading the pack with 63,400points while Holzhauer scored 63,200 and Rutter 10,400
Who is contestant X, rumoured winner of the show?
According to ESPN, the winner of the show, publicized aggressively by ABC and Jeopardy, has already been leaked following which the offshore bookmakers had stopped taking bets since mid-December.
In his report, David Purdum stated: "On Dec. 19, prominent offshore sportsbook Pinnacle took two $500-limit bets on Contestant X from the same account. The next day, three more max bets on Contestant X were placed from the same account, and Pinnacle took the odds off the board.' The report also quoted Marco Blume, trading director for Pinnacle: "I'm pretty sure at this stage that [the bettor] knew what was happening."
Offshore sportsbooks stopped taking bets mid-December
In a tweet on December 23, last year, Panama-based BetOnline.com chief Dave Mason wrote: "Closing the @Jeopardy #GOAT odds for now. Some irregular betting patterns coming in. Stay tuned"
The sportsbooks stopped taking the bets after maximum bets started coming in for one particular contestant, termed as contestant X, as soon as the final episode of GOAT was recorded. It led to a strong belief that the winner's name has been leaked. The bets for the event were started soon after the show was announced in November.
The record holders come together
A pre-recorded event, the current season of Jeopardy! GOAT will see the most successful players and record holders, James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter, competing against each other.
In April, last year, Holzhauer, with his number of wins on the show totalling to $131,127, went to create a record for highest earnings in a single-game winnings within a day. The professional sports gambler won $1 million in just 14 games on the show. The final episode featuring Holzhauer was the highest-rated episode with 14.5 million views.
It is Brad Rutter Vs Ken Jennings, once again
Brad Rutter was just 21 years old when he first appeared on the show in October 2000. On his maiden innings, Rutter made $55,102 and a car. With a number of wins in special tournaments amounting to $4.7 million, Rutter is the highest-earning contestant on Jeopardy!
A tough competitor, Rutter has remained undefeated, when it comes to humans, on Jeopardy! He has so far participated in a number of Jeopardy! events, including, Tournament of Champions, IBM Challenge, All-Star Games, Million Dollar Masters, Battle of the Decades, and Ultimate Tournament of Champions.
Ken Jennings sprung into limelight after he won more than $2.5 million in 74 consecutive games of Jeopardy! in 2004. Ever since he has been a record holder for consecutive games won and highest winnings in regular-season play. A computer programmer turned full-time writer; Jennings is a crowd favourite.
