What Is Brad Rutter's Net Worth?
Brad Rutter is an American record-winning game show contestant who has a net worth of $4 million. Brad Rutter earned fame and fortune by being the biggest all-time money winner on the game show "Jeopardy!," with earnings totaling more than $4.5 million.
He made his debut on the show in 2000 at a time when contestants were limited to five straight wins. Rutter took home a little more than $55,000 during his first stint. Since he won five in a row, he was invited to compete in the Tournament of Champions and claimed the top prize. As winner, he was chosen for the Million Dollar Masters Tournament, which he also topped.
Rutter won the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions, defeating famed "Jeopardy!" contestant Ken Jennings in the process. It was during this tournament that Brad became the biggest winner ever on an American game show, though Jennings would take back the title a few years later. In 2011, Rutter was part of the "Jeopardy!" IBM Challenge, where he and Jennings faced off against the company's computer, Watson. Rutter placed third during the competition. He has since appeared on several other game shows, including "1 vs. 100" and "The Chase".
Early Life
Brad Rutter was born Bradford Gates Rutter on January 31, 1978, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was a very clever student, though he did not apply himself in school but focused much of his attention on extracurricular activities. He attended Manheim Township High School in Neffsville, Pennsylvania. There, he was a member of the quiz bowl team. His team won second place at the 1994 Texaco Star National Academic Championship. Brad is one of 19 people to have been named to the National Academic Championship Hall of Fame in its 25-year history. After high school, he enrolled at Johns Hopkins University to study English; however, he later dropped out.
Career
Rutter was working at the Lancaster Coconuts record store when he applied to be on the trivia game show "Jeopardy!" in 2000. He first appeared on the show in October of that year. At that time, the rules for the show stated that a contestant who won five consecutive days could retire and be considered undefeated, in addition to being guaranteed a spot in the Tournament of Champions. Rutter did win over five consecutive days with total earnings of $55,102. He also was awarded a choice of a new car, as the show gave undefeated champions a car at that time. The rules of the show were later changed, allowing undefeated contestants to continue on the show until they were beaten by someone new.
As a five-day champion, Rutter was invited to the 2001 Tournament of Champions. There, he defeated the other champions and won the $100,000 main prize. He was invited back the following year in 2002 for the Million Dollar Masters Tournament, where he won the $1,000,000 main prize and became the largest overall money winner in the show's history.
Brad returned in 2005 for the Ultimate Tournament of Champions. There, he again won and took home total winnings of $2,115,000. It was during this tournament that he defeated Ken Jennings and Jerome Vered, two other contestants who had also been very successful on the show in the years since Rutter's first appearance. With the 2005 win, Rutter surpassed Jennings as the highest money-winner ever on American game shows, though Jennings would later take this title back.
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In February 2011, Brad competed against Jennings again in the "Jeopardy!" IBM Challenge. This time, the two were also competing against IBM's Watson computer. It was the first ever man-versus-computer competition in the show's history. The computer program won easily, and all three contestants donated their winnings to charity.
A few years later, Rutter participated in the "Jeopardy!" 2014 "Battle of the Decades." This competition pitted top champions from throughout the previous 30 years of the show against one another. Brad competed in the 1990s week of the tournament. He then appeared in the quarterfinals, winning the round to proceed to the semifinals. In May 2014, he won the tournament overall and the $1,000,000 prize, defeating both Ken Jennings and Roger Craig in the final round. In 2019, Rutter teamed up with fellow "Jeopardy!" champions Larissa Kelly and Dave Madden to win the "Jeopardy!" All-Stars Game. Brad acted as the team captain, and the trio split the top prize of $1,000,000. The next year, he competed in the "Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time" event and finished in third place.
In addition to his many appearances on "Jeopardy!" and the show's related tournaments, Rutter has also appeared on a number of other game shows. In 2006, he appeared on the U.S. game show "1 vs. 100." He appeared on the show again in 2007. In 2010, Brad competed in the World Quizzing Championship. There, he finished 140th. He also was a contestant on "Million Dollar Mind Game" in 2011, and his team won $600,000. In May 2012, he did a pilot episode for the show "Chaser," though the show was ultimately not picked up. "Chaser" was slated to be the American version of the British game show "The Chase." The episodes that Rutter shot were later aired by GSN. Brad was later hired in 2020 for the ABC revival of "The Chase."
In May 2020, Rutter appeared in a revival of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" as an in-person celebrity lifeline for actress Catherine O'Hara. He helped O'Hara correctly answer two questions.
Personal Life
Rutter lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, until 2009. While living there, he hosted a local broadcast quiz show called "InQuizitive" for local high school students. Brad then moved to Los Angeles to pursue career opportunities in the entertainment industry. Rutter is a lifelong fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. He has shouted out the team during various appearances on "Jeopardy!"
