Brad Rutter has had a rough time in the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament. Going into last night’s episode, he had yet to win a match, and entering Final Jeopardy for the first game he had just 2,000 points. He wagered them all, couldn’t come up with the correct answer, and thus finished the game with zero. Tough luck.
The structure of the competition is such that two games are played per night and it’s the cumulative score that matters. As Alex Trebek was explaining that, the contestants’ scores displayed on their podia were zeroed out in preparation for the second game. Given that he ended the first match with zero, Brad’s didn’t change, and James Holzhauer saw the opportunity for a sick burn.
If you thought daily doubles were hard on Brad Rutter, listen to what James Holzhauer says #JeopardyGOAT pic.twitter.com/HGwNAStKov
— Jeopardy! Sports (@JeopardySports) January 15, 2020
You can hear the audience gasping and laughing as the typically polite competition gets a bit of trash talk, albeit friendly trash talk.
Trebek handles the moment deftly like the pro that he is, but the best response is Ken Jennings’s, the winner of the first match and the guy occupying the second podium between Hozhauer and Rutter. He starts laughing and sort of bends down over his podium, visibly losing it in a way that suggests he thinks the joke was funny and that he’s a bit uncomfortable, putting up his hands and saying “Wow!”
For his part, Rutter cracked a grin and held his hands up, protesting his innocence. But as a Philadelphia sports fan, it was only a matter of time before he came back at Holzhauer with a retort.
Congrats to @James_Holzhauer as well. Have the New Orleans Saints been in touch about a job? Because with their tendency to talk a bunch of trash after losing in the playoffs, you’ll fit right in.
— Brad Rutter (@bradrutter) January 15, 2020
In fact, all three have developed a robust and entertaining Twitter presence where the jokes have been flying.
— GOAT Fodder (@James_Holzhauer) January 10, 2020
— Brad Rutter (@bradrutter) January 15, 2020
But in the end, the three seem to be genuinely fond of each other, and there was nothing but respect between them.
Thanks to @KenJennings and @bradrutter for a hell of a match. Ken and Brad are great @Jeopardy players but even better people, and have been incredibly good sports about my kayfabe feuding and trash talk.
— GOAT Fodder (@James_Holzhauer) January 15, 2020
