JEOPARDY! great Brad Rutter has turned down an offer to compete in the new Invitational Tournament, which airs after the Tournament of Champions.

Fans think he’s now retired from the game show for good despite being one of Jeopardy!’s top three winners in history.

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Jeopardy! has assembled a jam-packed lineup for its first-ever Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (JIT), but fans spotted Brad’s noticable absence.

Brad is the highest money winner of all time across any TV game show, followed by host Ken Jennings ($4.3M) and James Holzhauer ($2.9M).

He first competed in 2000 before the 5-game win cap was lifted went on to win a slew of tournaments until losing phenomenally in 2020’s G.O.A.T against James and Ken.

Brad – now a chaser on The Chase – hasn’t come back since or had any involvement with the show.

‘WE REACHED OUT’

Show bosses Michael Davies and Sarah Whitcomb Foss discussed the upcoming JIT on the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast.

“We’ve now produced the JIT, and we know how sensational it is,” Davies said.

“And we’re just excited for all of you to see these legendary players compete against each other on the Alex Trebek Stage. It is strong.”

The lineup of 27 icons was officially announced last week and includes Sam Buttrey, Amy Schneider, Chuck Forrest of the “Forrest Bounce” and Chasers like Brandon Blackwell and Victoria Groce.

“In particular, people have been talking about Brandon Blackwell and Victoria Groce, not people who were necessarily on the radar as Jeopardy! greats,” Whitcomb-Foss added.

Despite the stacked lineup, a few big names were missing, which Whitcomb-Foss responded to on the podcast.

She said, “Of course, there were folks who we reached out to who weren’t available for a number of different reasons.

“I want to make sure everyone knows that Brad Rutter, Julia Collins, Roger Craig, and Emma Boettcher all did receive invites.

“And for a variety of reasons, they weren’t able to compete with us in this JIT, but we certainly hope we’ll be able to welcome them back at a future one.”

‘WON’T SEE HIM AGAIN’

Fans took to social media, where Reddit users predicted that Brad’s decision to bow out is a hint he’s done for good.

“I don’t think we will see Brad again. He seemed embarrassed by the GOAT performance. I hope he does come back but i don’t think we will see him on the Alex Trebek Stage again,” one fan wrote.

“I’ll be shocked if we ever see Brad again. He has nothing to gain from entering any of these big mega tournaments, and really just everything to lose,” another comment read.

“He said himself after GOAT that he didn’t have the motivation to prepare that the other two had. If he enters this and loses early, it just emboldens those who think his big tournament winning streak he had was a bit fluky.”

Another added, “I can’t imagine they’d phrase it this way if they ‘declined’ the JIT because they’ll be on the Masters, unless they are just trying to be coy and not give away the producers pick for the Masters.”

A fourth wrote, “I don’t really think he owes Jeopardy or the fans anything else at this point.

“He’s had a great run on the show. He just simply might not have the motivation anymore to do the kind of prep it requires at this point to be competitive in a big super tournament.

A fifth lamented, “The Rutter era is over. It’s time for a new generation of champions,”

“All things considered, as much as it sucks we don’t get those four, we still have a stacked list for JIT!” one more rejoiced.

FORMAT AND SCHEDULE FOR JIT

The JIT will premiere the day after the Tournament of Champions, which will end either Tuesday (March 19) or Wednesday (March 20).

Unlike other tournaments this season, JIT opens the floodgates to iconic older champions returning after decades away from the buzzer.

The prize is $100,000 prize and a slot in Masters Season 2, which airs in May on ABC Primetime.

There will be nine quarterfinal games, three semifinals, and a best-of-four final.

This means that the legendary player who wins two final games wins the title first.

The now-annual throwdown will decide one of the six spots in Masters, with the first three going to last season’s finalists – Matt Amodio, winner James, and Mattea Roach.

The other Masters slots will be the winner of the 2024 ToC and a Producer’s Pick.

Some fans thought Brad would be the elusive Producer’s Pick, but given the bosses’ statement, others said it seems “unlikely.”

JIT will end in early April after the best of the OG champs is crowned.

Then, regular episodes will finally resume for the first time this season.

JIT LINEUP

Here is the full lineup for the JIT, which will come right after the now-airing ToC:

• Sam Buttrey, 2022 Tournament of Champions finalist and Masters Season 1 sixth place
• Amy Schneider, 2022 Tournament of Champions winner and Masters Season 1 fifth place
• Andrew He, 2022 Tournament of Champions runner-up and Masters Season 1 fourth place
• Brandon Blackwell, Chaser on The Chase and Teen Tournament semifinalist.
• Colby Burnett, 2013 Tournament of Champions winner and third-place in the team-based 2019 All-Star Games.
• Lily Chin, 2017 College Championship winner and 2017 ToC semifinalist.
• Leonard Cooper, 2013 Teen Tournament winner and All-Stars Games player.
• Celeste DiNucci, 2007 Tournament of Champions winner.
• Chuck Forrest, Season 2 five-day champ from 1985 (before the win cap was lifted) – he’s the man behind the famed Forrest Bounce technique. 1986 Tournament of Champions winner.
• Dhruv Gaur, 2019 Tournament of Champions semifinalist.
• Ben Ingram, eight-day champion and 2014 Tournament of Champions winner.
• Alex Jacob, 2015 Tournament of Champions winner.
• Mackenzie Jones, eight-day champion and 2015 ToC quarterfinalist.
• Sam Kavanaugh, 2021 Tournament of Champions winner who called his snub from Masters Season 1 a “gut punch” on social media.
• Larissa Kelly, six-day champion and 2019 All-Star Games winner.
• Alan Lin, six-day champion and 2009 ToC runner-up.
• David Madden, 19-day champion in 2005 and the second-longest streakholder to Ken for decades. All-Star Games winner.
• Pam Mueller, 2001 ToC semifinalist and 2019 All-Star Games third-placer.
• Austin Rogers, 13-game champion and 2017 ToC runner-up.
• Monica Theiu, 2012 College Championship winner.
• Jason Zuffranieri, 19-day champion.
• Arthur Chu, 11-day winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions runner-up, who infamously sparred with Alex Trebek.
• Victoria Groce, Chaser on The Chase, who is one of the best trivia players in the world.
• Matt Jackson, 13-day champion and 2015 ToC runner-up.
• Terry O’Shea, a 2014 College Championship winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions semifinalist from Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Dan Pawson, nine-day champion, 2009 Tournament of Champions winner.
• Jennifer Quail, eight-day champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions runner-up.

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