James Holzhauer is finally going to face his nemesis Ken Jennings.
After winning the “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions” last week, Holzhauer is returning to the game show to compete against the game show’s two other biggest legends: Jennings, who continues to hold the all-time highest-earnings record over Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter.
Airing on ABC in a multi-night event starting Jan. 7, this will be the first time “Jeopardy!” has aired on network television, instead of in syndication, in 30 years.
Holzhauer, Jennings and Rutter will compete in a series of matches. The first to win three matches gets $1 million and the title of “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time.” The two runners up will each receive $250,000.
The matches will air from 8 to 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 7, 8 and 9, and if necessary, on through Jan. 10, 14, 15 and 16 until a three-game winner emerges.
“Based on their previous performances, these three are already the ‘greatest,’ but you can’t help wondering: who is the best of the best?” said longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek.
Jennings became a household name during his record 74-game winning streak in 2004. Holzhauer, who holds the record for top single-day winnings, was expected to surpass Jennings’ all-time regular season-play winnings total of $2,520,700 during his 32-game winnings streak this past summer, but he came just shy of the record when he was beaten by Emma Boettcher in Final Jeopardy.
Jennings’ tweeted an Avengers meme in response to Holzhauer’s loss, fueling the fabled rivalry between the two. This will be the first time they’ll compete face-to-face.
Throwing a wrench into things is Rutter, who has never lost a game of “Jeopardy!” to a human opponent. He is the highest money-winner of all time across any television game show, with his total “Jeopardy!” winnings (counting all special tournaments, not just regular season play) coming to $4,688,436.
“We’re excited to bring ‘Jeopardy!’ to primetime! It’s been a long time in the making – we wanted to create a unique experience sure to wow not just our fans, but all audiences,” said Mike Hopkins, Chairman of Sony Pictures Television. “We are thrilled to have James, Brad and Ken, three powerhouse players each worthy of the title ‘The Greatest of All Time.’ With Alex hosting this is truly going to be something special. I can’t wait to see who comes out on top!”
Hosted by Trebek, “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” is produced by Sony Pictures Television and executive produced by Harry Friedman.
USA Today was first to report the news.
Tune in to “Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time” on Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.