7 ‘Jeopardy!’ stars with the longest winning streaks — Ken Jennings still reigns supreme
Over the last 62 years, since the beloved American quiz show first appeared on television, there have been some extraordinary contestants who went on legendary winning streaks. Since 2003, there has been a cap that prohibited players from winning over five consecutive games. However, since the rule change, multiple players have been winning in streaks. To be precise, 20 players have won over 10 consecutive games so far, and this number may increase in the coming years. The player with the most wins is not only the most popular contestant in the history of 'Jeopardy!,' but also the current host. In this list, we will go through seven players with the best winning streaks.
7. Cris Pannullo
Cris Pannullo was a professional poker player in Ocean City, New Jersey, before achieving a 21-game winning streak on 'Jeopardy!.' He walked away with a life-changing $748,286 from the show. Since then, he has been working as a customer success operations manager. Though his winning streak ended by a small margin, Pannullo called himself “immensely lucky” for the incredible run.
6. Mattea Roach
Mattea Roach won two more games than Cris Pannullo during her 'Jeopardy!' run in 2022. In her last game, she was just $1 short of victory. Still, her streak was nothing short of impressive, and she took home $560,983. "I genuinely did not believe, before a few months ago, that I was capable of enjoying myself with such wild abandon. And the realization that such joy is possible for me has changed me forever for the better," wrote Roach on jeopardy.com, expressing her gratitude for her time on the show.
5. Jamie Ding
Jamie Ding is the only player on the list whose streak is still ongoing as of April 27. He has won 31 consecutive games and could move further up this list in the coming weeks. The Detroit native currently resides in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The son of Dr. Yuchuan Ding, a professor of neurosurgery at Wayne State University, Jamie comes from a family of academic achievers. Before winning $882,605 on the show, he graduated from Princeton University.
4. James Holzhauer
Jamie Ding's closest competitor is James Holzhauer, who won 32 consecutive games. Holzhauer is a self-described “game show villain,” considered one of the greatest to take part in the show. He was also the first contestant to win 'Jeopardy! Masters,' defeating Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio. He made $2,462,216 during his regular season run in 2019. Talking about his loss with The New York Times, Holzhauer said, "Nobody likes to lose. But I’m very proud of how I did, and I really exceeded my own expectations for the show. So I don’t feel bad about it."
3. Matt Amodio
Though James Holzhauer defeated Matt Amodio in the 'Jeopardy! Masters' final. He probably wouldn't be able to beat his thirty-eight-game win record. The then Ph.D student at Yale University took home $1,518,601 before losing to a history clue in 'Final Jeopardy!' The Medina County native is now a New Yorker, working as a quantitative researcher. The super streaker took part in multiple spin-offs of the show, becoming one of the most recognizable faces from 'Jeopardy!'
2. Amy Schneider
Amy Schneider's goal was to win just four games when she got the opportunity to compete. However, she ended up winning ten times as many. Her run was not only impressive but also pathbreaking. She was the first transgender contestant to win that many games. She continued her winning streak by defeating everyone on 'Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions' as well. She won $1,382,800 from her regular-season streak, which allowed her to quit her job as a software engineering manager. Amy is now an author, a transgender rights activist, and a social media personality with a large following.
1. Ken Jennings
The first contestant that comes to mind when one thinks of 'Jeopardy!' is Ken Jennings. He became the highest-earning contestant after winning 74 games in a row in 2004. He was a software engineer before making $2,522,700 in regular-season earnings. Post 'Jeopardy!', he became an author of multiple academic books that primarily explore the history and culture of America. He also appeared on other game shows and hosted the 'Omnibus' podcast from 2017 to 2025. Jennings appeared on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, on July 30, 2025. He partnered with Matt Damon and won the $1 million top prize for charity. Nicknamed 'Professor' for his incredible knowledge, Jennings has been hosting 'Jeopardy!' since 2023. He took over after the passing of the longtime host, Alex Trebek.
