The 25 'Jeopardy' players who won the most money

One of the longest-standing players inside the Top 25, Dawson appeared in 2001 and again in the 2003 "Tournament of Champions," which he won. A business manager from Milwaukee, Dawson was a five-time champ who won a car (worth $42,000) when the show would award vehicles. Most of his winnings stem from the $250,000 he picked up in the ToC. 

Most of his winnings come from his 2004 "Tournament of Champions" as a graduate student. He was a four-time champ in Season 20 but picked up another $25,000 as a semifinalist during the "Battle of the Decades" in 2014. He added another $5,000 in 2005's "Ultimate Tournament of Champions."

Debuting in 2022, Lalonde collected an impressive 13 wins to earn all of his winnings. That number was the 12th-most winnings in regular season play at the time of his run ending. Hailing from Canada, he's the second-highest-winning champion from the country. 

He was one of the first players to use the jumping approach to the categories rather than the standard block-by-block approach in ascending order. He won 11 straight games before finishing second place in the 2014 "Tournament of Champions," where he picked up another $100,000. 

A substitute teacher, Kavanaugh's 2019 run lasted five games. Having just qualified for the playoffs, Kavanaugh cruised through the 2021 "Tournament of Champions" to collect the $250,000 grand prize. 

One of the more decorated contestants to appear on Jeopardy!, Burnett holds wins in both the "Teachers Tournament" and the "Tournament of Champions" in 2012 and 2013, respectively. He participated in the "Battle of the Decades," making the semifinals. He and three others ended up splitting the $100,000 prize as the second runner-up in the 2019 "All-Star Games," where he was the team captain. 

In 2015, Jacob began a six-game streak that amounted to $151,802. He won the "Tournament of Champions" that season. Jacob also appeared in the 2019 "All-Star Games," where he teamed up with Buzzy Cohen and Jennifer Giles. 

His time on Jeopardy! was highlighted by his Season 25 "Tournament of Champions" victory. This came after he previously won nine straight times. He also returned in the "Battle of the Decades," where his run lasted through the qualifiers before coming to an end. 

One of the more recognizable players on this show, Cohen had a nine-game streak where many were runaways. He never bet much because he didn't need to, either, which meant even more money was left on the table. Cohen's resume includes the 2017 "Tournament of Champions" crown and an appearance in the 2019 All-Star Games. He even has guest-hosted the show. 

His Jeopardy! career saw him kick things off with an eight-game streak in 2013 and an impressive 2014 "Tournament of Champions" victory in which he beat Julia Collins and Arthur Chu. He also once held the record for most consecutive Final Jeopardy correct responses at 12 before James Holzhauer blew past that with 28. 

The quirkiest player to step up to the podium, the New York City bartender may have been eclectic, but he was quick with the buzzer. He won 13 games in 2017 and took third in the 2017 "Tournament of Champions" behind Buzzy Cohen and Alan Lin. Before James Holzhauer broke that mark, he had originally held the record for the largest successful Final Jeopardy bet ($34,000). 

Collins dominated her way to a 20-game streak in 2014 and, at the time, was the sixth-highest total in show history during regular season play. She took third in the "Tournament of Champions" and third place again in the 2019 "All Star Games."

We have to go back to 1991 to begin Vered's story, which is impressive in itself that his amount has stood the test of time. He won five straight for $96,801 in his first appearance before finishing as runner-up in the 1992 "Tournament of Champions." He returned in 2005 for the "Ultimate Tournament of Champions" as a second runner-up and again in 2014 in the "Battle of the Decades."

This math teacher had a wildly impressive run with a 19-game streak in 2019 and, at the time, of his exit, had secured the fifth most money in regular season play. He made the semifinals in the 2021 "Tournament of Champions."

His run began in 2010 as a six-time champion. During his time, he actually broke Ken Jennings' record for single-day winnings with $77,000. He won the 2011 "Tournament of Champions" and returned in 2014 with the "Battle of the Decades," making it to the finals. 

They remain one of the most personable contestants on the show and among the best ever to appear. Mattea's run lasted 23 games, good for the fifth-longest streak. She returned for the 2022 "Tournament of Champions."

A 13-day champion, Jackson was known for being one of the quickest with the buzzer. This helped him reach the finals of the 2015 "Tournament of Champions," where he finished as the first runner-up. At the "All-Star Games," he played on Ken Jennings' team, where they ended up splitting the second place lump sum of $300,000.

 A fun fact about Kelly is that she is one of three family members to appear on the show. She's the only one to win six times in her initial run. She was the first runner-up in the 2009 "Tournament of Champions" and was invited back to the 2014 "Battle of the Decades." A good chunk of winnings came as a member of Brad Rutter's team that won the $1 million prize in the 2019 "All-Star Games."

Appearing in 2022, the New Jersey native strung together 21 straight wins after modeling his game after James Holzhauer's. He will return with a chance to move up this board during the 2023 "Tournament of Champions" set for later this year. 

A 19-day championship, Madden debuted in 2005. He came back for the 2019 "All-Star Games" as a member of Brad Rutter's winning team. The trio split the $1 million prize. 

In 2021, Jeopardy! welcomed Amodio onto the stage, where he would stay for 38 straight games. He sits behind James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings for the most money won during regular-season play. He became known for using "What's" as his phrasing instead of the usual "What is/Who is" that is standard for the show. Matt returned for the 2022 "Tournament of Champions," where he took home a consolation prize. 

From California, Amy's run was good for the second-longest at the time after she strung together 40 straight wins. She became the fourth millionaire in Jeopardy! history. She added another $250,000 after winning the "Tournament of Champions" and is only the fourth woman to win the tournament. 

There may not be another contestant who has inspired his unique playing style onto those behind him like Holzhauer. The professional sports gambler never shied away from a big bet, so his 32 consecutive wins netted more than $2.4 million. He won the "Tournament of Champions" and returned to face off against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in the Jeopardy! "The Greatest of All Time" event, where he finished in second for another $250,000. 

An icon in game show history and now the host of this show, Jennings' run lasted 74 games and more than $2.5 million in 2004. Jennings returned in the "Battle of the Decades," where he finished in second and did so again in the 2019 "All-Star Games." He reclaimed his winning ways in the Jeopardy! "The Greatest of All Time" event where he defeated James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.

Ken Jennings may be the most recognized and even, to an extent, James Holzhauer, but Brad Rutter is the game show G.O.A.T. when it comes to earnings. He has only lost one time to a human when Jennings won the Greatest of All-Time Tournament. He only won five straight games but did so at a time when the show would cap its contestants at that number. He won the 2001 "ToC," the 2002 "Million Dollar Master's Tournament," and again, the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005. He claimed victory in 2014's Battle of the Decades and led his team to another win, splitting the $1 million prize in the 2019 All-Star Games.