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This Week's Contestants

2024 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament: Quarter-Finals Preview

Andy Saunders Andy Saunders

Published March 20, 2024 - 8:00 a.m.

Current Champion

Nikolas Polsinelli, career statistics:
44 correct, 6 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
35.96% in first on buzzer (41/114)
4/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,500

To win:
3 games: 64.111%
4: 41.102%
5: 26.351%
6: 16.894%
7: 10.831%
Avg. streak: 3.786 games.
(Click Here for Methodology )

Upcoming Encore Presentations

October 3-4: S42 E175 (May 8, 2026)
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 2026)
(Source: Bell Fibe TV program guide)

All Time Winnings

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Regular Play Only:

1. Ken Jennings $2,520,700
2. James Holzhauer $2,462,216
3. Matt Amodio $1,518,601
4. Amy Schneider $1,382,800
5. Jamie Ding $882,605
6. Cris Pannullo $748,286
7. Mattea Roach $560,983
8. Jason Zuffranieri $532,496
9. Scott Riccardi $455,000
10. David Madden $430,400
11. Julia Collins $428,100
12. Matt Jackson $411,612
13. Austin Rogers $411,000
14. Ray Lalonde $386,400
15. Harrison Whitaker $373,999
16. Adriana Harmeyer $349,600
17. Caleb Groen $346,968
18. Adam Remsen $306,415
19. Ryan Long $299,400
20. Arthur Chu $297,200

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Including Tournaments (and Consolation Prizes):

1. Brad Rutter $4,968,436
2. Ken Jennings $4,372,700
3. James Holzhauer $3,614,216
4. Matt Amodio $1,964,601
5. Amy Schneider $1,864,800
6. Yogesh Raut $1,598,403
7. Victoria Groce $1,023,801
8. Mattea Roach $897,983
9. Jamie Ding $885,605
10. David Madden $785,733
11. Cris Pannullo $754,286
12. Roger Craig $706,200
13. Andrew He $684,365
14. Larissa Kelly $671,930
15. Matt Jackson $623,612
16. Jason Zuffranieri $549,496
17. Paolo Pasco $548,717
18. Scott Riccardi $533,000
19. Jerome Vered $499,102
20. Julia Collins $495,767
21. Austin Rogers $493,000
22. Juveria Zaheer $491,000
23. Ben Ingram $449,201
24. Adriana Harmeyer $446,600
25. Buzzy Cohen $441,603

The ToC is over, and it is now time for the final tournament airing in syndication in 2024: the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament. (And yes, I mean 2024; after this tournament, we’ll have 32-33 weeks of regular play and 6 weeks of summer encore presentations before the next postseason!)

Here are the quarterfinal pairings. As always, the prediction model has given odds corresponding with each player’s chances of victory. The winner will be receiving $100,000 and a spot in the ABC primetime Jeopardy! Masters competition in May.

It should be noted that both Victoria Groce’s and Brandon Blackwell’s numbers in the prediction model have been given adjustments, in light of their proven significant improvement since their respective appearances on the show.

Wednesday, March 20:

Dan Pawson +3800
Arlington, Virginia

333 correct, 43 incorrect
13/15 on rebound attempts (on 81 rebound opportunities)
35.46% in first on buzzer (323/911)
16/22 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $52,878)
7/16 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,225

For Desktop in-article:

Pam Mueller +8000
Chicago, Illinois

281 correct, 43 incorrect
15/22 on rebound attempts (on 71 rebound opportunities)
28.86% in first on buzzer (271/939)
10/13 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $20,000*)
6/15 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,718*
* pre-2001 dollar values adjusted to current dollar values; All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards.

For Desktop in-article:

Andrew He +2400
Concord, California

474 correct, 65 incorrect
33/39 on rebound attempts (on 89 rebound opportunities)
32.24% in first on buzzer (441/1368)
27/35 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $110,000)
11/24 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,517

Pam Mueller +8000
Chicago, Illinois

Andrew He +2400
Concord, California

Leonard Cooper +3400
Little Rock, Arkansas

97 correct, 19 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
37.72% in first on buzzer (106/281)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $16,500)
3/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,800*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

For Desktop in-article:

Jason Zuffranieri +1700
Carrolton, Texas

617 correct, 49 incorrect
41/45 on rebound attempts (on 85 rebound opportunities)
46.18% in first on buzzer (556/1204)
34/43 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $96,305)
13/22 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $23,455

For Desktop in-article:

Larissa Kelly +1200
Richmond, California

321 correct, 25 incorrect
15/17 on rebound attempts (on 40 rebound opportunities)
39.86% in first on buzzer (295/740)
16/20 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $44,400)
12/14 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,514*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

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Overall Thoughts: This should be an interesting start to the tournament, with a ToC winner in Dan Pawson facing off against tournament regular Pam Mueller and Masters Season 1 4^th-placed Andrew He. Andrew will not want his return to end early, but only one of these three fine players can advance. Pam has spent most of the past 20 years outplaying her seed in these events, and I do expect her to be competitive. I’d love to see her get to 19 correct in this one, just so I can add her to The 300 Club. It’ll also be interesting to see just how much “rust” will be a factor in this event; I would say that Pam’s continued involvement in the overall trivia community will also be of assistance to her in this event.

Terry O’Shea +14000
Brooklyn, New York

103 correct, 10 incorrect
8/9 on rebound attempts (on 33 rebound opportunities)
27.78% in first on buzzer (95/342)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,800)
5/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,800

For Desktop in-article:

Matt Jackson +980
Washington, D.C.

514 correct, 28 incorrect
20/22 on rebound attempts (on 62 rebound opportunities)
43.63% in first on buzzer (462/1059)
35/38 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $147,795)
11/20 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $23,170*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

For Desktop in-article:

Alan Lin +4400
Los Angeles, California

257 correct, 26 incorrect
13/13 on rebound attempts (on 61 rebound opportunities)
33.15% in first on buzzer (242/730)
10/15 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $8,805)
8/13 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,414*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

Chances of Winning: Dan 34.080%, Pam 27.457%, Andrew 38.463%.

Thursday, March 21:

Jason Zuffranieri +1700
Carrolton, Texas

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Larissa Kelly +1200
Richmond, California

Celeste DiNucci +7400
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

213 correct, 46 incorrect
15/19 on rebound attempts (on 51 rebound opportunities)
35.63% in first on buzzer (217/609)
9/12 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $20,000)
5/11 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,636

For Desktop in-article:

Austin Rogers +2100
New York, New York

424 correct, 58 incorrect
29/30 on rebound attempts (on 81 rebound opportunities)
38.86% in first on buzzer (403/1037)
24/31 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $105,700)
14/18 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,105*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

For Desktop in-article:

Amy Schneider +1500
Oakland, California

1600 correct, 111 incorrect
77/94 on rebound attempts (on 212 rebound opportunities)
46.35% in first on buzzer (1475/3182)
73/86 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $225,400)
37/56 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $23,043

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Overall Thoughts: Larissa makes her return to the Alex Trebek Stage having been seen as the most valuable player at the All-Star Games from many pundits; her opening round match sees her take on superchampion Jason Zuffranieri and All-Star Leonard Cooper. I’m anticipating this to be a two-player game between Jason and Larissa; both have been keeping their “quizzing eye” in, so to speak.

MacKenzie Jones +3100
Tulsa, Oklahoma

191 correct, 22 incorrect
10/11 on rebound attempts (on 37 rebound opportunities)
33.39% in first on buzzer (185/554)
8/9 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $42,200)
8/10 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,020

For Desktop in-article:

Arthur Chu +2300
Cleveland, Ohio

411 correct, 56 incorrect
15/21 on rebound attempts (on 54 rebound opportunities)
44.20% in first on buzzer (396/896)
24/34 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $54,200)
8/16 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,675

For Desktop in-article:

David Madden +2500
Ridgewood, New Jersey

542 correct, 53 incorrect
33/39 on rebound attempts (on 102 rebound opportunities)
37.42% in first on buzzer (485/1296)
45/47 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $77,805)
17/24 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,425*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

Chances of Winning: Leonard 27.372%, Jason 34.173%, Larissa 38.455%.

Friday, March 22:

Matt Jackson +980
Washington, D.C.

Alex Jacob +2500
Tulsa, Oklahoma

336 correct, 38 incorrect
16/18 on rebound attempts (on 51 rebound opportunities)
44.35% in first on buzzer (322/726)
17/23 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $70,500)
2/11 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,969*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

For Desktop in-article:

Jennifer Quail +1700
Dowagiac, Michigan

340 correct, 37 incorrect
19/25 on rebound attempts (on 52 rebound opportunities)
43.66% in first on buzzer (320/733)
18/19 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $35,700)
12/13 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,646

For Desktop in-article:

Brandon Blackwell +1300
Jamaica, New York

32 correct, 3 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 11 rebound opportunities)
25.44% in first on buzzer (29/114)
0/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$9,000)
2/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,300

Alan Lin +4400
Los Angeles, California

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Overall Thoughts: Matt Jackson was one of the best players in 2019 at the All-Star Games, and he’s kept his quizzing skill sharp since then; the prediction model has him as the outright favorite out of the gate. Alan Lin and Terry O’Shea have both received an unfortunate quarterfinal draw for Episode #9000. That being said: upsets can absolutely happen; Terry is the first player in the event whose skill may have improved considerably since her last appearance; she was still at Princeton when she last competed, and one of the reasons behind inviting the field the show did was to see if players like Terry had improved considerably since they were last on the show.

Chances of Winning: Terry 20.278%, Matt 49.832%, Alan 29.890%.

Sam Kavanaugh +1200
Minneapolis, Minnesota

202 correct, 17 incorrect
4/5 on rebound attempts (on 31 rebound opportunities)
33.33% in first on buzzer (188/564)
15/16 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $84,000)
7/10 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,580

For Desktop in-article:

Chuck Forrest +2800
Marino, Italy

374 correct, 27 incorrect
28/30 on rebound attempts (on 71 rebound opportunities)
38.95% in first on buzzer (340/873)
11/15 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $23,900*)
12/16 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,550*
* pre-2001 dollar values adjusted to current dollar values

For Desktop in-article:

Monica Thieu +8000
Atlanta, Georgia

100 correct, 22 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 16 rebound opportunities)
31.78% in first on buzzer (109/343)
1/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $200)
7/7 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,914*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

Monday, March 25:

Victoria Groce +1500
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

50 correct, 14 incorrect
3/4 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
50.46% in first on buzzer (55/109)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $7,100)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,300

For Desktop in-article:

Dhruv Gaur +6000
Cambridge, Massachusetts

117 correct, 17 incorrect
7/8 on rebound attempts (on 21 rebound opportunities)
32.15% in first on buzzer (109/339)
8/11 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $14,600)
3/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,633

For Desktop in-article:

Ben Ingram +1700
Florence, South Carolina

296 correct, 22 incorrect
24/24 on rebound attempts (on 61 rebound opportunities)
34.13% in first on buzzer (256/750)
18/24 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $29,300)
13/14 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,557*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

Austin Rogers +2100
New York, New York

Amy Schneider +1500
Oakland, California

Lilly Chin +7500
Decatur, Georgia

115 correct, 17 incorrect
5/6 on rebound attempts (on 16 rebound opportunities)
32.74% in first on buzzer (111/339)
8/9 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $14,200)
3/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,300

For Desktop in-article:

Colby Burnett +4300
Chicago, Illinois

240 correct, 24 incorrect
17/17 on rebound attempts (on 56 rebound opportunities)
30.59% in first on buzzer (216/706)
11/17 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $9,800)
8/14 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,629*
*All-Star Games Coryat scores adjusted to reflect players only played half boards

For Desktop in-article:

Sam Buttrey +5200
Pacific Grove, California

378 correct, 52 incorrect
16/20 on rebound attempts (on 62 rebound opportunities)
34.90% in first on buzzer (378/1083)
10/13 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $27,200)
8/19 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,905

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Overall Thoughts: The prediction model does think that Amy has the best chance of advancing out of this quarterfinal, and it thinks that she has the best chance of winning out of the three relegated players. However, her game had some rather glaring mistakes in Masters—she was relegated due to a wagering mistake that cost her a win in a crucial late matchup—that would be punished just as severely here if she were to make them again. From that perspective, Austin Rogers plays the sort of game that will absolutely punish the sort of mistakes that Amy has been prone to making. This game, which is only one of two quarterfinals to feature a pair of ToC winners (in Amy and Celeste), could come down to who makes fewere mistakes.

Chances of Winning: Celeste 23.257%, Austin 36.002%, Amy 40.741%.

Tuesday, March 26:

Arthur Chu +2300
Cleveland, Ohio

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David Madden +2500
Ridgewood, New Jersey

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Overall Thoughts: Quarterfinal #5 contains another intriguing matchup between MacKenzie Jones, Arthur Chu, and David Madden. All three of these players play very similar styles—they all are excellent on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy. I’m glad to see Arthur back, and the prediction model does have him as a slight favorite; this game will very likely come down to “who finds the Daily Doubles” and “who is the least rusty”.

Chances of Winning: MacKenzie 31.350%, Arthur 34.687%, David 33.963%.

Wednesday, March 27:

Jennifer Quail +1700
Dowagiac, Michigan

Brandon Blackwell +1300
Jamaica, New York

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Overall Thoughts: I won’t go as far as to say that this matchup could have been the final—but it definitely would not have looked out of place for the semifinals, that’s for certain. For the uninitiated, Brandon was a Teen contestant back in 2008, bowing out in the semifinals. However, since then, he has built up an internationally renowned quizzing reputation, starring in University Challenge in the UK and has served as a Chaser on The Chase in both the U.S. and Australia. Jeopardy! viewers will be much more familiar with both Alex and Jennifer; Alex’s strengths lie more on Daily Doubles, while Jennifer’s lie more in Final Jeopardy. The prediction model is bullish Jennifer in general; she clearly has the knowledge base. If she just has the confidence to bet on herself, she could make a deep run in this event. It would not surprise me in the slightest if the winner of this quarterfinal ended up in the final.

Chances of Winning: Alex 29.695%, Jennifer 33.405%, Brandon 36.900%.

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Thursday, March 28:

Chuck Forrest +2800
Marino, Italy

Monica Thieu +8000
Atlanta, Georgia

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Overall Thoughts: Monica is the second of four 2010s College Championship winners to appear; she is coming off the publication of a major paper about how trivia players gain and retain memory, and spent some time as one of the Master Minds on the GSN show. Meanwhile, she comes up against 2021 Tournament of Champions winner Sam Kavanaugh—who I would say is probably the most underrated recent champion amongst the general public; his skill on Daily Doubles was the chief reason why he won the 2021 ToC—as well as the OG great of the Trebek Era in Chuck Forrest. The fact that Chuck should still be able to compete at this high of a level after nearly 40 years is incredible; though I do think Sam will advance out of this quarterfinal, neither Chuck nor Monica are going to make it easy for Sam. One thing to note strategy-wise: every single time that Chuck has not led going into Final Jeopardy in his career, he has overbet Final: if you’re leading Chuck, don’t play games with your bet, just make the cover bet.

Chances of Winning: Sam 43.929%, Chuck 33.398%, Monica 22.673%.

Friday, March 29:

Dhruv Gaur +6000
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Ben Ingram +1700
Florence, South Carolina

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Overall Thoughts: Our second Chaser from ABC’s The Chase in the field is Victoria Groce; back in 2005, she was the giant killer to David Madden’s streak. Since then, she has pretty much become the consensus #1 trivia player in America and is absolutely in the conversation for being the best quizzer on the planet. Oh, and her buzzer timing was impeccable in 2005. If that keeps up, she will 100% take the spot in Jeopardy! Masters. Ben’s skills in Final Jeopardy are also very well known; he is one of the few players in the show’s history to get 10 Final Jeopardy clues in a row correct. Clue #61 might be the key to Ben’s chances here.

Chances of Winning: Victoria 38.895%, Dhruv 23.63%, Ben 37.142%.

Monday, April 1:

Colby Burnett +4300
Chicago, Illinois

Sam Buttrey +5200
Pacific Grove, California

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Overall Thoughts: Our last quarterfinal features three players who are no stranger to teaching: a robotics professor in Lilly Chin, a high school college counselor in Colby Burnett, and a (retired?) professor in Sam Buttrey, who’s being introduced as a “bon vivant & man about town”. This one will come down to whoever does best on the four betting clues, I figure.

Chances of Winning: 30.014%, Colby 36.086%, Sam 33.900%.

Finals Length Odds:

2 games: +170

3 games: +110

4 games: +350

sam buttrey terry oshea monica thieu matt jackson mackenzie jones lilly chin pam mueller alan lin 1st jeopardy invitational tournament victoria groce sam kavanaugh leonard cooper larissa kelly jennifer quail jason zuffranieri features dhruv gaur david madden dan pawson colby burnett chuck forrest celeste dinucci brandon blackwell austin rogers arthur chu andrew he amy schneider alex jacob