James Holzhauer may be making jaws drop during his current run on Jeopardy! (he topped $1 million in prizes on April 23, after just 14 games). But long before the 34-year-old ever appeared on the long-running game show, there were other victories that made headlines — for good and not-so-great reasons. Check them out!
Craziest Game Show Wins
1
of
6
1 of 6
‘Jeopardy!’ Again, and Again, and Again …
Holzhauer’s got a ways to go before he catches up with the show’s all-time champ, Brad Rutter, who has pocketed $4,788,440 to date! Rutter’s most recent appearance on the game show was in 2019’s All-Star game, during which his team won $1,000,000. Prior, he snagged $1,000,000 during 2014’s Battle of the Decades, $200,000 in 2011 when he played against IBM’s Watson computer, $2.1 million in 2005’s Ultimate Tournament of Champions, $1 mil in 2002’s Million Dollar Masters Tournament, $100K in 2001’s Tournament of Champions, and $55,102 in his 2000 run, when the show limited contestants to just five consecutive days on the show, a limitation Holzhauer doesn’t face. Maybe it’s time to pit the two against each other … Watch Rutter discuss his wins.
Photo credit: Youtube
2 of 6
Even Bob Barker Freaked Out on ’Price Is Right’
Lady, it’s only $1,000 and a shot at the Showcase Showdown! One particular contestant got so excited to hit the $1 mark on the wheel that she kinda lost it, causing host Bob Barker to run behind the set and exclaim, “I will watch the monitor and tell you what she’s doing. I think she’s looking for me.” Then she got a bonus spin and landed an additional $10K, which led to an enthusiastic victory dance. Watch the hilarious moment!
Photo credit: Getty Images
3 of 6
‘Wheel of Fortune’s’ Amazing Guess
What a guess! Contestant Rufus blew minds during the a February 2015 episode when he solved the word puzzle with just one letter on the board. With only the letter “T” showing, the player correctly guessed “championship match.” After a beat to check his card, a stunned Pat Sajak announced, “Yeah, that’s right!” Watch the amazing guess.
Photo credit: Youtube
4 of 6
Getting Exact on ’Price Is Right’
How is this even possible?! A contestant named Terry Kniess guessed the EXACT price of his Showcase Showdown prize package in September 2008, which meant he won both showcase prizes. But he didn’t guess on the nose for just the final prize, it turned out he guessed ALL of his wins exactly. Host Drew Carey seemed less than impressed, and it turns out the show suspected Kniess cheated his way to victory. But the contestant later explained to Esquire that he’s a numbers man and had been memorizing prices on the game show for ages. Watch Carey's reaction to the win.
Photo credit: Youtube (2)
5 of 6
‘Price Is Right’ Model Accidentally Gives Away a Car
Whoops! One of the game show’s models made a major mistake on the April 2, 2015, episode. Beauty Manuela Arbelaez apparently wasn’t paying much attention as contestant Andrea was trying to guess the price of the new vehicle she was playing for. Instead of waiting for Andrea’s second guess, Manuela removed the next price card, revealing the actual cost. “Congratulations! Manuela just gave you a car!” Carey laughed as a mortified Manuela hid behind the board. Watch the awkward moment!
Photo credit: Youtube
6 of 6
‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ and Call Dad?
He didn’t need any help! John Carpenter was one smug SOB when he competed on the game show in November 1999. He went into the final question with all three lifelines still available, but decided to give his dad a call. It wasn’t to ask for assistance with the tricky question, though. “Hi dad! I don’t really need your help. I just wanted to let you to know I’m going to win the million dollars,” a confident Carpenter said seconds before giving the correct answer. Watch him gloat!
Photo credit: Youtube
‘Jeopardy!’ Again, and Again, and Again …
Holzhauer’s got a ways to go before he catches up with the show’s all-time champ, Brad Rutter, who has pocketed $4,788,440 to date! Rutter’s most recent appearance on the game show was in 2019’s All-Star game, during which his team won $1,000,000. Prior, he snagged $1,000,000 during 2014’s Battle of the Decades, $200,000 in 2011 when he played against IBM’s Watson computer, $2.1 million in 2005’s Ultimate Tournament of Champions, $1 mil in 2002’s Million Dollar Masters Tournament, $100K in 2001’s Tournament of Champions, and $55,102 in his 2000 run, when the show limited contestants to just five consecutive days on the show, a limitation Holzhauer doesn’t face. Maybe it’s time to pit the two against each other … Watch Rutter discuss his wins.
Photo credit: Youtube
Even Bob Barker Freaked Out on ’Price Is Right’
Lady, it’s only $1,000 and a shot at the Showcase Showdown! One particular contestant got so excited to hit the $1 mark on the wheel that she kinda lost it, causing host Bob Barker to run behind the set and exclaim, “I will watch the monitor and tell you what she’s doing. I think she’s looking for me.” Then she got a bonus spin and landed an additional $10K, which led to an enthusiastic victory dance. Watch the hilarious moment!
Photo credit: Getty Images
‘Wheel of Fortune’s’ Amazing Guess
What a guess! Contestant Rufus blew minds during the a February 2015 episode when he solved the word puzzle with just one letter on the board. With only the letter “T” showing, the player correctly guessed “championship match.” After a beat to check his card, a stunned Pat Sajak announced, “Yeah, that’s right!” Watch the amazing guess.
Photo credit: Youtube
Getting Exact on ’Price Is Right’
How is this even possible?! A contestant named Terry Kniess guessed the EXACT price of his Showcase Showdown prize package in September 2008, which meant he won both showcase prizes. But he didn’t guess on the nose for just the final prize, it turned out he guessed ALL of his wins exactly. Host Drew Carey seemed less than impressed, and it turns out the show suspected Kniess cheated his way to victory. But the contestant later explained to Esquire that he’s a numbers man and had been memorizing prices on the game show for ages. Watch Carey's reaction to the win.
Photo credit: Youtube (2)
‘Price Is Right’ Model Accidentally Gives Away a Car
Whoops! One of the game show’s models made a major mistake on the April 2, 2015, episode. Beauty Manuela Arbelaez apparently wasn’t paying much attention as contestant Andrea was trying to guess the price of the new vehicle she was playing for. Instead of waiting for Andrea’s second guess, Manuela removed the next price card, revealing the actual cost. “Congratulations! Manuela just gave you a car!” Carey laughed as a mortified Manuela hid behind the board. Watch the awkward moment!
Photo credit: Youtube
‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ and Call Dad?
He didn’t need any help! John Carpenter was one smug SOB when he competed on the game show in November 1999. He went into the final question with all three lifelines still available, but decided to give his dad a call. It wasn’t to ask for assistance with the tricky question, though. “Hi dad! I don’t really need your help. I just wanted to let you to know I’m going to win the million dollars,” a confident Carpenter said seconds before giving the correct answer. Watch him gloat!
Photo credit: Youtube
