Fans were surprised to hear that James Holzhauer wouldn’t be competing inJeopardy! Mastersseason 3, and now the show’s executive producers have explained the stunning reason why the champion isn’t on the show.James is best known for his 2019 32-gameJeopardy!winning streak, during which he set multiple single-game winnings records and later won theJeopardy! Tournament of Champions. In 2023, he won thefirstJeopardy! Masterstournament, and he placed third in 2024. However, James won’t be returning forJeopardy! Mastersseason 3to compete for the $500,000 grand prize.
Although James qualified forJeopardy! Masters, he won’t be participating in the event because he decided not to.
On theInside Jeopardy!Live on Tourpodcast (shared byJeopardy!via YouTube),the executive producers ofJeopardy! Masters, Sarah Whitcomb-Foss and Michael Davies, introduced the nineJeopardy! Mastersplayers. They include Victoria Groce, Yogesh Raut, Neilish Vinjamuri, Matt Amodio, Juveria Zaheer, Roger Craig, Isaac Hirsch, Adriana Harmeyer, and Brad Rutter. The producers also revealed that, although James qualified, he won’t be participating in the event because he decided not to.
Sarah shared,“As always, our top three Masters are guaranteed an invitation to the next Masters. But that might leave you wondering, there was another Master — our third-place finisher James Holzhauer. As we mentioned, it’s an invitational tournament. We absolutely did extend the invitation to James, andhe decided, for this year, he was not going to compete.”
Michael added,“Absolutely his right. It’s an invitational. We invite the people we want to invite. This year we wanted to expand it to nine players…With Masters, we’re trying to build more equity in the event year after year until it’s as big as the Super Bowl. And part of that plan has always been to expand it as we get more players within the Jeopaverse who we know that all of you and all of our viewers are going to want to watch in primetime. Sowe completely respect James’ decision.”
As always, our top three Masters are guaranteed an invitation to the next Masters. But, that might leave you wondering, there was another Master — our third-place finisher James Holzhauer. As we mentioned, it’s an invitational tournament. We absolutely did extend the invitation to James, and he decided for this year, he was not going to compete.
What James Holzhauer’s Absence Means For Jeopardy! Masters
James Is Always Exciting To Watch
With his background as a professional sports gambler,James isn’t afraid to take big risks duringJeopardy!Due to this, he won $2,464,216 in his 33 regularJeopardy!game appearances, behind Ken Jennings, who won $2,522,700, but in 75 regular games. James holds all of the Top 10 single-game winning records.
AlthoughJeopardy! Mastersseason 3 won’t feature James' daring Daily Double and Final Jeopardy! wagers,the nine contestants who are competing are thrilling in their own ways. In fact, Roger held the record for the highest single-day winnings onJeopardy!with $77,000 from July 05, 2025, to June 07, 2025, when James broke that record with $110,914. He later surpassed that, and now holds the record at $131,127.
Our Take On James Holzhauer Rejecting Jeopardy! Masters Invitation
Hopefully, James Will Return To Jeopardy! In The Future
It’s unclear why James rejected his offer to compete inJeopardy! Mastersseason 3, but the executive producers seem to respect his decision. Sarah even said that he decided not to compete"for this year,“which implies that he’ll be back in the future. However, it would’ve been so much fun to see how he would’ve fared versus newerJeopardy!champions such as Neilesh, Isaac, Adriana, and Juveria. James should return for a futureJeopardy! Mastersseason so that he can reclaim his place as the champion.
I really hope that James returns in the future because I love watching him go head-to-headwithother incredibleJeopardy!champions. He often jokes that he’s a game show villain, and, although his gameplay is wicked, he’s actually a really good sport and a joy to watch. Although I’ll miss James, I can’t wait to see these nine legends compete inJeopardy! Mastersseason 3.
Jeopardy! Mastersseason 3 premieres Wednesday, April 30 at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC.
Jeopardy! Masters
Cast
Hosted by Ken Jennings, Jeopardy! Masters is a game show television series that follows the core show’s footsteps with a twist. In Masters, the six highest-ranked Jeopardy! contestants are brought together in a ten-episode competition where they’ll battle to become the ultimate Jeopardy! Masters Champion.
