The popular Jeopardy! competitor is missing from the tournament—here’s why.

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Who’s ready to watch season 3 of Jeopardy! Masters?

The hit spinoff in the Jeopardy! franchise officially returns on April 30, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and host Ken Jennings is welcoming competitors from past and present to see who truly knows the most. Many of the faces will be familiar to current Jeopardy! watchers (like Adriana Harmeyer and 2025 Tournament of Champions winner Neilesh Vinjamuri), while others will bring back waves of nostalgia (like Matt Amodio and Brad Rutter). No matter the case, it’s sure to be a nail-biting tournament, and fans will want to tune in and find out who made it all the way to the end.

Now, in a surprise twist Jeopardy! fans didn’t expect, one popular face won’t be appearing on Jeopardy! Masters season 3. James Holzhauer famously won the show’s season 1 back in 2023, and he later placed third in Jeopardy! Masters season 2 in 2024. So, where is James Holzhauer on Jeopardy! Masters season 3? We found the answer … and what we uncovered may just surprise you.

Eric McCandless//ABC

Why isn’t James Holzhauer competing on Jeopardy! Masters in 2025?

Even though fans were hoping to see James come back for a third time on Jeopardy! Masters season 3, it turns out there’s a good reason behind his absence.

When executive producers Sarah Whitcomb-Foss and Michael Davies filmed an episode of their Inside Jeopardy! podcast in Washington, D.C. in April 2025, they explained it actually was James’ choice not to compete. Given how Jeopardy! Masters cast members are sent a special invite to join the show, the two shared that James decided he’d skip out this time around.

“As always, our top three Masters are guaranteed an invitation to the next Masters,” Sarah explained (via TV Insider), while referencing the 2024 Jeopardy! Masters season 2 winner and runner-up, Victoria Groce and Yogesh Raut. “As we mentioned, it is an invitational tournament. We absolutely did extend the invitation to James, and he decided for this year, he was not going to compete.”

Who replaced James Holzhauer on Jeopardy! Masters season 3?

As for who is stepping into James’ spot for Jeopardy! Masters season 3, it’s a face fans may already recognize. Brad Rutter, the competitor who won the most money in the franchise’s history (a whopping $4,936,436!), will instead compete on Jeopardy! Masters season 3. It’s also fitting Brad would take James’ spot, as Brad, James and Ken all appeared together on ABC’s The Chase from 2021 to 2023.

As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.