Rank Name Total winnings Show (s) Notes Brad Rutter $4,555,102 Jeopardy!, $4,455,102 Rutter 's total includes $55,102 during his initial appearance on Jeopardy! in 2001, $100,000 in 2002 's Tournament of Champions, two separate $1,000,000 prizes (one for winning the Million Dollar Masters tournament in 2002 and one for winning the Battle of the Decades in 2014), $2,100,000 during the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005, and $200,000 ($100,000 of which was donated to charity) for finishing third in the 2011 Jeopardy! IBM Challenge. Million Dollar Mind Game, $100,000 Ken Jennings $4,123,414.29 Jeopardy!, $3,422,700 Jennings won $2,522,700 in his original run on Jeopardy!, $500,000 for his second - place finish in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, $300,000 ($150,000 of which was donated to charity) in the 2011 IBM Challenge, and $100,000 for finishing second in the Battle of the Decades. In addition to his appearances on other shows, Jennings also competed on 500 Questions in 2016; however, he did not add to his total, lasting only four questions. Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, $500,000 Grand Slam, $100,000 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, $100,000 1 vs. 100, $714.29 Andrew Kravis $2,656,550 The Million Second Quiz, $2,600,000 Kravis won $326,346 in the main competition as one of the top four finalists, then won a $2,000,000 grand prize plus an additional $273,654 as champion to bring his total to $2.6 million, surpassing the amount of money won by Jennings during his original run on Jeopardy!. Wheel of Fortune, $50,550 Jeopardy!, $5,000 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, $1,000 Kevin Olmstead $2,207,000 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, $2,180,000 Olmstead 's primary win occurred during the progressive jackpot shows on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2001. Following this win, Olmstead held the record as the biggest winner in American television for over three years until it was broken by Ken Jennings. He also held the record as the biggest winner on a primetime game show in U.S. television history for over twelve years until it was broken by Andrew Kravis on September 19, 2013. Jeopardy!, $27,000 Ed Toutant $1,871,401 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, $1,860,000 Toutant was another contestant during the progressive jackpot shows on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2001. After missing a question which was later revealed to be flawed, Toutant was invited back to continue playing for the jackpot at the same level he was playing for during his original appearance. Toutant was able to complete the remaining questions and win a jackpot of $1.86 million. Jeopardy!, $11,401 6 Ashlee Register $1,795,000 Duel, $1,795,000 Register won $75,000 plus an accumulating $1,720,000 jackpot, giving her the record for most winnings by a female contestant on a game show in U.S. television history (equivalent to $2,119,000 in 2017) and the record for the most money won by an American who has only ever appeared on one game show. 7 David Legler $1,765,000 Twenty One, $1,765,000 Legler won $1,765,000 over six wins on the 2000 revival of Twenty One, making him the show 's biggest winner. 8 Curtis Warren $1,546,988 Greed, $1,410,000 Warren 's then - record - setting win came in a Million Dollar Moment on Greed, bringing his total winnings on the show to $1,410,000. Warren also appeared on Sale of the Century, Win Ben Stein 's Money, and Jeopardy!, although he failed to win any money while competing on the latter program. Sale of the Century, $136,288 Win Ben Stein 's Money, $700 9 John Carpenter $1,250,000 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, $1,250,000 Carpenter 's winnings include $1,000,000 as first ever top prize winner on the show, and $250,000 ($125,000 of which was donated to charity) in the champions edition of the show. 10 Adam Rose $1,153,908 The Price Is Right, $1,153,908 Rose 's total was achieved on a $1,000,000 Spectacular special episode, winning $153,903 in cash and prizes including both of that evening 's Showcases, which earned him a $1,000,000 cash bonus.
who has won the most money on a game show
Brad Rutter