Can I Be A Phlebetamist?

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

Good morning! Andy here with the recap of Monday’s game!

This week’s Hometown Howdies:
Jen Aprahamian – Los Angeles, CA (KABC)
Michelle DeGrothy – Neptune Beach, FL (WTLV)
Emily Goodlander – Baltimore, MD (WBFF)
Danny Jacobs – Laurel, MD (WBFF)
Gudrun Juffer – Milwaukee, WI (WDJT)
Matthew Linnabary – Wichita, KS (KSNW)
Sarah McNitt – Ann Arbor, MI (WDIV)
Stacy Meyers – Fredericksburg, VA (WJLA)
Miriam Musco – Freeville, NY(WSYT)
Geoff Norcross – Portland, OR (KATU)

I count 10. Hmmm…

Today’s contestants:

J! round categories:
EUROPEAN CAPITALS
AS THE TITLE CHARACTER’S WIFE
CADILLACS
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
“B” ABBREVIATIONS
VALLEY FORGE

Michelle continued her buzzer dominance, running EUROPEAN CAPITALS. Miriam picked up 2 negs herself over the first six clues. Scores at the first break, which felt as though it came early, but that’s to be expected against a champion like Michelle who rings in quickly:

Michelle $5,000
Miriam $400
Matthew -$200

Matthew has an interesting occupation: a phlebotomist – he works at a plasma center, so he sticks needles in people’s arms all day!

If Michelle continues her dominance and wins a lot of money, she would buy an airplane (in spite of being a helicopter pilot!)

Coming out of the break, Michelle continued her strength on the buzzer. Thankfully, I did not have to transcribe a video Daily Double, as it was at the bottom of WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF! Scores:

Michelle $8,600
Miriam -$200
Matthew -$200

Michelle bet $600. Her clue: Selenophobia. Michelle wins Best Wrong Answer today with “Fear of Mexican Music Stars” and her score falls to $8,000.

Which brings us to our Tweets Of The Night:

Scores at the end of the J! round:

Michelle $7,800
Miriam -$800
Matthew -$800

DJ! Round categories:
THE MOOR YOU KNOW
FROM PAGE TO STAGE
CHEMISTRY
RELIGIOUS MATTERS
TV DAVIDS
TO “EACH” HIS “OWN”

Miriam and Matthew slowly pulled themselves out of the whole, whereas Michelle had a couple of negs to keep her score static. Matthew got to play the first Daily Double in the round under FROM PAGE TO STAGE $1200. Scores:

Michelle $7,800
Miriam $1,200
Matthew $400

Matthew left $1,000 on the table, betting only half of the maximum! His clue: Gosh darn it! Douglass Wallop’s “The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant” hit a home run as this musical. His correct response put him at $1,400.

Meanwhile, Michelle just seemed to lose her buzzer mojo, as the two competitors clawed into her lead. RELIGIOUS MATTERS $1600 had the second Daily Double and it was Matthew’s to play again! If only he’d had that extra $1,000 to play with! Scores:

Michelle $6,600
Miriam $4,000
Matthew $2,600

$1,000. AGAIN. I don’t get it. His clue: In 1536 this French reformer moved to Geneva, which became the center for his form of Protestantism. Another correct response means he’s now at $3,600. However, Matthew could have been at $7,200 right now. So much waste.

Meanwhile, after the minute-to-go signal, Michelle liked giving her opponents a shot, by going to the $2000 clues. Not how I’d play that! The end-of-round signal ended Miriam and Matthew’s chances, where he’ll be kicking himself over lost opportunites!

Scores going into Final:

Michelle $12,200
Matthew $4,400
Miriam $4,000

(Even a pair of $2,000 wagers, instead of $1,000, would have saved our phlebotomist from the lock game.)

FJ! category: ASIAN NATIONS

FJ! clue: Since 1991, it’s the only former Communist nation to restore its monarchy, which it still has

Miriam 4000 – 3900 = 100
Matthew 4400 – 3601 = 399
Michelle 12200 – 0 = 12200

So Matthew’s betting follies don’t come back to haunt him, and Michelle is now a 2-day champ! We’ll see if she can get win #3 tomorrow!

One final comment: I sometimes get flak about commenting on wagering, because of “how hard it is to come up with decisions under the lights”. But that’s why I do it. So that prospective contestants think about it beforehand! If you’ve thought about it beforehand, the chances of you making the right decision under pressure are much greater!