recaps
Today’s Final Jeopardy answer (in the category Fictional Characters) and statistics for the Friday, September 18, 2026 game between Michael Mott, Holly Firlein, and 1-day champion Mark Ramirez.
Today's Final Jeopardy - Friday, September 18, 2026
Current Champion
Greg Monson, career statistics:
18 correct, 5 incorrect
4/4 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,800)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,400
To win:
2 games: 56.855%
3: 32.325%
4: 18.378%
5: 10.449%
6: 5.941%
Avg. streak: 2.318 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)
Upcoming Encore Presentations
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 2026)
October 17-18: S42 E177 (May 12, 2026)
October 24-25: S42 E178 (May 13, 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
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the September 18, 2026, game of Jeopardy!—please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as 12:30 PM Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here's today's Final Jeopardy (in the category Fictional Characters) for Friday, September 18, 2026 (Season 43, Game 5):
An outcast, this character plagues a hall called Heorot for a dozen years
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today's Jeopardy! contestants:
Mark enters today's game as a 1-day champion with winnings of $20,800.
Andy's Pregame Thoughts:
Our final game of Week 1 of Jeopardy! in Season 43 features a new occupant of the champion's lectern for the second consecutive episode; Mark Ramirez is your new champion, having picked up a slim runaway victory in yesterday's episode. Today, your challengers are Holly Firlein, originally from Delaware, as well as Michael Mott from Alabama.
Certainly, my recap last night could have been read as particularly harsh; I do stand by my writing, though, as Mark is clearly a capable player who could go on to great things on this program—I would hate for that potential to go unrealized, though, over unnecessary and easily correctable mistakes.
Meanwhile, there seem to be a number of issues in various markets regarding incorrect episodes, or parts of episodes, playing. America's program directors are going to have a very difficult time convincing fans that the blame isn't somehow because of artificial intelligence. That being said: these issues are never national, they are always a local issue.
(Content continues below)
Would you like to be a guest on my new Jeopartalk! podcast? Friends are welcome to contact me via any method you have for me; current contestants who need that information can find my email in the About section.
My friends over at Geeks Who Drink have a daily trivia game—Thrice! Existing to make daily clever trivia content accessible to a wide audience, it's a daily challenge that tries to get you to the answer via three separate clues. It has a shareable score functionality to challenge your friends and new questions every day will give you a new daily social ritual. You can find it at thricegame.com.
Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my Betting Strategy 101 page. If you want to learn how to bet in two-day finals, check out Betting Strategy 102. In case the show uses a tournament with wild cards in the future, there is also a strategy page for betting in tournament quarterfinals.
Are you looking for information on how to stream Jeopardy! in 2026? Find out information here on how to stream from most places in North America!
You can find game-by-game stats here at The Jeopardy! Fan of all 23 players, including Caleb Groen, Adam Remsen, Tristan Williams and Jamie Ding, that have won 10 or more games on Jeopardy!
Correct response: Who is Grendel?
More Information About Final Jeopardy!:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2026 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
Grendel, an outcast due to being a descendant of the Biblical Cain, is the main antagonist of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. Due to the curse of his ancestor, Grendel decides to attack Heorot, the mead hall, daily for a dozen years, to the point where it is rendered unusable. However, both Grendel and his mother are slain by the story's title hero.
Certainly for contestants, the Anglo-Saxon nature of the word Heorot should be enough to point you towards Beowulf—it's just a matter of being able to either name or guess the right character from the poem itself. I would be incredibly surprised if today's Final Jeopardy saw a get rate that even remotely rivalled yesterday's.
Game Recap:
Holly Firlein got off to the best start, but her struggles over the final 20 clues were enough to give Mark Ramirez plenty of time to find buzzer timing, and despite a conservative bet when he eventually found DD3, your defending champion had a good-sized lead entering Final Jeopardy.
That crush-sized lead was important for Mark, as it insulated him from Final Jeopardy being a Triple Stumper. He didn't need to bet that much; thus, he ends the week as champion and gets to go for win #3 on Monday.
Scores going into Final:
Mark $15,400Michael $9,600
Holly $8,000
Tonight's results:
Holly $8,000 - $7,402 = $598 (Who is Holden Caufield?)Michael $9,600 - $6,401 = $3,199 (Who is ?)
Mark $15,400 - $3,900 = $11,500 (Who is Sauron?) (2-day total: $32,300)
Game Stats:
Mark $14,600 Coryat, 24 correct, 2 incorrect, 42.11% in first on buzzer (24/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)Michael $6,800 Coryat, 8 correct, 1 incorrect, 12.28% in first on buzzer (7/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Holly $7,600 Coryat, 17 correct, 4 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $29,000
If you are looking for more detailed statistics about today's game of Jeopardy!, as well as the ability to leave a comment, make sure to check out the Daily Details section.
Mark Ramirez, to win:
3 games: 61.692%4: 38.059%
5: 23.479%
6: 14.485%
7: 8.936%
Avg. streak: 3.610 games.
Andy's Thoughts:
- I repeat my comments from this morning: Mark feels like an incredibly knowledgeable player, and it's those sorts of players whose runs end heartbreakingly early because they give too many opportunities to their opponents.
- Today's J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Mark $15,400 Michael $9,600 Holly $8,000)
Mark: Standard cover bet is $3,801. (Actual bet: $3,900)
Holly: If you bet between $3,601 and $4,799, you will both pass Mark if he's incorrect in Final (and you're correct), and stay ahead of Michael if he is incorrect in Final. (Actual bet: $7,402)
Michael: Standard cover bet over Holly is $6,401. (Actual bet: $6,401)
Add The Jeopardy! Fan to your preferred sources on Google by clicking the button below!
Become a Supporter now! Make a monthly contribution to the site on Patreon!
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
When commenting, please note that all comments on The Jeopardy! Fan must be in compliance with the Site Comment Policy.
If you are going to quote any information from this page or this website, attribution is required.
Have you had a chance to listen to our podcast game show, Complete The List, yet? Check it out! It's also available on Apple Podcasts.