recaps
Season 42
Today’s Final Jeopardy – Monday, May 4, 2026
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the May 4, 2026, game ofJeopardy!— please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
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
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Famous Lists) for Monday, May 4, 2026 (Season 42, Game 171):
A famous list of this many items is found on the 1972 comedy album “Class Clown”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Madeline Kaplan, an editor originally from Toledo, Ohio
Matt Davis, a banker from Arlington, Virginia
Stephanie Perkins, a math teacher from St. Louis, Missouri (1-day total: $16,600)
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
St. Louis math teacher Stephanie Perkins enters today’s game as a new champion; she’ll attempt to go for win #2 against Matt Davis of the DC area and Madeline Kaplan of Toledo, Ohio.
On a personal level, I do want to say that unless one of the challengers is already a friend of mine, I am much more likely to cheer for the champion. I get a lot of enjoyment out of watching champions go on long runs and thus I do often lean towards that rooting interest.
(Content continues below)
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.
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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!
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Correct response: What is 7?
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.)
One of George Carlin’s more famous comedic routines is his “Seven Words You Can’t Say On Television” routine, which first appeared on the 1972 album Class Clown, in which Carlin expressed surprise that you couldn’t say those words on TV, regardless of the platform. Unfortunately, I won’t be repeating those words, as I enjoy being able to monetize my website.
Interestingly, a later broadcast of this speech on the radio by WBAI New York led to a lawsuit that reached the Supreme Court. (FCC v. Pacifica Foundation), in which the Supreme Court found that the FCC did have the ability to regulate indecent content sent over broadcast airwaves.
As long as a contestant doesn’t get this list confused with the list that Lenny Bruce (9) was arrested for a few years prior, this should be a relatively fun clue for everyone.
In order to redesign our merchandise area to serve you better in 2026, all merchandise sales have been temporarily taken offline. Look for a return in late 2026! All previous orders will still be supported.
Game Recap:
While it was challenger Matt and champion Stephanie who had the most number of correct responses and the best Coryat score, it was Madeline Kaplan who owned the day as a result of picking up $11,800 on back-to-back Daily Doubles early in Double Jeopardy. The game, which saw all three players clear $12,000 entering the game’s most pivotal clue, ended with Stephanie and Madeline getting Final Jeopardy correct. Thanks to Madeline’s cover bet in Final Jeopardy, it ended up being a big payday for our Ohioan—she took home $31,700 and the right to play again tomorrow!
Scores going into Final:
Madeline $18,200
Matt $15,600
Stephanie $12,600
Tonight’s results:
Stephanie $12,600 + $6,000 = $18,600 (What is 7?)
Matt $15,600 – $15,600 = $0 (What are 9?)
Madeline $18,200 + $13,500 = $31,700 (What is seven?) (1-day total: $31,700)
Game Stats:
Madeline $8,800 Coryat, 11 correct, 2 incorrect, 17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Stephanie $12,400 Coryat, 18 correct, 3 incorrect, 35.09% in first on buzzer (20/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Matt $15,600 Coryat, 22 correct, 1 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $36,800
Madeline Kaplan, to win:
3 games: 64.694%
4: 41.853%
5: 27.076%
6: 17.517%
7: 11.332%
Avg. streak: 3.832 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- I do want to specifically mention that I thought that Stephanie’s Final Jeopardy! bet today was excellent, as not only does it win a Triple Stumper, it also forces Madeline to make a bet and be correct.
- Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Madeline $18,200 Matt $15,600 Stephanie $12,600)
Stephanie: If Madeline and Matt both make cover bets and are incorrect, you need to stay above $6,000 to win on a Triple Stumper. Bet no more than $6,599. (Actual bet: $6,000)
Matt: Standard cover bet over Madeline is $9,601. (Actual bet: $15,600)
Madeline: Standard cover bet over Matt is $13,001. (Actual bet: $13,500)
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