Today’s Final Jeopardy – Monday, October 2, 2023

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

September 26-27: S42 E174 (May 7, 2026)
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 Presidential Proclamations) for Monday, October 2, 2023 (Season 40, Game 16):

Both issued in April, 80 years apart, the first proclamations by these 2 Presidents each declared natl. days of mourning

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Dane Reighard, a writer & editor from Los Angeles, California

Emily Seaman Hoy, an attorney from Houston, Texas

Burt Thakur, a project engineer from Palm Springs, California

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Today sees the first quarterfinal of the first-ever Champions Wildcard competition. This time, each competition sees 27 players competing through quarterfinals, semifinals, and a 2-game final for 1 spot in the next Tournament of Champions. Today’s quarterfinal features Burt Thakur, Emily Seaman Hoy, and Dane Reighard. Of the three, Dane is probably the favorite; he lost his third game in Andrew He’s debut in November 2021 with one of the highest losing scores ever.

Another important note: as soon as the contestants for this competition were announced, questions were raised regarding Burt Thakur’s eligibility for the event, as he’s been gearing up for another run in a Republican Congressional primary. A statement provided last week from Jeopardy! to The Jeopardy! Fan stated, “Burt Thakur’s participation is within the parameters of the official rules of the show.”

Correct response: Who are Andrew Johnson and Harry Truman?

More information about Final Jeopardy:

(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2023 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)

Both of these proclamations (in April 1865 by Andrew Johnson and in April 1945 by Harry Truman) were issued to announce the death of their respective predecessors (Lincoln in 1865 and Franklin Roosevelt in 1945)

One thing to watch out for today: Ken has been prompting for contestants to “be more specific” more often this season; I am very curious to know if the show will accept just “Johnson” on this one. Regardless, if someone does answer just “Johnson”, I fear that the tabloid media will unnecessarily use the situation to attack the show. It should be mentioned that there has been an intervening offseason and it is possible for the show to have adjusted its policies on prompting. It should also be mentioned that if this is the case the show is not obligated to inform fans if it does choose this—though, if it wants to be taken seriously as a sport, it probably should, as it would be unfathomable for MLB to change the balk rule or the strike zone without informing the public.

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 & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, October 2, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Geography “B”; Fighters; Are You Shakespearienced?; A Bug’s Life; Native Americans; A Category About Nothing)

Burt struggled early with incorrect responses, a theme which continued throughout the match. Dane held a lead after 15 thanks to the Daily Double, but Emily led after 30.

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Dane 7 correct 1 incorrect
Emily 5 correct 0 incorrect
Burt 1 correct 2 incorrect

Today’s interviews:

Dane was upset by how FAMOUS RUSSIANS went in his original appearance.
Emily likes to make human pyramids with her family.
Burt was on the last show aired before Alex Trebek died.

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Emily 10 correct 2 incorrect
Dane 8 correct 2 incorrect
Burt 7 correct 3 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Emily $4,800
Dane $3,200
Burt $1,600

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: South Africa; They Played Wyatt Earp; Signs & Symbols; Egyptian Mythology; Hodge Podge; Proverb Vs. Proverb)

The Daily Doubles had a negative effect on the scores; Burt and Dane both lost $2,000 on Daily Doubles! Things were close two-thirds of the way through the round, but Dane had a good finish to hold a lead going into Final!

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Dane 19 correct 4 incorrect
Burt 15 correct 7 incorrect
Emily 12 correct 5 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).

Scores going into Final:

Dane $10,800
Burt $7,200
Emily $3,600

Final Jeopardy today was a Triple Stumper, with the “Johnson” question being left unanswered! Burt’s overly aggressive bet led to Dane taking the victory and a spot in the semifinals!

Tonight’s results:

Emily $3,600 – $0 = $3,600 (Who is Abraham Lincoln?)
Burt $7,200 – $7,200 = $0 (Who are Lincoln and Truman)
Dane $10,800 – $5,000 = $5,800 (Who are Lincoln & FD) (Semi-Finalist)

Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) ARE YOU SHAKESPEARIENCED? $800 (clue #11)
Dane 1800 +1200 (Burt 0 Emily 3000)
2) SOUTH AFRICA $1600 (clue #2)
Burt 1600 -2000 (Emily 4800 Dane 3200)
3) HODGE PODGE $1600 (clue #14, $14400 left on board)
Dane 6000 -2000 (Burt 3200 Emily 3200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -67

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Burt 5 5 5
Emily 3 3 3 4
Dane 4 5 2 4*

DJ! Round:
Burt 5 4* 5† 5 3 3† 3 3 3
Emily
Dane 4 5 4 3 4*

† – selection in same category as Daily Double

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Dane 3.89
Emily 3.25
Burt 4.08

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 0 (0.00 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Dane $12,400 Coryat, 19 correct, 4 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
Emily $3,600 Coryat, 12 correct, 5 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Burt $9,200 Coryat, 15 correct, 7 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 2/4 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $25,200
Lach Trash: $13,200 (on 12 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $15,600

Player Statistics:

Burt Thakur, career statistics:

44 correct, 16 incorrect
2/6 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities)
27.65% in first on buzzer (47/170)
3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $5,000)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,333

Emily Seaman Hoy, career statistics:

47 correct, 10 incorrect
3/5 on rebound attempts (on 18 rebound opportunities)
28.65% in first on buzzer (49/171)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,000)
0/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,067

Dane Reighard, career statistics:

86 correct, 14 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 19 rebound opportunities)
38.16% in first on buzzer (87/228)
4/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $17,000)
2/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,000

Andy’s Thoughts:

• Ken certainly noticed and implied the special betting situation. It’s a shame none of the contestants seemed to notice.
• It was clear that the show had Johnny’s opening redubbed; Ken said that Burt was from Frisco, Texas in the interview, but he was introduced as being from Palm Springs.
• If you are in the Dallas area, I’m curious to hear if the show airs as planned there tonight.
• In case you missed the ending, the end credits did show Emily and her family do a human pyramid on the Jeopardy! set with Ken.

• Today’s box score: October 2, 2023 Box Score.

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Dane $10,800 Burt $7,200 Emily $3,600)

Burt: Bet $0 or $1. (Actual bet: $7,200)

Emily: Your best chance at victory comes if you go all in. (Actual bet: $0)

Dane: Standard cover bet over Burt is $3,601. I would highly suggest not betting any more than this, because it’s a special betting situation here. (Actual bet: $5,000)

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