recaps
Today’s Final Jeopardy answer (in the category American History & Geography) and statistics for the Monday, October 5, 2026 game between Jason Vincze, Erika Niemi, and 2-day champion Rian Robertson.
Today's Final Jeopardy - Monday, October 5, 2026
Current Champion
Rian Robertson, career statistics:
34 correct, 10 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities)
33.33% in first on buzzer (38/114)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,700)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,800
To win:
3 games: 54.228%
4: 29.407%
5: 15.947%
6: 8.648%
7: 4.689%
Avg. streak: 3.185 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)
Upcoming Encore Presentations
October 3-4: S42 E175 (May 8, 2026)
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 2026)
October 17-18: S42 E177 (May 12, 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 October 5, 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 American History & Geography) for Monday, October 5, 2026 (Season 43, Game 16):
In 2026 an annual 1,966-mile re-ride between these 2 cities took place June 15-25, passing through Lake Tahoe on the 24th
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today's Jeopardy! contestants:
Rian enters today's game as a 2-day champion with winnings of $25,901.
Andy's Pregame Thoughts:
Rian Robertson returns today to the Alex Trebek Studio to defend his 2-game title from last week; his challengers to begin the week are a New York City bar owner in Jason Vincze and a Flagstaff, Arizona aspiring actuary in Erika Niemi. Today's an important game for Rian, as a third victory likely guarantees a return to the Alex Trebek Stage in some fashion, whether it be Champions Wildcard or the Tournament of Champions.
There are a lot of Jeopardy "fans" who I think need to be reminded of this, especially after some of the things I've seen already this season: Not everything you think about needs to be put online for everybody to read. Especially when you have something negative or mocking to say—contestants, their friends, and their families often read things, and it would very much behoove you to think about whether you would want to read your words if they were being said about you instead.
(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.
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: What are St. Joseph, MO and Sacramento, CA?
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.)
Each year in June, the National Pony Express Association does an annual re-ride to re-enact the route between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. Although mail delivery only took place on this route between April 1860 and October 1861, the route, passing through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California has entered American historical lore. 2027's re-ride is headed eastbound from Sacramento to St. Joseph and can be tracked at the National Pony Express Association website.
Honestly, I think today's Final Jeopardy clue has a "fun fact" quality to it, but also a lot of "You Either Know It Or You Don't" (or, YEKIOYD) quality to it as well. (I do absolutely think this is a fair clue, though—the Pony Express is well within the show's canon.) We'll see how it plays.
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