Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, August 13, 2026

Correct response: What is Messiah? (by Handel)

More information about Final Jeopardy:

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For the second Tournament of Champions in a row, we have a Final Jeopardy clue in the quarterfinals about one of the works of George Frideric Handel. While last year’s was about the premiere of Water Music, today’s is about Messiah. Composed in 1742 for vocal and instrumental performers, it is best known today for its Hallelujah chorus at the conclusion of Part II.

To me, the puzzle pieces that need to be put together to solve this would be “London premiere would mean it’s written by someone living in England” + “Let us sing means it’s probably famous for its vocal parts” + “18^th century / 1700s” = Messiah.

Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, August 13, 2026 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Love Island: Ancient Greek Myth; Double Double-Letter Words; Only Brands; Around The Americas; Days I Won’t Be At Work; Broadway Musicals By Opening Number)

Alex was rolling—but stumbled on the Daily Double, falling back to $0. After 15 clues, the scores were Ashley $1,200 Kamau $0 Alex $0.

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Ashley 2 correct 0 incorrect
Alex 8 correct 1 incorrect
Kamau 0 correct 0 incorrect

Today’s interviews:

Alex created an Instagram account because of his being on the show.
Kamau is on the show because it’s the coolest thing he’s ever done in the eyes of his kids.
Ashley had a grandmother whose episode in 1974 was preempted.

Alex rebounded well from his Daily Double miss to lead after 30 clues. On the opening board, Alex went 3/5 in Greek myth, double double-letter words, days, and Broadway, and 4/5 in brands.

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Alex 18 correct 2 incorrect
Kamau 1 correct 1 incorrect
Ashley 3 correct 3 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Alex $5,000
Kamau -$200
Ashley -$200

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Foreign Leader Firsts; Classic TV; Chemistry; Nonfiction To Film; 5-Syllable Words; A Silver Jubilee)

Alex found both Daily Doubles, but lost a combined $5,000 on them. That meant he held on by just $1,000 entering Final Jeopardy. On the second board, Kamau went 3/5 in classic TV and Alex went 3/5 in nonfiction and silver.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Alex 29 correct 6 incorrect
Ashley 8 correct 3 incorrect
Kamau 4 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 8 (0 today).

Scores going into Final:

Alex $6,400
Ashley $5,400
Kamau $2,600

Final Jeopardy was a Triple Stumper. Ashley made a small bet, and that means she’s a semifinalist!

Tonight’s results:

Kamau $2,600 – $0 = $2,600 (What is 3 people who have nev)
Ashley $5,400 – $1,002 = $4,398 (What I was glad) (Semi-Finalist)
Alex $6,400 – $4,401 = $1,999 (What is Water music)

Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) AROUND THE AMERICAS $1000 (clue #15)
Alex 4600 -4600 (Ashley 1200 Kamau 0)
2) 5-SYLLABLE WORDS $1600 (clue #20)
Alex 11800 -3000 (Ashley 5400 Kamau 2600)
3) CHEMISTRY $1200 (clue #21, $9600 left on board)
Alex 8800 -2000 (Ashley 5400 Kamau 2600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -148

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Ashley 2 1 3
Kamau
Alex 2 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 3 5 2 5*

DJ! Round:
Ashley 2 4 5 2 4 5 1 4 5 2
Kamau 1 5 1
Alex 3 3 4 3 3 2 4* 3*

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Ashley 3.08
Kamau 2.33
Alex 3.55

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 8 (0.08 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Ashley $5,400 Coryat, 8 correct, 3 incorrect, 17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Kamau $2,600 Coryat, 4 correct, 2 incorrect, 8.77% in first on buzzer (5/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Alex $16,000 Coryat, 29 correct, 6 incorrect, 54.39% in first on buzzer (31/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $24,000
Lach Trash: $18,600 (on 16 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $11,400
Lead Changes: 10
Times Tied: 1

Player Statistics:

Ashley Chan, career statistics:

109 correct, 20 incorrect
1/3 on rebound attempts (on 17 rebound opportunities)
33.04% in first on buzzer (113/342)
5/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $8,500)
2/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,267

Kamau Bell, career statistics:

94 correct, 16 incorrect
4/5 on rebound attempts (on 20 rebound opportunities)
30.74% in first on buzzer (95/309)
5/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $11,305)
1/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,125

Alex DeFrank, career statistics:

154 correct, 31 incorrect
5/8 on rebound attempts (on 22 rebound opportunities)
47.37% in first on buzzer (162/342)
5/9 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $12,200)
3/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,067

Andy’s Thoughts:

• Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Alex $6,400 Ashley $5,400 Kamau $2,600)

Ashley: Bet no more than $199 to keep Kamau locked out. (Actual bet: $1,002)

Kamau: I think your best chance of winning here comes from a Triple Stumper and and overbet from Ashley. Bet no more than $599 and hope Ashley overbets. (Actual bet: $0)

Alex: Standard cover bet over Ashley is $4,401. (Actual bet: $4,401)