recaps
Today’s Final Jeopardy answer (in the category 20th Century Bigwigs) and a recap of the Thursday, August 20, 2026 game between TJ Fisher, Steven Olson, and Laura Faddah.
Today's Final Jeopardy - Thursday, August 20, 2026
Current Champion
Matthew Riggle, career statistics:
47 correct, 6 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
41.23% in first on buzzer (47/114)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $7,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $21,300
To win:
3 games: 68.027%
4: 46.277%
5: 31.481%
6: 21.415%
7: 14.568%
Avg. streak: 4.128 games.
(Next game: September 14)
(Click Here for Methodology)
Upcoming Encore Presentations
August 20: S42 E103 (January 28, 2026)
August 21: S42 E104 (January 29, 2026)
August 22-23: S41 E142 (March 25, 2025)
August 24: S42 E106 (February 2, 2026)
August 25: S42 E107 (February 3, 2026)
August 26: S42 E108 (February 4, 2026)
August 27: S42 E109 (February 5, 2026)
August 28: S42 E110 (February 6, 2026)
August 29-30: S41 E143 (March 26, 2025)
August 31: S42 E111 (February 9, 2026)
September 1: S42 E112 (February 10, 2026)
September 2: S42 E113 (February 11, 2026)
September 3: S42 E114 (February 12, 2026)
September 4: S42 E115 (February 13, 2026)
September 5-6: S41 E144 (March 27, 2025)
(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 $1,098,403
7. Mattea Roach $897,983
8. Jamie Ding $885,605
9. David Madden $785,733
10. Victoria Groce $773,801
11. Cris Pannullo $754,286
12. Roger Craig $706,200
13. Larissa Kelly $671,930
14. Matt Jackson $623,612
15. Jason Zuffranieri $549,496
16. Andrew He $534,365
17. Scott Riccardi $533,000
18. Jerome Vered $499,102
19. Julia Collins $495,767
20. Austin Rogers $493,000
21. Ben Ingram $449,201
22. Paolo Pasco $448,717
23. Adriana Harmeyer $446,600
24. Buzzy Cohen $441,603
25. Juveria Zaheer $441,000
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the August 20, 2026, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that today's game is an encore presentation of the game that originally aired on January 28, 2026.
Here's today's Final Jeopardy (in the category 20th Century Bigwigs) for Thursday, August 20, 2026 (Season 42, Game 103):
The subtitle of a 2022 bio of this magnate who died in 1976 is "The meek shall inherit the earth--but not its mineral rights"
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today's Jeopardy! contestants:
Andy's Pregame Thoughts:
Today's encore presentation, as we move closer to both the start of Jeopardy! Masters on ABC (only 5 days away now) and the start of Season 43 (25 days away), is seminfinal #2 from the 33rd Tournament of Champions between Laura Faddah, Steven Olson, and TJ Fisher.
As I said back in January, "After an extremely dominant quarterfinal, Steven Olson finds himself in a great position to make an even deeper run in the event. However, nothing is guaranteed in this game, as any opponent one sees at this stage is guaranteed to be a strong one. Laura won 8 times in the regular season to get a bye to this point, while TJ is still very strong on the signalling device, which does still count for a great deal."
(Content continues below)
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!
You can now listen to Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy! episodes from TuneIn Radio without leaving The Jeopardy! Fan — listen now!
Correct response: Who is J. Paul Getty?
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.)
Jean Paul Getty (yes, in his case, the J. stands for Jean), was one of the world's richest oilmen of the 20th century, with one of his famous quotes (the one from today's clue, as the Gettys tended to get mineral/oil rights) serving as the subtitle of a 2022 biography by Wyn Derbyshire. (Interestingly, there were multiple 2022 biographies published of Getty, with the more famous one being James Reginato's Growing Up Getty: The Story of America's Most Unconventional Dynasty.)
(Here is a link to the Derbyshire biography of Getty, whose subtitle is the one in the clue.)
In terms of judging, I am guessing that a response of "John Paul Getty" would be ruled incorrect under the "Berry/Barry Gordy precedent". Let's hope the semifinal doesn't come down to that.
Game Recap & Tonight's Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here's the Thursday, August 20, 2026 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Vexillology; The Eleventh Hour; Moo-Vies; Book It; Rags & Riches; Go Ahead, End With A Preposition)Steven got off to the best start, with 5 correct responses; after 15 clues, the scores were Steven $4,200 TJ $3,000 Laura $600.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Steven 5 correct 0 incorrectTJ 4 correct 0 incorrect
Laura 1 correct 0 incorrect
Today's interviews:
TJ has been spotted many times in San Francisco.Steven thinks the ToC has had immaculate vibes.
Laura uses her run on the show in an attempt to win arguments with her teenagers.
Laura found the Daily Double shortly after the break, but could only pick up $1,000 from it. Steven continued to lead after 30. On the opening board, Steven went 3/5 in vexillology and cow movies.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Steven 11 correct 0 incorrectTJ 6 correct 0 incorrect
Laura 6 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Steven $6,200TJ $3,400
Laura $2,000
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Vex-ology; From The Neck Up; How Large Thou Art; "N" The City; The Victors; TV Shows On TV Shows)TJ found himself leading five clues into Double Jeopardy after both Laura and Steven zeroed out on incorrect True Daily Double attempts. TJ picked up 10 correct himself in Double Jeopardy to hold on to that lead, but Steven was still in with a chance entering Final Jeopardy. On that second board, Steven went 3/5 in From The Neck Up and How Large Thou Art, while TJ went 4/5 in people named Victor.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
TJ 16 correct 0 incorrectSteven 23 correct 2 incorrect
Laura 7 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 8 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
TJ $13,800Steven $8,400
Laura $1,600
Nobody was correct on this Final, with all three players thinking it was a more direct mineral reference than oil. Thus, TJ is a finalist thanks to his lead entering Final Jeopardy.
Tonight's results:
Laura $1,600 - $1,599 = $1 (Who is DeBeers?)Steven $8,400 - $5,404 = $2,996 (Who is De Beers?)
TJ $13,800 - $3,001 = $10,799 (Who is
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) BOOK IT $600 (clue #18)Laura 200 +1000 (Steven 4200 TJ 3000)
2) "N" THE CITY $1600 (clue #1)
Laura 2000 -2000 (Steven 6200 TJ 3400)
3) FROM THE NECK UP $1200 (clue #5, $28800 left on board)
Steven 9400 -9400 (Laura 0 TJ 3400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -100
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Laura 4 4 5 3*Steven 4 3 5 4 5 3
TJ 4 4 3 5 3 5 5 3
DJ! Round:
Laura 4* 5†Steven 3 3 3*
TJ
† - selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
TJ 4.00Steven 3.67
Laura 4.17
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:
TJ $13,800 Coryat, 16 correct, 0 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)Steven $17,800 Coryat, 23 correct, 2 incorrect, 42.11% in first on buzzer (24/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Laura $3,200 Coryat, 7 correct, 3 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Combined Coryat Score: $34,800
Lach Trash: $13,200 (on 12 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $6,000
Lead Changes: 2
Times Tied: 1
Player Statistics:
Laura Faddah, career statistics:
155 correct, 34 incorrect13/13 on rebound attempts (on 42 rebound opportunities)
28.01% in first on buzzer (156/557)
6/10 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,400)
3/10 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,480
Steven Olson, career statistics:
177 correct, 31 incorrect5/9 on rebound attempts (on 21 rebound opportunities)
44.70% in first on buzzer (177/396)
12/15 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $17,800)
4/7 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,257
TJ Fisher, career statistics:
188 correct, 39 incorrect4/8 on rebound attempts (on 27 rebound opportunities)
42.98% in first on buzzer (196/456)
12/15 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $23,200)
1/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,700
Andy's Thoughts:
- I'm sure that a lot of people who are too results-oriented will debate Steven's Daily Double betting choice. As I always say, Daily Doubles are easier than Final Jeopardy, and so if there is a clue you want to hinge your win chances on, being that a conservative bet on DD3 could have led to TJ coming back to within two-thirds of your score, it's the Daily Double. It's the same as with any other sport—Denver going for it in the second quarter of the 2026 AFC Championship Game against New England instead of kicking the field goal, which took place three days before this game originally aired, is an example of how a similar discourse permeates the world of sports.
- Today's J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: TJ $13,800 Steven $8,400 Laura $1,600)Laura: You need two overbets to have any chance. Bet whatever you like, as there's no monetary difference between second and third today. (Actual bet: $1,599)
Steven: To have any chance of victory, bet at least $2,400. (Actual bet: $5,404)
TJ: Standard cover bet is $3,001. (Actual bet: $3,001)
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