recaps
Season 40
Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, December 21, 2023
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the December 21, 2023, 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
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 12: S42 E98 (January 21, 2026)
August 13: S42 E99 (January 22, 2026)
August 14: S42 E100 (January 23, 2026)
August 15-16: S41 E141 (March 24, 2025)
August 17: S42 E101 (January 26, 2026)
August 18: S42 E105 (January 30, 2026)
August 19: S42 E102 (January 27, 2026)
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)
(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
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Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category From Page to Stage) for Thursday, December 21, 2023 (Season 40, Game 74):
The opera based on this 1993 memoir was staged at a prison for the first time in 2023, at Sing Sing with a chorus of 14 inmates
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Michael Vaz, a tutor from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Karen Morris, a veterinary student from Christiansburg, Virginia
Iris Masucci, a pharmacist from Rockville, Maryland
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Today is the third semifinal of Winter 2024’s first week of Second Chance. One of Iris Masucci, Karen Morris, and Michael Vaz will be facing off against Jason Carpenter and Juveria Zaheer in the week’s final. Of today’s three players, I think Karen is probably the most memorable, having gone viral for an unsuccessful Daily Double late in her initial appearance on the show. I’m sure she’s very much looking forward to the possibility of redemption!
I’ll be honest: I was hoping for UNION ACTIONS to be a category about organized labor; if J6 is any indication, it’s a category about the Civil War instead. That feels like a morning disappointment to me.
Another reminder that I have started a Sunday mailbag column where I answer fan & viewer questions regarding the show. If you have a question, feel free to send it to mailbag@thejeopardyfan.com!
(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.
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Correct response: What is Dead Man Walking?
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.)
As part of the Metropolitan Opera’s fall 2023 staging of Jake Heggie’s 2000 opera Dead Man Walking (libretto by Terrence McNally), based on Sister Helen Prejean’s 1993 memoir of the same name, a chorus of 14 inmates joined a group of Met singers in a one-night-only performance of the opera at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York.
The original work arises from Prejean’s work as a spiritual advisor to two convicted murderers on Death Row in Louisiana, and her subsequent realization that the death penalty was morally wrong. Following the publication of her memoir, she served as the National Chairperson of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and has served as a national leader in the fight against capital punishment in the United States.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, December 21, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: A Very Hallmark Christmas Movie; Book Tock; Triply Alliterative; Union Actions; Say, “Buster”; Legend Dairy)
The opening segment today saw Iris miss the Daily Double, but she still led after 15 clues. After the break, Karen jumped out of the negative and played well enough to lead after 30 clues.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Iris 5 correct 2 incorrect
Karen 1 correct 1 incorrect
Michael 3 correct 2 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Michael was a judge at the World Series of Board Games.
Karen heard from John Ratzenberger after her appearance.
Iris was at work when she got The Call.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Karen 10 correct 1 incorrect
Iris 7 correct 2 incorrect
Michael 7 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Karen $3,600
Iris $2,800
Michael $2,000
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Folklore & Legend; Sampling; First Ladies’ Maiden Names; Philosophy; Words & Their Changing Meanings; Eur”O”s)
Iris got to the round’s first Daily Double and gave a correct response just in time. Unfortunately, Michael ran into some Americana on his and fell to $0. Karen played well enough in the round to have a $2,700 lead going into Final!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Karen 17 correct 3 incorrect
Iris 13 correct 3 incorrect
Michael 15 correct 5 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Karen $10,400
Iris $7,700
Michael $2,000
Final Jeopardy today was a Triple Stumper, and Iris made a perfect bet to the dollar to advance to the final!
Tonight’s results:
Michael $2,000 – $0 = $2,000 (What is ?)
Iris $7,700 – $2,300 = $5,400 (What are the chances of a 3rd chance tourney?) (Finalist)
Karen $10,400 – $5,001 = $5,399 (What on earth???)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) TRIPLY ALLITERATIVE $1000 (clue #3)
Iris 600 -1000 (Karen 0 Michael 0)
2) WORDS & THEIR CHANGING MEANINGS $1600 (clue #3)
Iris 4000 +2500 (Karen 5200 Michael 2000)
3) FOLKLORE & LEGEND $2000 (clue #13, $17200 left on board)
Michael 4800 -4800 (Iris 9300 Karen 9200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -138
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Iris 3 4 5*
Karen
Michael
DJ! Round:
Iris 4* 5† 3 4 5 3
Karen 3 3 2 2
Michael 4 4 5*
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Iris 4.00
Karen 2.50
Michael 4.33
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:
Iris $7,800 Coryat, 13 correct, 3 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 0/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Karen $10,400 Coryat, 17 correct, 3 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Michael $6,800 Coryat, 15 correct, 5 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $25,000
Lach Trash: $14,600 (on 13 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $14,400
Lead Changes: 10
Times Tied: 6
Player Statistics:
Iris Masucci, career statistics:
30 correct, 6 incorrect
1/4 on rebound attempts (on 12 rebound opportunities)
23.68% in first on buzzer (27/114)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,500)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,800
Karen Morris, career statistics:
38 correct, 9 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
35.09% in first on buzzer (40/114)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$4,000)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,300
Michael Vaz, career statistics:
37 correct, 9 incorrect
1/3 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
33.33% in first on buzzer (38/114)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $800)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,000
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Kudos to Iris for her Final Jeopardy wager.
Today’s box score: December 21, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Karen $10,400 Iris $7,700 Michael $2,000)
Iris: Limit your bet to $2,300 and hope for Karen to get Final Jeopardy incorrect. (Actual bet: $2,300)
Karen: Standard cover bet over Iris is $5,001. (Actual bet: $5,001)
Michael: You have no chance unless Karen overbets. Bet whatever you like. (Actual bet: $0)
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