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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Warning: This page contains spoilers for the February 19, 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 noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category World of First Names) for Thursday, February 19, 2026 (Season 42, Game 119):
Like an English-language one, this German first name of a physicist of sound & a 1930s film director means “serious”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Andrew He, a stay-at-home dad from Concord, California (1 win)
Long Nguyen, a retired engineer from Las Vegas, Nevada (0 wins)
Roger Craig, an applied scientist originally from Johnstown, Pennsylvania (0 wins)
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Yesterday, Andrew He picked up victory #1 in the first-to-two-wins final against Long Nguyen and Roger Craig. That means he’s only one victory away from the $150,000 first prize. While he’s just over 65% to win overall, he’s only about 35% to win Game 2—things are still very close between all three of our finalists.
One thing that I’d like to say, because it came up yesterday over on Facebook: the format for the next Jeopardy! Masters is still to be confirmed. Thus, while format speculation is more than okay, presenting speculative fields as though they are the actual field, before that field is confirmed, is inappropriate. That does also mean that only the ToC and JIT winners should be presumed to be in the field until the field is confirmed later.
(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 Ernst?
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.)
The German name “Ernst”, similar to an English “Ernest”, is a name meaning “serious” or “resolute” according to many baby name meaning websites. It is provided the first name of physicist Ernst Mach (famous for the Mach number, measuring an object’s speed relative to the speed of sound) and director Ernst Lubitsch, 3-time Best Director Oscar nominee between 1928 and 1943. Lubitsch’s best-known works include 1939’s Ninotchka and 1943’s Heaven Can Wait.
I think this is an important distinction that the clue writers made today: The first name Ernst is from the German language. It does not necessarily mean that the people in question are German (Mach was Austrian—but they speak German in Austria.) Yes, this could trip someone up—but I think that’s part of the inherent difficulty of this clue. Certainly, I’m sure some will have the debate later as to whether this should be a thing when it comes to the writing, but the name is from the German language, not necessarily the people involved.
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Game Recap:
Long Nguyen got off to the best start in this potential elimination game, getting 3 correct responses off rebounds, as well as the Daily Double, as he took a good-sized lead into the midway point of the game.
The Double Jeopardy Round saw Long double up early, but a good run from Andrew—including the last Daily Double—meant that things weren’t a runaway, but Andrew had to be correct and Long incorrect in order for the tournament to end.
Despite Roger’s wish in his Final Jeopardy response, Long was not correct in Final Jeopardy. That said, neither was Andrew—which means Long takes Game 2 and we get a Game 3 tomorrow.
Scores going into Final:
Long $21,600
Andrew $12,800
Roger $5,200
Tonight’s results:
Roger $5,200 + $0 = $5,200 (What is I hope Long writes “Ernst”!?)
Andrew $12,800 – $12,733 = $67 (What is Heinrich?)
Long $21,600 – $4,001 = $17,599 (What is Henrich?) (1 win)
Chances of winning tournament:
Andrew He: 46.837%
Long Nguyen: 41.531%
Roger Craig: 11.632%
Chances of 3 games: 65.730%
Chances of 4 games: 34.270%
Game Stats:
Long $13,400 Coryat, 16 correct, 0 incorrect, 17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57), 4/4 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
Roger $5,200 Coryat, 15 correct, 7 incorrect, 35.09% in first on buzzer (20/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Andrew $11,600 Coryat, 15 correct, 2 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $30,200
Andy’s Thoughts:
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Long $21,600 Andrew $12,800 Roger $5,200)
Roger: Long has to overbet significantly for you to have a chance. Do whatever you like. (Actual bet: $0)
Long: Standard cover bet is $4,001. (Actual bet: $4,001)
Andrew: You have to be correct—and Long incorrect—to win. Thus, you might as well go all in. (Actual bet: $12,733)
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