Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, May 2, 2024

Current Champion

Nikolas Polsinelli, career statistics:
44 correct, 6 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
35.96% in first on buzzer (41/114)
4/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,500

To win:
3 games: 64.111%
4: 41.102%
5: 26.351%
6: 16.894%
7: 10.831%
Avg. streak: 3.786 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)

Upcoming Encore Presentations

September 26-27: S42 E174 (May 7, 2026)
October 3-4: S42 E175 (May 8, 2026)
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 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

Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Countries with Space Programs) for Thursday, May 2, 2024 (Season 40, Game 169):

It launched its first satellite, Asterix, in 1965

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Sarah Hardy, a pediatrician from Hot Springs, Arkansas

Angelus Kocoshis, an attorney & flower farmer from Muncie, Indiana

Weckiai Rannila, an engineer from Albuquerque, New Mexico (1-day total: $9,999)

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Talk of a “five-game curse” has already begun after our first two regular-play 5-time champions in Season 40 could not win game #6. Yesterday, Amy Hummel stumbled on the Daily Doubles as Weckiai Rannila became our new Jeopardy! champion. Today, she faces off against Angelus Kocoshis and Sarah Hardy in her first title defense.

I have an occasional 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!

Correct response: What is France?

More information about Final Jeopardy:

(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2024 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)

I always have a soft spot for Final Jeopardy! clues that use as few characters as possible. With the launch of Astérix in 1965, France became the sixth country to have an artificial satellite in space, after the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy. While the satellite was originally designated A-1, the French press named the satellite Astérix after the famous French comics character.

Another colonial tidbit: While the current European Space Agency launch site is in French territory, in French Guiana in South America, Astérix was launched from the former French colony of Algeria; in fact, the French continued to operate a rocket launch site at Hammaguir, Algeria for another five years after Algerian independence was granted.

I personally think that this will play relatively straightforwardly for our players and the home audience today, which always leads me to give the following statement: Easier Final Jeopardy clues are important, as the risk of an easy Final Jeopardy is a major reason why leaders continue to have an incentive to bet to win in the final round.

In order to redesign our merchandise area to serve you better in 2026, all merchandise sales have been temporarily taken offline. Look for a return in late 2026! All previous orders will still be supported.

Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, May 2, 2024 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: A View Of The City; Celebrity Siblings; Diaries & Journals; Stock Symbols; You Gotta Have Heart; 1950s Talk)

Angelus got off to a strong start, but he fell back to $0 after a missed Daily Double. Weckiai found her buzzer timing just before the break and she jumped into the lead with $4,600; Sarah sat second at $2,800 while Angelus was third at $1,800.

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Weckiai 6 correct 0 incorrect
Sarah 3 correct 0 incorrect
Angelus 5 correct 1 incorrect

Today’s interviews:

Sarah is a community pediatrician.
Angelus auditioned for the show the day after appendicitis.
Weckiai was a D&D Dungeon Master for a group of young mothers.

Weckiai finished a combined-29-correct-response round with five more correct responses to stay in the lead.

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Weckiai 11 correct 0 incorrect
Angelus 12 correct 1 incorrect
Sarah 6 correct 0 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Weckiai $6,600
Angelus $4,200
Sarah $3,800

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Literary North Carolina; The Greats Of History; Physics; Fast &/Or Furious; The Girl In The Song; Word Origins)

Angelus got to both Daily Doubles in this one; however, he split them; in all, 8 incorrect responses and 7 Triple Stumpers in the round led to an unplayed clue at the end as Weckiai led; Sarah was at 60% of Weckiai’s score going into Final.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Weckiai 20 correct 2 incorrect
Sarah 11 correct 1 incorrect
Angelus 19 correct 6 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 10 (1 today).

Scores going into Final:

Weckiai $15,000
Sarah $9,000
Angelus $4,600

Final Jeopardy was a triple get; Weckiai is now a 2-day champion, winnings $28,000!

Tonight’s results:

Angelus $4,600 + $0 = $4,600 (What is France?)
Sarah $9,000 + $8,999 = $17,999 (What is France?)
Weckiai $15,000 + $3,001 = $18,001 (What is France?) (2-day total: $28,000)

Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) DIARIES & JOURNALS $1000 (clue #8)
Angelus 2400 -2400 (Weckiai 1400 Sarah 1800)
2) THE GREATS OF HISTORY $1600 (clue #4)
Angelus 3400 +3400 (Weckiai 6600 Sarah 5400)
3) WORD ORIGINS $800 (clue #15, $12000 left on board)
Angelus 8400 -5000 (Weckiai 10200 Sarah 7400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -60

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Weckiai 3 3 4
Angelus 4 5 5*
Sarah 4 5

DJ! Round:
Weckiai 5 4 5 4
Angelus 4* 3 4 3 2*
Sarah 3 4 5 5 4 5

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Weckiai 4.00
Sarah 4.38
Angelus 3.75

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: THE GIRL IN THE SONG $400
Total Left On Board: $400
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 10 (0.06 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Weckiai $15,000 Coryat, 20 correct, 2 incorrect, 39.29% in first on buzzer (22/56), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Sarah $9,000 Coryat, 11 correct, 1 incorrect, 17.86% in first on buzzer (10/56), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Angelus $10,200 Coryat, 19 correct, 6 incorrect, 35.71% in first on buzzer (20/56), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $34,200
Lach Trash: $9,200 (on 7 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $10,200
Lead Changes: 6
Times Tied: 1

Player Statistics:

Weckiai Rannila, career statistics:

42 correct, 8 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
40.71% in first on buzzer (46/113)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,200

Angelus Kocoshis, career statistics:

20 correct, 6 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
35.71% in first on buzzer (20/56)
1/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$4,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,200

Sarah Hardy, career statistics:

12 correct, 1 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
17.86% in first on buzzer (10/56)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,000

Weckiai Rannila, to win:

3 games: 43.614%
4: 19.022%
5: 8.296%
6: 3.618%
7: 1.578%
Avg. streak: 2.773 games.

Andy’s Thoughts:

• Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Weckiai $15,000 Sarah $9,000 Angelus $4,600)

Weckiai: Cover bet over Sarah is $3,001. (Actual bet: $3,001)

Angelus: I would bet somewhere between $1,401 and $1,599 here—this would pass Sarah on any of her viable bets, while also staying ahead of her if she makes a larger bet (of at least $6,000) to pass Weckiai’s pre-Final Jeopardy total. (Actual bet: $0)

Sarah: While going all in from this position is never a bad idea, there is a battle for second to worry about. I would consider betting between $3,000 and $4,399 to pass Weckiai in case she’s incorrect and force Angelus to be correct and make a wager to pass you. (Actual bet: $8,999)

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