recaps
Today’s Final Jeopardy answer (in the category Historic Zoology) and statistics for the Thursday, October 1, 2026 game between Elizabeth Severs, Rian Robertson, and 1-day champion Kristin Franke.
Today's Final Jeopardy - Thursday, October 1, 2026
Current Champion
Greg Monson, career statistics:
18 correct, 5 incorrect
4/4 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,800)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,400
To win:
2 games: 56.855%
3: 32.325%
4: 18.378%
5: 10.449%
6: 5.941%
Avg. streak: 2.318 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)
Upcoming Encore Presentations
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 2026)
October 17-18: S42 E177 (May 12, 2026)
October 24-25: S42 E178 (May 13, 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
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the October 1, 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 12:30 PM Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here's today's Final Jeopardy (in the category Historic Zoology) for Thursday, October 1, 2026 (Season 43, Game 14):
Described when first encountered in 1835, this species "must have weight at least 200 pounds…gave a deep hiss, & drew In its head"
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today's Jeopardy! contestants:
Kristin enters today's game as a 1-day champion with winnings of $8,900.
Andy's Pregame Thoughts:
Kristin Franke is your new Jeopardy! champion, having won $8,900 in yesterday's game. Today, she faces off against Elizabeth Severs of North Carolina and your first Canadian of the season, Rian Robertson of Ottawa.
For the third consecutive day, there will be Major League Baseball-related preemptions of Jeopardy! in some markets today, but because there is only the one MLB playoff game this evening, it will only affect the Mountain and Pacific time zones today. Check your local listings for the updated air time, or Matt Carberry's Google Sheet.
(Content continues below)
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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!
Correct response: What is the Galápagos tortoise?
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 Galápagos tortoise, seen and described by Charles Darwin on his famous voyage to the islands in the mid-1830s; in fact, the islands were named by the Spanish because galápago is Spanish for "tortoise". The species played a role in the development of his theory of evolution, although Darwin didn't quite realize ths until later. Being plentiful, the specimens taken from the island were used as a Pacific food source and not scientific study, but it was later noted that tortoises from different islands had different characteristics, namely that "the tortoises from James Island are rounder, blacker, and have a better taste when cooked." Darwin also noted that "I never dreamed that islands, about fifty or sixty miles apart, and most of them in sight of each other, formed of precisely the same rocks, placed under a quite similar climate, rising to a nearly equal height, would have been differently tenanted." Essentially, each island appeared to have a slightly different subspecies of tortoise.
Personally, I do think that remembering the category ("Historic Zoology") and thinking of potential responses over the break might be helpful to getting today's Final Jeopardy clue correct.
Game Recap:
There are two important things that Jeopardy! contestants need to remember when it comes to Daily Doubles: firstly, they are absolutely never both in the same category in Double Jeopardy; secondly, they show up so rarely in the $400 box that it is foolhardy to look for them there. Remembering these rules, Elizabeth Severs found herself in a situation where BY THE NUMBERS $2000 was the only possible place left for the last Daily Double to be housed—but she made three clue selections after that point. Needless to say, when Rian Robertson regained control of the board, he immediately went there, betting just $100, essentially taking away both Elizabeth's and Kristin Franke's only remaining chance to break Rian's runaway.
Rian having that runaway game was crucial once Final Jeopardy came around, as he was the only player incorrect in Final Jeopardy, but his runaway game made him the new champion. He'll be back tomorrow to defend his title.
Scores going into Final:
Rian $18,900Kristin $8,000
Elizabeth $6,800
Tonight's results:
Elizabeth $6,800 + $4,000 = $10,800 (What is Galapagos Tortoise?)Kristin $8,000 + $5,601 = $13,601 (What is the
Rian $18,900 - $2,800 = $16,100 (What is Anaconda?) (1-day total: $16,100)
Game Stats:
Rian $16,600 Coryat, 20 correct, 4 incorrect, 35.09% in first on buzzer (20/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)Kristin $8,000 Coryat, 14 correct, 2 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Elizabeth $6,800 Coryat, 12 correct, 2 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $31,400
If you are looking for more detailed statistics about today's game of Jeopardy!, as well as the ability to leave a comment, make sure to check out the Daily Details section.
Rian Robertson, to win:
2 games: 67.572%3: 45.660%
4: 30.853%
5: 20.848%
6: 14.087%
Avg. streak: 3.084 games.
Andy's Thoughts:
Today's J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Rian $18,900 Kristin $8,000 Elizabeth $6,800)
Kristin: You can't win, but there's an extra $1,000 at play for second. Standard cover bet today over Elizabeth is $5,601. (Actual bet: $5,601)
Rian: Bet no more than $2,899 and enjoy the title of Jeopardy! champion. (Actual bet: $2,800)
Elizabeth: As with Kristin, an extra $1,000 is at play here for second. Your best chance of that happening comes with a bet between $2,401 (in case Kristin bets small) and $4,399. (Actual bet: $4,000)
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