recaps
Season 39
Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, October 20, 2022
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the October 20, 2022 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.
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
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 International Borders) for Thursday, October 20, 2022 (Season 39, Game 29):
2 of the 3 countries that share land borders with Russia & China
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Molly Karol, a CPA from Austin, Texas
Molly’s semi-final: Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Jessica Stephens, a statistical research specialist from Nashville, Tennessee
Jessica’s semi-final: Monday, October 17, 2022
James Fraser, a Naval aviator from Newport Beach, California
James’s semi-final: Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
We are now at the first of two finals in the first-ever Jeopardy! Second Chance competition (brought to you by Moderna). Yes, boosters are important in the fight against COVID, and bivalent boosters are now available. Please get them.
Over the first three days of this tournament, Jessica Stephens, Molly Karol, and James Fraser all made it out of the semifinals; the winner after tomorrow will get a spot in the Tournament of Champions, starting October 31! My prediction model has James as the favorite to win over the next two days—Wednesday’s game was especially strong against a player (Pam Schoenberg) that many fans had thought was going to win herself. James is a very strong player at the bottom of the board and was certainly overlooked by many coming into this competition. However, absolutely anything can happen—as I heard on ESPN’s NFL coverage many a time during my formative years, “that’s why they play the games.” All three of Jessica, Molly, and James have a chance to win this match, and I suspect that it will be close!
For those who might not be as familiar with how a two-game total point final works, the scores from the first game are reset to zero at the start of the second, but added back at the conclusion of the second game to determine the ultimate winner. That means that strategy is changed slightly from the regular single-game matches, as Final Jeopardy! on Day 1 plays more like a Daily Double available to all contestants, and the math is more difficult on Day 2’s Final Jeopardy’s betting.
PSA: The best way to keep COVID-19 at bay (and keep Jeopardy! producing new episodes) is for everybody to get their vaccinations as soon as they can, including any boosters as recommended. When wearing a mask, please ensure that your mask covers both your nose and your mouth.
(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.
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Correct response: What are (2 of) Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and North Korea?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2022 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
Looking at a map of Asia, two of these are much more obvious than the third; both Kazakhstan and Mongolia share significant borders with both Russia and China. However, there is a tiny portion near the mouth of the Tumen River (near its entry into the Sea of Japan) that is a land border between Russia and North Korea. There is also a railroad border crossing, near Tumangang, North Korea and Khasan, Russia—the Pont de l’Amitié, marked by the Korea–Russia Friendship House.
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Game Recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Southern Cities; Phobias; A Matter Of Wife & Death; 4-Letter Food & Drink; Strong Words; Medical Drama)
Jessica got out to a great start, finding the Daily Double and playing very well at the top of the board. James, however, played very well at the bottom of the board to keep pace; there was only one Triple Stumper the entire round!
Statistics at the first break (16 clues):
James 7 correct 0 incorrect
Jessica 7 correct 0 incorrect
Molly 2 correct 0 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Jessica 14 correct 0 incorrect
James 10 correct 0 incorrect
Molly 5 correct 0 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Historical Wear; Poets & Poetry; It Has A Name; Crossword Clues “M”; There’s A Sequel; Medical Drama)
The extremely strong play continued in Double Jeopardy!; James found both Daily Doubles and continued his weird betting on Daily Doubles—hopefully, this doesn’t mess up the math for him tomorrow—as he got 1 of them correct. Molly and Jessica had strong rounds as well, but it was James who led into Final. Going into Final, James had $19,930, Jessica $15,600, and Molly $10,400.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
James 20 correct 2 incorrect
Jessica 22 correct 0 incorrect
Molly 14 correct 1 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 8 (0 today).
All 3 players both got the Final correct and made healthy wagers—things will be very interesting tomorrow!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, October 20, 2022, Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
James $19,930
Jessica $15,600
Molly $10,400
Tonight’s results:
Molly $10,400 + $5,200 = $15,600 (What are Mongolia & North Korea?)
Jessica $15,600 + $13,000 = $28,600 (What are Mongolia & Kazakhstan?)
James $19,930 + $10,999 = $30,929 (What are Mongolia + North Korea)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Jessica $7,600
James $7,000
Molly $2,800
Opening break taken after: 16 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) SOUTHERN CITIES $600 (clue #3)
Jessica 800 +1000 (James 1000 Molly 0)
2) HISTORICAL WEAR $1600 (clue #5)
James 6600 +4699 (Jessica 7600 Molly 4400)
3) POETS & POETRY $2000 (clue #11, $20400 left on board)
James 16899 -2569 (Jessica 7600 Molly 4800)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 156
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 8 (0.28 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
James $19,400 Coryat, 20 correct, 2 incorrect, 35.09% in first on buzzer (20/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 0 rebound opportunities)
Jessica $15,200 Coryat, 22 correct, 0 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Molly $10,400 Coryat, 14 correct, 1 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Combined Coryat Score: $45,000
Lach Trash: $3,800 (on 3 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $5,200
James Fraser, career statistics:
65 correct, 7 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
45.32% in first on buzzer (63/139)
3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,829)
2/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,533
Jessica Stephens, career statistics:
57 correct, 2 incorrect
4/4 on rebound attempts (on 12 rebound opportunities)
29.24% in first on buzzer (50/171)
2/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,500)
3/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,267
Molly Karol, career statistics:
52 correct, 11 incorrect
6/8 on rebound attempts (on 14 rebound opportunities)
28.65% in first on buzzer (49/171)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $13,000)
2/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,467
Today’s interviews:
Molly feels incredible to make the finals.
Jessica prepared by taking improv classes.
James has colleagues who were surprised to hear James had been invited back.
Prediction for tomorrow:
After 100,000 simulations, we predict:
James:
1st: 60.192% of the time.
2nd: 32.385% of the time.
3rd: 7.423% of the time.
Jessica:
1st: 32.759% of the time.
2nd: 51.300% of the time.
3rd: 15.941% of the time.
Molly:
1st: 7.049% of the time.
2nd: 16.315% of the time.
3rd: 76.636% of the time.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Because anything earned tomorrow in Final Jeopardy! can be doubled, James’s “effective lead” is $1,164.50 over Jessica and $7,664.50 over Molly.
Today’s box score: October 20, 2022 Box Score.
- Wagering suggestions will not be posted as today’s Final Jeopardy! situation is effectively a Daily Double.
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