Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, September 22, 2022

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 Pop Culture) for Thursday, September 22, 2022 (Season 39, Game 9):

In 2011 Leland, Mississippi, where Jim Henson grew up, honored Henson & his Muppets by renaming a bridge this, also a song title

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Michael Menkhus, a data analyst from Kansas City, Missouri

Lynda Tsuboi, a communications specialist from New York, New York

Martha Bath, a retired CPA from Seattle, Washington (1-day total: $30,800)

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Martha Bath—who was on the Art Fleming version of Jeopardy! 50 years ago—made the most of her 2022 appearance on the current version, winning over $30,000 in last night’s episode! Today, her challengers are Lynda Tsuboi and Michael Menkhus.

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.

If you appreciate the work I do here on The Jeopardy! Fan and would like to make a one-time contribution to the site, you may do so here!

Correct response: What is The Rainbow Connection?

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.)

Leland, Mississippi—population 4,000—honored hometown hero Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, by renaming a bridge near his childhood home after “The Rainbow Connection”, a famous song from the 1979 The Muppet Movie. The bridge was named in September 2011 to honor what would have been Henson’s 75th birthday.

We have many new offerings at The Jeopardy! Fan Online Store! Proceeds from the sale of the “Doctor Oz’s Fast-Acting Snake Oil Elixir” T-shirt are being donated to The Trevor Project:

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:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Better Moments In History; Children’s Books; Farming; Must Be Nice; Movie Title References; Change One Letter Word Pairs)

Martha got out to the best start, picking up 7 correct before the first break! Michael charged back in the second half of the round with 8 correct himself! Martha held a lead after 30 clues, though!

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Martha 7 correct 0 incorrect
Michael 4 correct 1 incorrect
Lynda 3 correct 1 incorrect

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Martha 11 correct 0 incorrect
Michael 12 correct 3 incorrect
Lynda 5 correct 1 incorrect

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Geography Via Kokomo; In My Autobiography; Humans In Space; Old Fashioned; Beyonce Songs; Sounds Just Like An Animal)

Aggressive Daily Double play was the order of the day today, as Michael dropped $4,000 on the first one. He definitely wasn’t “once bitten, twice shy”, though, as he did what he needed to on the second one—betting $8,000 of his $9,000 score to take the lead with 4 clues to play, holding onto that lead going into Final. I was very impressed with Michael’s “endgame” play! Scores going into Final were Michael at $18,600, Martha at $15,600, and Lynda at $3,200!

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Michael 24 correct 7 incorrect
Martha 19 correct 0 incorrect
Lynda 7 correct 1 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 4 (0 today).

All 3 players got Final correct today, and Michael bet enough to become champ! He finishes the week out tomorrow!

Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, September 22, 2022 Jeopardy! by the numbers:

Scores going into Final:

Michael $18,600
Martha $15,600
Lynda $3,200

Tonight’s results:

Lynda $3,200 + $2,200 = $5,400 (What is Rainbow Connection?)
Martha $15,600 + $10,500 = $26,100 (What is the Rainbow Connection?)
Michael $18,600 + $12,601 = $31,201 (What is the Rainbow Connection?) (1-day total: $31,201)

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Martha $7,200
Michael $5,000
Lynda $2,000

Opening break taken after: 15 clues

Daily Double locations:

1) CHILDREN’S BOOKS $800 (clue #5)
Martha 1200 +1200 (Lynda 200 Michael 400)
2) IN MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY $2000 (clue #11)
Michael 8200 -4000 (Martha 11600 Lynda 2000)
3) HUMANS IN SPACE $800 (clue #26, $4400 left on board)
Michael 9000 +8000 (Martha 15600 Lynda 2400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 140

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 4 (0.44 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Michael $15,400 Coryat, 24 correct, 7 incorrect, 50.88% in first on buzzer (29/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Martha $15,200 Coryat, 19 correct, 0 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 5/5 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Lynda $3,200 Coryat, 7 correct, 1 incorrect, 12.28% in first on buzzer (7/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $33,800
Lach Trash: $12,800 (on 9 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,400

Martha Bath, career statistics:

37 correct, 1 incorrect
9/9 on rebound attempts (on 14 rebound opportunities)
21.05% in first on buzzer (24/114)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $5,200)
2/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,300

Lynda Tsuboi, career statistics:

8 correct, 1 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
12.28% in first on buzzer (7/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $3,200

Michael Menkhus, career statistics:

25 correct, 7 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
50.88% in first on buzzer (29/57)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,400

Michael Menkhus, to win:

2 games: 60.106%
3: 36.127%
4: 21.714%
5: 13.052%
6: 7.845%
Avg. streak: 2.507 games.

Today’s interviews:

Michael took up the saxophone in the 6th grade and learned the Jeopardy! Think music.
Lynda went to Stonehenge for her honeymoon because of Spinal Tap.
Martha thought Art Fleming was wonderful.

Andy’s Thoughts:

• Today’s box score: September 22, 2022 Box Score.

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Michael $18,600 Martha $15,600 Lynda $3,200)

Martha: Bet at least $6,001, but no more than $9,199 to give you the best chance of winning. (Actual bet: $10,500)

Lynda: If Michael makes a cover bet and is incorrect, he falls to $5,999. Thus, you have to bet at least $2,801 to have any chance of winning. (Actual bet: $2,200)

Michael: Standard cover bet over Martha is $12,601. (Actual bet: $12,601)

---

Add The Jeopardy! Fan to your preferred sources on Google by clicking the button below!

Become a Supporter now! Make a monthly contribution to the site on Patreon!

Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com

When commenting, please note that all comments on The Jeopardy! Fan must be in compliance with the Site Comment Policy.

If you are going to quote any information from this page or this website, attribution is required.

Have you had a chance to listen to our podcast game show, Complete The List, yet? Check it out! It's also available on Apple Podcasts.

---