recaps
Today’s Final Jeopardy answer (in the category Island Names) and a recap of the Wednesday, August 26, 2026 game between TJ Fisher, Paolo Pasco, and Scott Riccardi.
Today's Final Jeopardy - Wednesday, August 26, 2026
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)
Jeopardy! Masters Standings
(through 1 episode)
1) Victoria Groce, 3 points, 1 win, 30 correct responses, $23,000 Coryat Score, $24,800 earned before Final Jeopardy
2) Paolo Pasco, 3 points, 1 win, 23 correct responses, $16,800 Coryat Score, $18,300 earned before Final Jeopardy
3) Yogesh Raut, 1 points, 0 wins, 14 correct responses, $8,600 Coryat Score, $8,600 earned before Final Jeopardy
4) Long Nguyen, 1 points, 0 wins, 8 correct responses, $6,000 Coryat Score, $6,800 earned before Final Jeopardy
5) Andrew He, 0 points, 0 wins, 16 correct responses, $2,200 Coryat Score, $2,200 earned before Final Jeopardy
6) Juveria Zaheer, 0 points, 0 wins, 13 correct responses, $7,400 Coryat Score, $12,400 earned before Final Jeopardy
Upcoming Encore Presentations
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)
August 31: S42 E111 (February 9, 2026)
September 1: S42 E112 (February 10, 2026)
September 2: S42 E113 (February 11, 2026)
September 3: S42 E114 (February 12, 2026)
September 4: S42 E115 (February 13, 2026)
September 5-6: S41 E144 (March 27, 2025)
September 7: S42 E116 (February 16, 2026)
September 8: S42 E117 (February 17, 2026)
September 9: S42 E118 (February 18, 2026)
September 10: S42 E119 (February 19, 2026)
September 11: S42 E120 (February 20, 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 $1,098,403
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
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the August 26, 2026, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that today's game is an encore presentation of the game that originally aired on February 4, 2026.
Here's today's Final Jeopardy (in the category Island Names) for Wednesday, August 26, 2026 (Season 42, Game 108):
This archipelago got its name in 1493 in honor of St. Ursula & her followers
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today's Jeopardy! contestants:
Paolo enters today's game with 2 wins; Scott and TJ both have 0.
Andy's Pregame Thoughts:
The same reason why I post recaps of encore presentations, especially during the summer—because the episodes are new to a lot of fans—is the same reason why a small number of fans are upset these days, as there's an overlap between these reruns and Jeopardy! Masters, which is featuring the winner of this tournament. I'm not entirely sure what the show could have done here, though—as I've said before, the summer encore presentations, scheduled for when fewer people as a whole are watching television, are still important from the business side of the show in order to get a second helping of ad revenue to offset the extra production costs required to put on these tournaments. That being said, today's encore presentation is Game 3 of the Tournament of Champions final between Paolo Pasco (already on 2 wins), Scott Riccardi, and TJ Fisher.
Looking ahead to Season 43 as well—Season 43 starts September 14—I think it would probably be a reasonably good idea for the show to put out an episode of Inside Jeopardy to talk about what's happening when it comes to next season, just because I think there's always better fan discourse when everyone has the opportunity to be on the same page about things.
I should also point out that Episode 2 of Jeopardy! Masters airs tonight at 8:00 (7:00 Central) on ABC; Canadian viewers should check their local listings tonight as air time is very dependent on location this evening. I also want to say that regular Jeopardy! and Jeopardy! Masters are separate shows and that Masters does not air when and where you'd watch the show regularly.
(Content continues below)
My friends over at Geeks Who Drink have a daily trivia game—Thrice! Existing to make daily clever trivia content accessible to a wide audience, it's a daily challenge that tries to get you to the answer via three separate clues. It has a shareable score functionality to challenge your friends and new questions every day will give you a new daily social ritual. You can find it at thricegame.com.
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!
You can now listen to Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy! episodes from TuneIn Radio without leaving The Jeopardy! Fan — listen now!
Correct response: What are the Virgin Islands?
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.)
When Christopher Columbus sailed past the Leeward Islands in 1493, he chose to name a number of the islands in the area the Virgin Islands in honour of Saint Ursula and her holy virgin followers.
I like this as a Tournament of Champions-level Final; 1493 should put people in the right area of the world, while the knowledge of St. Ursula is something I would consider to be ToC-level.
Game Recap & Tonight's Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here's the Wednesday, August 26, 2026 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Infection: Staff; Breaking In; Prefixes & Word Parts; Peninsulas; Business In The Front; Party In The Back)Scott found the Daily Double early, using it to jump into the early lead. After 15 clues, the scores were Scott $3,200 Paolo $2,000 TJ $1,800.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Scott 4 correct 0 incorrectPaolo 4 correct 0 incorrect
TJ 4 correct 1 incorrect
Today's interviews:
TJ would like to thank his friends who teach him things every day.Paolo would like to thank his family, friends, and girlfriends.
Scott would like to think his parents, brothers, and best friends.
Paolo did well after the break to pull closer to Scott, although Scott's pair of high-value correct responses gave him the lead after 30. On the opening board, Scott went 3/5 in peninsulas, TJ went 3/5 in prefixes, and Paolo went 4/5 in parties.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Scott 6 correct 0 incorrectPaolo 10 correct 0 incorrect
TJ 9 correct 4 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Scott $5,000Paolo $4,200
TJ $2,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: What A Concept; Old Times; Alliterative People; Get A Load Of This Pair; Gimme A Letter!; Unsatisfying Literary Endings)Paolo picked up 16 correct, as well as $13,400 on Daily Doubles on back-to-back clues, to cruise to a third runaway in three games with a dozen clues to play. In that round, he went 4/5 in old times and 3/5 in alliterative people and pairs.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Paolo 26 correct 0 incorrectScott 10 correct 1 incorrect
TJ 13 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 8 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Paolo $33,200Scott $7,400
TJ $5,800
All three players punted Final Jeopardy as Paolo is your $250,000 winner! TJ and Scott get $75,000 apiece.
Tonight's results:
TJ $5,800 - $1,601 = $4,199 (What am I going to do with my time now that studying's done?)Scott $7,400 - $4,600 = $2,800 (What is Congrats Paolo!)
Paolo $33,200 - $143 = $33,057 (What an incredible ride with the best ToC group I could ask for. <3 you all!) (3 wins)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) PENINSULAS $800 (clue #2)Scott 1000 +1000 (Paolo 0 TJ 0)
2) GET A LOAD OF THIS PAIR $1600 (clue #9)
Paolo 9400 +7400 (Scott 6600 TJ 3800)
3) WHAT A CONCEPT $1200 (clue #10, $21600 left on board)
Paolo 16800 +6000 (Scott 6600 TJ 3800)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 214
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Scott 5 4*Paolo
TJ
DJ! Round:
Scott 4Paolo 4 5 4 3 3 4* 3*
TJ 3 3
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Paolo 3.71TJ 3.00
Scott 4.33
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 8 (0.07 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Paolo $22,600 Coryat, 26 correct, 0 incorrect, 40.35% in first on buzzer (23/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)TJ $5,800 Coryat, 13 correct, 4 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Scott $7,200 Coryat, 10 correct, 1 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $35,600
Lach Trash: $13,600 (on 11 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $4,800
Lead Changes: 5
Times Tied: 2
Player Statistics:
Scott Riccardi, career statistics:
543 correct, 46 incorrect34/37 on rebound attempts (on 89 rebound opportunities)
39.47% in first on buzzer (495/1254)
28/35 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $85,800)
15/22 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,000
Paolo Pasco, career statistics:
314 correct, 19 incorrect15/16 on rebound attempts (on 56 rebound opportunities)
37.92% in first on buzzer (281/741)
21/23 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $86,400)
8/13 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,846
TJ Fisher, career statistics:
227 correct, 54 incorrect5/10 on rebound attempts (on 33 rebound opportunities)
39.07% in first on buzzer (245/627)
12/15 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $23,200)
2/11 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,800
Andy's Thoughts:
- Today's runaway game means that wagering suggestions will not be posted.
- Today's J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
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