recaps
Today’s Final Jeopardy answer (in the category 1960s Novel Characters) and a recap of the Wednesday, September 2, 2026 game between Isaac Hirsch, Alison Betts, and Josh Hill.
Today's Final Jeopardy - Wednesday, September 2, 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 5 episodes)
1) Victoria Groce, 12 points, 4 wins, 138 correct responses, $99,800 Coryat Score, $91,400 earned before Final Jeopardy
2) Yogesh Raut, 11 points, 3 wins, 92 correct responses, $65,400 Coryat Score, $66,200 earned before Final Jeopardy
3) Paolo Pasco, 7 points, 1 win, 77 correct responses, $48,800 Coryat Score, $56,300 earned before Final Jeopardy
4) Long Nguyen, 5 points, 1 win, 59 correct responses, $36,600 Coryat Score, $41,200 earned before Final Jeopardy
5) Juveria Zaheer, 3 points, 1 win, 70 correct responses, $51,400 Coryat Score, $56,200 earned before Final Jeopardy
6) Andrew He, 2 point, 0 wins, 72 correct responses, $39,200 Coryat Score, $36,600 earned before Final Jeopardy
Upcoming Encore Presentations
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)
September 12-13: S41 E145 (March 28, 2025)
(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 September 2, 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 11, 2026.
Here's today's Final Jeopardy (in the category 1960s Novel Characters) for Wednesday, September 2, 2026 (Season 42, Game 113):
An article about autism in fictional characters included him, whose "'reward' is to have his brave act go unrecognized"
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today's Jeopardy! contestants:
Andy's Pregame Thoughts:
Today's "Regular Jeopardy" encore presentation features Quarterfinal #5 of the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament, and it was the game from this past season that I think went the most viral. The quarterfinal was between Josh Hill, Alison Betts, and Isaac Hirsch. While Isaac is returning from last season's Masters, Alison is also from the 32nd Tournament of Champions, having won 5 games in 2024. It's been a few years since we've seen Josh; he competed in the 28th edition of the event in 2019.
The final set of quarterfinals of Jeopardy! Masters also airs tonight at 8:00 / 7:00 Central on ABC.
(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: Who is Boo Radley?
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.)
In 2017's Why Your Next Favorite Fictional Protagonist Might Be on the Autism Spectrum, Donna Levin posited that Boo Radley from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird "may well be autistic"; near the end of the novel, Boo saves the lives of Scout and Jem in an altercation with Bob Ewell; Ewell had attacked Scout and Jem after Atticus Finch impeached Ewell's character in court. While Boo manages to save the children, the act went unrecognized, as the police elected to ignore Radley's intervention (and unaliving of Ewell) for Radley's own protection.
Final Jeopardy can be perfectly pinned and also not a particularly great clue; this Final Jeopardy basically hinges on a pretty obscure article from 2017. I think it needed at least one more hint to at least point the players in the general direction of the right work in order to be a good Final Jeopardy clue.
Game Recap & Tonight's Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here's the Wednesday, September 2, 2026 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Historic Orators; Book Smart; USA; Protection Projection; You're On A Role; Drop A Letter...)Alison got off to a rocket start, doubling up through the Daily Double on Clue #5 and taking an early lead. While Josh and Isaac clawed back a little bit, Alison still led after 15, with scores of Alison $4,200 Josh $2,800 Isaac $1,800.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Alison 5 correct 0 incorrectJosh 5 correct 0 incorrect
Isaac 4 correct 1 incorrect
Today's interviews:
Isaac bought the engagement ring like he said he would last time and is now engaged.Alison couldn't make her cousin's wedding because of the tournament.
Josh is part of a community to help train new players.
All three players played well after the break, as the scores were strong after 30 clues. On the opening board, Isaac went 3/5 in Book Smart and Alison went 3/5 in Drop A Letter.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Alison 9 correct 1 incorrectJosh 7 correct 1 incorrect
Isaac 9 correct 3 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Alison $5,400Josh $3,400
Isaac $3,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Asia: Back On Tour!; Art Of The Renaissance; I Need Some Space; Television; Side Hustle Parts Of Speech; You've Got A Point)Alison went for it on DD2; unfortunately, an incorrect response saw her lose $5,000 and drop to third. Even though things stayed tougher in Double Jeopardy, Josh made a move on DD3, going all in and doubling up. The battle ensued between Josh and Isaac, with Isaac picking up the last clue of the round to tie things entering Final Jeopardy.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Josh 12 correct 3 incorrectIsaac 18 correct 8 incorrect
Alison 13 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 8 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Josh $7,600Isaac $7,600
Alison $3,200
"I hope they both bet everything," Alison wrote down as her Final Jeopardy response, hoping that, in the tie game, both Josh and Isaac would go all in in order to defend against each other. And, both Isaac and Josh did in fact get Final Jeopardy incorrect and bet everything—meaning, Alison Betts is now a semifinalist!
Tonight's results:
Alison $3,200 - $414 = $2,786 (Who is I hope they both bet everything :)) (Semi-Finalist)Isaac $7,600 - $7,600 = $0 (Who is Randall?)
Josh $7,600 - $7,600 = $0 (Who is Caulfield?)
Wild card standings:
Quarterfinal #1: Matt Amodio, $18,800Quarterfinal #2: Roger Craig, $15,000
Quarterfinal #3: Drew Goins, $1,600
Quarterfinal #4: Andrew He, $10,801
Quarterfinal #5: Alison Betts, $2,786
1. Karen Farrell, $16,400, 100% to advance
2. Jen Giles, $8,400, 72.235% to advance
3. Drew Basile, $7,200, 16.913% to advance
4. Mehal Shah, $6,001
5. Liz Feltner, $1,599
6. T.L. Cubbage, $1
7. Josh Hill, $0 ($7,600, $3,400)
8. Isaac Hirsch, $0 ($7,600, $3,200)
9. Veronica Vichit-Vadakan, $0 ($7,200)
10. Eric Ahasic, $0 ($5,600)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) USA $800 (clue #5)Alison 2000 +2000 (Josh 200 Isaac 0)
2) SIDE HUSTLE PARTS OF SPEECH $1600 (clue #5)
Alison 6600 -5000 (Josh 3400 Isaac 3600)
3) ASIA: BACK ON TOUR! $1200 (clue #20, $6800 left on board)
Josh 3400 +3400 (Alison 2000 Isaac 3600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 124
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Josh 1 1Alison 4 5 4*
Isaac
DJ! Round:
Josh 4 5 5 3*Alison 4* 2 2 2
Isaac 3 4 5 3 3 4 3 4 5 3 5† 4
† - selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Alison 3.29Isaac 3.83
Josh 3.17
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:
Alison $7,000 Coryat, 13 correct, 3 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)Isaac $7,600 Coryat, 18 correct, 8 incorrect, 42.11% in first on buzzer (24/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Josh $5,400 Coryat, 12 correct, 3 incorrect, 19.30% in first on buzzer (11/57), 2/3 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $20,000
Lach Trash: $20,200 (on 16 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $13,800
Lead Changes: 8
Times Tied: 4
Player Statistics:
Josh Hill, career statistics:
219 correct, 36 incorrect6/10 on rebound attempts (on 33 rebound opportunities)
40.07% in first on buzzer (224/559)
8/11 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $27,595)
4/10 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,360
Alison Betts, career statistics:
163 correct, 35 incorrect11/14 on rebound attempts (on 51 rebound opportunities)
35.53% in first on buzzer (162/456)
11/14 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $28,000)
4/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,475
Isaac Hirsch, career statistics:
531 correct, 113 incorrect31/39 on rebound attempts (on 105 rebound opportunities)
37.07% in first on buzzer (549/1481)
20/30 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $17,000)
15/26 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,031
Andy's Thoughts:
- If the show wants to continue along this path—and I assume they plan on it for the postseason—the quarterfinals of the Jeopardy Invitational Tournament need to be dialed back on the difficulty scale if the show wants to cast a wide range of alumni. If they want to make the semifinals or finals harder after these players have "proven themselves" in a game already, that's fine, but this round of the tournament needs to be ToC difficulty at most. I do not enjoy watching proven ToC-level players struggle to get into five figures entering Final Jeopardy, and I do not think this makes good television.
- Today's J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
Add The Jeopardy! Fan to your preferred sources on Google by clicking the button below!
The new TJ!F Plus section is active! In order to get the Daily Details of each episode coming soon, as well as the ability to comment on posts site-wide, make sure to register for your account!
Did you accidentally get logged out of your TJ!F Plus account? Log in here!
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.