recaps
Today’s Final Jeopardy answer (in the category 2026 Commencement Speeches) and statistics for the Wednesday, September 23, 2026 game between Edward Tournier, Emily Burnham, and 2-day champion Jennifer Leavey.
Today's Final Jeopardy - Wednesday, September 23, 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 September 23, 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 2026 Commencement Speeches) for Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (Season 43, Game 8):
After a tough year, she told grads one guarantee in life is that you're going to fall, it's going to hurt & to fight on, your mountain awaits
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today's Jeopardy! contestants:
Jennifer enters today's game as a 2-day champion with winnings of $50,801.
Andy's Pregame Thoughts:
The very demure (and very mindful) Jennifer Leavey has now taken a pair of late come-from-behind victories on Jeopardy!. I have to think she's a near-lock for Champions Wildcard in any case, but will definitely need more victories in order to get into the Tournament of Champions conversation. Looking to end Jennifer's run on the show are Emily Burnham of Maine and Edward Tournier of New York. In terms of how I think tonight's game will go, I have a feeling that Emily might do well, as I saw Bangor-area media take enough of an interest in her appearance to begin publicizing it online last week. Usually, that's a good sign that things will go well for a contestant.
I have decided to return to producing live video content with a new podcast called Jeopartalk; the vibe will be slightly different than #JeopardyLivePanel that ran from 2014 through 2019, in that I won't be actively soliciting contestants to appear, though I certainly won't turn down any contestants who want to come on and chat (mostly because I think the show has successfully entered the "weekly chat" space with its discussions on Substack). The first episode of Jeopartalk will be broadcast live tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern, simulcast on both my Twitch channel and my YouTube channel. (Recordings in the future will be scheduled for Sundays at 6:00 PM Eastern.) Any contestants or friends who wish to appear are welcome to contact me (an email address is available on my About page if you do not already a way to contact me).
(Content continues below)
Would you like to be a guest on my new Jeopartalk! podcast? Friends are welcome to contact me via any method you have for me; current contestants who need that information can find my email in the About section.
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!
Correct response: Who is Lindsey Vonn?
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.)
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn spoke at the commencement address this year for the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Vonn, who tore her ACL in the lead-up to the 2026 Olympics, attempted to compete anyway, but was unable to complete the Olympic downhill, opened with a joke: "I think this is the first time that the accomplishment is just walking up to the podium instead of stepping onto one." In her speech, she spoke about resilience and how to keep going after things haven't gone your way.
It's hard to say how I think today's Final Jeopardy will play; it feels slightly on the more difficult side to me. I'll definitely be impressed with anyone who lands a correct response today.
Game Recap:
Despite spending a large portion of the opening board with red numbers on her scoreboard, Emily Burnham found both Daily Doubles and found herself in the lead entering Final Jeopardy.
Emily then punctuated her impressive comeback by being the only player to get Final Jeopardy correct, and she finds herself as the new Jeopardy! champion! She'll be back tomorrow to defend her title.
Scores going into Final:
Emily $11,400Edward $8,600
Jennifer $8,000
Tonight's results:
Jennifer $8,000 - $5,000 = $3,000 (Who is Kamala Harris)Edward $8,600 - $8,228 = $372 (Who is Cheryl Strayed)
Emily $11,400 + $5,801 = $17,201 (Who is Lindsay Vonn) (1-day total: $17,201)
Game Stats:
Emily $11,200 Coryat, 16 correct, 5 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 3/4 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities)Jennifer $9,000 Coryat, 18 correct, 6 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 4/4 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
Edward $8,600 Coryat, 17 correct, 5 incorrect, 35.09% in first on buzzer (20/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $28,800
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.
Emily Burnham, to win:
2 games: 55.498%3: 30.800%
4: 17.094%
5: 9.487%
6: 5.265%
Avg. streak: 2.247 games.
Andy's Thoughts:
Personally, I just have this feeling that Emily is probably going to end up writing a feature or two about her appearances, especially about how contestants are treated online in 2026.
Today's J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Emily $11,400 Edward $8,600 Jennifer $8,000)
Jennifer: You should bet between $1,201 (in case Edward bets small) and $2,399 (thereby staying ahead of Emily on a Triple Stumper.) (Actual bet: $5,000)
Emily: Standard cover bet today over Edward is $5,801. You should probably do this, because Edward might choose to cover Jennifer and go all-in instead. (Actual bet: $5,801)
Edward: You're in what is known as "Stratton's Dilemma"; you can't both win a Triple Stumper and cover Jennifer. If you do cover Jennifer, bet at least $7,401, or even go all in to force a cover bet from Emily. If not, I would limit my bet to $599, thereby forcing Jennifer to be correct and make a wager to pass me. (Actual bet: $8,228)
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