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)
Upcoming Encore Presentations
September 19-20: S42 E173 (May 6, 2026)
September 26-27: S42 E174 (May 7, 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
So Jeopardy! went viral last night because of a response Terry McElhennon gave where he said that Auburn was the Crimson Tide.
I’m seeing this morning that the entire state of Alabama “is offended” this morning. While I haven’t seen these myself, I’ve heard reports that “football-crazed rednecks” are sending threats Terry’s way.
To this, I have three words:
Leave Terry alone!
Seriously. Full stop. You’re not cool.
As any Jeopardy contestant can tell you—and I’ve interviewed quite a few!—the pressure of the studio, with the lights bearing down on you, can be quite intense! And you’d make mistakes you wouldn’t ordinarily otherwise make.
So he made a mistake. As one person on my Facebook said, confusing Alabama and Auburn “doesn’t make you stupid. It makes you human.”
And if you’re still offended? Go register for the contestant test at the end of this month. Then you might have a general idea as to just how smart Terry is (spoiler alert: he’s smarter than you are).
Anyone who’s ever been through the gauntlet of trying to get on Jeopardy knows how tough it is. Two extremely difficult 50-question tests, a mock game and personality interview where really, only the best get through that hoop, and even then, only the best 10-20% or so out of their contestant pool get chosen each season. They say that it’s easier to get accepted into Harvard than it is to get on Jeopardy!, in terms of the number of applicants who eventually make it onto the show.
Just to make it onto the show is a tough process. To actually win a game like Terry did? Only 25% of all contestants who even make it on actually win! Just being a 1-day champion puts him in the 99th percentile.
And that’s why, in spite of one minor error, Terry is still much smarter than you are.