recaps
Season 40
Today’s Final Jeopardy – Friday, October 20, 2023
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the October 20, 2023, game ofJeopardy!— please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Current Champion
Matthew Riggle, career statistics:
69 correct, 9 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
40.35% in first on buzzer (69/171)
3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $800)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,467
To win:
4 games: 54.818%
5: 30.050%
6: 16.473%
7: 9.030%
8: 4.950%
Avg. streak: 4.213 games.
(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
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Languages of Asia) for Friday, October 20, 2023 (Season 40, Game 30):
Meaning “palace”, this word in the name of a UNESCO World Heritage site follows Jal & Lal in the names of other historic structures
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Kristin Hucek, an attorney from Washington, D.C.
William Chou, a foreign policy think-tank research fellow from Cheverly, Maryland
Dave Pai, a field application scientist originally from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Andy’s Pre-Game Thoughts:
Josh Saak has taken the Spades bracket and its corresponding spot in the Tournament of Champions; now, another 27 players return from Seasons 37 and 38 to make up the Diamonds bracket!. Today’s returning quarterfinalists are Dave Pai, William Chou, and Kristin Hucek!
I’d also like to thank everyone who sent along kind words to me yesterday; as it turns out, my concerns were (at least temporarily) unfounded, but my statement does still stand. I am thankful that none of the players in the Diamonds bracket were the reason for my concern. I would also like to say that the stories that were sent along to me yesterday were very heartwarming, and they absolutely brightened my day to read them. Thank you!
(Content continues below)
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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.
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Correct response: What is “Mahal”?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2023 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
Along with the most famous example, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, there is a Jal Mahal in Jaipur, India, and a Lal Mahal in Pune, India. According to Merriam-Webster, the word “mahal” today means “a summer house”, “a private apartment or lodging”, or even “a territorial division”.
This does seem like it would be a relatively straightforward Final, but there are possibilities that a contestant or home viewer might pick “Wat”, thinking of Angkor Wat instead. Again, I do believe that straightforward Final Jeopardy clues are important to keep the betting “honest” and players playing to win the game (as opposed to “not to lose”.)
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, October 20, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: We Made It; Justin Time; Sports Around The World; Not Your Average Opera; Body Language; Halloween Costume Ideas)
Ken thought Kristin was “going for the jugular” early on—I wouldn’t quite agree, as the Daily Double wasn’t really actively hunted for! On the other hand, Dave did go for the jugular, successfully converting a True Daily Double shortly after the break and then shutting out Kristin (she had no correct responses in the second segment) en route to a big lead after 30!
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Kristin 7 correct 0 incorrect
Dave 5 correct 1 incorrect
William 0 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Kristin recently had her first son, Calvin.
William started a new job in D.C. and has a ramen blog.
Dave had to explain to his two-year-old that “Daddy is not a permanent fixture on TV”
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Dave 14 correct 1 incorrect
Kristin 7 correct 1 incorrect
William 3 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Dave $11,200
Kristin $4,200
William $1,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Olde England; Amy Poehler Is Awesome; What’s Next?; Family Drama; Houseplants; Good “P.R.”)
A difficult Double Jeopardy Round saw Dave’s score come back down to earth after a missed Daily Double early, compounded by Kristin finding the last one. However, Kristin only bet just under half her score and then only picked up a net $400 on the final 22 clues. This gave Dave an opportunity to mount a comeback, and he led by $3,200 going into Final!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Dave 23 correct 3 incorrect
Kristin 12 correct 3 incorrect
William 7 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Dave $13,200
Kristin $10,000
William $3,600
William and Dave got the right half, Kristin going for “taj” instead—Dave is a semi-finalist!
Tonight’s results:
William $3,600 + $3,600 = $7,200 (What is Mahal)
Kristin $10,000 – $7,500 = $2,500 (What is taj?)
Dave $13,200 + $6,801 = $20,001 (What is Mahal?) (Semi-Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) SPORTS AROUND THE WORLD $1000 (clue #20)
Dave 4000 +4000 (William 400 Kristin 4200)
2) OLDE ENGLAND $1600 (clue #2)
Dave 12400 -5600 (William 1200 Kristin 4200)
3) FAMILY DRAMA $1600 (clue #8, $25200 left on board)
Kristin 6600 +3000 (Dave 5600 William 1200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 100
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Dave 3 3 4 5 3 3 4 5*
William 4 3
Kristin 1 2 4 5 2 1 1 2 4 5
DJ! Round:
Dave 4* 3 4 3 3
William 3
Kristin 3 4*
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Dave 3.62
William 3.33
Kristin 2.83
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 0 (0.00 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Dave $15,800 Coryat, 23 correct, 3 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
William $3,600 Coryat, 7 correct, 2 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Kristin $8,600 Coryat, 12 correct, 3 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $28,000
Lach Trash: $19,000 (on 17 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,000
Lead Changes: 3
Times Tied: 0
Player Statistics:
Dave Pai, career statistics:
84 correct, 10 incorrect
6/7 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities)
35.24% in first on buzzer (80/227)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,600)
3/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,100
William Chou, career statistics:
40 correct, 6 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 16 rebound opportunities)
23.26% in first on buzzer (40/172)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,400)
2/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,733
Kristin Hucek, career statistics:
66 correct, 20 incorrect
3/4 on rebound attempts (on 26 rebound opportunities)
27.47% in first on buzzer (75/273)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,200)
1/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $7,040
Andy’s Thoughts:
With regard to HOUSEPLANTS $1600, the clue opened “Though its name means ‘loving tree’.” A response of “monstera” does not fit that part of the clue—only “philodendron” does—remember, per the published rules of the show, “Correct responses must satisfy the demands of both the clue and the category.” The judges’ ruling was correct in this case.
Today’s box score: October 20, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Dave $13,200 Kristin $10,000 William $3,600)
Dave: Standard cover bet over Kristin is $6,801. (Actual bet: $6,801)
William: You have to bet at least $2,800 to pass Dave’s total if he covers and is incorrect. (Actual bet: $3,600)
Kristin: Limit your bet to $2,799 or less to keep William locked out. (Actual bet: $7,500)
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