Today’s Final Jeopardy – Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Current Champion

Nikolas Polsinelli, career statistics:
44 correct, 6 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
35.96% in first on buzzer (41/114)
4/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,500

To win:
3 games: 64.111%
4: 41.102%
5: 26.351%
6: 16.894%
7: 10.831%
Avg. streak: 3.786 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)

Upcoming Encore Presentations

October 3-4: S42 E175 (May 8, 2026)
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 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 U.S. Place Names) for Wednesday, July 24, 2024 (Season 40, Game 228):

This name of a National Forest means “fool” & may be one Apache group’s name for another group; it’s also a problematic TV character

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Davey Morrison, an actor & screenwriter from Provo, Utah

Wendy Zaballos, a mechanical engineer from Seattle, Washington

Neilesh Vinjamuri, a software engineer from Lionville, Pennsylvania (3-day total: $53,099)

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Neilesh Vinjamuri enters today’s game as a 3-day champion and winnings of over $50,000. As Neilesh goes for the all-important fourth victory today, he goes up against Wendy Zaballos and Davey Morrison.

I have an occasional mailbag column where I answer fan & viewer questions regarding the show. If you have a question, feel free to send it to mailbag@thejeopardyfan.com!

Correct response: What is Tonto?

More information about Final Jeopardy:

(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2024 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)

Tonto National Forest, encompassing nearly 3 million acres north of Phoenix, is the largest of the six National Forests in Arizona. The area’s landscape varies in both vegetation and altitude, boasting both Sonoran Desert cacti and the ponderosa pine of the Mogollon Rim.

In referring to the Apache tribe(s) generally known today as Tonto, that term was an exonym; it appears as though the Chiricahua referred to the other tribe as “brainless”, which got translated by the Spanish as “Tonto”, as that was the Spanish term used for “dumb” or “fool”. The name was most famously used in The Lone Ranger media franchise to refer to the Native American sidekick of the title Lone Ranger; many Native Americans over the years have seen that portrayal as degrading.

This appears to be another “how well can you synthesize disparate pieces of knowledge, and have you realized that these things share the same name?” Final Jeopardy clue that I think we’ll continue to see more of over the coming years, because I believe intelligence is more than just the rote memorization of factoids; it’s about being able to actually think on your feet and synthesize new knowledge out of those factoids.

In order to redesign our merchandise area to serve you better in 2026, all merchandise sales have been temporarily taken offline. Look for a return in late 2026! All previous orders will still be supported.

Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Wednesday, July 24, 2024 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Medalists In Paris; It Borders Both Countries; Tele Vision; Danger Bird; They Call Me…; Mellow Yellow)

A very evenly matched opening segment saw Neilesh find the Daily Double early and picking up the maximum $1,000; Wendy led after 15 with $3,200 to Neilesh’s $3,000 and Davey $2,200.

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Wendy 5 correct 0 incorrect
Neilesh 5 correct 0 incorrect
Davey 4 correct 0 incorrect

Today’s interviews:

Davey once escaped from quicksand.
Wendy went to a STEM-focused high school.
Neilesh got a clue correct when he was very young and was awarded a title of “Youngest Jeopardy Champion” by his parents.

Neilesh picked up 6 correct after the interviews to take a $2,000 lead after 30 clues.

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Neilesh 11 correct 0 incorrect
Wendy 8 correct 1 incorrect
Davey 6 correct 1 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Neilesh $6,200
Wendy $4,200
Davey $3,000

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: American History; Hodgepodge; My Art Is Full; 4-Letter Words; Hollywood Families; Novel Change A Letter)

Davey found DD2 early and did what he had do, going all in. Unfortunately, NOVEL CHANGE A LETTER was a disaster for him—he picked up $4,800 worth of incorrect responses in that category alone—and that allowed Neilesh to regain a lead going into Final Jeopardy. Wendy sat third after missing DD3 and not getting on the final 12 clues.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Neilesh 19 correct 1 incorrect
Davey 18 correct 5 incorrect
Wendy 11 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 21 (0 today).

Scores going into Final:

Neilesh $15,400
Davey $12,800
Wendy $5,800

Davey came up with a correct response in Final Jeopardy—and that makes him the new Jeopardy! Champion! He’ll be back tomorrow to defend.

Tonight’s results:

Wendy $5,800 – $5,800 = $0 (What is ???)
Davey $12,800 + $2,700 = $15,500 (What’s Tonto?????) (1-day total: $15,500)
Neilesh $15,400 – $10,201 = $5,199 (What Redwood)

Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) IT BORDERS BOTH COUNTRIES $800 (clue #4)
Neilesh 800 +1000 (Wendy 0 Davey 400)
2) MY ART IS FULL $1600 (clue #5)
Davey 5800 +5800 (Neilesh 6200 Wendy 7000)
3) 4-LETTER WORDS $1200 (clue #17, $16000 left on board)
Wendy 7800 -2000 (Neilesh 9400 Davey 8400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 174

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Neilesh 1 2 4*
Wendy
Davey 3

DJ! Round:
Neilesh 3 5 2 1
Wendy 3 2 3*
Davey 4 5 4* 4 1 3† 2† 1† 5† 2

† – selection in same category as Daily Double

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Davey 3.09
Neilesh 2.57
Wendy 2.67

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 21 (0.09 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Davey $8,600 Coryat, 18 correct, 5 incorrect, 38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Neilesh $15,200 Coryat, 19 correct, 1 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Wendy $7,800 Coryat, 11 correct, 2 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $31,600
Lach Trash: $11,800 (on 11 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $10,600
Lead Changes: 12
Times Tied: 1

Player Statistics:

Neilesh Vinjamuri, career statistics:

90 correct, 12 incorrect
6/6 on rebound attempts (on 22 rebound opportunities)
37.28% in first on buzzer (85/228)
6/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $9,500)
1/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,950

Wendy Zaballos, career statistics:

11 correct, 3 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $7,800

Davey Morrison, career statistics:

19 correct, 5 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $5,800)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,600

Davey Morrison, to win:

2 games: 48.636%
3: 23.655%
4: 11.505%
5: 5.595%
6: 2.721%
Avg. streak: 1.947 games.

Andy’s Thoughts:

• Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Neilesh $15,400 Davey $12,800 Wendy $5,800)

Neilesh: Standard cover bet over Davey is $10,201. (Actual bet: $10,201)

Wendy: You’re in a tough spot here. If Neilesh covers Davey and is wrong, he falls to $5,199. However, a common poor wager from Davey is somewhere around $2,601—which would bring you back into play. If you think that Davey will bet more than $1,200, then bet at least $4,400. If not, bet no more than $600 and hope for an incorrect response from Neilesh. (Actual bet: $5,800)

Davey: Bet no more than $1,199 to keep Wendy locked out. (Actual bet: $2,700)

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