(TJF Plus) Daily Details – Friday, January 2, 2026

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

September 26-27: S42 E174 (May 7, 2026)
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

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Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Ryan Sharpe, a recent graduate from Oakville, Ontario, Canada (Yesterday’s total: $33,440)

Abigail Arnold, an academic administrator from Waltham, Massachusetts (Yesterday’s total: $23,600)

Dondi DeMarco, an operations executive from New York, New York (Yesterday’s total: $0)

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

After a $13,600 True Daily Double in yesterday’s game, Ryan Sharpe holds the lead at the midway point of our two-game total-point final. Abigail Arnold sits second, while Dondi DeMarco will likely need a strong game and three successful Daily Doubles in order to have a hope at victory. As today’s main game scores can be doubled in Final Jeopardy, Ryan has an “effective lead” of $4,920 over Abigail and $16,720 over Dondi.

Final Jeopardy! Category: British Royal Titles

Final Jeopardy! Clue: This title named for a county of coastal England had lapsed by 1843 but was revived in 2018 when Elizabeth gave it to a family member

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Correct response: What is Duke of Sussex?

More Information About Final Jeopardy!:

Named from the Old English for “South Saxons”, Sussex is a county in Southeast England; as a British royal title, “Duke of Sussex” has only been used on two occasions: firstly in 1801, when Prince Augustus Frederick, the sixth son of King George III was granted the title. The title lapsed in 1843 upon his death, as his marriage has not been granted permission by the King under the Royal Marriages Act, therefore any children were unable to inherit his titles.

The more recent investiture was in 2018, when Prince Harry was bestowed the title by Queen Elizabeth II just prior to his marriage to Meghan Markle, who became Duchess of Sussex.

I think this Final Jeopardy is slightly more difficult just because Americans don’t pay that much attention to England; if this Final Jeopardy aired in the UK version I think their viewership would think it was incredibly straightforward. I also think that Ryan might have an advantage here just based on his being Canadian, but we shall see.

Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, January 2, 2026 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Historical Hodgepodge; Parenting; Flip Around The Compound (Words); Logos; Modern Horror Is Lit; TV: Who Played ‘Em?)

Dondi found—and missed—the Daily Double, as Abigail got off to the best start. After 15 clues, the scores were Abigail $4,400 Ryan $2,400 Dondi $200.

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Abigail 6 correct 0 incorrect
Ryan 3 correct 0 incorrect
Dondi 3 correct 2 incorrect

Today’s interviews:

Ryan would like to thank his family and cousins.
Abigail would like to thank her family, parents, and friends.
Dondi would like to thank his family, many teachers, and his wife.

Abigail and Ryan continued their battle after the break. Abigail still led after 30, while she went 4/5 in modern horror literature and 3/5 in parenting. Ryan went 3/5 in history and logos.

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Abigail 11 correct 0 incorrect
Ryan 10 correct 0 incorrect
Dondi 6 correct 2 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Abigail $7,000
Ryan $4,800
Dondi $1,400

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: That Place Sounds Fishy; Ballet & Opera; Wall Things Considered; Films About Writers; “Ow”!; I Feel Good)

Ryan found DD2 again, going for another True Daily Double; his correct response on it allowed him to coast to a runaway. Over the round, he went 4/5 in walls and 3/5 in fishy-named places and feeling good.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Ryan 25 correct 4 incorrect
Abigail 17 correct 1 incorrect
Dondi 12 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 8 (0 today).

Scores going into Final:

Ryan $24,800
Abigail $12,600
Dondi $6,700

Ryan was the only player correct In Final; he’s moving on to Champions Wildcard.

Tonight’s results:

Dondi $6,700 – $6,699 = $1 + $0 = $1 (What is…….)
Abigail $12,600 – $11,639 = $961 + $23,600 = $24,561 (What is Duchess of Sussex?)
Ryan $24,800 + $42 = $24,842 + $33,440 = $58,282 (What is Duke of Sussex?)

Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) FLIP AROUND THE COMPOUND (WORDS) $600 (clue #4)
Dondi 1600 -1600 (Abigail 800 Ryan 0)
2) THAT PLACE SOUNDS FISHY $1200 (clue #5)
Ryan 8000 +8000 (Dondi 1400 Abigail 9000)
3) FILMS ABOUT WRITERS $2000 (clue #7, $24400 left on board)
Dondi 2600 +2500 (Abigail 9000 Ryan 16000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 96

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Dondi 5 4 3*
Abigail 3
Ryan

DJ! Round:
Dondi 5 5 5*
Abigail 4
Ryan 4 3* 3

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Ryan 3.33
Abigail 3.50
Dondi 4.50

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 8 (0.09 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Ryan $18,000 Coryat, 25 correct, 4 incorrect, 47.37% in first on buzzer (27/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Abigail $12,600 Coryat, 17 correct, 1 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Dondi $7,800 Coryat, 12 correct, 3 incorrect, 17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $38,400
Lach Trash: $6,600 (on 5 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $9,000
Lead Changes: 4
Times Tied: 1

Player Statistics:

Dondi DeMarco, career statistics:

55 correct, 10 incorrect
7/5 on rebound attempts (on 16 rebound opportunities)
23.68% in first on buzzer (54/228)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,900)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,650

Abigail Arnold, career statistics:

81 correct, 9 incorrect
4/6 on rebound attempts (on 21 rebound opportunities)
33.77% in first on buzzer (77/228)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $200)
1/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,600

Ryan Sharpe, career statistics:

96 correct, 10 incorrect
6/6 on rebound attempts (on 14 rebound opportunities)
39.47% in first on buzzer (90/228)
5/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $29,104)
3/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,700

Andy’s Thoughts:

• Commenters are reminded that the Site Comment Policy is still in effect; regardless of how obvious one thinks the mistake is made by the show, citations must be provided for one’s assertions if you believe the show was incorrect.
• As was mentioned by Ken, “Duchess of Sussex” was not given as a title in the 19th century; thus, it did not fit all aspects of the clue and was not correct.
• Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Dondi $6,700 ($0) Abigail $12,600 ($23,600) Ryan $24,800 ($33,440))
Dondi’s current score: $6,700
Dondi’s maximum possible score: $13,400
Abigail’s current score: $36,200
Abigail’s maximum possible score: $48,800
Ryan’s current score: $58,240
Ryan’s maximum possible score: $83,040

Dondi: You’re locked into third regardless. Do whatever you’d like. (Actual bet: $6,699)

Abigail: You can’t finish any worse than second. Go all in and force Ryan to do his math right. (Actual bet: $11,639)

Ryan: You win as long as you bet no more than $9,439. (Actual bet: $42)

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