Warning: This page contains spoilers for the January 1, 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 1:00 PM Eastern today in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category It Happened In The U.S.) for Thursday, January 1, 2026 (Season 42, Game 84):
Trinitite is the name of a glass-like material that came to be after a historic event in this state
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Ryan Sharpe, a recent graduate from Oakville, Ontario, Canada
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Abigail Arnold, an academic administrator from Waltham, Massachusetts
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Dondi DeMarco, an operations executive from New York, New York
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
We have one spot left in Champions Wildcard as our contenders for the title of “33rd Tournament of Champions winner” now numbers 37. Our last set of finalists in this year’s Second Chance are Dondi DeMarco, Abigail Arnold, and Ryan Sharpe. As is always the case in these two-game finals, today’s scores get added to tomorrow’s scores in order to determine today’s overall winner.
Here are everyone’s statistics entering today’s game:
Dondi DeMarco:
38 correct, 3 incorrect
4/2 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
31.58% in first on buzzer (36/114)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,400
Abigail Arnold:
47 correct, 5 incorrect
2/4 on rebound attempts (on 11 rebound opportunities)
37.72% in first on buzzer (43/114)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $200)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $21,100
Ryan Sharpe:
39 correct, 4 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
31.58% in first on buzzer (36/114)
2/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,400)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,000
Over the course of the semifinals, Ryan went from a strong favorite to take victory to only having an average chance of taking victory; Abigail is now a slight favorite, but all three of these players look to be quite evenly matched and any one of them could easily take victory.
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: What is New Mexico?
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.)
As a result of the Trinity nuclear test near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945, glassy residue, caused by melted sand and rock as a result of the high temperatures generated on the ground at the test site, was created and given the name Trinitite. Mildly radioactive but safe to handle, much of it was buried by the United States Atomic Energy Commission a few years after the test.
To me, this feels like one of those multi-step Final Jeopardy clues that can be solvable even if you’ve never heard of Trinitite itself. I quite enjoyed it.
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Game Recap:
Ryan picked up at least 3 correct responses in 6 of the 12 categories today, additionally taking a massive lead with a $13,600 True Daily Double early in Double Jeopardy. A small wager in Final from Ryan let Abigail cut into Ryan’s lead slightly, but Dondi was in a distant third after ending Double Jeopardy with $0.
Scores going into Final:
Ryan $33,104
Abigail $15,600
Dondi $0
Tonight’s results:
Dondi $0 (By rule, did not participate in Final Jeopardy)
Abigail $15,600 + $8,000 = $23,600 (What is New Mexico?)
Ryan $33,104 + $336 = $33,440 (What is New Mexico?)
Chances of winning Second Chance:
Ryan 64.242%
Abigail 32.660%
Dondi 3.098%
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Because tomorrow’s scores can be doubled in Final Jeopardy, Ryan has an “effective lead” of $4,920 over Abigail and $16,720 over Dondi.
- No wagering suggestions will be posted today due to today being Game 1 of a final.
- Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
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