Warning: This page contains spoilers for the January 16, 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 noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category American Novelists) for Friday, January 16, 2026 (Season 42, Game 95):
This author’s wish to use different ink colors to represent multiple POVs was granted in 2012, 83 years after the novel’s publication
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Stella Trout, a software engineer originally from Houston, Texas (Yesterday’s total: $12,800)
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Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor & trivia host from Baltimore, Maryland (Yesterday’s total: $1,200)
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Cameron Berry, a data analyst & college administrator from Brighton, Massachusetts (Yesterday’s total: $10,000)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
We are halfway through our two-game total-point affair here at Champions Wildcard; Stella Trout leads at the midpoint, with Cameron Berry second and Jonathan Hugendubler third. However, things are still very close—Stella’s “effective lead” is just $1,400 over Cameron and $5,800 over Jonathan—anything can happen on Day 2!
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: Who is William Faulkner?
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.)
Upon the publication of his The Sound and the Fury in 1929, William Faulkner wrote, “If I could only get it printed the way it ought to be with different color types for the different times in Benjy’s section recording the flow of events for him, it would make it simpler, probably. I don’t reckon, though, it’ll ever be printed that way, and this’ll have to be the best, with the italics indicating the changes of events”. It took until 2012 for a version of the novel to be printed in multiple colors as Faulkner wished, thanks to the assistance provided by Faulkner scholars.
For me, I reasoned it out from thinking, “Which author of the late 1920s and early 1930s was most likely to make a more eccentric request?” After all, the show has used Faulkner’s eccentricities as clue fodder before—I vividly remember a Final from many years ago referencing the coffin pictogram from As I Lay Dying. It will be interesting to see which of our players either knew this or were able to reason it out.
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Game Recap:
Stella Trout was playing well in Double Jeopardy when she found the game’s last Daily Double. Making the correct decision to try for victory on that Daily Double instead of Final Jeopardy (as Daily Doubles, on average, are easier clues than Final Jeopardy clues are), an unfortunate incorrect response reset her score to $0. While she recovered well, the Daily Double miss did give Cameron the advantage entering Final Jeopardy.
Final Jeopardy turned out to be a Triple Stumper—and when the wagers and final scores were revealed, it turned out that Cameron Berry was headed to the Tournament of Champions.
Scores going into Final:
Jonathan $12,000
Cameron $10,000
Stella $6,400
Tonight’s results:
Stella $6,400 – $6,300 = $100 + $12,800 = $12,900 (Who is Walker?)
Cameron $10,000 – $5,601 = $4,399 + $10,000 = $14,399 (Who is Stein?)
Jonathan $12,000 – $12,000 = $0 + $1,200 = $1,200 (Who is Fitzgerald?)
Andy’s Thoughts:
- There are going to be a lot of misinformed wagering opinions tonight on the Internet from people who don’t understand why players bet the way that they did. I would like to unequivocally state that none of our three players made a mistake with their wagers on either of the Daily Doubles or on Final Jeopardy and that any sort of results-based opinion from others comes entirely with the benefit of hindsight. In my opinion, Stella was 100% correct in going for an outright victory on the Daily Double instead of hoping for Final Jeopardy, as contestants have a better get rate on Daily Doubles compared to Final Jeopardy. Moreover, as you’ll see below, Jonathan’s score yesterday forced an all-in bet to give him a chance of victory, which then forces a cover bet out of Stella in Final.
- Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Cameron $10,000 ($10,000) Jonathan $12,000 ($1,200) Stella $6,400 ($12,800))
Cameron’s current score: $20,000
Cameron’s maximum possible score: $30,000
Jonathan’s current score: $13,200
Jonathan’s maximum possible score: $25,200
Stella’s current score: $19,200
Stella’s maximum possible score: $25,600
Cameron: In order to cover Stella’s maximum possible 2-day score, bet $5,601. You should probably do this, because Jonathan’s all-in bet puts Stella in a position to potentially have to cover—which plays very much to your advantage if there’s a Triple Stumper. (Actual bet: $5,601)
Jonathan: If Cameron bets to cover Stella and is incorrect, he falls to $14,399. Since that is lower than your correct score, you might as well go all in to force Stella to make a cover bet against you. (Actual bet: $12,000)
Stella: You are in essentially the two-day equivalent of “Stratton’s Dilemma” in that you can’t both cover Jonathan and win a Triple Stumper. Because Jonathan has reason to go all in, this is usually resolved by making the cover bet of at least $6,001. However, if do you want to play the risk of being overtaken from behind by Jonathan, the play in that case would be to bet $0, punt Final, and pray for a hard clue. (Actual bet: $6,300)
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