Warning: This page contains spoilers for the January 26, 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 U.S. States) for Monday, January 26, 2026 (Season 42, Game 101):
This border state produced about half of the gunpowder for the Union
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
TJ Fisher, a marketing specialist from San Francisco, California
|
Mike Dawson, a technology manager from Portland, Oregon
|
Lisa Ann Walter, an actor, comedian & activist originally from Washington, D.C.
|
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Our week of Jeopardy! kicks off with the last of our quarterfinals, between Lisa Ann Walter, Mike Dawson, and TJ Fisher. TJ was a 5-time champion who was very strong on the buzzer, while Mike was a 3-time champion and Lisa Ann won Season 2 of Celebrity Jeopardy. The semifinals begin tomorrow, with the exhibition game between Scott Riccardi, Laura Faddah, and Paolo Pasco set for Friday.
I guess I get where the production staff was going when it came to putting the exhibition game on Friday—I’m sure their ratings data tells them that viewership drops off slightly on a Friday—but I’m skeptical that the ratings difference can be outweighed by the increased confusion that will ensue by airing these games out of order. Firstly, if all three of Scott, Laura, and Paolo advance, it will be confusing to viewers who expect that game to matter. Secondly, it will make viewers think that there’s a major spoiler on the website all week. All in all, I don’t think it was a good idea, and I think that the games should have just been aired in order.
(Content continues below)
Did you accidentally get logged out of your TJ!F Plus account? Log in here!
My friends over at Geeks Who Drink have a daily trivia game—Thrice! Existing to make daily clever trivia content accessible to a wide audience, it's a daily challenge that tries to get you to the answer via three separate clues. It has a shareable score functionality to challenge your friends and new questions every day will give you a new daily social ritual. You can find it at thricegame.com.
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.
Are you looking for information on how to stream Jeopardy! in 2026? Find out information here on how to stream from most places in North America!
You can find game-by-game stats here at The Jeopardy! Fan of all 20 players, now including Jamie Ding, that have won 10 or more games on Jeopardy!
You can now listen to Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy! episodes from TuneIn Radio without leaving The Jeopardy! Fan — listen now!
Correct response: What is Delaware?
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.)
Now well known today as the home of chemical companies such as DuPont, the small state of Delaware—one of the border states between the Union and Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War—produced about half of the gunpowder used by Union Forces during the U.S. Civil War.
Now, I realize that this is the Tournament of Champions, but I feel as though the term “border states”, while it clearly implies “border state” in the Civil War usage, is ambiguous in a category title that isn’t specifically referencing the Civil War. After all, “border state” could mean “the U.S.–Canada border” or even “the U.S.–Mexico border”. To me, this is unnecessarily confusing to the home viewer. (And as I type this, I do realize that I am speaking a great deal today about confusing viewers at home.)
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 early 2026! All previous orders will still be supported.
Game Recap:
Much like his regular games, TJ Fisher had a very strong game on the buzzer, getting in first a plurality of the time. He also picked up $7,400 on the Daily Doubles. However, he did go conservative on the second one, allowing Mike Dawson just enough of an opening to get within 50% of TJ’s total with a strong run at the end of Double Jeopardy.
Meanwhile, Lisa Ann Walter’s momentum never quite recovered after an incorrect response on a clue about Philadelphia (I think Abbott Elementary should try to make light of this by trying to get Steve Carlton for a cameo) and she finished Double Jeopardy in the red.
Final Jeopardy saw neither remaining player come up with a correct response, but TJ’s strong position entering the game’s 61st clue resulted in his victory.
Scores going into Final:
TJ $15,600
Mike $8,000
Lisa Ann -$2,600
Tonight’s results:
Lisa Ann -$2,600 (By rule, did not participate in Final Jeopardy)
Mike $8,000 – $8,000 = $0 (What is Maryland?)
TJ $15,600 – $401 = $15,199 (What is Kentucky?) (Semi-Finalist)
Chances of winning the Tournament of Champions:
Scott Riccardi: 16.697%
Laura Faddah: 3.568%
Paolo Pasco: 13.672%
Tom Devlin: 12.650%
Allegra Kuney: 13.089%
Cameron Berry: 10.138%
Ashley Chan: 5.750%
Steven Olson: 16.951%
TJ Fisher: 7.485%
Andy’s Thoughts:
- I guess my concerns about category titles might not have been founded, as both Mike and TJ did guess Civil War “border states”.
- I feel like the more we look into the future, the more we’ll realize that Ike Barinholtz might have been the “Spiders Georg” of Celebrity Jeopardy! contestants.
- Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
- The Tournament of Champions chances above do not take into account semifinal pairings; once those pairings are released, the chances will change.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: TJ $15,600 Mike $8,000 Lisa Ann -$2,600)
Lisa Ann: (By rule, did not participate in Final Jeopardy)
Mike: Bet at least $7,200—but there’s no reason not to go all in to force a cover bet out of TJ. (Actual bet: $8,000)
TJ: Standard cover bet is $401. (Actual bet: $401)
The new TJ!F Plus section is active! In order to get the Daily Details of each episode coming soon, as well as the ability to comment on posts site-wide, make sure to register for your account! It should be noted that if you have not registered for an account since December 13, 2025, that registration for a new account is necessary.
Did you accidentally get logged out of your TJ!F Plus account? Log in here!
Become a Supporter now! Make a monthly contribution to the site on Patreon!
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
When commenting, please note that all comments on The Jeopardy! Fan must be in compliance with the Site Comment Policy.
If you are going to quote any information from this page or this website, attribution is required.
Have you had a chance to listen to our podcast game show, Complete The List, yet? Check it out! It's also available on Apple Podcasts.