Warning: This page contains spoilers for the January 8, 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 Biblical Art) for Thursday, January 8, 2026 (Season 42, Game 89):
3 of Michelangelo’s panels on the Sistine Chapel ceiling deal with him, including his “drunkenness” & “sacrifice”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor & trivia host from Baltimore, Maryland
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Vickie Talvola, a quantitative trader from Jersey City, New Jersey
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Pete Johnston, a filmmaker originally from Alma, Michigan
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Our fourth quarterfinal of five this week in Champions Wildcard features our second of three qualifiers from Second Chance in Pete Johnston; he faces off against Vickie Talvola, whose original run ended in heartbreak after a conservative (yet strategic) bet in Final Jeopardy, and Jonathan Hugendubler, who played “giant killer” to end Scott Riccardi’s run on the show. I hope Vickie has realized that a conservative strategy is the way to go this week, given the four wildcards at play. Oftentimes, contestants who have lost due to a more conservative strategy over-correct to a too-aggressive one. (That’s something I’ve noticed with the post-Million Dollar Masters play of Leslie Frates, for example.)
(Content continues below)
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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.
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Correct response: Who is Noah?
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.)
Nine scenes from the Book of Genesis are depicted on the center panels of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: 3 detailing the creation, 3 dealing with Adam & Eve, and 3 dealing with Noah—in the case of Noah, the three panels are his being drunk and disgraced, the Great Flood, and his post-flood sacrifice.
I get the sense that this should be relatively straightforward for those familiar with the Book of Genesis and Noah’s drunkenness and redemption arc—religion clues tend to play easier for home viewers in 2026, but we shall see.
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Game Recap:
While Vickie Talvola got off to a slow start, doubling up through the game’s second Daily Double made things very close for much of Double Jeopardy.
Final Jeopardy saw Jonathan and Vickie correct with both guaranteeing their advancement, while an incorrect response from Pete and big Final Jeopardy wager eliminates him.
Scores going into Final:
Pete $10,800
Vickie $9,200
Jonathan $9,200
Tonight’s results:
Jonathan $9,200 + $9,200 = $18,400 (Who is Noah? Love you Mom and Dad!) (Semi-Finalist)
Vickie $9,200 + $4,400 = $13,600 (Who is Noah?)
Pete $10,800 – $7,601 = $3,199 (Who is Abraham?)
Wild Card standings:
Monday: Stella Trout, $26,401
Tuesday: Michelle Tsai, $14,398
Wednesday: Harvey Silikovitz, $12,998
Thursday: Jonathan Hugendubler, $18,400
Friday:
1. Vickie Talvola, $13,600, 100% to advance
2. Cameron Berry, $12,599, 100% to advance
3. Bill McKinney, $12,200, 93.747% to advance
4. Dave Bond, $10,000, 41.278% to advance
5. Pete Johnston, $3,199
6. Dargan Ware, $2,200
7. Geoff Barnes, $800
8. Jason Singer, $0
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Andy’s Thoughts:
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