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Warning: This page contains spoilers for the May 12, 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. Lakes) for Tuesday, May 12, 2026 (Season 42, Game 177):
This big lake named for a French marine minister begins its name with a way that official might conceivably cross the body of water
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Will Thornton, a teacher from Worthington, Ohio
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Laurel Gilmer, a music events director from Ithaca, New York
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Tristan Williams, a data scientist originally from Lincoln, Nebraska (4-day total: $76,199)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Today on Jeopardy!, Tristan Williams is looking to become the 292nd 5-time champion since the show returned to North American airwaves in September 1984, and the third automatic qualifier for the 34th Tournament of Champions. Looking to stop him from doing that are Laurel Gilmer of Ithaca, New York and Will Thornton of Worthington, Ohio.
Additionally, the Jeopardy! universe is featuring a pair of other games airing today; over in Pop Culture Jeopardy! land, One Baddie After Another is going for win #2 against Powered By Double A and Presto Strange-O, while Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars airs tonight at 8:00 (7:00 Central) on ABC, with a semifinal between Lisa Ann Walter, Katie Nolan, and Mina Kimes.
(Content continues below)
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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.
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Correct response: What is Lake Pontchartrain?
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.)
When naming the large estuary in the New Orleans, Louisiana area, Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, founder of Louisiana, named the area Lake Pontchartrain, after Louis Phélypeaux, the comte de Pontchartrain, who was also French Minister of the Marine, Chancellor, and Controller-General of Finances during Louis XIV’s reign in France. Those who know French would also know that the word “pont” is French for “bridge”.
Remembering the Lake Pontchartrain Final Jeopardy clue from back in 2023 certainly helped me considerably in getting this clue correct; we shall see how it plays for our players today.
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Game Recap:
Today’s game proved just how important Daily Double hunting can be, and how sometimes only a single clue selection error can prove disastrous. Will’s search for the last Daily Double finally hit a misstep late in the round, where he selected the category that DD2 had been in, only for Tristan to immediately regain control and find that important last Daily Double. (And yes, Tristan did convert that Daily Double to cement a runaway entering Final Jeopardy.)
Tristan put the capstone on victory #5 today by being the only player to get Final Jeopardy correct as he goes for win #6 tomorrow.
Scores going into Final:
Tristan $23,700
Will $9,200
Laurel $4,600
Tonight’s results:
Laurel $4,600 – $4,600 = $0 (What is Champlain?)
Will $9,200 – $0 = $9,200 (What is Lake Swim!)
Tristan $23,700 + $3,600 = $27,300 (What is Lake Pontchartrain) (5-day total: $103,499)
Game Stats:
Tristan $23,800 Coryat, 27 correct, 2 incorrect, 43.86% in first on buzzer (25/57), 2/3 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Will $9,200 Coryat, 13 correct, 2 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Laurel $7,200 Coryat, 13 correct, 5 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $40,200
Tristan Williams, to win:
6 games: 62.092%
7: 38.554%
8: 23.939%
9: 14.864%
10: 9.230%
Avg. streak: 6.638 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Tristan $23,700 Will $9,200 Laurel $4,600)
Tristan: Bet no more than $5,299. (Actual bet: $3,600)
Laurel: Just in case Will forgets what the tiebreaker is for second and makes a small wager, I’d go all in here. (Actual bet: $4,600)
Will: You are guaranteed the second place prize money if you wager $0, as you hold the tiebreaker for second. (Actual bet: $0)
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