Warning: This page contains spoilers for the May 16-17, 2026, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that today’s game is an encore presentation of the game that originally aired on December 24, 2024.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Government & Public Awareness) for May 16-17, 2026 (Season 41, Game 77):
As individuals, only Santa Claus & this public service ad icon introduced in 1944 have their own ZIP codes
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Jenna Hayes, an attorney from New York, New York
|
Harry Jarin, an emergency services consultant from Edgewater, Maryland
|
Laura Faddah, a manager from Memphis, Tennessee (3-day total: $30,200)
|
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
As the weekend reruns make their way through Laura Faddah’s run, this weekend’s rerun features Laura’s fourth game, where she took on Jenna Hayes of New York and Harry Jarin of Maryland.
(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 21 players, now including Tristan Williams and 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: Who is Smokey Bear?
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.)
Alongside the ZIP code 88888, given to Santa Claus in the United States (in Canada, Santa Claus gets H0H 0H0 as a postal code), Smokey Bear (or, Smokey the Bear as Jeopardy! has alternatively used many times in the past) has received the ZIP code 20252.
Back in 2024, I did make the point that I thought this clue was poorly worded, considering the President of the United States is also given a personal ZIP code, when the U.S. Forest Service website itself says the same thing. Maybe something to refer to the fact that Santa and Smokey are somehow fictional, without upsetting children, I guess?
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.
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the May 16-17, 2026 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Game Recap:
Both challengers combined for 36 correct responses in this one, as it very much looked like Laura’s winning ways were going to end after three games.However, Laura pulled out a correct response on the final clue of Double Jeopardy to at least bring herself back into score contention, giving her a faint hope of victory if things broke her way.
And things certainly did break her way in Final with a singleton get on the game’s final clue, giving her victory #4. Next week will feature Laura going for win #5 in a rerun of the Christmas Day game from 2024 against Amber Gamrat and Mathieu Fahroud-Dionne.
Scores going into Final:
Jenna $18,200
Harry $13,200
Laura $5,200
Tonight’s results:
Laura $5,200 + $5,000 = $10,200 (Who is Smokey the Bear?) (4-day total: $40,400)
Harry $13,200 – $13,199 = $1 (Who is Uncle Sam?)
Jenna $18,200 – $9,000 = $9,200 (Who is Rosie the Riveter?)
Game Stats:
Laura $5,200 Coryat, 11 correct, 5 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 0 rebound opportunities)
Jenna $16,200 Coryat, 20 correct, 0 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Harry $15,200 Coryat, 16 correct, 1 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $36,600
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.
Had to have felt bad for Harry there.