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Warning: This page contains spoilers for the June 3, 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 Lesser-Known Americans) for Wednesday, June 3, 2026 (Season 42, Game 193):
By his actions after his wife died in 1898 after bearing him 6 children, William Jackson Smart inspired this annual event
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Gabriel Berkowitz, an account manger from New York, New York
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Gil Hamel, an escape room manager from Dover, New Hampshire
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Peter McFerrin, an energy industry professional from Corona, California (2-day total: $68,198)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Peter McFerrin took Jeopardy! for nearly $50,000 yesterday; he goes for win #3 today against Gil Hamel and Gabriel Berkowitz. Peter needs a win today to really solidify his postseason chances for sure; I’d be surprised if he made it in to the ToC with his current total. Of our two challengers, Gil is an escape room manager—I certainly hope that means we’re in for some strong strategic play from her today.
One thing that I absolutely despise in 2026 is the entitlement within the fandom, and the belief that if you get something incorrect, that the problem is with the quiz setter and not the quiz respondent. There are certainly days where I’ll look at a Final Jeopardy clue and wonder what fans are going to start a mob today, and how somehow clues are only valid in some quarters if certain people have heard of the correct response. Well, guess what? You’re not supposed to know everything—and certainly, the Jeopardy! canon absolutely should not be “the contents of the brain of any one person”. And life would be pretty boring if anyone did know everything.
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: What is Father’s Day?
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.)
Father’s Day, as it is observed now on the third Sunday in June in the United States, was inspired by Sonora Louise Smart, born in Arkansas, but the Smart family (headed by Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart) moved to the Spokane area in 1889. Sonora, after having to sit through a Mother’s Day sermon without a mother, proposed to the Spokane Ministerial Alliance that a day in honor of fathers be observed. While Sonora wanted June 5 for the observation, the third Sunday in June was chosen instead. The first Father’s Day was celebrated in 1910, and the observance was permanently established by President Nixon in 1972.
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Game Recap:
After starting the game slowly, Peter went way too conservative, as if he was playing not to lose, on back-to-back Daily Doubles in Double Jeopardy. This allowed for Gil and Gabriel to both stay in contention entering Final, and either could have won on a Triple Stumper.
As it turned out, Final Jeopardy was a Triple Stumper—but both challengers bet way too much money, handing victory #3 over to Peter. He’ll get to play for win #4 tomorrow.
Scores going into Final:
Peter $16,000
Gil $13,000
Gabriel $8,800
Tonight’s results:
Gabriel $8,800 – $7,201 = $1,599 (What is March of Dimes?)
Gil $13,000 – $13,000 = $0 (What is Mother’s Day)
Peter $16,000 – $10,001 = $5,999 (What is the March of Dimes?) (3-day total: $74,197)
Game Stats:
Peter $15,600 Coryat, 15 correct, 3 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Gabriel $10,000 Coryat, 15 correct, 2 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Gil $13,000 Coryat, 22 correct, 5 incorrect, 42.11% in first on buzzer (24/57), 2/3 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $38,600
Peter McFerrin, to win:
4 games: 68.171%
5: 46.473%
6: 31.681%
7: 21.597%
8: 14.723%
Avg. streak: 5.142 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- There appears to have been some sort of editing error made during this episode, in which Clue #30 of the Jeopardy! Round appears to have been retroactively awarded to Gil without explanation to the viewing audience. I would venture that the issue was that the judges decided to change the ruling, retape it, but the original recording ended up in the final cut instead. Surprisingly, this is not a unique occurrence in the history of the show; this happened on January 10, 2020. Interestingly, the show’s correction to the previous instance stated “we will make every effort to ensure this never happens again”. (Looks like that wasn’t the case.)
- Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Peter $16,000 Gil $13,000 Gabriel $8,800)
Peter: Standard cover bet is $10,001. (Actual bet: $10,001)
Gil: Standard cover bet over Gabriel is $4,601. (Actual bet: $13,000)
Gabriel: Your best chance of winning is via Triple Stumper. If Peter and Gil both bet to cover, then you win if you bet less than $400. (Actual bet: $7,201)
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