recaps
Season 42
Today’s Final Jeopardy – Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the July 8, 2026, game ofJeopardy!— 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.
Current Champion
Nikolas Polsinelli, career statistics:
44 correct, 6 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
35.96% in first on buzzer (41/114)
4/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,500
To win:
3 games: 64.111%
4: 41.102%
5: 26.351%
6: 16.894%
7: 10.831%
Avg. streak: 3.786 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)
Upcoming Encore Presentations
October 3-4: S42 E175 (May 8, 2026)
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 2026)
(Source: Bell Fibe TV program guide)
All Time Winnings
All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Regular Play Only:
1. Ken Jennings $2,520,700
2. James Holzhauer $2,462,216
3. Matt Amodio $1,518,601
4. Amy Schneider $1,382,800
5. Jamie Ding $882,605
6. Cris Pannullo $748,286
7. Mattea Roach $560,983
8. Jason Zuffranieri $532,496
9. Scott Riccardi $455,000
10. David Madden $430,400
11. Julia Collins $428,100
12. Matt Jackson $411,612
13. Austin Rogers $411,000
14. Ray Lalonde $386,400
15. Harrison Whitaker $373,999
16. Adriana Harmeyer $349,600
17. Caleb Groen $346,968
18. Adam Remsen $306,415
19. Ryan Long $299,400
20. Arthur Chu $297,200
All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Including Tournaments (and Consolation Prizes):
1. Brad Rutter $4,968,436
2. Ken Jennings $4,372,700
3. James Holzhauer $3,614,216
4. Matt Amodio $1,964,601
5. Amy Schneider $1,864,800
6. Yogesh Raut $1,598,403
7. Victoria Groce $1,023,801
8. Mattea Roach $897,983
9. Jamie Ding $885,605
10. David Madden $785,733
11. Cris Pannullo $754,286
12. Roger Craig $706,200
13. Andrew He $684,365
14. Larissa Kelly $671,930
15. Matt Jackson $623,612
16. Jason Zuffranieri $549,496
17. Paolo Pasco $548,717
18. Scott Riccardi $533,000
19. Jerome Vered $499,102
20. Julia Collins $495,767
21. Austin Rogers $493,000
22. Juveria Zaheer $491,000
23. Ben Ingram $449,201
24. Adriana Harmeyer $446,600
25. Buzzy Cohen $441,603
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Classic TV) for Wednesday, July 8, 2026 (Season 42, Game 218):
“Burning Fuse” was the working title for the iconic theme song to this TV series that was later on the big screen
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Molly Grove, a physician from Camas, Washington
Taylor A’Latorre, a fulfillment worker from Plano, Texas
Caleb Groen, a law & policy student originally from Thousand Oaks, California (4-day total: $71,200)
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
On June 18, Adam Remsen became the 295th 5-time champion since the return of Jeopardy! to North American television in 1984. Today, Caleb Groen looks to become the 296th. Technically, this fifth win would guarantee Caleb’s spot in the Tournament of Champions, but right now, his chances are almost 97%. Looking to stop Caleb from getting to win #5 are Taylor A’Latorre and Molly Grove. Certainly, I like Caleb’s chances here—he has had a very strong first four games—but it’s good to remember that anything can happen at any time.
(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.
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 23 players, including Caleb Groen, Adam Remsen, Tristan Williams and Jamie Ding, that have won 10 or more games on Jeopardy!
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Correct response: What is Mission: Impossible?
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.)
One of the most famous TV theme songs of all time, Mission Impossible‘s theme song was composed by Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin. Interestingly, the underlying beat of the song, the “two dashes followed by two dots” that “M.I.” is in Morse code, sounds identical to the main rhythm of the song. The TV series, which originally aired from 1966 through 1973, inspired a series of 8 films that have been released from 1996 through 2025.
Do I think that 90% of the home audience will get this? Yes. Do I think that this will play harder in studio, where the contestants tend to be much younger than the home audience? Yes. Does that mean that any contestant who gets this incorrect deserves harassment online? No. It just means that everyone has different life experiences, and a younger contestant may not associate this theme song with television.
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 late 2026! All previous orders will still be supported.
Game Recap:
Things were still relatively close between Caleb and Taylor about a third of the way through the Double Jeopardy Round, until Caleb found the Daily Doubles on back-to-back selections. Picking up a combined $11,000 on those two clues alone, that was more than enough for him to cruise to a runaway victory to pick up that all-important 5th win and automatic berth in the Tournament of Champions.
Potentially burned by the monetary loss a couple of days ago, Caleb bet just $600 in FInal today—but he was correct to put an exclamation point on win #5 today. He’ll go for win #6 tomorrow.
Scores going into Final:
Caleb $31,400
Taylor $12,800
Molly $9,400
Tonight’s results:
Molly $9,400 – $0 = $9,400 (What is a lovely fun day!)
Taylor $12,800 + $6,005 = $18,805 (What is Mission Impossible?)
Caleb $31,400 + $600 = $32,000 (What is Mission Impossible?) (5-day total: $103,200)
Game Stats:
Caleb $22,600 Coryat, 26 correct, 2 incorrect, 40.35% in first on buzzer (23/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Taylor $12,800 Coryat, 18 correct, 2 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Molly $9,400 Coryat, 13 correct, 2 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $44,800
Caleb Groen, to win:
6 games: 77.508%
7: 60.075%
8: 46.563%
9: 36.090%
10: 27.973%
Avg. streak: 8.446 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
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