(TJF Plus) Daily Details – Friday, January 9, 2026

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Current Champion

Matthew Riggle, career statistics:
47 correct, 6 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
41.23% in first on buzzer (47/114)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $7,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $21,300

To win:
3 games: 68.027%
4: 46.277%
5: 31.481%
6: 21.415%
7: 14.568%
Avg. streak: 4.128 games.
(Next game: September 14)
(Click Here for Methodology)

Upcoming Encore Presentations

August 12: S42 E98 (January 21, 2026)
August 13: S42 E99 (January 22, 2026)
August 14: S42 E100 (January 23, 2026)
August 15-16: S41 E141 (March 24, 2025)
August 17: S42 E101 (January 26, 2026)
August 18: S42 E105 (January 30, 2026)
August 19: S42 E102 (January 27, 2026)
August 20: S42 E103 (January 28, 2026)
August 21: S42 E104 (January 29, 2026)
August 22-23: S41 E142 (March 25, 2025)
August 24: S42 E106 (February 2, 2026)
August 25: S42 E107 (February 3, 2026)
August 26: S42 E108 (February 4, 2026)
August 27: S42 E109 (February 5, 2026)
August 28: S42 E110 (February 6, 2026)
August 29-30: S41 E143 (March 26, 2025)
(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 $1,098,403
7. Mattea Roach $897,983
8. Jamie Ding $885,605
9. David Madden $785,733
10. Victoria Groce $773,801
11. Cris Pannullo $754,286
12. Roger Craig $706,200
13. Larissa Kelly $671,930
14. Matt Jackson $623,612
15. Jason Zuffranieri $549,496
16. Andrew He $534,365
17. Scott Riccardi $533,000
18. Jerome Vered $499,102
19. Julia Collins $495,767
20. Austin Rogers $493,000
21. Ben Ingram $449,201
22. Paolo Pasco $448,717
23. Adriana Harmeyer $446,600
24. Buzzy Cohen $441,603
25. Juveria Zaheer $441,000

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Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Ian Morrison, an airline ramp agent originally from Aurora, Colorado

Ryan Sharpe, a recent graduate from Oakville, Ontario, Canada

James Corson, a nuclear engineer from Frederick, Maryland

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Our last set of quarterfinalists in this Champions Wildcard event are James Corson, Ryan Sharpe, and Ian Morrison. James was a 2-time champion who cleared the $70,000 mark, while Ian won 1 game before having his run ended by Paolo Pasco. Meanwhile, Ryan Sharpe made his way through Week 3 of Second Chance to make it into this field.

Meanwhile, we already know that 6 of the 9 spots in the semifinals have been spoken for—Stella Trout, Michelle Tsai, Harvey Silikovitz, and Jonathan Hugendubler won their games earlier this week, while Vickie Talvola and Cameron Berry have the first two wild card spots and cannot fall out of contention. Things could get very interesting for the last two wild card spots: Bill McKinney qualifies unless all three players finish Final Jeopardy with more than $12,200, while Dave Bond needs both non-winners to finish with less than $10,000 in order to qualify.

Final Jeopardy! Category: Notable Americans

Final Jeopardy! Clue: Known in Mexican history as the sale of the Mesilla Valley, the 30,000 square mile deal was negotiated by this U.S. diplomat

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Correct response: Who is James Gadsden?

More Information About Final Jeopardy!:

In the early 1850s, the Mexican government was short of cash, and the Americans were in search of an easier route to build a railroad (businessmen in the South wanted a railroad to the Pacific coast). Thus, James Gadsden, U.S. Minister to Mexico, set out to acquire territory along the U.S.-Mexico border, and did so by 1853 (the Treaty of Mesilla was ratified by both countries in 1854).

The United States paid $10 million for the land; interestingly, this railroad was not built until after the Civil War, as opposition to slavery prevented there being enough federal interest in providing funding to a Southern railroad. Instead, the first transcontinental railroad was built between Council Bluffs, Iowa and San Francisco; the Southern Pacific Railroad was not completed until much later.

Truth be told, today’s Final Jeopardy feels very straightforward for those with good knowledge of U.S. history; we shall see how it plays.

Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, January 9, 2026 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: All These Things That I’Ve Done; Alliteration; Biblical Language; That’S Fashionable; Why Not? Football!; Teaching To The Test)

Ian got the Daily Double incorrect and sat third at the first break as a result, while James did very well in the football category to lead at the first set of commercials. After 15 clues, the scores were James $3,200 Ryan $3,000 Ian $1,400.

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

James 5 correct 0 incorrect
Ryan 4 correct 0 incorrect
Ian 4 correct 1 incorrect

Today’s interviews:

Ian is starting a college fund for his nephew with his winnings.
Ryan regrets an incorrect response during Second Chance.
James bought Scotch and breakfast cereal with his winnings

All three players played well after the break; Ryan led after 30. Over the course of the opening round, Ryan went 4/5 in a historical biographies category, Ian went 3/5 in alliteration, while James went 4/5 in the football category.

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Ryan 10 correct 0 incorrect
James 8 correct 0 incorrect
Ian 8 correct 1 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Ryan $6,400
James $4,200
Ian $3,600

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: U.S. Bodies Of Water; Known Whereabouts; Adapted For High School; They Call Me Mellow Yellow; Fantastic Tales; Teaching To The Test)

Ryan dominated the early part of Double Jeopardy, finding both Daily Doubles and cruising to a runaway. James and Ian battled back in the second half of the round to make for a very nervy Final Jeopardy round for both Bill and Dave in the audience. Over the second board, Ryan ran bodies of water and went 4/5 in the yellow category, while James went 3/5 in fantastic tales.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Ryan 22 correct 0 incorrect
James 15 correct 2 incorrect
Ian 14 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 8 (0 today).

Scores going into Final:

Ryan $24,222
James $11,000
Ian $8,800

Ian was correct in Final, putting him in the semifinals. Unfortunately, James was missing a letter, changing the pronunciation, meaning he was incorrect and eliminated.

Tonight’s results:

Ian $8,800 + $8,800 = $17,600 (Who is Gadsden?)
James $11,000 – $11,000 = $0 (Who is Gasden Gadsen?)
Ryan $24,222 + $1,729 = $25,951 (Who was Gadsden) (Semi-Finalist)

Wild Card standings:

Monday: Stella Trout, $26,401
Tuesday: Michelle Tsai, $14,398
Wednesday: Harvey Silikovitz, $12,998
Thursday: Jonathan Hugendubler, $18,400
Friday: Ryan Sharpe, $25,951
1. Ian Morrison, $17,600
2. Vickie Talvola, $13,600
3. Cameron Berry, $12,599
4. Bill McKinney, $12,200
5. Dave Bond, $10,000
6. Pete Johnston, $3,199
7. Dargan Ware, $2,200
8. Geoff Barnes, $800
9. James Corson, $0 ($11,000)
10. Jason Singer, $0 ($3,900)

Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) BIBLICAL LANGUAGE $600 (clue #4)
Ian 800 -1000 (James 0 Ryan 1800)
2) U.S. BODIES OF WATER $2000 (clue #3)
Ryan 9200 +6174 (James 4200 Ian 3600)
3) THEY CALL ME MELLOW YELLOW $1600 (clue #10, $20800 left on board)
Ryan 18974 +2048 (James 4600 Ian 5600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -22

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
James 4
Ryan 5 4
Ian 3*

DJ! Round:
James 5
Ryan 4 5* 3 4 4 3 4*
Ian 3 3

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Ryan 4.00
Ian 3.00
James 4.50

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 8 (0.09 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Ryan $19,600 Coryat, 22 correct, 0 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Ian $9,800 Coryat, 14 correct, 2 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
James $11,000 Coryat, 15 correct, 2 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Combined Coryat Score: $40,400
Lach Trash: $10,200 (on 8 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $3,400
Lead Changes: 2
Times Tied: 1

Player Statistics:

James Corson, career statistics:

76 correct, 9 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities)
32.46% in first on buzzer (74/228)
4/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $18,200)
2/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,550

Ryan Sharpe, career statistics:

119 correct, 10 incorrect
9/9 on rebound attempts (on 17 rebound opportunities)
37.54% in first on buzzer (107/285)
7/8 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $37,326)
4/5 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,880

Ian Morrison, career statistics:

59 correct, 11 incorrect
5/5 on rebound attempts (on 12 rebound opportunities)
35.09% in first on buzzer (60/171)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,000)
2/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,133

Andy’s Thoughts:

• So why wouldn’t the judges just accept James’s spelling, because, as many detractors would say, “we knew who he was talking about?” Because every time the judges rule too leniently for one player, it ends up disadvantaging another. So, had they taken James’s spelling, it would have disadvantaged Bill McKinney, the last wild card. The spelling rules as they currently are are meant to not differentiate between someone learning by hearing or by reading—and the show wouldn’t have accepted his response if it was pronounced, so they wouldn’t take it when written.
• Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.

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