Today’s Final Jeopardy – Friday, October 20, 2023

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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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Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Languages of Asia) for Friday, October 20, 2023 (Season 40, Game 30):

Meaning “palace”, this word in the name of a UNESCO World Heritage site follows Jal & Lal in the names of other historic structures

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Kristin Hucek, an attorney from Washington, D.C.

William Chou, a foreign policy think-tank research fellow from Cheverly, Maryland

Dave Pai, a field application scientist originally from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Andy’s Pre-Game Thoughts:

Josh Saak has taken the Spades bracket and its corresponding spot in the Tournament of Champions; now, another 27 players return from Seasons 37 and 38 to make up the Diamonds bracket!. Today’s returning quarterfinalists are Dave Pai, William Chou, and Kristin Hucek!

If you’d like to see my preview of the entire Diamonds bracket, it has now been published, and you can find it here!

I’d also like to thank everyone who sent along kind words to me yesterday; as it turns out, my concerns were (at least temporarily) unfounded, but my statement does still stand. I am thankful that none of the players in the Diamonds bracket were the reason for my concern. I would also like to say that the stories that were sent along to me yesterday were very heartwarming, and they absolutely brightened my day to read them. Thank you!

Correct response: What is “Mahal”?

More information about Final Jeopardy:

(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2023 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)

Along with the most famous example, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, there is a Jal Mahal in Jaipur, India, and a Lal Mahal in Pune, India. According to Merriam-Webster, the word “mahal” today means “a summer house”, “a private apartment or lodging”, or even “a territorial division”.

This does seem like it would be a relatively straightforward Final, but there are possibilities that a contestant or home viewer might pick “Wat”, thinking of Angkor Wat instead. Again, I do believe that straightforward Final Jeopardy clues are important to keep the betting “honest” and players playing to win the game (as opposed to “not to lose”.)

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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, October 20, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: We Made It; Justin Time; Sports Around The World; Not Your Average Opera; Body Language; Halloween Costume Ideas)

Ken thought Kristin was “going for the jugular” early on—I wouldn’t quite agree, as the Daily Double wasn’t really actively hunted for! On the other hand, Dave did go for the jugular, successfully converting a True Daily Double shortly after the break and then shutting out Kristin (she had no correct responses in the second segment) en route to a big lead after 30!

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Kristin 7 correct 0 incorrect
Dave 5 correct 1 incorrect
William 0 correct 1 incorrect

Today’s interviews:

Kristin recently had her first son, Calvin.
William started a new job in D.C. and has a ramen blog.
Dave had to explain to his two-year-old that “Daddy is not a permanent fixture on TV”

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Dave 14 correct 1 incorrect
Kristin 7 correct 1 incorrect
William 3 correct 1 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Dave $11,200
Kristin $4,200
William $1,200

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Olde England; Amy Poehler Is Awesome; What’s Next?; Family Drama; Houseplants; Good “P.R.”)

A difficult Double Jeopardy Round saw Dave’s score come back down to earth after a missed Daily Double early, compounded by Kristin finding the last one. However, Kristin only bet just under half her score and then only picked up a net $400 on the final 22 clues. This gave Dave an opportunity to mount a comeback, and he led by $3,200 going into Final!

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Dave 23 correct 3 incorrect
Kristin 12 correct 3 incorrect
William 7 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).

Scores going into Final:

Dave $13,200
Kristin $10,000
William $3,600

William and Dave got the right half, Kristin going for “taj” instead—Dave is a semi-finalist!

Tonight’s results:

William $3,600 + $3,600 = $7,200 (What is Mahal)
Kristin $10,000 – $7,500 = $2,500 (What is taj?)
Dave $13,200 + $6,801 = $20,001 (What is Mahal?) (Semi-Finalist)

Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) SPORTS AROUND THE WORLD $1000 (clue #20)
Dave 4000 +4000 (William 400 Kristin 4200)
2) OLDE ENGLAND $1600 (clue #2)
Dave 12400 -5600 (William 1200 Kristin 4200)
3) FAMILY DRAMA $1600 (clue #8, $25200 left on board)
Kristin 6600 +3000 (Dave 5600 William 1200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 100

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Dave 3 3 4 5 3 3 4 5*
William 4 3
Kristin 1 2 4 5 2 1 1 2 4 5

DJ! Round:
Dave 4* 3 4 3 3
William 3
Kristin 3 4*

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Dave 3.62
William 3.33
Kristin 2.83

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 0 (0.00 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Dave $15,800 Coryat, 23 correct, 3 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
William $3,600 Coryat, 7 correct, 2 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Kristin $8,600 Coryat, 12 correct, 3 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $28,000
Lach Trash: $19,000 (on 17 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,000
Lead Changes: 3
Times Tied: 0

Player Statistics:

Dave Pai, career statistics:

84 correct, 10 incorrect
6/7 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities)
35.24% in first on buzzer (80/227)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,600)
3/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,100

William Chou, career statistics:

40 correct, 6 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 16 rebound opportunities)
23.26% in first on buzzer (40/172)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,400)
2/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,733

Kristin Hucek, career statistics:

66 correct, 20 incorrect
3/4 on rebound attempts (on 26 rebound opportunities)
27.47% in first on buzzer (75/273)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,200)
1/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $7,040

Andy’s Thoughts:

• With regard to HOUSEPLANTS $1600, the clue opened “Though its name means ‘loving tree’.” A response of “monstera” does not fit that part of the clue—only “philodendron” does—remember, per the published rules of the show, “Correct responses must satisfy the demands of both the clue and the category.” The judges’ ruling was correct in this case.

• Today’s box score: October 20, 2023 Box Score.

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Dave $13,200 Kristin $10,000 William $3,600)

Dave: Standard cover bet over Kristin is $6,801. (Actual bet: $6,801)

William: You have to bet at least $2,800 to pass Dave’s total if he covers and is incorrect. (Actual bet: $3,600)

Kristin: Limit your bet to $2,799 or less to keep William locked out. (Actual bet: $7,500)

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