recaps

Season 42

Today’s Final Jeopardy – Monday, May 4, 2026

Warning: This page contains spoilers for the May 4, 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.

Published Modified

Join TJF Plus

Get free access to all of our articles. Register a free account for TJF Plus.

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

DISCLAIMER

The Jeopardy! Fan is created by fans, for fans. The Jeopardy! game show and all elements thereof, including but not limited to copyright and trademark thereto, are the property of Jeopardy Productions, Inc. and are protected under law. This website is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or operated by Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Famous Lists) for Monday, May 4, 2026 (Season 42, Game 171):

A famous list of this many items is found on the 1972 comedy album “Class Clown”

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Madeline Kaplan, an editor originally from Toledo, Ohio

Madeline Kaplan on Jeopardy!

Matt Davis, a banker from Arlington, Virginia

Matt Davis on Jeopardy!

Stephanie Perkins, a math teacher from St. Louis, Missouri (1-day total: $16,600)

Stephanie Perkins on Jeopardy!

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

St. Louis math teacher Stephanie Perkins enters today’s game as a new champion; she’ll attempt to go for win #2 against Matt Davis of the DC area and Madeline Kaplan of Toledo, Ohio.

On a personal level, I do want to say that unless one of the challengers is already a friend of mine, I am much more likely to cheer for the champion. I get a lot of enjoyment out of watching champions go on long runs and thus I do often lean towards that rooting interest.

(Content continues below)

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 23 players, including Caleb Groen, Adam Remsen, 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: What is 7?

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 George Carlin’s more famous comedic routines is his “Seven Words You Can’t Say On Television” routine, which first appeared on the 1972 album Class Clown, in which Carlin expressed surprise that you couldn’t say those words on TV, regardless of the platform. Unfortunately, I won’t be repeating those words, as I enjoy being able to monetize my website.

Interestingly, a later broadcast of this speech on the radio by WBAI New York led to a lawsuit that reached the Supreme Court. (FCC v. Pacifica Foundation), in which the Supreme Court found that the FCC did have the ability to regulate indecent content sent over broadcast airwaves.

As long as a contestant doesn’t get this list confused with the list that Lenny Bruce (9) was arrested for a few years prior, this should be a relatively fun clue for everyone.

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:

While it was challenger Matt and champion Stephanie who had the most number of correct responses and the best Coryat score, it was Madeline Kaplan who owned the day as a result of picking up $11,800 on back-to-back Daily Doubles early in Double Jeopardy. The game, which saw all three players clear $12,000 entering the game’s most pivotal clue, ended with Stephanie and Madeline getting Final Jeopardy correct. Thanks to Madeline’s cover bet in Final Jeopardy, it ended up being a big payday for our Ohioan—she took home $31,700 and the right to play again tomorrow!

Scores going into Final:

Madeline $18,200
Matt $15,600
Stephanie $12,600

Tonight’s results:

Stephanie $12,600 + $6,000 = $18,600 (What is 7?)
Matt $15,600 – $15,600 = $0 (What are 9?)
Madeline $18,200 + $13,500 = $31,700 (What is seven?) (1-day total: $31,700)

Madeline Kaplan, today's Jeopardy! winner (for the May 4, 2026 game.)

Game Stats:

Madeline $8,800 Coryat, 11 correct, 2 incorrect, 17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Stephanie $12,400 Coryat, 18 correct, 3 incorrect, 35.09% in first on buzzer (20/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Matt $15,600 Coryat, 22 correct, 1 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $36,800

If you are looking for more detailed statistics about today’s game of Jeopardy!, as well as the ability to leave a comment, make sure to check out the Daily Details section.

Madeline Kaplan, to win:

3 games: 64.694%
4: 41.853%
5: 27.076%
6: 17.517%
7: 11.332%
Avg. streak: 3.832 games.

Andy’s Thoughts:

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Madeline $18,200 Matt $15,600 Stephanie $12,600)

Stephanie: If Madeline and Matt both make cover bets and are incorrect, you need to stay above $6,000 to win on a Triple Stumper. Bet no more than $6,599. (Actual bet: $6,000)

Matt: Standard cover bet over Madeline is $9,601. (Actual bet: $15,600)

Madeline: Standard cover bet over Matt is $13,001. (Actual bet: $13,500)


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.
Powered by Labrador CMS