recaps
Season 40
Today’s Final Jeopardy – Monday, October 23, 2023
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the October 23, 2023, 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
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 Music Men) for Monday, October 23, 2023 (Season 40, Game 31):
Before creating this record label in 1959, its founder worked on a Lincoln-Mercury assembly line
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Leah Wiegand, a stay-at-home mom from Austin, Texas
Pasquale Palumbo, a financial advisor from Hawthorne, New York
Isaac Applebaum, a corporate development analyst from Mountain View, California
Andy’s Pre-Game Thoughts:
Welcome to the start of Week 7 of Season 40 of Jeopardy!; as it turns out, as of today, we’re now 31 episodes into the 71 episodes of strike replacement programming, with today being Game #2 of the Diamonds bracket of Champions Wildcard.
Have you noticed the changed logo for Champions Wildcard for the brackets? Underneath Champions Wildcard, there was two stars and a spade for the Spades bracket, and now there is two stars and a diamond for the Diamonds bracket.
Today’s game features a pair of 1-day champions in Leah Wiegand and Pasquale Palumbo, along with Isaac Applebaum, who finished fourth in the 2022 Jeopardy National College Championship but did not have a high enough score in the semifinal in order to qualify for the final. Isaac was also scheduled to be a part of last season’s Second Chance competition as a result, but when he was unable to play there, he was moved to Champions Wildcard, as that is probably a more apt placement for a player who has two wins under his belt. One thing to note is that Pasquale’s buzzer stats were strong in his original stint compared to Isaac and Leah; it would not surprise me if Pasquale did the best on the signalling device in this one.
(Content continues below)
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.
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Correct response: What is Motown Records?
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.)
I have a few thoughts about this Final Jeopardy. Most of them are good, though!
Firstly, I do think that this is a much better way to ask about Motown founder Berry Gordy than the debacle of September 15, 2020. There aren’t any “but no, this isn’t actually a sound-alike even though it actually does sound alike” traps today.
Secondly, I’m surprised that we’re seeing this Final in this stage of the competition, being that Cory Burns Barger—who you’ll be seeing on Friday—was one of the players in that aforementioned September 15, 2020 game.
On to this Final: aspiring songwriter Berry Gordy, Jr. (And don’t you dare think it’s spelled Barry!) began working on a Lincoln-Mercury assembly line, making $86.40 a week upholstering the cars. He only lasted two years at Lincoln-Mercury, leaving to pursue his dream and founding Tamla Records, soon to become Motown Records, by the end of the 1950s.
As Gordy put it in To Be Loved, his autobiography:
My own dream for a hit factory was quickly taking form, a concept that had been shaped by principles I had learned on the Lincoln-Mercury assembly line. At the plant, the cars started out as just a frame, pulled along on conveyor belts until they emerged at the end of the line… I wanted the same concept for my company, only with artists and songs and records. I wanted a place where a kid off the street could walk in one door an unknown and come out another a recording artist—a star.
With this formula, Motown churned out dozens of hit songs for artists ranging from Mary Wells, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Thelma Houston, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, and Boyz II Men.
This is going to be an incredibly straightforward Final Jeopardy for most of the show’s viewing audience, who do tend to be older than the contestants—many viewers may have had Motown artists among the very first records they bought as children. Will it be as straightforward for younger contestants or viewers? That remains to be seen.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, October 23, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The Really Old College Try; Just Kidding; A Woman Of The World; The Name Of The Game; Always Say Never; Stupid Proverbs)
All three players got off to a good start, but Isaac was at $0 at the opening break following a missed True Daily Double. However, he did bounce back well with six correct responses after the break to re-take the lead!
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Pasquale 4 correct 1 incorrect
Leah 5 correct 0 incorrect
Isaac 4 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Leah took her daughter on a trip to Disney World with some of her winnings.
Pasquale got to talk football with Aaron Rodgers.
Isaac is still applying for medical school in honor of his mother who is five years cancer free.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Isaac 10 correct 1 incorrect
Pasquale 7 correct 4 incorrect
Leah 5 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Isaac $3,800
Pasquale $2,200
Leah $800
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: A River Runs To It; “Baby” Movies; The History Channel; People With Muppet Names; No, I Don’t Need A Doctor; Smart Answers)
Seven incorrect responses (and two missed Daily Doubles) kept the scores in four figures today in Double Jeopardy; Leah held a slim lead going into Final.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Leah 10 correct 3 incorrect
Isaac 16 correct 4 incorrect
Pasquale 17 correct 7 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Leah $7,600
Isaac $6,700
Pasquale $4,900
Leah and Isaac got Final correct; while she didn’t bet to cover, she did bet enough to take the win today! She’s now a semifinalist!
Tonight’s results:
Pasquale $4,900 – $0 = $4,900 (What is 8 Mile?)
Isaac $6,700 + $3,101 = $9,801 (What is Motown)
Leah $7,600 + $5,000 = $12,600 (What is Motown?) (Semi-Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) A WOMAN OF THE WORLD $800 (clue #10)
Isaac 1600 -1600 (Pasquale 1200 Leah 1600)
2) PEOPLE WITH MUPPET NAMES $1600 (clue #16)
Pasquale 4600 -2500 (Isaac 3000 Leah 3600)
3) A RIVER RUNS TO IT $2000 (clue #29, $1200 left on board)
Isaac 7000 -1500 (Pasquale 4900 Leah 7600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -176
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Isaac 2 3 2 3 4*
Pasquale 5 1
Leah 2 3 4
DJ! Round:
Isaac 3 4 5 1 2 1 3 1 4 5*
Pasquale 2 3 4 2 2 4* 5† 2 2 3 4
Leah 1 5 1 3 4 5 1 5
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Leah 3.09
Isaac 2.87
Pasquale 3.00
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:
Leah $7,600 Coryat, 10 correct, 3 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Isaac $9,800 Coryat, 16 correct, 4 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Pasquale $7,400 Coryat, 17 correct, 7 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 0/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $24,800
Lach Trash: $14,800 (on 14 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $14,400
Lead Changes: 10
Times Tied: 3
Player Statistics:
Isaac Applebaum, career statistics:
53 correct, 10 incorrect
4/6 on rebound attempts (on 18 rebound opportunities)
28.07% in first on buzzer (48/171)
4/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,700)
3/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,133
Pasquale Palumbo, career statistics:
60 correct, 16 incorrect
1/4 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities)
39.41% in first on buzzer (67/170)
0/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$7,500)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,933
Leah Wiegand, career statistics:
33 correct, 6 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 15 rebound opportunities)
18.71% in first on buzzer (32/171)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,000)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,600
Andy’s Thoughts:
- I certainly hope that the remaining semifinalists noticed Leah’s lack of a cover bet in this one. In Isaac’s defense, there was certainly nothing broadcast that might give the home viewer an indication that Leah wouldn’t make the standard cover bet.
- This game definitely had the same feel as many late Season 39 games.
Today’s box score: October 23, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Leah $7,600 Isaac $6,700 Pasquale $4,900)
Isaac: Standard cover bet over Pasquale is $3,101. (Actual bet: $3,101)
Pasquale: Bet to $1,300 or less for the best chance of winning on the Triple Stumper.(Actual bet: $0)
Leah: Standard cover bet over Isaac is $5,801. (Actual bet: $5,000)
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