recaps
Season 40
Today’s Final Jeopardy – Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the December 19, 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 Inventions) for Tuesday, December 19, 2023 (Season 40, Game 72):
Invented in 1816, it takes its name from Greek for “chest” & “observe”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Mike Elliott, a meat cutter originally from Derry, New Hampshire
Eva Thomas, an attorney from Brooklyn, New York
Jason Carpenter, a stand-up comic from Santa Rosa Valley, California
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
After 71 episodes, the WGA strike replacement programming is over, and we’re now onto the episodes that we would have loved to see starting September 11 (you know, had the AMPTP not tried to starve out the writers).
Our first Season 39 Second Chance returnees are Mike Elliott, Eva Thomas, and Jason Carpenter; of these three, I think Mike is probably the most well-known, as he put up a near-record $26,800 going into Final Jeopardy (yet was still trailing Cris Pannullo) in one of the best regular season games of all time.
Not that I at all think this will help, but I do think it needs to be said anyway, after a rash of homophobic trolls came through the comment section last night: there are humans who have to read what you say.
Another reminder that I have started a Sunday mailbag column where I answer fan & viewer questions regarding the show. If you have a question, feel free to send it to mailbag@thejeopardyfan.com!
(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 the stethoscope?
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.)
Not being comfortable putting his ear directly on a woman’s chest to listen to her heart, René Laennec of Paris’s Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital realized that a rolled piece of paper, placed between the chest and his ear, could amplify the sounds without requiring physical contact. Thus, in 1816, the first stethoscope (from “stetho”, chest, and “scope”, observe). The modern stethoscope design, with a flexible tube, was perfected in the early 1850s by George Philip Cammann.
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 & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Tuesday, December 19, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Mammals In Latin; Cautionary Rhymes; King’s Crossing; Always In Fashion; Unofficial Team Nicknames; Famous Last Words)
Eva got off to a quick start, but lost half her score on a Daily Double. She still held a slim lead at the first break, though.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Eva 7 correct 1 incorrect
Jason 3 correct 1 incorrect
Mike 1 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Mike got The Call just as his wife was getting out of gall bladder surgery.
Eva smithed a LearnedLeague One-Day Special over the summer.
Jason slept for 24 hours after his first appearance.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Eva 11 correct 1 incorrect
Jason 7 correct 2 incorrect
Mike 8 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Eva $4,200
Jason $3,600
Mike $3,400
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: From The French; Cornerstones; Super Successful Sequels; Australian Books & Authors; It Happened In 2023; Countries Inside Other Country Names)
The turning point came exactly midway through Double Jeopardy, when Mike went all in on a Daily Double. Unfortunately, an incorrect response dropped him out of contention. Good on him for taking the swing, though! From there, it was a matter of “Will Jason have a runaway?”—a question answered “yes” by the correct response on the round’s final clue.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Jason 17 correct 4 incorrect
Eva 15 correct 2 incorrect
Mike 17 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Jason $12,000
Eva $5,800
Mike $2,799
Eva and Jason got Final; Jason moves onto the finals, Friday and Monday!
Tonight’s results:
Mike $2,799 – $45 = $2,754 (What is Thanks Everyone? ❤️)
Eva $5,800 + $0 = $5,800 (What is stethoscope?)
Jason $12,000 + $0 = $12,000 (What is a stethoscope?) (Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) KING’S CROSSING $800 (clue #12)
Eva 4000 -2000 (Jason 1800 Mike -400)
2) CORNERSTONES $1200 (clue #15)
Mike 10600 -10600 (Jason 10800 Eva 5000)
3) SUPER SUCCESSFUL SEQUELS $800 (clue #23, $3600 left on board)
Mike 800 +799 (Jason 11200 Eva 5000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -110
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Jason 1 4 5 3 1
Eva 4 5 5 5 3 4*
Mike 4
DJ! Round:
Jason 3 2 3 5 5 3 2 3 2
Eva 5 1
Mike 4 4 4 3 4 5 3* 5 5 4 4 2*
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Jason 3.00
Eva 4.00
Mike 3.92
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:
Jason $12,000 Coryat, 17 correct, 4 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Eva $7,800 Coryat, 15 correct, 2 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Mike $13,400 Coryat, 17 correct, 2 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $33,200
Lach Trash: $11,600 (on 9 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $9,200
Lead Changes: 5
Times Tied: 2
Player Statistics:
Jason Carpenter, career statistics:
40 correct, 8 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
36.84% in first on buzzer (42/114)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,400
Eva Thomas, career statistics:
38 correct, 5 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities)
32.46% in first on buzzer (37/114)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,000
Mike Elliott, career statistics:
37 correct, 6 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
30.70% in first on buzzer (35/114)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,799)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,300
Andy’s Thoughts:
- There is still zero known instances of all three players betting $0 in Final Jeopardy.
- I think I’ll get used to the new opening; it feels quicker to me, so I actually think it might mean that we see an extra clue or two throughout the season.
Despite what the large number of spamvertisers might glean from one of the national advertisements from a certain app in tonight’s game, The Jeopardy! Fan still has zero interest whatsoever in partnering with any gambling-related apps or websites.
Today’s box score: December 19, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Jason $12,000 Eva $5,800 Mike $2,799)
Jason: Limit your bet to $399 and take your win. (Actual bet: $0)
Eva: Limit your bet to $201 and take second place. (Actual bet: $0)
Mike: Bet whatever you like. (Actual bet: $45)
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