Who Won Jeopardy! Tonight? (Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026) — Final Jeopardy Answer and Scores (Spoilers)
Bottom line: Long Nguyen won Thursday's Jeopardy! with $17,599 despite missing Final Jeopardy!, and the Invitational final is now tied at a game apiece.
| Player | Before Final | Wager | Response | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Nguyen | $21,600 | −$4,001 | Heinrich | $17,599 — winner |
| Andrew He | $12,800 | −$12,733 | missed | $67 |
| Roger Craig | $5,200 | $0 | had Ernst on the card | $5,200 |
What was Final Jeopardy on September 10?
The category was World of First Names. The clue asked for a German first name, shared by a physicist who studied sound and a director working around 1930, that means "serious" — just like its English counterpart.
The correct response: What is Ernst? Most of the table went with Heinrich.
Roger Craig was the one player with Ernst on his card. He wrote it as a joke line hoping Nguyen would get there, and he'd bet nothing, so it didn't move his score either way.
Why didn't the miss cost Long Nguyen the game?
Because he bet exactly enough to cover and not a dollar more. He could reach $25,600 at most, and Nguyen's $4,001 wager meant a correct answer would've put him on $25,601.
👉 Wrong, he still had $17,599 — so He needed to be right, and He was not. Andrew He went nearly all in and dropped to $67, the exact number Nguyen was left holding a night earlier.
That's a neat little mirror. Two games, two $67 finishes, one for each of them.
How did Nguyen get to $21,600?
Daily Doubles. All three were answered correctly, and Nguyen's Mount Ararat was the one that swung the board.
It was not a clean game, though. The trackers counted 14 triple stumpers, $15,600 in clue value that nobody claimed. Coryat, the wager-free score, had Nguyen ahead $13,400 to $11,600 over He, so the lead was earned on the board and not just on the bets.
Where does the Invitational final stand?
One win each. He took Game 1 on Wednesday with $11,599 after a triple stumper — the numbers are in our Wednesday recap — and Nguyen answered Thursday.
First to two takes the $150,000 and a seat at the next Masters. Game 3 is Friday's encore, in the same slot.
These games first ran February 18–20, so the series result has been public since the winter. If you'd rather not know, skip the week-ahead schedule until after Friday's show.
Is this a new Jeopardy! episode?
No. It's Season 42 episode 119, first aired February 19, and it counts for nothing in the syndicated standings. Matthew Riggle is still the champion.
New games return Monday, September 14, with Season 43. Until then, Tuesday's and Monday's encores are written up too, and every date is filed under results.
If your station moved the half-hour this week, the viewing guide has slots by market and the Tuesday preview lists the local times. Wheel's Thursday rerun paid off, too — ACORN SQUASH for $40,000.
FAQ
What was the Final Jeopardy answer today? What is Ernst? The category was World of First Names.
Who won Jeopardy! tonight? Long Nguyen, with $17,599, in an encore of Game 2 of the 2026 Invitational Tournament final.
Who is the Jeopardy! champion now? Matthew Riggle holds the syndicated title and plays again on September 14. Invitational games are scored separately.
Sources
- Jeopardy.com — 2026 Invitational Tournament results
- Jeopardy Tonight — Final Jeopardy for September 10, 2026
- Game Show Quickies — Invitational Finals Game 2 box score
- TV Insider — Invitational final, Game 2
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