‘Jeopardy!’: Who Won Champions Wildcard as Final Came Down to Last Question?

Jeopardy! Retro Collection Mug

$9.98

Buy Now

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, January 16, episode of Jeopardy!]

It all came down to this. The 2026 Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard winner has been crowned, and it was not who fans thought it would be. The last game came down to the final question in a tight race.

Cameron Berry, Stella Trout, and Jonathan Hugendubler had one last shot to cement themselves as a Jeopardy! winner. Whoever won this tournament moved on to the Tournament of Champions, starting on January 19.

The two-part point finale had Trout in the lead with $12,800. Berry ended with $10,000. Hugendubler was surprisingly in third place with $1,200. But the second game could completely change the results.

Hugendubler, from Baltimore, Maryland, and Berry, from Brighton, Massachusetts, competed for first place at the beginning of the round. However, Trout, from Houston, Texas, found the Daily Double after answering one clue correctly.

She had $600 and wagered $1,000 in “Adults in Children’s Lit.” The clue read, “The first book about him says right off that he’s an M.D., a ‘proper’ doctor (not a veterinarian).” “Who is Dr. Dolittle?” The software engineer answered correctly, giving her $1,600 and second place.

Trout took the lead by the first commercial break with only $200 ahead of Hugendubler. She maintained it by the end with $7,200. Berry, a data analyst and college administrator, scooted into second place with $4,000. Hugendubler, an adjunct professor and trivia host, had $3,800.

In Double Jeopardy, Hugendubler found the first DD on clue one. He made it a true Daily Double in “World Capitals. The clue read, “You need 2 sets of double letters to spell the capital of this Baltic state.” “What is Tallinn?” he answered correctly, giving him $7,600 and the lead.

However, Trout quickly took the lead back over when she found the second DD on clue 11. She had $11,200 and made it a true Daily Double, which caused host Ken Jennings to say, “Wow!”

In “Making Conservation,” the clue was “Within the Department of the Interior, this is the country’s oldest conservation agency.” She answered, “What is the National Park Service?” which was wrong.

The correct response was “What is the Fish and Wildlife Service?” Trout dropped down to $0.

By the end of the round, Hugendubler had the lead with $12,000. Berry was in second place with $10,000. Trout made a comeback with $6,400.

Related

'Jeopardy!': Michelle Tsai Shares Hot Tub & Behind-the-Scenes Photos After Wildcard Exit

The category for Final Jeopardy was “American Novelists.” The clue read, “This author’s wish to use different ink colors to represent multiple POV’s was granted in 2012, 83 years after the novel’s publication.” None of the game show contestants had the right response of William Faulkner.

Trout had the wrong response with “Who is Walker?” She wagered $6,300, giving her a total of $100. Adding yesterday’s total to Friday, she ended with $12,900. Berry’s response was “Who is Stein?” He was wrong and wagered $5,601, giving him a total of $4,399. Adding his $10,000 from Thursday, Berry ended with $14,399. Hugendubler responded with “Who is Fitzgerald?” He wagered $12,000, leaving him with $0. Adding to his score from the first game, he ended with $1,200.

Berry was the night’s winner and the winner of the Champions Wildcard. He will move on to the Tournament of Champions, beginning Monday.

Fans reacted to Berry’s win on Reddit. “Congrats to Cameron for making the TOC. Kudos to all three for an excellent run,” one fan said.

“Congrats to everyone for making the Champions Wildcard final. Embarrassed to admit that I aced the Sephora category!” wrote another.

“Wow. The tournament did not end the way I thought it was going to, but congrats all around!” a third wrote.