‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Confused by Schedule Change as Champs Compete in Exhibition Game

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[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, January 30, episode of Jeopardy!]

The three-seeded Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions contestants competed in the Exhibition Game on Friday, January 30. Fans were confused by the scheduled change as this throwaway game usually comes before the semi-finals.

The Exhibition Game is a non-stakes practice game often featuring top-tier or seeded contestants in the TOC and Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament. It is played to help with buzzer timing and to familiarize themselves with the studio.

Scott Riccardi, Laura Faddah, and Paolo Pasco were the three contestants in the 2026 Exhibition Game. Having the game after the semi-finals was kind of odd because Faddah, from Memphis, Tennessee, did not make it to the finals, whereas Riccardi, from Somerville, New Jersey, and Pasco, from San Diego, California, did. They will face off against TJ Fisher in the finals, starting on Monday.

Whoever wins three games first becomes the champion. Up to seven games are played in the finals.

Reddit users reacted to the schedule change. “Btw, I really think they should’ve aired this one on Tuesday and let us finish off the week with the 3rd semifinal game,” one said.

“I think the ideal placement of this game would have been on January 19, before the first quarterfinal — it would’ve been a good fit for a day when nearly every NBC affiliate airs Jeopardy! preempted it for the NBA, with dozens not airing it at all,” another said.

However, some fans concluded that Friday episodes have the lowest ratings, so that’s why they put the Exhibition game on that day. Others think it might be preempted for golf and basketball.

Pasco, a puzzle writer, took the lead early in the game. He had $6,200 by the first 15 clues, while Riccardi, an engineer, was $5,000 behind him.

Pasco found the Daily Double on clue 19 with $7,600 in his bank. He made it a true Daily Double in “I’m Talkin’ Here!” The clue read, “Neil Armstrong said he meant to put an ‘A’ in between these 2 of his first words on the Moon.” “What is for man?” Pasco answered correctly, giving him $15,200. Riccardi still had $1,400.

Pasco ended the round with $15,600. Riccardi had $3,200. Faddah, a manager, ended with $2,400.

In Double Jeopardy, Pasco found the first DD. Out of $18,400, he wagered $5,000. In “How Are You Feeling?” the clue was, “2014 Pharrell hit.” Pasco correctly responded with “What is Happy?”

“You should be. You have $23,400,” host Ken Jennings said.

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Faddah found the second DD on clue 16. From $4,000, she wagered $2,000 in “International Colleges & Universities.” The clue read, “Woof! AIU is this ‘International University’ in Japan, focusing on liberal arts & foreign languages.” She gave the right response of “What is Akita?”, bringing her up to $6,000 and putting her in second place.

Pasco went on to end the round with $29,000. Faddah had $8,800. Riccardi was in third place with $5,200.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Mammals.” The clue read, “Wrangel Island, off the coast of Siberia, may have been the last place on Earth where this 2-word prehistoric mammal lived.” All three game show contestants had the correct response of, “What is a woolly mammoth?”

Riccardi wagered $0, ending with $5,200. Faddah wagered $1,601, making her final total $10,401. Pasco made a small wager of $1,118, bringing his final total to $30,118.

Although this game doesn’t count for anything, it may give him a bit of an advantage going into the finals, especially up against Riccardi.