‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Think TOC Finals Will Come Down to This

Brittany Sims February 2, 2026, 2:34 pm

(from left) 'Jeopardy!' 2026 TOC finals players Scott Riccardi, Paolo Pasco, and TJ Fisher — Jeopardy!/Instagram

The 2026 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions finals have finally arrived after two weeks of fierce competition. One of the three remaining winners will become the ultimate champion, and fans think they know how it will play out.

Scott Riccardi, an engineer from Somerville, New Jersey, will play in the finals against TJ Fisher, a marketing specialist from San Francisco, California, and Paolo Pasco, a puzzle writer from San Diego, California. The finals kick off on Monday, February 2.

Whichever contestant is the first to win three games becomes the Tournament of Champions winner and takes home $250,000 and an invitation to compete in Jeopardy! Masters. The second-place contestant receives $100,000, while the third-place contestant gets $50,000.

Riccardi became the most winning champion of season 41 with 16 wins. The 18th superchampion won $458,000 in total. Pasco won seven games, earning $198,717. Fisher won five games in October 2025. He took home $102,723. Fisher then won the quarterfinal and semifinal games in the TOC, advancing to the finals.

So, while it might look like there’s a standout here, fans think Pasco has a great chance of winning, especially since he had a runaway in the Exhibition Game. Jeopardy! fans also think the results will all come down to who finds the Daily Doubles and how much they wager.

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“Who is your favorite to win the ToC? Scott Ricardi, TJ Fisher, or Paolo Pasco?” a Reddit user asked. While fans shouted out their favorites, they also gave their opinions on who they think will win.

“Tough call between Paolo and Scott,” one game show fan said.

“Depends who finds the DDs, is my thought,” a fan replied.

“Good point, as well as wagering and success with the DDs,” another replied.

“Who will hit the most DD? Other than that, a toss-up,” a third iterated.

“Whoever gets the daily doubles…” another agreed.

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“My hopes (not realistic): TJ. Who I want to win (realistic): Scott. Who will win: Paolo,” one fan predicted.

“Paolo is just a little faster on the buzzer, at least he was in the exhibition game. He and Scott seem to both have incredible amounts of trivia knowledge so it’s really going to come down to buzzer speed and DD finds. Love TJ but I think he’s outclassed sadly,” another commented.

Many other fans said Pasco because he “has ice in his veins.” However, some fans said Riccardi “obviously has it in the bag.”

Who do you think will win the entire tournament? Let us know in the comments.