Wait. Did that actually just happen? If you missed the January 14, 2026, episode of Jeopardy!, you missed what might be the gutsiest comeback of the Champions Wildcard tournament so far. Seriously. Stella Trout just pulled a win out of thin air after hitting rock bottom—literally $0—midway through the game.
Honestly, it’s one of those episodes where you’re yelling at the TV because the momentum shifts are so violent. One minute someone is dominating, the next they’re quibbling over a Daily Double about radioactive elements, and then suddenly, the scoreboard looks completely different.
Who Won Final Jeopardy Tonight? (January 14, 2026)
The short answer: Stella Trout is your winner.
The software engineer from Houston, Texas, finished with $19,601, narrowly beating out Harvey Silikovitz by a single dollar. Yes, $1. It was that kind of night.
The lineup tonight was a real mix of personalities:
- Stella Trout: A software engineer originally from Houston, TX.
- Ian Morrison: An airline ramp agent from Aurora, CO.
- Harvey Silikovitz: An attorney and worldwide karaoke singer from West Orange, NJ.
Harvey is basically a legend in the trivia community for his "worldwide karaoke" travels, and he played with a ton of energy. But the game basically turned into a psychological thriller during Double Jeopardy.
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The Clue That Changed Everything
The Final Jeopardy category was English Place Names.
The clue: "Once called Grontabricc, it’s named for a structure spanning a tributary of the Great Ouse river."
It feels easy when you see it written down, but under the lights? Not so much. The answer was Cambridge.
Stella got it. Harvey got it. Ian, unfortunately, guessed Oxford, which cost him almost his entire bankroll.
What’s wild is the wagering. Harvey bet it all—literally every cent—to finish with $19,600. Stella, who had the lead going into the final clue with $14,000, bet $5,601. That one-dollar cushion was exactly what she needed to advance to the finals.
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The Rollercoaster: From $0 to Champion
You’ve gotta feel for Stella in the middle of the game. She found a Daily Double in "Some Science" and decided to go for a "True Daily Double." She bet her entire $6,600 on a question about a radioactive element discovered in 1944.
She guessed Uranium.
The answer was Americium.
She dropped to $0. Most people would fold there. You could see the frustration, but she somehow scraped her way back, clue by clue, through categories like "3-Named Authors" and "I’m ‘cc’ing You." By the time they hit the final round, she had somehow leapfrogged both men to take the lead. It was a masterclass in not tilting after a bad beat.
The Harvey Factor
Harvey Silikovitz almost had this. He found the third Daily Double in a category called "2020s Vision." The clue was about Prince Harry’s memoir.
Harvey blanked. He actually joked, "I hate myself," which the audience loved, but it cost him $5,000. If he had nailed that—the answer was Spare, by the way—Stella wouldn’t have had the lead going into Final Jeopardy.
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Why Tonight Matters for the Tournament of Champions
Since this is the Champions Wildcard, the stakes are basically "win or go home." Stella Trout now moves on to the finals of this bracket, joining Cameron Berry and Jonathan Hugendubler.
They’re all fighting for that one golden ticket into the 2026 Tournament of Champions, which starts next Monday, January 19. If you follow the TOC tracker, names like Scott Riccardi (16 wins!) and Laura Faddah are already waiting. Stella just proved she has the "clutch" factor to hang with the big dogs.
Behind the Scenes: What Most People Missed
- The "Grontabricc" Origin: The clue mentioned the name evolved from "Grontabricc." When the Normans invaded, they couldn't pronounce the "Gr" sound properly, eventually softening it to "Cantebrigie," which eventually became Cambridge.
- The River Cam: Interestingly, the river was actually named after the town, not the other way around. People started calling the River Granta the "Cam" because they lived in Cambridge.
- Ken's Commentary: Ken Jennings seemed genuinely impressed by Stella’s recovery. There was a brief moment where Stella teased him for "setting her up" for that failed True Daily Double, and Ken just gave that classic "I'm just the messenger" smirk.
What to Watch For Next
If you’re following the 2026 season, the next two days are the "finals" of this wildcard group. We’ve got a software engineer, a data analyst, and a trivia host. It’s a literal battle of the nerds, and based on tonight’s performance, Stella is the one with the momentum.
Actionable Insight for Trivia Fans:
If you're studying for your own Jeopardy! run or just want to win at the pub, tonight’s game proved that etymology is a top-tier category to master. Knowing that "bridge" or "chester" in an English town name usually points to a specific physical or Roman origin can save your game when you’re staring at a blank screen.
Check your local listings for tomorrow's episode—it’s the start of the two-day total point final. If Stella can stay away from the $0 mark this time, she’s the one to beat.