Featured J!Buzz

Andrew He won the 2026 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament last Friday, clinching a come-from-behind victory in the third game of the finals.

During a special post-tournament episode of Inside Jeopardy!, Andrew said: “This tournament was such a rollercoaster.” But I’m always a competitor. I will always try and give it 100 percent.”

Andrew, a stay-at-home dad from Concord, California, defeated Season 27 six-game champion and 2011 Tournament of Champions winner Roger Craig, and 2023 Second Chance (S39) winner Long Nguyen with a score of $48,801.

During the first half of the game, Andrew trailed Long and Roger in third place with $4,400. However, by Double Jeopardy!, he turned things around and struck a formidable rhythm on the buzzer, responding correctly to 16 of 17 clues.

In addition to clearing more than half of the game board, Andrew stayed true to his big-betting reputation and went all-in on a Daily Double, helping him reach $31,600 by the end of the round. In Final Jeopardy!, Andrew added $17,201 to his score and secured the tournament win as the only player who supplied the correct response to the clue in the category EUROPE.  

While Andrew has been competing at the highest level since embarking on an impressive five-game streak in Season 38, this year’s J.I.T. win marks his first-ever tournament victory.

“They always say act like you’ve been there before, but I haven’t,” Andrew said. “It really did feel unreal.”

With his victory, Andrew has earned the $150,000 grand prize and entry into the next Jeopardy! Masters, where he will face off against top players like Victoria Groce and Yogesh Raut.

“It’s the murderous row lineup,” Andrew said jokingly. “As much as I was excited to win [the J.I.T.], I was afraid — I know [the Masters] have been working.”

This will be Andrew’s second time competing in Jeopardy! Masters. After finishing fourth in the tournament’s 2023 debut, he returns to the event with a title — and momentum — on his side.