Victoria Groce won the second game of Jeopardy! Masters 2026 on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, and Paolo Pasco also left with a win. The result tightened the standings in a limited-field format where each game score feeds directly into the tournament table.
Groce finished with 3 points, 1 win, 30 correct responses, and a $23,000 Coryat score, while she had earned $24,800 before Final Jeopardy. Pasco matched her on the win count and points, finishing with 3 points and 1 win, plus 23 correct responses and a $16,800 Coryat score, with $18,300 earned before Final Jeopardy.
Paolo Pasco matches 3 points
Yogesh Raut finished with 1 point and 0 wins, along with 14 correct responses and an $8,600 Coryat score. Long Nguyen also finished with 1 point and 0 wins, with 8 correct responses and a $6,000 Coryat score, while Andrew He and Juveria Zaheer each ended with 0 points and 0 wins.
That is the complication in this recap: Groce and Pasco both sit on 3 points and 1 win, so the game does not produce a single clear points leader. In a format built around accumulated results, that kind of tie keeps the margin for error tight and leaves each contestant needing strong next-game numbers rather than a one-night breakout.
Victoria Groce and Paolo Pasco
Groce’s line was the most complete of the night because she paired the win with 30 correct responses and the strongest Coryat in the game. Pasco’s 23 correct responses and $16,800 Coryat kept him close enough to share the top spot, and the shared finish is the kind of result that can compress the standings before the field gets deeper.
Matthew Riggle’s season statistics also appeared in the recap, including 47 correct responses, 6 incorrect responses, a 3/3 mark on Daily Doubles, 1/2 in Final Jeopardy, and a $21,300 average Coryat. The page also listed Ken Jennings at $2,520,700 in all-time Jeopardy! winnings in regular play only and Brad Rutter at $4,968,436 including tournaments and consolation prizes.
September 14 changes the pace
The recap said the next game is on September 14, which gives the tied leaders a short reset before the standings move again. For anyone tracking the tournament path, the useful read is simple: Groce turned a 3-point win into immediate leverage, but Pasco’s matching total prevents the table from separating cleanly after Game 2.
