Jeopardy 2025 Tournament of Champions Recap
Part 1: The Quarterfinals
Well after a far shorter postseason (it only took a month this time) we have arrived at Tournament of Champions. We have returned to the format of 2022 and we have a far more balanced lineup of champions than we’ve had in the post Alex Trebek era. And given just how ridiculously difficult so many of the Final Jeopardys were in both the Second Chance and Wild Card Tournament — and I speak for myself as much as I do the contestants — I truly shudder to think what the champions are in for in the weeks to come.
Looking at the roster this is a typical lineup for a Tournament of Champions, albeit not the one so many viewers have become spoiled by in the last three years. As I’ve written before and will write again Jeopardy has always been a show that is populated by the Allison Betts kind of champions than those of Amy Schneiders. That doesn’t make either one less accomplished; it has always been difficult to win five games on Jeopardy and should be appreciated as such, because it makes the accomplishments of the Cris Panullo’s and Adriana Harmeyer’s all the more impressive when they do happen.
And I’d argue that, if there are upsets in the semi-finals, it will be less of a shock that it was in 2022. There isn’t that much of a difference in skill between someone like Greg Jolin, who win five games, or Isaac Hirsch’s nine. It will make it far more difficult to handicap winners when all three super-champions (who have byes to the finals) then in 2022. (I’ve written about it before, of course.)
So without further ado, here is a blow-by-blow of the six quarterfinal matches.
Monday January 27th
Allison Betts vs. Will Wallace vs Risabh Wuppalplati
After going in the red when she found the Daily Double on the first clue of the Jeopardy round, Alison recovered nicely by running the category “CH” AS IN CHAMP. However Will managed to take the lead and by the end of the round had a narrow margin: $3800 to both Alison and Rishabh’s $2200 apiece.
Will managed to find the first Daily Double on the third clue of Double Jeopardy but as he didn’t like the category THAT HAPPENED he bet $2600:
“Anytus, Meletus & Lycon were the 3 prosecutors in the trial of this man in 399 B.C.” Somehow he knew it was Socrates and went up to $9200.
Rishabh got the next clue correct and after two consecutive clues in PUTTING THE CULTURE IN AGRICULTURE stumped all three players he found the other Daily Double in LITERARY CHARACTERS. With only $1800 in front of him, he bet the $2000 he could:
“Shimerda is the last name of the heroine of this Willa Cather novel.” He knew it was My Antonia and went up to $3800. He would not respond correctly on another clue until he got the final four clues of Double Jeopardy correct. Will would maintain his lead for the remainder of the game but by the end of the round it was still anyone’s to win: Will had $15,200 to Alison’s $9800 and Rishabh’s $5800.
The Final Jeopardy category was a traditional one: WORLD CAPITALS. The clue was very tough: “Home to more than 400,000, it’s the only world capital in the ‘Roaring Forties’ latitudes. Alison no doubt spoke for so many viewers when she said: “I don’t know latitude.”
Rishabh wrote down: “What is Reykjavik?” As Ken told us: “He’s not in the right hemisphere.” He lost everything. Alison had written down: “What is Washington DC?” She lost $5401, dropping her to $4399. Will had also written down Reykjavik. As Ken told us we had to go to the southernmost world capital and that was Wellington, New Zealand. (I wasn’t much better at home: I guessed Ottawa.) Will bet $4401, which left him with $10,799. That was enough for him to advance to the semi-finals in a hard-earned victory.
Tuesday January 28th
Amy Hummel vs. Grant DeYoung vs David Erb
Upfront this is one of those games where none of the scores at any point tell the whole story. These are among some of the most difficult clues I’ve seen in a Jeopardy game in a Tournament of Champions in a long time.
For starters Amy got the first clue in the Jeopardy round incorrect, found the Daily Double and then got that wrong. She had to start digging out of a -$1600 hole. There was quite bit of this in the round, so it was a credit to all three players that they were in such good shape at the end of the round: David had $3000, Grant was at $2800, Amy was at $2200.
David managed to get off to a good start in Double Jeopardy when he found the first Daily Double in LET’S KEEP IT ABOVE THE WAIST. He was still in the lead and he wagered $3000: “Blood that’s depleted of oxygen returns to the heart via this, either superior or inferior.” He knew it was the vena cava and went to $8000. He wouldn’t get much higher that the remainder of the round.
Grant spent a lot of time struggling: he got 3 consecutive $2000 clues incorrect and at one point was at -$4400. This is usually a deficit that even the best Jeopardy players can’t dig themselves out of so it is a credit to him that he managed to build up and eventually got to $800 when he found the other Daily Double in GEOGRAPHIC NEIGHBORS. Much to his credit he bet the $2000 he could:
“It’s about a 30-mile drive on the A4 between these 2 Dutch cities named for their locations along rivers.” He knew that they were Amsterdam and Rotterdam and went up to $2800.
It is also a credit as to just how difficult these clues were that Grant nearly tied a dubious record he commented on his interview. He said that he was the only player in Jeopardy history to win a game after getting eleven incorrect responses. Today he gave 10 incorrect responses (and sixteen correct ones). Amy and David each gave 14 correct responses and 4 incorrect responses. So at the end of Double Jeopardy the scores were not that high: David was in the lead with $7200, Amy was next with $6600, Grant was very much in contention with $3200.
The Final Jeopardy category was one that I have no memory ever seeing on Jeopardy in any form: PALINDROMIC DATES. The clue was perhaps even more difficult than the category assumed: “This 7-digit date saw the premiere of Handel’s Water Music.” Ken said he saw three very smart contestants with steam coming from their ears.
Grant wrote down: “What is 1/17/1771?” He was wrong. It cost him $2801. Amy wrote down: “What is 1/17/1717?” She was in the ballpark by far but she was also wrong. She only wagered $199, dropping her to $6401.
It came down to David, who couldn’t finish his response. It looked like he was going for: “What is 1/12/1721?” That was incorrect either way. Amy was the closest — Handel’s Water Music did debut in 1717 but it debuted on July 17 or 7/17/1717. (For the record I figured it was in July but I wrote down: “What is 7/21/1727?”) It came down to wagers. David had bet $6001, dropping him to $1199 and making Amy Hummel the winner in a very difficult game.
Wednesday January 29th
Greg Jolin vs. Weckiai Rannila vs. Neilesh Vinjamuri
This game was owned pretty much from beginning to end by Neilesh. He started with a new run of the category PARTS OF SPEECH and just kept rolling from there. He got to the Daily Double in the Jeopardy round in ERNEST HEMINGWAY with $4400 in front of him. He merely bet $1000:
“Ernest was an ambulance driver in World War I, just like his hero Frederic Henry in this novel.” Neilesh knew it was A Farewell to Arms and went up to $5400. He finished the Jeopardy round with an amazing $10,600 done after giving eighteen correct responses. Ken noted it was the most given by any player in a game so far this season.
He started Double Jeopardy by running the category BODIES OF WATER, getting nine of the first ten clues in Double Jeopardy correct. Poor Weckiai and Greg must have felt that Ken was playing against them rather than hosting. Neilesh gave an incredible 33 correct responses with only a single mistake. Greg found both Daily Doubles in the round but got both wrong. It likely wouldn’t have made a difference as Neilesh finished Double Jeopardy with an awe-inspiring $28,200 to Weckiai’s $4600 and Greg’s $800, the first runaway in the Tournament.
The Final Jeopardy category was ENGLISH LITERATURE. Though it was an exercise all three players took it seriously. “Part II of this 17th century work says, ‘I see myself now at the end of my journey; my toilsome days are ended’. For the first time all three players knew the correct response: “What is Pilgrim’s Progress? (John Bunyan’s allegory about Christian’s journey to the Celestial City.” Neilesh bet nothing and he didn’t have to clinch his spot in the semifinals. He will be formidable going forward. (I did know this one, for the record.)
Thursday January 30th
Mehal Shah vs. Ryan Manton vs. Will Stewart
I suspect there will be controversy about this quarterfinal based on how Final Jeopardy went. Considering what a nailbiter this was, it’s hard to blame them.
The Jeopardy round was close from start to finish. Mehal had gone backwards and forwards so when he found the Daily Double in the category IN THE AIR he had nothing to be so he wagered $1000:
“These avians can rotate their wings to generate life while flapping both up & down, enabling them to hover in the air.” He knew they were hummingbirds and had $1000. He would finish the round with the barest of leads: $4200 to Ryan’s $4000 and Will’s $2200.
Much of the early stages of Double Jeopardy were dominated by Ryan. Then when Will got a clue correct he found the first Daily Double in COMMUNICATION. In second with $7400, he bet everything.
“The Baltic-Finnic languages include Finnish & this national language spoken due south across the Viro Strait.” Somehow he came up with it: “What is Estonian?” He doubled his score to $14,800 putting him in the lead for the first time in the game.
Then he found the other Daily Double on the next clue. In a move that was incredibly logical, he only get $100 in AUTHORS. You could tell the moment the clue was read out he regretted it:
“Sinclair Lewis created this guy, a symbol of materialist conformity; Matthew Broderick played him on stage is 2024.” Will knew it was Babbitt and went up to $14,900. But he made some critical mistakes in the final stages and Ryan caught up. At the end of Double Jeopardy he had $14,900 to Ryan’s $14,400 with Mehal very much alive with $7400.
It’s worth reminding everyone before I get to Final Jeopardy that the show doesn’t penalize for misspelling unless it changes the meaning of the word. In that sense while I had the right idea, I might not have gotten credit as I’ll explain.
The category was LATIN PHRASES. “After Camillagate, a fire at Windsor castle & marriage problems in her family, Queen Elizabeth II dubbed 1992 this.”
Mehal’s response was revealed first: “What is an annus horriblis?” Ken checked but it was clear they couldn’t accept it. He lost $7001. Ryan wrote down: “What is annum non grata?” Also wrong. He lost $501, dropping him to $13,899.
It came down to Will. He wrote down: “What is anno terribilis?” The correct term is annus horribilis. By dropping the second letter ‘I’ Mehal changed the meaning of the word. (For the record I also wrote down annus horriblis. Great minds apparently don’t remember Latin.) Will bet $14,000, which dropped to $900 and as a result Ryan advanced to the semi-finals.
Friday January 31st
Mark Fitzpatrick vs. Allison Gross vs. Kevin Laskowski
Mark would get off to a very quick start in the Jeopardy round finding the Daily Double on the fourth clue of the game in WORLD FACTS. He bet the $1800 he had:
“Central Asia is made up of 5 countries, all former Soviet republics, including these 2 ‘T’ ones.” He knew they were Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and doubled his score. At the end of the round he had $7000 to Alison’s $2600 and Kevin’s $2200.
Alison got a chance to take the lead on the second clue of Double Jeopardy in ETYMOLOGY. She wagered $3000: “Aristotle believed there was a ‘fifth element’ which gives us this word for the purest form of something.” Alison struggled and guessed: “What is platonic?” when it was actually quintessence. (I knew this from an earlier Jeopardy clue.) She dropped to $2400.
Mark maintained his lead throughout and got a chance to put it out of reach in WHAT AN ARTIST DIES IN ME. He wagered $5000:
“If this Northern Renaissance painter of wild imagery was alive, he’d ask: “A TV cop has my name? and What’s TV?” Mark knew that it was Bosch (that is who Michael Connelly’s iconic character is named for) and went up to $16,400. But he couldn’t quite put away and finished with $16,400 to Alison’s $10,400 and Kevin’s $6200.
The Final Jeopardy category was U.S. PLACE NAMES. “Before 1867, this city that lends is name to a type of tree was known as Novo Arkhangelsk.”
Kevin’s response was revealed first. He wrote down: “What is Juneau?” (So did I.) He was wrong. (Ditto.) It cost him $6199. Alison tried to write down: “What is Palm Springs?” and Ken told her even she’d finished it, she was wrong. She lost $2001 leaving her with $8299.
It came down to Mark. He guessed: “What is Newport?” Ken told us what both Kevin (and myself) assumed. The clue did refer to Alaska when it was under Russian control but it actually referred to Sitka (the namesake of the Sitka spruce.)
It came down, as it has so often in the quarterfinals, to wagers. Mark lost $4401. That left him with $11,999 enough for him to advance to the semi-finals.
Monday February 3
Drew Goins vs. Amar Kakirde vs. Lucas Partridge
During the interview segment Drew acknowledged he was only present become of the fact that Lisa Ann Walter’s shooting schedule for Abbott Elementary had prevented her from participating in the Tournament of Champions. As things he turned out he had even more reason to be grateful to her by the end of the day.
Even though he didn’t find the Daily Double in the Jeopardy round Drew still had a small lead over his opponents at the end of it: $5400 to Amar and Lucas’ $3600 apiece. Quickly in Double Jeopardy he managed to expand it. After going on a run of four consecutive correct responses and seven of the eight correct ones in the round so far he found the first Daily Double in ANAGRAMMED NUCLEAR PHYSICS.
At the time he had $15,400 he wagered $5400:
“Process of increasing the proportion of U-235 compared to U-238: NINTH CRÈME.” Drew was pretty good with word games: “What is ENRICHMENT?” and went up to $20,800.
He then found the other Daily Double in SUBTITLES OF BOOKS and was more conservative betting $2800. “The subtitle of Frankenstein was ‘the Modern’ this, no mythtake. He knew it was Prometheus and went up to $23,600.
He went on to complete a runaway victory not quite as dominant as Neilesh’s on Wednesday or even some of his prior wins (he ‘only’ got 25 correct responses) but he still finished with a runaway victory of $31,200 to Lucas’s $7400 and Amar’s $6600.
Just as with Neilesh’s all three players did take Final Jeopardy seriously. The category was PLACES OF DISASTER: “In 1883 an old sailor didn’t know what its name meant but believed the natives ‘named it from the sound’.
Amar’s response was revealed first: “What is Krakatoa?” He was correct. (I remember the legendary volcano, famous east of Java as well.) He wagered everything but a dollar. Lucas didn’t have an answer and lost 1989. Drew knew it was Krakatoa and added: “Lisa Ann I will worship you for the rest of my days.” Drew yet again was gifted by a second chance and ended up becoming the sixth and last semi-finalist.
So going into the semi-finals we find six different semifinalists who have won. We have two five-game champions, Amy and Mark; two four-game winners Ryan and Will, one three game winner Neilesh and a winner of the Second Chance Tournament, who had to win five games just to come in second in the Wild Card Tournament.
Neilesh and Drew both won impressive runaway victories and are, by chance, the only two semi-finalists to respond correct on Final Jeopardy. Will and Mark led every moment of their games. Alison and Ryan had to come from behind to win.
What does this mean for them going into the semifinals where a pair of them will end up facing off against Isaac Hirsch, Drew Basile and Adriana Harmeyer? I…have absolutely no idea. And that’s part of the fun. We can only expect one thing going into a Tournament of Champions: the absolutely unexpected. On Friday I’ll have my official report on the semi-finals.