Jeopardy 2025 Tournament of Champions Recap, Conclusion: And The Winner Is...

 

Before we get down to recapping the finals of this year’s Tournament of Champions, a little personal response from yon loyal viewer. Having watched Jeopardy for more than thirty seasons and nearly as many Tournaments like this one, I can say with sincerity that there is no such thing as a disappointing Tournament of Champions.

I don’t think any fan would disagree. They are always the highlight of the season, and even with the new tournaments that have been developed around them in the Ken Jennings era there will always be something special about the Tournament of Champions, something that never goes away if you’ve been watching for three years or thirty. When you get the best Jeopardy players of any given season together to face off, you always get great play. Sometimes there are surprises, sometimes your favorites go out early, sometimes there are Cinderella stories. But I don’t think anybody who watches a TOC comes away with the feeling that whoever won didn’t earn it. I certainly never have and I doubt I ever will.

There’s never been any such thing as a ‘typical’ Tournament of Champions. Sometimes during the period getting to the finals there can be surprises but more often then not one rarely sees a TOC when there is a seismic upset. In that sense the quarterfinals and semifinals of the 2025 TOC is more keeping with the pattern of those in the era of Alex Trebek then fans may have gotten used to in this new era.

It was going to be difficult, going into the quarterfinals, for there to be any of the magnitude of the upsets we got last year when Cris Panullo and Ray Lalonde didn’t even make it past the first round. Given the fact that the three best players of the last year all got byes into the semi-finals all eighteen players were evenly matched going in. The closest we had to one was where Greg Jolin, one of the biggest winners last season was routed by Neilesh Vinjamuri in the third game and I don’t think a three game winner beating a five game winner counts in that sense.

The biggest surprise of the semi-finals, I’d argue, was that the two best players of the last year managed to qualify for the finals in the first place. Ever since the five game limit was removed in 2003 this has happened at most five times in the history of Jeopardy and never in the post-Trebek era. The last time something close to this happened, in my memory, came in 2017 when 12 game winner Austin Rogers faced off against 9 game winner Buzzy Cohen in a fun and suspenseful two game final. Alan Lin who won six games that year was a formidable adversary for both men in the Tournament that Buzzy ultimately won.

Adriana Harmeyer and Isaac Hirsch will not rank among the super-champions we’ve been blessed with over the last three years but they are both superb players by any other standard. Adriana’s $349,600 currently ranks her thirteenth on the Jeopardy leaderboard for all-time money won in regular play and she currently ranks ninth on consecutive games won with fifteen. Isaac’s nine wins and $215, 390 might seem less impressive but he actually ranks ahead of two other nine-game winners Buzzy Cohen and Dan Pawson when it comes to money won in regular play.

Neilesh was the clear underdog in this final but no one denies he didn’t earn it. He had to work in order to beat the third winningest player  of this season Drew Basile his semi-final win. And underdogs have come away to win these Tournaments before.

So the final came down to this new format: a best of seven match-up with the first player to notch three victories winning the grand prize of $250,000 and a spot in the Jeopardy Masters. Here’s how it played out:

 

Game 1

This game was razor close from the beginning of the Jeopardy round to the final clue. Adriana had a chance to move ahead early in the Jeopardy round when she found the Daily Double in LANDMARKS. “It’s name is Quechua for ‘old peak.” She guessed: “What is Aconcagua?” when it was Machu Picchu and dropped to zero. She quickly rebuilt and no one could gain an advantage. At the end of the round Neilesh was ahead with $3800 to Adriana’s $340 and Isaac’s $2800.

In Double Jeopardy Isaac struck first. He had a narrow lead with $6800 when he found the first Daily Double INTO AFRICA. He bet $3000: “This capital on the Congo River shoreline was the site of Ali and Forman’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle.” He figured out it was Kinshasa and went into the lead with $9800. That was where he was a few clues later when he found the other Daily Double in ANAGRAMS OF EACH OTHER. Saying he wasn’t good with anagrams, he only bet $2000: “A physical reaction to a substance, and a place to hang art.” He knew it was allergy and gallery and went up to $11,800.

Both Isaac and Adriana held a substantial lead until the final third of the round when Neilesh went on an impressive run. All three players finished with superb scores: Isaac led with $13,800, Adriana and Neilesh were tied at $11,400 apiece.

The Final Jeopardy category for Game 1 was EUROPEAN HISTORY and it was at the degree of difficulty of so many that had come before in this tournament. “At his trial, revolutionaries referred to the deposed Louis XVI with this last name, one used previously for a dynasty.”

Neilesh response was revealed first:  “What is Valois?” That was wrong. It cost him everything he had. Adriana was next: Her response was: “What is Merovingian?” That was also incorrect. Adriana bet $6000, leaving her with $5400.

It came down to Isaac. He wrote down: “What is Bourbon? (That’s also what I wrote down, even though I knew it was unlikely they’d use his actual dynasty.) And it was also wrong.

Ken: “He was called Citizen Louis Capet at his trial. Marie Antoinette was the widow Capet, so an even older French dynasty.”

It came down to wagering. Isaac went for the win, betting $9001. It dropped him to $4799. So Adriana’s savvy wager gave her the victory in Game 1.

 

Game 2

Neilesh managed to take a lead early in the Jeopardy round when he got to the Daily Double in COLONIAL AMERICA. He wagered the $2400 he had: “The Jamestown colony was on land in the territory of this leader whose empire spanned more than a dozen tribes.” He knew it was Powhatan and doubled his score. He held his lead for the remainder of the round but again Isaac and Adriana did well: Neilesh led with $7000 to Isaac’s $4800 and Adriana’s $4400.

Adriana found the first Daily Double in the category that comes up almost exclusive in the Tournament of Champions: BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER. In second with $6000 she bet $5000:

“Timeless Tevye tune that mention’s Superman’s nickname and his favorite type of abrasive scouring pad.” She thought and thought and then got 2 out of three: “What is Fiddler Man of Steel Wool?”  She was right about the musical but I know it was “If I Were A Rich Man of Steel Wool.” She dropped to $1000 and never real contended for the rest of the game.

Isaac and Neilesh went back and forth for the lead for much of the next half of the round before Neilesh found the other Daily Double in SOUTH AMERICA. He went big and bet the $14,600 he had:

“Located on the lower slopes of the volcano Pich Inia, this city is the South American capital closest to the equator.” It took him a moment to come up with Quito and he went into a huge lead with $29,200.

But Isaac refused to go quietly. In large part because he ran the category BACH TO THE FUTURE he would finish Double Jeopardy with $18,800, more than half of Neilesh $31,600. Adriana trailed with $5400. It came down to Final Jeopardy.

The category was MEN OF WAR. “Robert E. Lee’s victory at Chancellorsville has been likened to this Greek’s victory as Asculum in 279 B.C.”

Adriana’s response was revealed first. She wrote down: “Who is Hannibal?” That was incorrect. It cost her nothing.

Next came Isaac. He misspelled it but he got the correct response: “Who is Pyrrhus?” He went big: $18,600, putting him at $37,400.

It came down to Neilesh. He also wrote down Pyrrhus. His wager was $6001, putting him at $37,601 and giving him his first victory.

For the record I knew the correct response (my first in the finals and only my third in the entire Tournament of Champions so far). That said, I didn’t write it down for the reason Ken said. While the 12,000 casualties at Chancellorsville were horrible, the reason I thought it was pyrrhic was because Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded at it and Jackson’s death is considered a key factor in the Confederacy’s military decline from that point on.

 

GAME 3

Adriana had the fortune – or misfortune – to find the Daily Double on the first clue of the Jeopardy round. She held her lead for the entire round and finished it with $7200 to Nilesh’s $4800 and Isaac’s $2800.

Much of Double Jeopardy was back and forth between Nilesh and Adriana for the lead. Nilesh once again had great time. He regained the lead and then found the Daily Double on the next clue in UNDER THE MICROSCOPE. He had $14,800 in front of him and once again went all in, breaking the record he’d set the previous day for the biggest wager on a Daily Double so far in Season 41:

“Some mini cnidarians that can regenerate parts of their bodies have this mythic name, like a creature fought by Hercules.” It took Nilesh a moment to come up with: “What is Hydra?” and he doubled his score to $29,600.

At that point there were not a lot of clues left in the round and it was probably more significant that Isaac found the Daily Double before Adriana. He had $6400 and decided to wager everything in AMERICAN GOVERNMENT:

“The oldest committee in the House, it’s been charting revenue policy since 1789.” Isaac struggled before guessing: “What is commerce?” That was wrong; it was Ways and Means. Isaac got three of the last five clues correct, which was also critical: had Adriana managed to get enough correct she might have been able to stop Nilesh from running away with the game. Neilesh finished with $30,000, Adriana was next with $14,000, Isaac had just $1600.

The Final Jeopardy category was CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS. “Asked by a student about the Loch Ness Monster, she said a time portal below could allow a prehistoric creature to pass through.”

Isaac had the right idea when he wrote down: “Who is the Outlander lady?” That was technically correct, but he couldn’t score for it. Adriana knew who it was: “Who is Gabaldon?” (Like her, I knew of the author of the Outlander series.) Adriana wagered nothing because it was irrelevant.

Then came Neilesh. He wrote down: “What is Unsure?” It didn’t cost him anything but we saw how important those last clues were. Adriana and Nilesh played identical games – both gave 20 correct responses and one incorrect, but Nilesh’s Daily Double made the difference. It was his second match point. He was one away from clinching – but so were Andrew He and Ben Chan at one point in the each of the last two Tournaments. Both of them lost. Could Nilesh overcome history?

 

Game 4

Isaac seemed aware from the start of the Jeopardy round how much pressure was on him to win; he would get off to an early and not even Nilesh’s finding the Daily Double did much to slow it down. At the end of the round he had $7000 to Neilesh’s $4200 and Adriana’s $2800.

Isaac found the first Daily Double on the second clue of Double Jeopardy in HILLS I DON’T WANT TO DIE ON. He gambled and bet $6000:

“Alphabetically first of the fabled 7 hills of Rome, it boasts the Basilica of Santa Sabina, which dates to the 5^th century.” Isaac paused before saying: “What is the Aventine?” and jumped up to $14,600.

Neilesh continued to pursue Isaac, at one point tying him for the lead but Isaac still had a narrow one when Neilesh found the other Daily Double in 4,4 (two four letter words) with $17,400 to Isaac’s $19,400. He wagered $4000:

“The ancient Egyptians were expert users of thin metal sheets called this to adorn mummy cases in a process called gilding.” Neilesh struggled but couldn’t come up with gold leaf and dropped to $13,400. Isaac would finish Double Jeopardy with $22,200 to Neilesh’s $13,800; Adriana struggled and finished with $2800.

The Final Jeopardy category was EUROPEAN ARTWORK. “A rope around their leader’s neck, the men depicted in this late 19^th century piece seem resigned to death, but in the end they survived.” I had no clue what this was, finally writing down: “What are the Potato Eaters?” I didn’t even have the right medium of art as you’ll see.

Adriana wrote down: “What is The Raft of the Medusa?” That was wrong. It cost her everything.

Next came Neilesh. He wrote down: “What is Burghers of Calais?” That was the correct response. (I have no familiarity with the statues of Rodin.) He wagered $8401, putting him at $22,201 and momentarily into the lead.

It came down to Isaac. He wrote down: “What is the Burghers of Calais?” His wager was $5401. That put him at $27,601 and gave him his first match point of the Tournament. Both he and Adriana were still in the hunt.

 

GAME 5

Neilesh managed to get off to a quick start when he found the Daily Double in the odd Jeopardy category MATH OVERLAPS. He bet the $1200 he had: “Rehoboth Beach, Wilmington & all the rest of the state cover a total of 2,489 square miles. He figured out it was the Delawarea and doubled his score. He would finish the round with $6600 to Isaac’s $3400 and Adriana’s $2000.

Adriana started Double Jeopardy with good luck: she found the Daily Double on the second clue in FURNISHING SOME FURNITURE. She wagered the $4000 she had: “In the 1860s this New Lebanon community in New York became a hub for ladder-back chairs named for this religious group.” She knew they were the Shakers and doubled her score to $8000.

Much of the next several clues was a back and forth between Adriana and Neilesh for the lead. He got to the other Daily Double in ADDRESSES when he regained it with $12,200. He wagered $5000 trying to put up a cushion:

“The New Mexico state capitol is at 490 Old this route blazed in 1821.” He struggled before guessing: “What is the Oregon Trail?” I knew that it was the Santa Fe trail but I couldn’t get credit for it. He dropped to $7200.

But as his wont Neilesh rebuilt and eventually retook the lead. He finished Double Jeopardy with $13,600 to Adriana’s $10,400 and Isaac’s $7800. Now I should add some might put an asterisk on this: Adriana responded to a $1600 clue on Cristin Milioti that was ruled correct but was reversed when it was revealed she said “Miloti.” Had she been given credit she would have finished with $13,600 and would have been tied with Nilesh. However given how Final Jeopardy ended up going there’s a strong likelihood it wouldn’t have made a difference.

The category was GREEK MYTH: “Panoptes, meaning all-seeing, was the byname of this legendary figure, slain by Hermes while standing guard over Io.” All three players for the first time in the final knew the correct response: “What is Argus?” the 100 eyed giant. So it came down to wagers. (I wrote down: the cyclops which wasn’t even his right name.)

Isaac bet $7700 putting him at $15,500. Adriana added $6000, putting her at $16,400. Neilesh wagered $7201 giving him $20,801, earning his third victory and giving him a much deserved triumph in this year’s Tournament of Champions. Because Adriana and Isaac were tied with one win each, they each received $75,000 apiece.

There’s no denying Neilesh played the best of all three players. He responded correctly on three of the five final Jeopardys. Isaac was correct on three as well, Adriana only responded correctly twice. His poorest performance was the first game by far; he found seven of the fifteen Daily Doubles and responded correctly on five of them. Adriana found four of them and got two of them wrong while Isaac found four and got three of them right. Neilesh was leading in all three games he ended up winning and had the only runaway victory of the finals. He wasn’t dominant in all of his wins but he had to earn them and considering the strength of his opposition, it makes his victory even more impressive.

Despite only winning $75,000 Adriana’s combined total of $424, 600 officially puts her on the leaderboard of the 25 winningest players in Jeopardy history in 21^st place. And like Isaac she will get a chance to come back in the next Jeopardy Invitational while Nilesh has proven he is capable of beating Jeopardy Masters.

As we are now at the exact halfway point of Season 41 (tomorrow officially is the 115^th game of the season), this is a good place to take a break. We’ll begin covering the JIT when it officially airs in two weeks. See you then.