"Came out a lion" - Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions' Alison Betts congratulates 2025 winner Neilesh Vinjamuri

Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 five-day finals concluded on February 13. Neilesh Vinjamuri secured his third victory during the finale day 5 episode and was crowned the winner of the 2025 season, taking home the prize money of $250,000.

Alison Betts, who was eliminated in the Game 1 quarter-final, congratulated Neilesh on his victory under Jeopardy! discussion Reddit thread for the Day 5 episode.

Alison Betts' comment (Image via Reddit/ r/Jeopardy)

In her comment, she noted that Neilesh entered the recent season a quiet and unassuming three-game winner. In contrast, he came out like a "lion" showcasing his "impeccable combination of trivia brilliance" and sheer determination to always find a way to win.

"I want to extend a MASSIVE congratulations to Neilesh. He came into the ToC a quiet, unassuming three game winner, and came out a lion, having shown an impeccable combination of trivia brilliance, wagering chutzpah, and sheer determination to always find a way to win," she wrote.

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Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 contestant Alison Betts shares her thoughts on the finalists

Neilesh Vinjamuri entered Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 finale Day 5 with multiple wins under his belt and just needed one more with to win the show. In comparison to this, his fellow finalists Adriana Harmeyer and Isaac Hirsch needed two more wins each.

Neilesh mostly maintained his lead through the three rounds that were conducted during the Day 5 episode, and in the end, he had the highest points out of the final contestants and was crowned the winner.

Alison Betts congratulated Neilesh under the Jeopardy! discussion Reddit thread, praising his brilliant performance on the show. Beyond his gameplay, she also described him as a "lovely, kind, and gracious person."

The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 contestant shared that she was feeling a bit dejected after losing her quarterfinals game. However, she found comfort in the idea that even if she had won, she would have to eventually face Neilesh, whom she believed she could not defeat even if his buzzer-dominant hand was tied behind his back.

Further in her comment, Alison praised the runner-up Issac Hirsch describing him as a lovely and funny person. She added that he was also a "scary good trivia player" and "a beast on the buzzer."

"[Issac] and his lovely girlfriend Victoria even came to my watch party, and he so charmed everyone there that my entire friends and family group dumped me the second I lost and became firmly Team Isaac... Isaac is a scary good trivia player, a beast on the buzzer, and I’m grateful to say now, a friend. I can’t wait to hang out with him in the future, probably at a roller disco or a tiki bar," she wrote.

Turning to the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 second runner-up, Adriana Harmeyer, Alison described her as the "Queen of the A-Team and Queen of our hearts." She recalled being a fan of Adriana even before meeting her and praised the runner-up for handling their first interaction "with grace."

Alison noted that Adriana plays with quiet, commanding confidence, and when she is offstage she has a "warmth and kindness that radiates throughout the room." Moreover, Alison felt that Adriana was just a "few good bounces away" from winning the season, and suspects the views have only seen the beginning of her "ascent into the Jeopardy Pantheon."

"That’s a wrap for the 2025 ToC! I am so grateful to have been a part of it, so thankful to have three such worthy players representing our cohort in the finals, and so excited to see what comes next!" Alison concluded.

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Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 episodes are available to watch on Hulu.