Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 finals recap: A mispronounced name costs a contestant the title

The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions concluded on February 13, 2025, with Neilesh Vinjamuri securing the title and the $250,000 grand prize. However, the final results were impacted by an unexpected scoring correction related to a mispronounced response, which altered the standings before Final Jeopardy.

The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 ended with Neilesh Vinjamuri winning the championship. The competition featured strong performances from all three finalists, and Vinjamuri’s success secured his place in the upcoming Jeopardy! Masters tournament.

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Overview of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions 2025 finals

Tournament format and finalists

Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions involves several rounds, starting with the quarterfinals, then the semifinals, and ending in the finals. The championship format involves a contestant having to win three games during the final round to take the crown.

The three 2025 finalists were Neilesh Vinjamuri, a software developer from Lionville, Pennsylvania; Adriana Harmeyer, an archivist from West Lafayette, Indiana; and Isaac Hirsch, a writer from Los Angeles, California. Going into the final game, Vinjamuri had already won two games, and Harmeyer and Hirsch each had one win.

A third win by Vinjamuri would crown him the champion, while a victory by either of the other two competitors would prolong the competition.

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Key moments leading up to the Final Jeopardy

Vinjamuri led after round one with $6,600, followed by Hirsch with $3,400, while Harmeyer trailed. In round two, Vinjamuri lost $5,000 on a Daily Double about a historic route in New Mexico, narrowing his lead.

Harmeyer gained $4,000 with a correct Daily Double answer, keeping her in the game. A scoring correction later shifted the standings.

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The mispronunciation ruling and its impact

A $1,600 clue in the “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” category featured an image of an actress and asked for the name of the performer who played the mother on How I Met Your Mother and the daughter of Carmine Falcone on the HBO show The Penguin.

Harmeyer answered "Miloti" rather than "Milioti" when naming actress Cristin Milioti. Host Ken Jennings initially ruled her answer correct, which gave her a gain of $1,600. After a reconsideration, the ruling was reversed, and Jennings announced the correction.

Consequently, $3,200 was subtracted from Harmeyer's score—$1,600 for the initial award and a further $1,600 for failing the clue. Heading into Final Jeopardy, Vinjamuri had $13,600, while Harmeyer's revised score had her at $10,400. The $3,200 spread was equivalent to the lost amount because of the mispronunciation penalty.

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Final Jeopardy and tournament conclusion

The Final Jeopardy clue referenced a legendary figure known as Panoptes, meaning all-seeing, who was slain by Hermes while guarding Io. All three Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions contestants responded correctly with "Argos." Vinjamuri wagered $7,201, increasing his final total to $20,801.

Harmeyer added $6,000 to her total, ending with $16,400. Hirsch also answered correctly and concluded with $10,801. With his third win, Vinjamuri became the champion and earned a spot in the next Jeopardy! Masters tournament. Harmeyer and Hirsch, who tied for second place, each received $75,000.

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To watch past episodes of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, visit the official Jeopardy! website or YouTube channel for highlights and recaps. New episodes are available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.