Who won Jeopardy! tonight? April 21, 2025, Monday

Jeopardy! fans tuned in on Monday, April 21, 2025, for another exciting episode. The episode featured an exciting match between Liam Starnes, who is back as champion, and Bob Callen and Maja Vlajnic (the new challengers).

Today's episode showed that Liam Starnes, the underdog returning champion, beat his opponents and won. In just two days, Liam won two tournaments and earned $52,802. Maja Vlajnic came in third, while Bob Callen came in second despite a strong performance.

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Looking into Jeopardy! episode on April 21, 2025, Monday

Jeopardy round

The game kicked off with the Jeopardy round, where the contestants were introduced to a mix of categories. The categories included Science Fiction, Celebrity Godparents, State Nicknames, Disney Dwarf Roll Call, Makeup Through History, and "Wa", "Wa"!

The competition was fierce, and Maja Vlajnic took an early lead with six correct responses, finishing the round with $5,800. Bob Callen and Liam Starnes were close behind, with Bob at $4,800 and Liam at $3,395.

• Maja: 10 correct, 0 incorrect
• Bob: 8 correct, 0 incorrect
• Liam: 8 correct, 2 incorrect

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Double Jeopardy round

The Double Jeopardy round featured six more challenging categories: Science Facts, Anagrams, Dear Diary, "X" Men, African History, and That's So Gangster (Movies). Liam Starnes quickly found Daily Double #2 and doubled his score, showing his strength in the round.

Bob Callen also played well, finding the Daily Double #3 and betting $1,200 on a $1,600 clue. However, Bob's solid play kept him in the lead going into the Final Jeopardy! round with a total score of $15,200.

• Bob: 20 correct, 0 incorrect
• Liam: 16 correct, 4 incorrect
• Maja: 14 correct, 1 incorrect

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Final Jeopardy round

The Final Jeopardy question in the category "The Western Hemisphere" was a tough one:

"This country has 2 capitals, is bounded by 5 other countries & has 37 official languages."

The correct response was Bolivia

Both Liam and Maja answered correctly.

Liam's $7,611 wager pushed his total to $20,401, securing his second win. Maja, who bet $10,100, ended up with $20,300, just narrowly missing out on the top spot. Bob, however, made an incorrect guess, wagering $10,381 and ending with $4,819.

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Jeopardy! Game recap – Monday, April 21, 2025

Jeopardy round

Categories: Science Fiction, Celebrity Godparents, State Nicknames, Disney Dwarf Roll Call, Makeup Through History, "Wa," "Wa!"

At the break (After 15 Clues):

• Maja: 6 correct, 0 incorrect, $4,000
• Bob: 4 correct, 0 incorrect, $3,200
• Liam: 4 correct, 1 incorrect, $2,400

Interviews:

• Maja: Took up knitting just before the pandemic
• Bob: Has been mistaken for Stephen King in the '80s
• Liam: Had a Jeopardy!-themed birthday party

Daily Double:

• Came out very late in the game.
• Liam made the minimum wager, as he had no idea on the clue.

After the Jeopardy round (30 Clues):

• Maja: 10 correct, 0 incorrect, $5,800
• Bob: 8 correct, 0 incorrect, $4,800
• Liam: 8 correct, 2 incorrect, $3,395

Double Jeopardy round

• Categories: Science Facts, Anagrams, Dear Diary, "X" Men, African History, That's So Gangster (Movie)

Double Jeopardy highlights:

• Liam found DD2 early and doubled his wager.
• Bob found DD3 midway through, betting $1,200 on a $1,600 clue.
• Bob played well enough in the round to take the lead.
• All three players had over $10,000 going into Final Jeopardy!

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

• Bob: 20 correct, 0 incorrect
• Liam: 16 correct, 4 incorrect
• Maja: 14 correct, 1 incorrect

Scores going into the final:

• Bob: $15,200
• Liam: $12,790
• Maja: $10,200

Final Jeopardy (Category: The Western Hemisphere):

• Liam and Maja were correct.
• Bob was incorrect.

Final scores:

• Maja: $10,200 + $10,100 = $20,300 (Answer: What is Brazil Bolivia?)
• Liam: $12,790 + $7,611 = $20,401 (Answer: What is Bolivia?) (2-day total: $52,802)
• Bob: $15,200 – $10,381 = $4,819 (Answer: What is Brazil?)

Result:

Liam is the 2-day champion and will return tomorrow to compete for win #3.

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Contestants who participated in tonight's episode

Liam Starnes: A UChicago undergraduate from Barrington, Illinois, Liam Starnes returned to Jeopardy! as the defending champion after winning $32,401 on his last visit.

Liam correctly answered Final Jeopardy with strategic betting and ended with $20,401, bringing his two-day total to $52,802. With his quiet attitude and capacity to manage stress in important moments, Liam was a strong competitor on tonight's show.

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Bob Callen: Bob Callen, a retired Lexington, Kentucky librarian, was a fierce contender on tonight's Jeopardy!. Bob's vast knowledge, especially in areas like African History and Anagrams, helped him keep a lead for most of the game.

He quickly located Daily Double #3 for Double Jeopardy and placed a remarkable bet of $1,200.

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Maja Vlajnic: A senior data and policy specialist from Fredericksburg, Virginia, Maja Vlajnic took part in tonight's Jeopardy! After getting six correct answers, she quickly took the lead in the Jeopardy round and won $5,800.

Maja showed that she had a quick mind and vast knowledge in many different areas during the game, such as Science Fiction and Celebrity Godparents.

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How Jeopardy! remains distinguished among other games

Enter caption Enter caption Jeopardy game show (Image via jeopardy.com)

Jeopardy!'s structure and format differ from many other game shows. The contestants are given answers and have to write their own in the form of a question. There are three parts to the game: Jeopardy, Double Jeopardy, and Final Jeopardy. In both Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy, players pick clues that are progressively harder and worth more points.

Every right or wrong response influences the contestant's total as the game progresses. Players bet a portion of their winnings on one clue during the Final Jeopardy round, the climax of the show.

Unlike other quiz shows, the show emphasizes knowledge across several domains and has a strategic wagering component. It combines knowing a lot of trivia, quick thinking, and measured risk-taking.

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Liam Starnes beat Maja Vlajnic to win tonight's episode of Jeopardy! with a final score of $20,401, beating her by just $101. Robert Callen did well, but his wrong answer on Final Jeopardy cost him $4,819.

Liam's luck keeps going as he enters the next episode with $52,802 in his bank account. There was a lot of competition, betting, and a tense ending to the Final Jeopardy round, which is what fans of Jeopardy! love about the show.