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On Wednesday, January 1, 2025, Colleen Matthews won the second round of the Second Chance Tournament and came up as the Jeopardy! winner. Her final score was $24,401, giving her the victory in Final Jeopardy following her correct answer.
After a tense battle with Gino Montoya and Josh Moss, Colleen emerged victorious. She was already in the finals of Double Jeopardy! when she joined Final Jeopardy. U.S. Presidents was the last category on the episode, and Colleen proved her knowledge and composure by answering the question about Ulysses S. Grant correctly.
The combination of difficult trivia and strategic gameplay on Jeopardy! never fails to keep the viewers interested, and tonight's episode was no different. With her return as a finalist, Colleen Matthews' triumph sets the stage for more exciting episodes in the days to come.
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Jeopardy! episode highlights - January 1, 2025, Wednesday
Jeopardy! round
The Jeopardy! round featured six categories: Happy New Year’s Day!, State Parks, The Race Is On, Potpourri, It Comes In Bottles, and 4-Letter Words With An “X”. Gino Montoya took the lead after the final clue of the round, but the competition was tight. By the end of the first segment, the scores were as follows:
- Gino: $4,200
- Josh: $3,800
- Colleen: $800
The round was a lively back-and-forth between the players, with both Gino and Josh giving strong performances. Gino’s six correct responses helped him maintain the lead at the break, while Colleen stayed competitive despite a slow start.
Double Jeopardy! round
The Double Jeopardy! round saw the categories: Shakespeare, TV Music, People Of Africa, I Use 3 Initials, Medical Terminology, and Jane Stone, WWII Linguist. Colleen Matthews surged ahead during this round, picking up several $2,000 clues. She also nailed the last Daily Double, significantly increasing her lead.
At the end of Double Jeopardy!, the scores were as follows:
- Colleen: $18,600
- Josh: $12,200
- Gino: $11,800
Josh had a difficult moment when he missed the second Daily Double, which allowed Colleen to consolidate her advantage. Despite this setback, Josh and Gino finished with strong scores, preparing for an exciting Final Jeopardy.
Final Jeopardy round details
The Final Jeopardy category for tonight was U.S. Presidents, specifically a clue related to Ulysses S. Grant. The clue read:
"According to his son Fred, this man first tried smoking just because it was against the rules at West Point."
The answer is: Who is Ulysses S. Grant?
Gino correctly answered Who is Grant? and added $11,000 to his score, bringing his total to $22,800.
Josh incorrectly responded with Who is Eisenhower? losing $6,401, bringing his total to $5,799.
Colleen also answered correctly with Who is Ulysses S. Grant? and gained $5,801, bringing her total to $24,401.
This Final Jeopardy victory secured Colleen’s position as a finalist in the Second Chance Tournament, making her the winner of tonight's game.
Contestant profiles
Colleen Matthews
Colleen Matthews, a speech-language pathologist from Hillsboro, Oregon, played today's game with strong determination. Colleen took advantage of the fact that she almost won in June by doing well in this Second Chance Tournament.
She stayed calm and made smart moves in both the Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy! rounds, which helped her get a big lead that she kept the whole game.
Gino Montoya
The attorney from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Gino Montoya, performed quite well. He led the Jeopardy! round, which was his best performance.
He was knowledgeable about the different categories and quickly got back on track after missing a Daily Double. But Colleen's lead going into Final Jeopardy was too big to beat.
Josh Moss
Josh Moss, who owns a craft distillery in Boston, Massachusetts, did pretty well, especially at the beginning of the game. But missing the Daily Double in Double Jeopardy! set him back, and giving the wrong answer in Final Jeopardy cost him a lot of points. Even so, Josh demonstrated his knowledge of the game's content.
Jeopardy! Game recap - January 1, 2025
Jeopardy round:
Categories: Happy New Year’s Day!, State Parks, The Race Is On, Potpourri, It Comes In Bottles, and 4-Letter Words With An “X”
- Gino takes the lead on the last clue before the break.
Scores after 15 clues:
- Gino: $4,200
- Josh: $3,800
- Colleen: $800
Statistics at the break:
- Gino: 6 correct, 0 incorrect
- Josh: 5 correct, 1 incorrect
- Colleen: 3 correct, 1 incorrect
Interviews:
- Josh: Doing better with his business
- Gino: Took a 30th-anniversary trip to France and Belgium, where he got lost
- Colleen: Got to tell a friend she was right after being invited back
After Jeopardy round:
Scores after 30 clues:
- Gino: $7,000
- Josh: $6,200
- Colleen: $3,800
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
- Gino: 10 correct, 1 incorrect
- Josh: 9 correct, 1 incorrect
- Colleen: 10 correct, 1 incorrect
Double Jeopardy round:
Categories: Shakespeare, TV Music, People Of Africa, I Use 3 Initials, Medical Terminology, and Jane Stone, WWII Linguist
- Josh gets DD2 incorrect.
- Colleen picks up four $2,000 clues and the last Daily Double, leading into Final Jeopardy.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
- Colleen: 19 correct, 1 incorrect
- Josh: 19 correct, 3 incorrect
- Gino: 15 correct, 1 incorrect
Scores going into Final Jeopardy:
- Colleen: $18,600
- Josh: $12,200
- Gino: $11,800
Final Jeopardy results:
- Both Gino and Colleen were correct in Final Jeopardy.
Final scores:
- Gino: $11,800 + $11,000 = $22,800 (Correct: Who is Grant?)
- Josh: $12,200 – $6,401 = $5,799 (Incorrect: Who is Eisenhower?)
- Colleen: $18,600 + $5,801 = $24,401 (Correct: Who is Ulysses S. Grant?) (Finalist)
Tonight's results:
- Colleen is a finalist and will be back tomorrow and Friday.
Three gifted contestants—Colleen Matthews, Gino Montoya, and Josh Moss—participated in an exciting episode of Jeopardy! tonight. Especially in Double Jeopardy!, Colleen's well-executed plan and knowledge helped her win and land a spot in the forthcoming finals.
Though Colleen's Final Jeopardy victory pushed her ahead, Gino and Josh also gave outstanding performances. She will return tomorrow and Friday as a finalist, aiming for victory. This Second Chance Tournament's structure has produced some surprising and interesting games; tonight's episode is the ideal illustration of that.
