Who won Jeopardy! Tonight? March 24, 2025, Monday

Josh Weikert emerged as the winner of Jeopardy! (Season 41, Game 141) tonight, March 24, 2025. Josh, a professor of politics from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, won his second straight game of Jeopardy, even though the result was hard to predict. The defending champion held on, and he will be back on Tuesday for another chance to add to his collection of prizes.

Two new challengers joined Josh, Mustafa Hameed from Los Angeles and Geraldine Rodriguez from Boca Raton, Florida. Even though all three rounds of the game were close, a key decision in the final round changed the outcome.

Josh gave the wrong answer, but he bet enough to stay ahead of Mustafa, who also missed the clue and bet less. Even though she was behind, Geraldine was the only contestant who got the last clue right.

Jeopardy! is a long-running quiz show that first aired in 1964. Ken Jennings is hosting the show with a unique format: contestants are given clues in the form of answers and have to answer with the right question.

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Jeopardy! episode highlights – March 24, 2025, Monday

Jeopardy round

Categories opening the first round included TV Sleuthing, The Late 1940s, and Cybersecurity. Josh began strong and answered precisely across all categories early. He had a strong advantage at the first break—$5,800. Geraldine followed with $1,000 and Mustafa had $800.

The round stayed vibrant, even with a few unresolved hints. Mustafa covered the Cybersecurity category to make ground while Josh maintained his lead. Josh had $6,800 at the end of the round, Mustafa had $5,200, and Geraldine had $2,200.

Jeopardy round scores

• Josh Weikert: $6,800 (11 correct, two incorrect)
• Mustafa Hameed: $5,200 (11 correct, 0 incorrect)
• Geraldine Rodriguez: $2,200 (4 correct, 0 incorrect)

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Double Jeopardy round

Double Jeopardy had a more than once shifting momentum. Categories covered Abbrev., American Poetry, and The Arctic. Geraldine dropped to $0 after trying a comeback with an early Daily Double and missed.

Mustafa led briefly, and then Josh responded with a strong Daily Double of his own. Their marks stayed close, and every clue raised the stakes. Josh kept on top even though Mustafa had a flawless round with no wrong answers. Josh led with $21,800 entering Final Jeopardy. Mustafa followed with $17,200, and Geraldine with $3,200.

Double Jeopardy round scores

• Josh Weikert: $21,800 (23 correct overall, two incorrect)
• Mustafa Hameed: $17,200 (22 correct, 0 incorrect)
• Geraldine Rodriguez: $3,200 (7 correct, two incorrect)

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Final Jeopardy Round

The Final Jeopardy category was Acting Families. The clue referred to John and Arlyn Bottom, who changed their family name after leaving a religious group.

The clue was:

After leaving a religious group, John & Arlyn Bottom changed their family’s last name to this, to signify a rebirth

Geraldine correctly answered, "What is Phoenix?" and doubled her score.

Mustafa guessed "Barrymore" and lost $10,000. Josh answered "Newman" and lost $12,601, but his earlier lead gave him just enough to win the game with $9,199. That brought his two-day total to $32,800.

Final Jeopardy round scores

• Josh Weikert: $21,800 – $12,601 = $9,199 (Incorrect: “What is Newman?”)
• Mustafa Hameed: $17,200 – $10,000 = $7,200 (Incorrect: “What is Barrymore?”)
• Geraldine Rodriguez: $3,200 + $3,200 = $6,400 (Correct: “What is Phoenix?”)

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Contestant Profiles

Josh Weikert returned as the defending champion. He is a professor and beer judge from Pennsylvania. He did very well in both the Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy rounds of tonight's game, correctly answering 23 questions in total.

The lawyer from Los Angeles, Mustafa Hameed, left the fans impressed with his accuracy and quick reactions. Until Final Jeopardy, he was the only player who never got a question wrong. In spite of this, his safe bet cost him the game.

Geraldine Rodriguez had a lot of energy and charm. She had a hard time during the game but was the only one who got Final Jeopardy right and ended up with $6,400.

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What makes Jeopardy! different?

Jeopardy! is different from most quiz shows because of how it is set up. The usual question-and-answer format is turned around. Contestants are given answers and have to come up with the right questions to answer them. There are Jeopardy, Double Jeopardy, and Final Jeopardy rounds.

The difficulty and number of points go up with each round. In order to win, contestants must use both their knowledge and their strategy. Wagers are very important, especially in the Final Jeopardy round. Due to how it's put together, each episode feels like a new challenge.

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Jeopardy! recap: Monday, March 24, 2025 – Game highlights & stats

Jeopardy! Round overview

Categories: Tv Sleuthing; The Late 1940s; A Site For More Eyes; 10-Letter Words; Cybersecurity; Also A Musical Instrument

• Josh started strong, quickly building a lead.
• Despite four Triple Stumpers, he was ahead after 15 clues with $5,800.

Scores at the first break:

• Josh: $5,800 (8 correct, zero incorrect)
• Geraldine: $1,000 (2 correct, zero incorrect)
• Mustafa: $800 (1 correct, zero incorrect)

Contestant interviews

• Geraldine shared that she's flown in the Goodyear Blimp.
• Mustafa mentioned being an avid cricket fan.
• Josh revealed he works as a beer judge.

Second Half of the Jeopardy! round

• Mustafa gained momentum by running the CYBERSECURITY category.

By the end of the round:

• Josh: $6,800 (11 correct, two incorrect)
• Mustafa: $5,200 (11 correct, zero incorrect)
• Geraldine: $2,200 (4 correct, zero incorrect)

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Double Jeopardy! round summary

Categories: Abbrev.; Bills Of Mortality For 17th C. London; Twin "C"s; American Poetry; The Arctic; Johnny On The Axe

• Geraldine aimed for the lead early, but a missed Daily Double dropped her to $0.
• Mustafa briefly overtook Josh before Josh found Daily Double 3 and answered correctly to reclaim control.
• A scoring adjustment in Mustafa's favor kept things close heading into Final Jeopardy!

Double Jeopardy! stats

• Josh: 23 correct, two incorrect
• Mustafa: 22 correct, zero incorrect
• Geraldine: 7 correct, two incorrect
• All 60 clues were played (the season total of unplayed clues remains at 30).

Scores before Final Jeopardy!

• Josh: $21,800
• Mustafa: $17,200
• Geraldine: $3,200

Final Jeopardy! recap

• Category: Acting Families
• Geraldine was the only contestant to answer correctly with "What is Phoenix?"
• Mustafa could have secured the win with a more strategic wager but chose a round $10,000 bet, which cost him the game.
• Josh ended up with the highest total and became a two-day champion despite answering incorrectly and placing a large wager.

Final Scores

• Geraldine $3,200 + $3,200 = $6,400 (What is Phoenix?)
• Mustafa $17,200 – $10,000 = $7,200 (What is Barrymore?)
• Josh $21,800 – $12,601 = $9,199 (What is Newman?)

Josh returns Tuesday with a two-day total of $32,800.

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Final wagers and their impact

Usually, Final Jeopardy decides the game, and today was a perfect illustration of this. Josh led strongly, but his wrong answer made him vulnerable. Mustafa could have prevailed with a more calculated risk. Rather, his decision to stake exactly $10,000 backfired.

Though Geraldine was too far behind to catch up, her accurate response helped her raise her score. This episode made clear how important wager decisions are, even in cases when competitors are exactly matched.

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Returning Champion's edge

Jeopardy Recap (Image via jeopardy.com)

Josh's background as a returning champion gave him a little advantage all through the show. His choice of daily doubles and fast buzz-ins revealed confidence. Though he missed Final Jeopardy, his early game performance provided the margin required for victory.

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Viewers will be watching to see how far Josh can run this week. The clever layout of the game and its emphasis on knowledge and timing still help to distinguish it from others.