‘Jeopardy!’ TOC Thriller Decided by Controversial Judges Ruling
Jeopardy! fans are biting their nails as they wait to crown a winner of the 2025 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions.
Going into game four, Neilesh Vinjamuri from Lionville, Pennsylvania, led with two wins, Adriana Harmeyer from West Lafayette, Indiana, has one, and Isaac Hirsch from Burbank, California, still had no wins under his belt. However, his luck changed as he scored his first win on Wednesday’s (February 12) episode.
However, some fans didn’t think the customer support team lead should have won Final Jeopardy! because his handwriting made his answer look like a completely different word.
Throughout the entire game, Hirsch had a wide lead over his other two competitors. He had $7,000 at the end of the first round, compared to Harmeyer’s $2,800 and Vinjamuri’s $4,200. Harmeyer maintained her nearly $3,000 amount as Hirsch and Vinjamuri competed for another win. However, by the end of Double Jeopardy!, Hirsch led with almost $10,000 more than Vinjamuri.
The question for Final Jeopardy! was under the category “European Artwork.” Host Ken Jennings told the contestants to think about their wagers as the game show went to a commercial.
The clue read, “A rope around their leader’s neck, the man depicted in this late 19th c. piece seem resigned to death, but in the end, they survived.”
Harmeyer incorrectly guessed, “What is the raft of the Medusa?” The archivist wagered wagered $2,800, bringing her final total to $0. Vinjamuri answered correctly with, “What is Burgers of Calais?” The software engineer wagered $8401, bringing his total of $13,800 to $22,201. This made him one dollar above Hirsch. Hirsch answered the same as Vinjamuri and wagered $5,401. His final total was $27,601, making him the night’s winner and giving him one win under his belt.
However, Hirsch’s answer looked like “What is durgters of calais?” Even Jennings was a bit thrown off as he told the audience, “We are taking that.”
Via Youtube
Jeopardy! fans on Reddit debated his answer with many of them believing that he wrote a “D” instead of a “B.”
“The ‘Burgers’ looked like ‘Durgters’ for Isaacs FJ response,” one fan said.
“I’m going to guess that deciding if to accept handwriting that doesn’t really look like the correct letters, while it’s obvious that the player knew the correct response, is probably the least favorite task of the judges,” said another.
One fan defended him saying, “Since he wrote in all caps, it’s clear that the line on the G belonged to the H. The first letter is a bit more questionable, but there’s a slight bump, so I agree with Ken (and I guess the judges) that it’s a B.”
Another fan suggested that contestants should use a keyboard for Final Jeopardy.
The Tournament of Champions is played until one contestant gets three wins. The totals so far are Vinjamuri with two wins and Harmeyer and Hirsch tied with one. The three contestants will battle it out again on Thursday, February 13, to try for another win.
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Today’s Final Jeopardy – Wednesday, February 12, 2025
POSTED BY: ANDY SAUNDERS FEBRUARY 12, 2025
Warning: This page contains spoilers for the February 12, 2025, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
This site also has recaps for today’s three Pop Culture Jeopardy episodes. If you’re looking for those recaps instead: Episode 31 (Only Winners In The Building, O’Trivia Rodrigo, Running Up That Chili); Episode 32 (For Queso The Cat, The Bay Hive, Buggsy Mogues); Episode 33 (Little Pocket Monsters, Queen City Kidz, Mission: Impopsicle). Finally, you can find the recap for today’s episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! here.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category European Artwork) for Wednesday, February 12, 2025 (Season 41, Game 113):
(correct response beneath the contestants)
After a pair of aggressive Daily Double bets, Neilesh Vinjamuri finds himself just a win away from $250,000, a spot in Jeopardy! Masters, and Tournament of Champions glory. However, he still needs to get that third win—and both Adriana Harmeyer and Isaac Hirsch want to stop him.
Today will likely see our “contestant shoutouts” during the interview portion of the game, as there is a chance that the tournament will end tonight.
Following tonight’s game as well, Celebrity Jeopardy! airs on ABC and CTV at 9:00 PM Eastern (8:00 Central); this week’s game features Susie Essman, Blake Anderson, and Robin Thede.
(Content continues below)
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2025 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
The Burghers of Calais is an 1880s sculpture by Auguste Rodin, depicting a number of Calais’s burghers in the 14th century the the aftermath of the Battle of Crécy: Edward offered to spare the people of the city if six of its leaders would surrender to him; Edward’s wife, Philippa persuaded her husband to spare the burghers and they all survived.
Interestingly, this is not the first time this piece has come up in a Tournament of Champions context: back in the 2004 tournament, contestants faced the following clue in ART SUBJECTS: Seen in sculpture, Eustache de St. Pierre & 5 other wealthy men made themselves hostages to free this city.
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Wednesday, February 12, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
(Categories: 17th Century Facts; Differs By A Letter; Monogram Madness; Lounge Wear; Bangers; The New Yorker At 100)
Neilesh may have found another Daily Double, but it was Isaac who jumped out to an early lead with seven correct responses. At the first break, the scores were Isaac $5,800 Neilesh $2,600 Adriana $2,400.
Isaac 7 correct 0 incorrect
Neilesh 4 correct 0 incorrect
Adriana 3 correct 0 incorrect
Neilesh would like to thank a lot of people, especially Ken and the staff for pronouncing his name right.
Isaac would like to thank all of his teachers.
Adriana would like to thank her teachers, parents, and her husband.
Isaac picked up another four correct responses after the break to continue to lead after 30.
Isaac 11 correct 2 incorrect
Neilesh 9 correct 0 incorrect
Adriana 5 correct 1 incorrect
Isaac $7,000
Neilesh $4,200
Adriana $2,800
(Categories: Hills I Don’t Want To Die On; Nonfiction; Just A Little Astrophysics; 4, 4; On The Run; Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage)
Isaac found DD2 very early and got $6,000 from it. Things then got very interesting, as Neilesh both reeled in Isaac’s lead with 11 clues, then found DD3 a few clues after that. An incorrect response from Neilesh gave Isaac a strong, but not runaway, lead going into Final.
Isaac 23 correct 2 incorrect
Neilesh 19 correct 1 incorrect
Adriana 8 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 26 (0 today).
Isaac $22,200
Neilesh $13,800
Adriana $2,800
Both Neilesh and Isaac were correct in Final, with the judges explicitly accepting Isaac’s handwriting, with Ken explicitly saying that the first letter in Isaac’s response was a B. (No discussion on this point will be permitted in the comments tonight.) This gives Isaac his first win and we have a Game 5 tomorrow!
Adriana $2,800 – $2,800 = $0 (What is The Raft of the Medusa?)
Neilesh $13,800 + $8,401 = $22,201 (What Burghers of Calais)
Isaac $22,200 + $5,401 = $27,601 (What is the Burghers of Calais) (1 win)
1) 17th CENTURY FACTS $1000 (clue #5)
Neilesh 600 +1000 (Adriana 1600 Isaac 800)
2) HILLS I DON’T WANT TO DIE ON $2000 (clue #2)
Isaac 8600 +6000 (Adriana 2800 Neilesh 4200)
3) 4, 4 $800 (clue #22, $4000 left on board)
Neilesh 17400 -4000 (Adriana 2000 Isaac 19400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 147
J! Round:
Adriana 3 4 3
Isaac 5
Neilesh 5*
DJ! Round:
Adriana 4 2 2
Isaac 5* 3 4 5 3 4 5
Neilesh 5 4 3 2 3 5 4 3 3† 5 4 2*
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Isaac 4.25
Neilesh 3.69
Adriana 3.00
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 26 (0.23 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Isaac $18,200 Coryat, 23 correct, 2 incorrect, 42.11% in first on buzzer (24/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Neilesh $17,800 Coryat, 19 correct, 1 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Adriana $2,800 Coryat, 8 correct, 3 incorrect, 17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $38,800
Lach Trash: $10,200 (on 9 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $5,000
Lead Changes: 3
Times Tied: 3
457 correct, 53 incorrect
25/31 on rebound attempts (on 84 rebound opportunities)
34.74% in first on buzzer (435/1252)
14/22 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $16,200)
16/22 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,127
407 correct, 69 incorrect
20/25 on rebound attempts (on 55 rebound opportunities)
44.90% in first on buzzer (409/911)
17/26 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,200)
11/16 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,588
216 correct, 24 incorrect
13/16 on rebound attempts (on 49 rebound opportunities)
35.26% in first on buzzer (201/570)
11/13 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $39,300)
5/10 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,140
(Scores: Isaac $22,200 Neilesh $13,800 Adriana $2,800)
Adriana: You can’t win unless Isaac overbets. Bet whatever you like (If this was regular play, I’d suggest betting between $2,600 and $2,798.) (Actual bet: $2,800)
Isaac: Standard cover bet is $5,401. (Actual bet: $5,401)
Neilesh: You can’t win unless you’re correct and Isaac is not. You might as well bet everything to force him to do the math right. (If this was regular play, I’d suggest a bet between $3,000 to $8,199.) (Actual bet: $8,401)
Adriana +670
Isaac +490
Neilesh -310
5 games: +130
6 games: +120
7 games: +440
I was so far off, I assumed it was a painting.
Me too, even though I saw this sculpture at the Rodin Museum in Paris. Didn’t even notice the rope.
That one I got, thanks to many visits to Stanford University where The Burghers of Calais are displayed on the grounds.
“Piece” rather than painting made me think of famous sculptures. And the use of the plural “men” told me it was a group. One of the more memorable (for me anyway) groups sculptures was Rodin’s “The Burghers of Calais” so I was able to get this one.
p.s. Happy to see Isaac get a win today so that everyone will have, at least, one win by the end. He’s a good player and deserved to get a win.
I had no idea on FJ.
That was a very funny TOC game. Retro congrats to Isaac on getting that 1st win. Will the tournament end tomorrow or will Adriana or Isaac get win #2 and take us to Friday?
Can’t wait to see! 🙂
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Laura Faddah, career statistics:
124 correct, 24 incorrect
11/11 on rebound attempts (on 31 rebound opportunities)
31.79% in first on buzzer (124/390)
4/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,200)
3/7 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,029
To win:
8 games: 42.600%
9: 18.148%
10: 7.731%
11: 3.293%
12: 1.403%
Avg. streak: 7.742 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)
All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Regular Play Only:
1. Ken Jennings $2,520,700
2. James Holzhauer $2,462,216
3. Matt Amodio $1,518,601
4. Amy Schneider $1,382,800
5. Cris Pannullo $748,286
6. Mattea Roach $560,983
7. Jason Zuffranieri $532,496
8. David Madden $430,400
9. Julia Collins $428,100
10. Matt Jackson $411,612
11. Austin Rogers $411,000
12. Ray Lalonde $386,400
13. Adriana Harmeyer $349,600
14. Ryan Long $299,400
15. Arthur Chu $297,200
16. Seth Wilson $265,002
17. Ben Chan $252,600
18. Jonathan Fisher $246,100
19. Tom Nissley $235,405
20. Roger Craig $230,200
All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Including Tournaments (and Consolation Prizes):
1. Brad Rutter $4,953,436
2. Ken Jennings $4,372,700
3. James Holzhauer $3,614,216
4. Amy Schneider $1,859,800
5. Matt Amodio $1,729,601
6. Mattea Roach $897,983
7. David Madden $785,733
8. Cris Pannullo $754,286
9. Larissa Kelly $671,930
10. Victoria Groce $623,801
11. Matt Jackson $623,612
12. Yogesh Raut $598,403
13. Roger Craig $556,200
14. Jason Zuffranieri $549,496
15. Jerome Vered $499,102
16. Julia Collins $495,767
17. Austin Rogers $493,000
18. Ben Ingram $449,201
19. Buzzy Cohen $441,603
20. Dan Pawson $436,902
21. Alex Jacob $431,802
22. Sam Kavanaugh $417,202
23. Colby Burnett $413,333
24. Arthur Chu $403,200
25. Ray Lalonde $393,400
COPYRIGHT 2025 | MH NEWSDESK BY MH THEMES
A rope around their leader’s neck, the men depicted in this late 19th c. piece seem resigned to death, but in the end they survived
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Correct response: What is The Burghers of Calais?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Player Statistics:
Andy’s Thoughts:
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
Updated ToC odds:
Jeopardy! Round:
Today’s interviews:
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Double Jeopardy! Round:
Scores going into Final:
Tonight’s results:
Daily Double locations:
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Unplayed clues:
Game Stats:
Adriana Harmeyer, career statistics:
Isaac Hirsch, career statistics:
Neilesh Vinjamuri, career statistics:
Finals length odds:
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Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
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Neilesh Vinjamuri, a software engineer from Lionville, Pennsylvania (2 wins)
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Isaac Hirsch, a customer support team lead from Burbank, California (0 wins)
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Adriana Harmeyer, an archivist from West Lafayette, Indiana (1 win)
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The Final Jeopardy clue for Wednesday, February 12, 2025 can be found below. With a runaway lead in Tuesday’s match, Neilesh Vinjamuri secured his second win in the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. He will only need one more victory to secure the trophy over Adriana Harmeyer, who has one win, and Isaac Hirsch, who still hasn’t one game yet. The best strategy these two can do is prevent Neilesh from getting control of the board in the second round, as he has been successfully aggressive with Daily Doubles so far. Here is the question and answer for Final Jeopardy on 2/12/2025, along with the wagers and the winner of the match.
The Final Jeopardy question for February 12, 2025 is in the category of “European Artwork” and has the following clue:
A rope around their leader’s neck, the men depicted in this late 19th c. piece seem resigned to death, but in the end they survived
So as not to spoil the correct answer here, it has been placed at the bottom of this article.
Isaac was able to stave off Neilesh and became the winner of the February 12 match. Both of them got the right answer in Final Jeopardy, but Isaac’s lead gave him the victory.
Isaac had $22,200 after a strong second round and won an additional $5,401 with his correct response in Final Jeopardy. He finished in first with $27,601 for his first win in the finals.
Neilesh had an incorrect Daily Double response, which put him behind at $13,800. His correct response earned him a wagered $8,401 for $22,201 total, enough for second.
Adriana had a tough time getting going in the match and only had $2,800 to work with by the final. She risked everything on an incorrect guess of “The Raft of the Medusa” and ended in third with nothing.
The correct answer for Final Jeopardy on February 12, 2025 is “What is The Burghers of Calais?”
Slightly obscure, The Burghers of Calais is a statue by Auguste Rodin that was completed in 1889 and is located in Calais, France. It depicts six men in the port city who were sentenced to death by English king Edward III during the Hundred Years’ War. But they were spared when England’s queen, Philippa of Hainault, stayed their execution with the belief that killing them would bring bad luck on her unborn child.
The post Final Jeopardy Today February 12, 2025 – Question, Answer, Wages & Winner appeared first on ComingSoon.net – Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
