Warning: This page contains spoilers for the January 1, 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 13 (Twisted Misters, Karen’s Last Ziti, The Trebekkies); Episode 14 (Only Winners In The Building, The Recruits, The Latchkey 3); Episode 15 (The Eh-Team, Married With A Third Wheel, Scruffy Duffy’s).
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category U.S. Presidents) for Wednesday, January 1, 2025 (Season 41, Game 83):
According to his son Fred, this man first tried smoking just because it was against the rules at West Point
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Josh Moss, a craft distillery owner from Boston, Massachusetts
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Gino Montoya, an attorney from Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Colleen Matthews, a speech-language pathologist from Hillsboro, Oregon
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Our first game of 2025 features Semifinal 3 of the first of two weeks of Second Chance play. This game features Colleen Matthews, who came very close to beating Adriana Harmeyer back in June, Gino Montoya, who would have won back in October had it not been for an all-in bet in Final Jeopardy, and Josh Moss, who put up a $14,600 Coryat against Adriana early in her run. The first two semifinals have basically shown how impossible to predict these games are; I’m just going to sit back and watch!
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: Who is Ulysses S. Grant?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(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.)
I’m certainly loath to write too much about this Final because of the harms of smoking, and I certainly don’t want to be seen as glorifying the habit. Ulysses Grant, who was once reputed to have smoked 20 cigars a day—a claim that essentially stems from a single long day in 1864—was said to have first tried smoking at West Point. However, Grant eventually did give up smoking due to a lung condition.
Honestly, I could see this being a coin flip by many between the two most famous West Point alumni to hold America’s highest political office, Grant and Eisenhower.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Wednesday, January 1, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Happy New Year’s Day!; State Parks; The Race Is On; Potpourri; It Comes In Bottles; 4-Letter Words With An “X”)
Both Gino and Josh got off to good starts, with Gino taking the lead back on the last clue before the break. After 15 clues, the scores were Gino $4,200 Josh $3,800 Colleen $800.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Gino 6 correct 0 incorrect
Josh 5 correct 1 incorrect
Colleen 3 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Josh is 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 Colleen got invited back.
While Josh held the lead for most of the segment, Gino re-took it after a correct Daily Double and led after 30.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Gino 10 correct 1 incorrect
Josh 9 correct 1 incorrect
Colleen 10 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Gino $7,000
Josh $6,200
Colleen $3,800
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Shakespeare; TV Music; People Of Africa; I Use 3 Initials; Medical Terminology; Jane Stone, WWII Linguist)
Josh got DD2 incorrect, and Colleen picked up four $2,000 clues and the last Daily Double to hold a good-sized lead going into Final Jeopardy.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Colleen 19 correct 1 incorrect
Josh 19 correct 3 incorrect
Gino 15 correct 1 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 26 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Colleen $18,600
Josh $12,200
Gino $11,800
Gino and Colleen were correct in Final; that makes Colleen a finalist! She’ll be back tomorrow and Friday.
Tonight’s results:
Gino $11,800 + $11,000 = $22,800 (Who is Grant?)
Josh $12,200 – $6,401 = $5,799 (Who is Eisenhower?)
Colleen $18,600 + $5,801 = $24,401 (Whois Ulysses S. Grant?) (Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) THE RACE IS ON $400 (clue #26)
Gino 5000 +2000 (Colleen 3200 Josh 6000)
2) JANE STONE, WWII LINGUIST $2000 (clue #6)
Josh 9400 -1600 (Colleen 6600 Gino 7000)
3) SHAKESPEARE $800 (clue #16, $14000 left on board)
Colleen 12200 +2000 (Gino 10200 Josh 10600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 39
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Colleen 3 5 4 1 4 4 5 1 2
Gino 4 5 2 3 2 3 2 2 2*
Josh 5 3 5 4 4 5 3 3
DJ! Round:
Colleen 1 5 2 3 4 3 2*
Gino 5 3 4
Josh 4 3 5* 4 5 2
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Colleen 3.06
Gino 3.08
Josh 3.93
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 26 (0.31 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Colleen $17,400 Coryat, 19 correct, 1 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Gino $10,200 Coryat, 15 correct, 1 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Josh $13,800 Coryat, 19 correct, 3 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $41,400
Lach Trash: $7,400 (on 6 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $5,200
Lead Changes: 8
Times Tied: 4
Player Statistics:
Colleen Matthews, career statistics:
37 correct, 4 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
29.82% in first on buzzer (34/114)
1/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000)
2/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,000
Gino Montoya, career statistics:
36 correct, 3 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
28.95% in first on buzzer (33/114)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,800
Josh Moss, career statistics:
38 correct, 8 incorrect
3/4 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
32.46% in first on buzzer (37/114)
1/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,800)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,200
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Colleen $18,600 Josh $12,200 Gino $11,800)
Colleen: Standard cover bet over Josh is $5,801. (Actual bet: $5,801)
Gino: Betting between $1,000 and $11,000 maximizes your expected winnings today. (Actual bet: $11,000)
Josh: Bet $11,401 as this covers Gino. Yes, it really is a good idea to do this, because you do have to be correct in Final to have any shot at victory. (Actual bet: $6,401)
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I guessed Grant, because I couldn’t imagine Eisenhower intentionally breaking any rule. He was a strack trooper, as we used to say in the Army.
and I said Eisenhower. Doh!
Said Grant. Remembered that he had some “moments” while at the Point.
Grant’s one acknowledged weakness, as you’re aware. Never doubt yourself!
Got to Grant extremely quickly… because I forgot that Eisenhower also attended West Point. Whoops!
I went with Ike.
You were right on the coin flip; unfortunately I ended up in the wrong side of it.
Not thinking back far enough, I guessed Eisenhower. Too bad.
I thought back far enough for presidents, coming up with Grant first, but I didn’t “officially” make that my guess because because I couldn’t imagine smoking being against the rules anywhere [except in barns] in that era.
As far as I know, Grant and Eisenhower are not only “the two most famous West Point alumni to hold America’s highest political office,” but the only two who held that office. Sure, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee were also alumni of West Point but they never held America’s highest political office as I wouldn’t include being President of the Confederacy or a general in the Confederate Army as holding America’s highest political office. If you can name another one, please let me know who that might be. Since Grant and Eisenhower were the only two possibilities, it was easy to eliminate Ike as he was a real straight shooter. Grant was a little more daring in some respects.
It is also notable that the late Jimmy Carter was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.
I think the thing is that if people don’t KNOW outright that they were the only two, then they might assume that it is just the only two that they know of due to their fame. I had no idea which presidents went to West Point, but if someone had asked WHAT TWO U.S. Presidents went to West Point, then I would have guessed those two.