Warning: This page contains spoilers for the January 28, 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.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Palindromic Dates) for Tuesday, January 28, 2025 (Season 41, Game 102):
This 7-digit date saw the premiere of Handel’s “Water Music”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
David Erb, a puzzle designer from Seattle, Washington
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Grant DeYoung, a delivery driver from Prescott, Arizona
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Amy Hummel, an ER doctor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Yesterday’s opening quarterfinal of the 32nd Tournament of Champions saw Will Wallace defeat Alison Betts and Rishabh Wuppalapati. Today’s quarterfinal features Amy Hummel, Grant DeYoung, and David Erb. I suspect that this game will come down to “How tired is David?”—at the beginning of his run, David seemed to be one of the strongest players of the season. However, as his run continued and he got more tired, he became very beatable. Meanwhile, Grant was also a very strong player–when he wasn’t averaging 6.6 unforced errors a game in regular play; I would say his path to victory might lie in keeping those incorrect response numbers down. (I will say, though, I do remember saying the same thing about Pranjal Vachaspati in 2017—and he was much better in ToC play on that front.). Finally, Amy knows how to win—she’s the only 5-time champion in this quarterfinal; I expect that she’ll rebound from her Daily Double struggles from her sixth game.
On to some show news: if you look in last night’s comment section, you’ll find a report from an audience member that Jeopardy! resumed production yesterday after a short hiatus due to the L.A. wildfires. Having heard from some in the game show production industry, locals are very happy that shows are resuming production—the crews that work on these shows need to work! This audience member also noted that the 2nd Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament will be airing at the conclusion of this Tournament of Champions, with regular play resuming at the conclusion of JIT.
I’ve also seen some discussion recently regarding the quality of this ToC field. And, having added a bunch of data yesterday to my prediction model from the 2017, 2015, and 2014 Tournaments of Champions, I honestly have to say that the players who make up this field are not that different statistically from the players who made up ToC fields of yore. It’s just that over the past 5 years, we’ve been spoiled by the likes of Troy, James, Yogesh, Ben, Amy, Matt, and Mattea, among many others. This is going to be an excellent tournament with no clear favorite.
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: What is 7/17/1717?
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 will shout this from the rooftops if I have to: It’s the Tournament of Champions. Things are going to be more difficult. This is a feature, not a bug. And, especially in today’s fan situation, where nearly every “bug report” on social media about the show gets amplified into its own tabloid article, complaints that clues are more difficult in a Tournament of Champions are not valid, in my editorial opinion.
Now, on to more information about today’s clue specifically: In response to a request for a concert on the River Thames by King George I, Water Music is a collection of orchestral movements composed by George Frideric Handel. Its premiere took place on barges on the Thames itself in London, with George I on a royal barge, and about fifty musicians on a second barge performing. The King was so pleased with the work that he requested it be repeated at least three times.
With regards to solving this clue: does Jeopardy! expect contestants to know specifically that the concert was July 17? No. However—and especially in a Tournament of Champions situation—the show expects that a contestant might know that the work was 1717. And from there, with the show telling you “7 digits” and “palindromic”, it should be easier to puzzle out. I might be sad if a contestant almost got there, knowing that “Water Music” had to premiere in the summer, and guessing 6/17/1716 or 8/17/1718—but, again, as I said in the opening paragraph: this is the Tournament of Champions, after all.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Tuesday, January 28, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: World War II Facts; Foreign Words & Phrases; Noises; Pop Music’s Missing Links; Literary Swine; Uncle Ken’s Casa De Pre-Owned Vehicles)
Amy found herself in the hole early after a Daily Double miss, but she got out; David had the best time early on, leading with $1,800 after 15 clues, with Amy in second at $800 and Grant in third at $600.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
David 5 correct 2 incorrect
Amy 3 correct 2 incorrect
Grant 2 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
David was in a bad bike accident about 15 years ago.
Grant was proud of his record of being the first to win a game with 11 incorrect responses since 1985.
Amy was gifted a “Pummeled by Hummel” T-shirt by her friends.
All three players played well after the break as David continued to lead after 30 clues.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
David 9 correct 2 incorrect
Grant 8 correct 3 incorrect
Amy 7 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
David $3,000
Grant $2,800
Amy $2,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: A Winged Category; From TV Show To Film; Let’s Keep It Above The Waist; Archaeological Discoveries; Geographic Neighbors; In Compatibility)
David picked up $3,000 on DD2; Grant had the best time on the buzzer in this round, but he picked up 7 incorrect—taking his total for the game an incorrect response away from the magic 11. He did get DD3, though, which put him in contention going into Final Jeopardy.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
David 14 correct 4 incorrect
Amy 14 correct 4 incorrect
Grant 16 correct 10 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 26 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
David $7,200
Amy $6,600
Grant $3,200
Amy got the closest, but this Final Jeopardy was a Triple Stumper; David went for the cover bet and Amy’s small bet gives her the win!
Tonight’s results:
Grant $3,200 – $2,801 = $399 (What is 1/17/1771)
Amy $6,600 – $199 = $6,401 (What 1/17/1717?) (Semi-Finalist)
David $7,200 – $6,001 = $1,199 (What 1/12/17)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) WORLD WAR II FACTS $800 (clue #2)
Amy -600 -1000 (Grant 0 David 0)
2) LET’S KEEP IT ABOVE THE WAIST $1600 (clue #5)
David 5400 +3000 (Amy 2200 Grant 800)
3) GEOGRAPHIC NEIGHBORS $800 (clue #23, $3200 left on board)
Grant 800 +2000 (Amy 6600 David 7200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 56
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Amy 3 4*
Grant
David
DJ! Round:
Amy 3 2† 4 3 3 2 3 2
Grant 5 4 5 4 2*
David 4 5 3 4* 5† 5 5 4 3 2
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Amy 2.90
David 4.00
Grant 4.00
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 26 (0.25 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Amy $7,600 Coryat, 14 correct, 4 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 3/4 on rebound attempts (on 12 rebound opportunities)
David $5,800 Coryat, 14 correct, 4 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 11 rebound opportunities)
Grant $2,000 Coryat, 16 correct, 10 incorrect, 42.11% in first on buzzer (24/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $15,400
Lach Trash: $18,800 (on 15 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $19,800
Lead Changes: 8
Times Tied: 3
Player Statistics:
Amy Hummel, career statistics:
134 correct, 27 incorrect
9/12 on rebound attempts (on 41 rebound opportunities)
34.01% in first on buzzer (134/394)
3/8 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$11,700)
4/7 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,686
Grant DeYoung, career statistics:
130 correct, 47 incorrect
2/6 on rebound attempts (on 21 rebound opportunities)
45.43% in first on buzzer (154/339)
8/11 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $18,200)
5/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,533
David Erb, career statistics:
90 correct, 15 incorrect
5/6 on rebound attempts (on 26 rebound opportunities)
30.18% in first on buzzer (86/285)
7/8 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $39,000)
2/5 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,800
Andy’s Thoughts:
- I’ll take the more polite version of the term. Regarding today’s Final, the beautiful thing about opinions is that much like noses, everybody has one. I also think that if you showed my opinion about today’s Final Jeopardy and Reddit’s opinion about today’s Final Jeopardy to Billy Wisse and Michelle Loud, I would posit that their opinion would be closer to mine than Reddit’s.
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: David $7,200 Amy $6,600 Grant $3,200)
Amy: Bet between $0 and $199 and hope for David to cover and get Final incorrect. (Actual bet: $199)
Grant: You need a cover bet from David and an overbet from Amy to have a chance. Bet no more than $2,000 to stay ahead of David if he bets to cover and is incorrect. (Actual bet: $2,801)
David: Standard cover bet over Amy is $6,001. (Actual bet: $6,001)
Updated ToC odds:
Adriana +630
Isaac +530
Drew B. +590
Will W. +890
Amy +1300
Greg +1200
Weckiai +4800
Neilesh +2200
Mehal +2600
Ryan +3000
Will S. +1700
Mark +2200
Allison G. +3400
Kevin +5800
Drew G. +1800
Amar +3500
Lucas +4800
Finals length odds:
3 games: +720
4 games: +310
5 games: +220
6 games: +290
7 games: +690
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I got the right century and the right month, but the wrong decade. I went with 7/27/1727. Oh, well!
At least you got most of it correct! 🙂
I looked at this and thought, boy this is easy if you know the year. I didn’t know the year.
I figured that the work had to have been premiered in the summer, but couldn’t remember what year it was premiered in. My guess was so off that I’m not even gonna say what it was.
Considering his affinity for palindromes and number patterns (with Final wagers of $12,345, $8,888, $11,611, and $123 in his original run, respectively) this seems like a Final that might play directly to David’s strengths… I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!
I really should learn to keep my mouth shut about stuff like this.
Anyone who expects Final Jeopardy in Tournament of Champions play to be at a comparable difficulty level to Regular Season play, quite frankly, hasn’t been paying attention. My Final Jeopardy hit rate on Tournament of Champions play has been about 20% lower over the last 16 years than my Regular Season hit rate. As Andy said, it’s a feature, not a bug, that there will be a difficulty spike when you get to Tournament play.
Exactly. With extremely rare exceptions (such as two games last ToC where I went crazy and achieved Coryats above $20K), I always notice my stats going a little bit down come ToC time. And that’s perfectly fine! As the clues get harder, less and less people are going to perform supremely well. All the stat decrease tells me is that, with my numbers, I would not be a ToC-caliber player by any means… yet 😉
Why doesn’t the studio have an official enfant terrible on staff, who would be tasked to respond to the likes of reddits and tabloids more or less ex cathedra, in a blunt, matter-of-factly, and dismissive tone, reaching a large audience?
I guess it’s the pressure of the 30 seconds and being on stage, but none of them even got a palindrome date.
When the Final category was first revealed, I questioned whether it was appropriate for Jeopardy! — ToC or not. As there are many formats by which a date can be numerically rendered, it may be ambiguous whether the intended correct response qualifies as a palindrome. Putting “7-digit” in the clue was key to addressing this (as it points the players to not include leading zeroes, and eliminates the ISO 8601 standard format of yyyy-mm-dd). And given that this is a North American, English-language program, I can accept that contestants would be expected to default to m/d/yyyy.
No objections from me regarding difficulty — but as I had no idea when “Water Music” premiered, I threw down 4/28/1824.
Given the category, the final may as well have asked “What year did Handel’s “”Water Music” premiere?” because once you got the year, the rest of the response fills in itself. At least, that’s what I thought before I saw Amy’s response. She really had this one but, I think, wrote the first digit incorrectly due to the pressure of being on stage as well as time pressure. Because she was so close (much closer than the others), I’m glad she turned out to be the winner and her slight slip-up didn’t cost her the game. Congratulations to Amy.
p.s. I live not too far from a place called Glenelg so I’ve always been fascinated by interesting palindromes.
I felt the same way as you, but was annoyed with myself for not knowing the year. I actually know very little [surprise, surprise] about classical music facts and had never heard of ‘Water Music’ until fairly recently (during some trivia game, possibly Jeopardy!), but I assume that at that time I was exposed to the year and, seeing as how I have a thing for interesting number combos, I am disappointed to have not remembered it. My theory on Amy’s mistake was that she inadvertently got that ‘1’ from Grant via ESP 😉.
Yes, ESP! 🙂
I love palindromes! Radar, racecar, etc. I lived at a palindrome once…16061…..a former co-worker of mine had a child born 1/23/21 (I know, not the full year), but I will never forget her kiddo’s bday. 🙂
I just had no idea in the 30 seconds of Think.
Retro congrats to Amy on that win. She played that wager perfectly, by making it a game between her and David.
Down to 17 players.
Tomorrow night I will be cheering for Greg Jolin, as I saw him win his 3rd and 4th games in person. 🙂
I noticed they (kinda) violated their unwritten rule by having both Doolittle and (Dr.) Dolittle as responses in the J! round, and then close to a second violation by having “The Amityville Horror” in the J! round and Amity in DJ!