Warning: This page contains spoilers for the February 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 Famous Names) for Friday, February 28, 2025 (Season 41, Game 125):
As a young reporter in Appleton, Wisconsin, Edna Ferber interviewed this hometown celebrity originally from Hungary
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Shane Whitlock, a radiologist originally from Benton, Arkansas
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Jaskaran Singh, a consultant from Plano, Texas
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Roger Craig, an applied scientist from Arlington, Virginia
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
For the second Friday in a row, we have Roger Craig on our Jeopardy! screens as the semifinals begin today of the 2nd Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament. Who will make the JIT final? At least one of Roger, Jaskaran Singh, and Shane Whitlock will—all three of these players are very strong and very good at Jeopardy!, with the Unified Prediction Model showing Roger as a slight favorite to advance out of this matchup today.
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: Who is Harry Houdini?
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.)
Famed Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Edna Ferber and famed escape artist Harry Houdini were contemporaries in the early 1900s in Appleton, Wisconsin; the interview took place in 1906 in front of the offices of the Appleton Crescent. Houdini’s father was the rabbi of the local Jewish congregation, while Ferber’s family moved to Wisconsin after having experienced virulent anti-Semitism in Ottumwa, Iowa.
The interview has been reprinted at The Houdini File blog, including a part that did not make the Crescent, but Ferber’s biography, in which she definitely seemed to admire the great magician.
One thing I find interesting is the juxtaposition between this Final Jeopardy clue and the one that appeared in Episode 20 of Pop Culture Jeopardy a month and a half ago. There are so many ways of approaching information surrounding one person, from a current pop culture bent to a more difficult “from Appleton, Wisconsin, was Hungarian, and was a contemporary of Edna Ferber” one.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, February 28, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Eyewitness U.S. History; Books & Authors; Billboard Bills, Billys & A Billie; Social Types; Use Your Word Words; Not Today, Satin!)
Shane led after 15 clues as the result of six correct response; after 15 clues, the scores were Shane $4,000 Roger $2,600 Jaskaran $1,800.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Shane 6 correct 1 incorrect
Roger 5 correct 1 incorrect
Jaskaran 2 correct 0 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Shane has incredible support back in Arkansas.
Jaskaran has applied for law school.
Roger is part of a company that tries to make the Internet safer for children.
Jaskaran doubled up through the Daily Double; by the end of the round, he was tied for the lead, with Roger only $600 back.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Shane 8 correct 1 incorrect
Jaskaran 8 correct 1 incorrect
Roger 9 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Shane $5,000
Jaskaran $5,000
Roger $4,400
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The County Line; Symbolism In Art; Meteorology; Creators & Creations; Period Entertainment; Before & After)
Both Jaskaran and Shane missed Daily Doubles, Jaskaran for $4,000 and Shane for $5,800—Roger’s strong run between them meant Roger lead going into Final Jeopardy.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Roger 17 correct 3 incorrect
Jaskaran 17 correct 3 incorrect
Shane 14 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 26 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Roger $14,400
Jaskaran $12,600
Shane $3,200
Roger Craig has one heck of a poker face. All three of our players got this Final—but I was convinced that Roger was incorrect before his response was revealed. Roger made the cover bet and advances to the finals!
Tonight’s results:
Shane $3,200 + $3,200 = $6,400 (Who is Houdini)
Jaskaran $12,600 + $12,598 = $25,198 (Who is Houdini)
Roger $14,400 + $10,801 = $25,201 (Who is Houdini) (Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) SOCIAL TYPES $600 (clue #16)
Jaskaran 1800 +1800 (Roger 2600 Shane 4000)
2) THE COUNTY LINE $1600 (clue #5)
Jaskaran 9400 -4000 (Roger 6000 Shane 5000)
3) PERIOD ENTERTAINMENT $1200 (clue #15, $15200 left on board)
Shane 5800 -5800 (Roger 11600 Jaskaran 5400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -43
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Roger 4 4 5 3 2 2 4 5
Jaskaran 5 3*
Shane 4 3 5 3 2 3
DJ! Round:
Roger 4 5 2 4 5 3
Jaskaran 3 3 4* 5†
Shane 3 2 4 2 3*
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Roger 3.71
Jaskaran 3.83
Shane 3.09
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 26 (0.21 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Roger $14,400 Coryat, 17 correct, 3 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Jaskaran $15,400 Coryat, 17 correct, 3 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Shane $9,000 Coryat, 14 correct, 3 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $38,800
Lach Trash: $7,200 (on 10 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $8,000
Lead Changes: 5
Times Tied: 2
Player Statistics:
Roger Craig, career statistics:
481 correct, 85 incorrect
22/27 on rebound attempts (on 58 rebound opportunities)
45.16% in first on buzzer (490/1085)
28/31 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $139,000)
10/18 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,743
Jaskaran Singh, career statistics:
157 correct, 27 incorrect
5/6 on rebound attempts (on 23 rebound opportunities)
39.85% in first on buzzer (159/399)
8/12 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $18,200)
7/7 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,257
Shane Whitlock, career statistics:
261 correct, 23 incorrect
13/15 on rebound attempts (on 48 rebound opportunities)
34.80% in first on buzzer (238/684)
15/19 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $27,500)
8/12 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,433
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Roger $14,400 Jaskaran $12,600 Shane $3,200)
Roger: Standard cover bet is $10,801. (Actual bet: $10,801)
Jaskaran: Betting $6,199 or less keeps Shane locked out. (Actual bet: $12,598)
Shane: Unless Roger overbets, you can’t pass him without being correct in Final. Go all in. (Actual bet: $3,200)
Updated JIT odds:
Roger +140
Matt +480
Luigi +740
Raymond +770
Juveria +880
Emily +1400
Ray +1400
Finals length odds:
2 games: +170
3 games: +110
4 games: +340
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Wanted to slap myself when I saw the answer here. My wife just finished doing costumes for Ragtime and I remember in the play Houdini saying he was from hungary. Should have gotten this one.
The only part I knew was that Houdini was from Hungary, but I had no idea that he lived in Wisconsin, nor what time period was alluded to by the Edna Ferber reference. I was choosing between Edward Teller and George Soros, also Hungarian Jews but from another era.
I don’t understand Jaskaran’s wager – ended up being moot… kudos to all three getting it correct.
I’m guessing he thought that Roger might bet to keep Shane locked out wanted to force him to cover. Perfectly defensible bet in my opinion, especially given Jaskaran’s perfect record in FJ. I wonder if he had Emily’s bet in the back of his mind when wagering.
I really enjoyed today’s game.
Really nice to see Roger Craig again. I always liked him (and i’m sure a lot of contestants in this tournament remember him, too). He always seems to have a laid-back style and easy-going nature, but he always pulls out a win at just the right time. And i believe he held the records for single-game earnings before James wiped them all off the board. But, still, refreshing to see him still showing that he has it. And nice to hear about him and Julia Collins getting married.
Most well-known person from Appleton, Wisconsin; for me, that’s Houdini. Also, didn’t hurt that my neighbor has a dog named Houdini because he’s always escaping (the dog, not the neighbor). 🙂
How is a contestant ruled incorrect when Ken hadn’t called time?
The timer on the podium must have expired. I don’t know if they have to start or finish their response before it expires, but I’d be interested to hear the rule.
Saying No on the out-of-time correct response instead of calling time, and then asking other contestants was not a smooth move, indeed.
According to Roger, Shane was ruled correct originally and later deemed to not have answered in time. The bit where he was ruled incorrect was recorded later.
For FJ I guessed Eva Gabor, just to throw something out there. Wrong! LOL
Great game! Roger is on to the final that starts on Wednesday! Looking forward to that! But first, 2 more epic Semifinals coming on Monday and Tuesday!
Have a great weekend everyone! I’m going to relax. 🙂
I guessed Zsa Zsa Gabor. 😅 Couldn’t think of anyone else from Hungary!
LOL. I’m sure both of you considered them a real long-shot, but I think the reason you even considered them (besides the ‘Hungarian’ angle) was that I believe most people alive today think of Eva and Zsa Zsa as being very old [because they were fairly old before being widely seen on recorded media, especially TV], but I knew they were not nearly old enough to have been interviewed by a “young” Edna Ferber. 😊
Yes, my guess was a definite long shot! And I feel a bit justified now as Sandy also guessed a Gabor! 🙂
My friend and I were talking about today (Friday”s) Jeopardy, and he mention the clue that went “Speaking casually, without preparation, is done ad-lib, or this 3 word clothing way:” The Question’s intended response was “What is off the cuff.” My friend had immediately thought of “What is on the fly” … do you think that they would have accepted that (maybe after a commercial break)?
I would guess not because the basis for the phrase “off the cuff” actually pertains to the clothing, but “on the fly” has nothing to do with “that part” of clothing, but rather with action [like not pausing an action such as running, flying, etc. for a thought-out comment rather than just a quickie remark].
Andy’s comment concerning the difference between this FJ and the one in Pop Culture Jeopardy was interesting. I had no idea for this one (though I did know the right time-frame for Edna Ferber), but I had gotten the Houdini FJ correct in that Pop Culture Jeopardy (just from “man died on Halloween 1926” as I’d never heard of either of the two songs).