Today’s Final Jeopardy – Friday, February 28, 2025

Current Champion

Nikolas Polsinelli, career statistics:
44 correct, 6 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
35.96% in first on buzzer (41/114)
4/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,500

To win:
3 games: 64.111%
4: 41.102%
5: 26.351%
6: 16.894%
7: 10.831%
Avg. streak: 3.786 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)

Upcoming Encore Presentations

September 26-27: S42 E174 (May 7, 2026)
October 3-4: S42 E175 (May 8, 2026)
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 2026)
(Source: Bell Fibe TV program guide)

All Time Winnings

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. Jamie Ding $882,605
6. Cris Pannullo $748,286
7. Mattea Roach $560,983
8. Jason Zuffranieri $532,496
9. Scott Riccardi $455,000
10. David Madden $430,400
11. Julia Collins $428,100
12. Matt Jackson $411,612
13. Austin Rogers $411,000
14. Ray Lalonde $386,400
15. Harrison Whitaker $373,999
16. Adriana Harmeyer $349,600
17. Caleb Groen $346,968
18. Adam Remsen $306,415
19. Ryan Long $299,400
20. Arthur Chu $297,200

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Including Tournaments (and Consolation Prizes):

1. Brad Rutter $4,968,436
2. Ken Jennings $4,372,700
3. James Holzhauer $3,614,216
4. Matt Amodio $1,964,601
5. Amy Schneider $1,864,800
6. Yogesh Raut $1,598,403
7. Victoria Groce $1,023,801
8. Mattea Roach $897,983
9. Jamie Ding $885,605
10. David Madden $785,733
11. Cris Pannullo $754,286
12. Roger Craig $706,200
13. Andrew He $684,365
14. Larissa Kelly $671,930
15. Matt Jackson $623,612
16. Jason Zuffranieri $549,496
17. Paolo Pasco $548,717
18. Scott Riccardi $533,000
19. Jerome Vered $499,102
20. Julia Collins $495,767
21. Austin Rogers $493,000
22. Juveria Zaheer $491,000
23. Ben Ingram $449,201
24. Adriana Harmeyer $446,600
25. Buzzy Cohen $441,603

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

Jaskaran Singh, a consultant from Plano, Texas

Roger Craig, an applied scientist from Arlington, Virginia

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 2^nd 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.

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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