Warning: This page contains spoilers for the February 5, 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 28 (Beauty and the Beasts, South Shore Squad, Glazed and Confused); Episode 29 (The Stage Names, On The Bubble, Personality Hires); Episode 30 (Game Night Rules, ‘Nother Scorcher, In Our Jeopardy! Era!.) Finally, you can find the recap for today’s episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! here.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Scientists’ Names) for Wednesday, February 5, 2025 (Season 41, Game 108):
The first man to observe bacteria & protozoa had a name containing the Dutch word for this much bigger creature
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Amy Hummel, an ER doctor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|
Mark Fitzpatrick, a content manager from Riverside, Connecticut
|
Isaac Hirsch, a customer support team lead from Burbank, California
|
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Moving on to Semifinal #2, we have seeded Isaac Hirsch taking on Mark Fitzpatrick and Amy Hummel. Amy seemed surprised to win her quarterfinal, while Mark had a comfortable win in his. Anything can happen on the Alex Trebek Stage, though!
Also, remember that Corbin Bleu, Natalie Morales, and Chris Distefano are playing on Celebrity Jeopardy! tonight at 9:00 on ABC and CTV.
(Content continues below)
My friends over at Geeks Who Drink have introduced a daily trivia game—Thrice! Existing to make daily clever trivia content accessible to a wide audience, it's a daily challenge that tries to get you to the answer via three separate clues. It has a shareable score functionality to challenge your friends and new questions every day will give you a new daily social ritual. You can find it at thricegame.com.
Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my Betting Strategy 101 page. If you want to learn how to bet in two-day finals, check out Betting Strategy 102. In case the show uses a tournament with wild cards in the future, there is also a strategy page for betting in tournament quarterfinals.
Are you looking for information on how to stream Jeopardy! in 2024? Find out information here on how to stream from most places in North America!
Do you appreciate the work I do here on The Jeopardy! Fan? Would you like to make a one-time contribution to the site? You may do so here!
You can find game-by-game stats here at The Jeopardy! Fan of all 17 players, now including Adriana Harmeyer, that have won 10 or more games on Jeopardy!
You can now listen to Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy! episodes from TuneIn Radio without leaving The Jeopardy! Fan — listen now!
Correct response: What is a lion?
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.)
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, famed Dutch microbiologist, used his own microscope designs to observe microbes. The second step to this is knowing that the Dutch word for “lion” is “Leeuw”. It’s a difficult step, but it’s fair for the Tournament of Champions in my opinion.
I don’t see why Reddit is already complaining about this clue. Once again: it is the Tournament of Champions. The clues in the Tournament of Champions are supposed to be harder and are going to be harder. I have to say: it was much better to be a fan of this show when you didn’t have a bunch of persnickety little bullies hanging out on a subreddit trying to find every single last reason to hate on the show, and it has empowered them to know that the tabloids are sitting there waiting to amplify every single last thought that they have.
We have many new offerings at The Jeopardy! Fan Online Store! Here are our current featured items, including our new Masters Season 3 Player List T-shirt:
Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Wednesday, February 5, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Italian Words & Phrases; Have I Got News For You; Elemental Names; Occupational Hazards; A Half Hour Of Television; English Class)
Isaac missed a True Daily Double, but—proving why it’s always a good idea to do it early in a game—regained the lead within four clues. At a 16th-clue break, the scores were Isaac $2,800 Amy $2,600 Mark -$200.
Statistics at the first break (16 clues):
Isaac 7 correct 1 incorrect
Amy 4 correct 1 incorrect
Mark 1 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Amy fears Daily Doubles. (Judging by her stats, this does not surprise me.)
Mark had a watch party in Mexico City.
Isaac has been recognized a couple of times.
Isaac picked up another 7 correct to continue to lead after 30 clues.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Isaac 14 correct 1 incorrect
Amy 7 correct 1 incorrect
Mark 4 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Isaac $5,000
Amy $4,000
Mark $1,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: U.N. Secretaries-General; Movies After You Press Play; Lit-Pourri; Around The World; Where The Buffalo Roam; Let’S Get Qui”Zz”Ical)
The two Daily Doubles proved crucial in this round. Mark doubled up on DD2 in the midst of a run of five consecutive correct. Isaac found DD3 shortly after retaking the lead, but losing $5,000 put him in trouble. He recovered to be within two-thirds going into Final, but Mark led.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Mark 16 correct 2 incorrect
Isaac 28 correct 3 incorrect
Amy 9 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 26 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Mark $18,400
Isaac $13,600
Amy $5,600
Isaac was the only player correct in Final Jeopardy, and that makes him a finalist after Mark went for the cover bet.
Tonight’s results:
Amy $5,600 – $5,599 = $1 (What is a goose?)
Isaac $13,600 + $4,000 = $17,600 (What is a lion?) (Finalist)
Mark $18,400 – $8,801 = $9,599 (What is leviathan?)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) ELEMENTAL NAMES $800 (clue #11)
Isaac 3200 -3200 (Mark 0 Amy 2000)
2) AROUND THE WORLD $1600 (clue #5)
Mark 4400 +4400 (Isaac 8600 Amy 4000)
3) MOVIES AFTER YOU PRESS PLAY $1200 (clue #17, $10000 left on board)
Isaac 15000 -5000 (Mark 14400 Amy 3600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -33
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Isaac 3 4 5 5 3 4*
Mark
Amy 3 4 3 4 5
DJ! Round:
Isaac 4 3 2 4 3 4 3*
Mark 5 5 4* 3† 5 4 3 3 5
Amy 5
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Isaac 3.62
Mark 4.11
Amy 4.00
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 26 (0.24 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Isaac $21,800 Coryat, 28 correct, 3 incorrect, 45.61% in first on buzzer (26/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Mark $15,600 Coryat, 16 correct, 2 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Amy $5,600 Coryat, 9 correct, 2 incorrect, 19.30% in first on buzzer (11/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $43,000
Lach Trash: $4,000 (on 5 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,000
Lead Changes: 10
Times Tied: 2
Player Statistics:
Isaac Hirsch, career statistics:
328 correct, 54 incorrect
19/24 on rebound attempts (on 49 rebound opportunities)
47.44% in first on buzzer (324/683)
14/22 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,600)
9/12 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,067
Mark Fitzpatrick, career statistics:
167 correct, 34 incorrect
5/6 on rebound attempts (on 30 rebound opportunities)
37.14% in first on buzzer (169/455)
14/18 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $39,000)
2/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,275
Amy Hummel, career statistics:
143 correct, 30 incorrect
9/12 on rebound attempts (on 44 rebound opportunities)
32.15% in first on buzzer (145/451)
3/8 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$11,700)
4/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,675
Andy’s Thoughts:
- This game was taped before the allegations against Brian Jordan Alvarez were made public.
- To get ahead of the inevitable comments: The informal way to address a male judge or mayor is spelled “hizzoner”. It appears as though the lower-quality closed captioning attached to the show these days did not pick up on this.
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Mark $18,400 Isaac $13,600 Amy $5,600)
Isaac: Bet between $0 and $2,399 to keep Amy locked out. (Actual bet: $4,000)
Mark: Cover bet here is $8,801. If you think Isaac is going to play to win a Triple Stumper, though, you might want to consider a bet of between $2 and $799. ($2 because it defends against a bet of $4,801, and $799 because it defends against a bet of $4,000, with $4,801 and $4,000 being the two most likely suboptimal wagers from Isaac at this point.) (Actual bet: $8,801)
Amy: Bet at least $4,000, but you can go all in, as you pretty much have to be correct to win. (Actual bet: $5,599)
Updated ToC odds:
Adriana +220
Isaac +190
Drew Basile +850
Neilesh +510
Drew Goins +660
Finals length odds:
3 games: +710
4 games: +310
5 games: +220
6 games: +290
7 games: +700
Become a Supporter now! Make a monthly contribution to the site on Patreon!
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
When commenting, please note that all comments on The Jeopardy! Fan must be in compliance with the Site Comment Policy.
If you are going to quote any information from this page or this website, attribution is required.
Have you had a chance to listen to our podcast game show, Complete The List, yet? Check it out! It's also available on Apple Podcasts.
Misread the clue and gave correct name of microscopist.
Andy – as I have said numerous times, I am not on any social media.
These Reddit comments obviously trouble and upset you over and over. Have you considered not looking at them, unsubscribing, leaving the site or platform? [sorry not sure of correct procedure].
Unfortunately, due to the fact that the show itself keeps making reference to the subreddit on its official platforms, I don’t think it’s possible to properly cover the show in 2025 while not being there.
Andy! Thanks for the explanation. It lines up with your commitment for excellence in covering the show.
As soon as I saw the clue I thought, “I hope no one misreads the clue and gives the person’s name”. The phrasing of the clue is fine, but under the bright lights with the time constraints, it’s a simple mistake for a contestant to make.
I think many people are too hard on clues, but a subreddit is the perfect place for them to complain, as it doesn’t actually affect anyone or anything. Anyone going on a social media site expecting kindness and empathy has been living under a rock.
Having said that, this clue was very difficult. I suspect if I hadn’t been mispronouncing Leeuwenhoek my entire life, it could sound close enough to león/lion/leo. Is leeuw being Dutch for lion common knowledge? I know this show often relies on Spanish, French, and Latin, but those languages are more germane to a North American audience.
Your assertion that it affects nothing has basically led to the problem in the first place and appears to have ignored the “tabloids are waiting to amply everything said there” statement.
I may have misunderstood the problem in your eyes, could you clarify? And as far as tabloids go, who takes anything in them seriously? They’re no different to me than some whiny redditor.
During our discussion I want to make clear I have a lot of respect for you, Andy, and I appreciate the work you put into this site, which is one of my favorites.
You don’t need to know Dutch, provided that you know that Dutch is a Germanic language with many similar words. The German word for lion is Loewe. Two of today’s contestants have German surnames, so they would be the favorites to get this right.
That’s how I confirmed it, recalling the old beer “Loewenbrau”, meaning “lion brew”, and knowing the similarity between ‘loewe’ and ‘leeuw’ probably meant that the words are German and Dutch cognates for ‘lion’.
Knew the scientist was Anton van Leeuwenhoek, but getting to lion was harder. But Leeuwen sounds like Lowen, as in Lowenbrau beer, which has a lion on its label.
Wow, in the 4th grade, my science teacher taught us about “Anton” Van Leeuwenhoek!! That he used his own microscope designs for his work. I have since forgotten the pronunciation of his last name. But the memory of learning about Antonie has stuck in my head.
I had it the easy way. In Russian, the L9k’s name is spelled Левенгук (“Levenguk”), from which its derivation from lion (лев, lev) is apparent. Asking for the etymology rather than the exact peculiar spelling of his name was a good move.
This was a quick get for me between knowing of van Leeuwenhoek from my school science classes and knowing enough Dutch-by-way-of-German to have known his name likely contained the Dutch word for ‘lion’, since ‘loewen’ is the German word.
I cannot believe that there are people who think that ToC finals should have easy clues. I thought it was clear that this is the creme de la creme of the previous season’s players, so everything would be more difficult. I’m glad that I don’t do much with Reddit to start with, and haven’t been hanging around in the Jeopardy subreddit at all. I’d probably end up with negative comment karma if I did. I will keep my subreddit browsing to the Blue Jackets and FF XIV, I think. 🙂
Ah ha! Hockey fan huh? I’m a huge Kings fan! Listening to my game right now! 🙂
Born in Connecticut, grew up with the Whalers during the WHA years, and my family moved during their first NHL season. I always loved hockey above every other sport, in part because baseball was ruined by Red Sox/Yankees debates all around me and not liking either of them.
Totally awesome Katerina! Hockey is a great sport! I was at Staples Center both times we won the Cup in 2012 and 2014. Great nights at the hockey barn!
Oh wow – Isaac’s bet was crucial! Even if he got it wrong, he would have won by a dollar.
But he exposed himself to no longer locking out third place.
I thought this was very difficult – as it should be for ToC – and I had no idea.
Don’t do Reddit, or social media (other than a Facebook page I hardly ever look at), and don’t give a rat’s patootie what ignorant people have to say about Jeopardy. This is the only website I read on the subject. You do a great job, Andy, and I wish you could just ignore all those people and never read a single word they write.
From my biology classes, I was familiar with Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and knew right away that’s who the clue was referring to. From there, it was easy enough to just think of an animal that began with the letter “L.” Best known animal beginning with “L” is the lion so that was my response. Also, didn’t hurt that I have a friend who I refer to as my Dutch Daughter and she calls me her American Dad.
It’s easy for most of us to just ignore Reddit’s “Jeopardy!” subreddit but Andy has to keep on top of things pertaining to all aspects of “Jeopardy!” so he doesn’t really have the luxury of just ignoring the commenters on Reddit. Keep up the good work, Andy.
So far, the seeded players are 2 for 2 in the semi-finals. Will Drew make it three tomorrow? Makes sense to me that the players who won the most regular season games this past season are doing so well in the ToC. Wouldn’t surprise me if they go 3 for 3 and all are worthy competitors.
2 Drew or not 2 Drew? Et 2 Drewtus? 😉
I knew it was Leeuwenhoek, but know no Dutch, no German, and few beers 😉 so just thought of a large mammal that 17th century people of Holland were likely to be familiar with, so I said “whale”. Perhaps that is sort of how Mark had been thinking but also thought “leviathan” had some similar sounds to Leeuwenhoek?