Warning: This page contains spoilers for the May 16, 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 National Monuments) for Friday, May 16, 2025 (Season 41, Game 180):
Also called “Great Gray Horn” & “Bear’s Tipi”, this site in the western U.S. was made a national monument in 1906
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Erin Hoard, a logistics receiver from Las Vegas, Nevada
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Mitch Loflin, a set decoration coordinator from Long Beach, California
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Brandon Monsman, a bartender originally from Cleveland, Ohio (2-day total: $23,600)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Bartender Brandon Monsman is now a 2-day Jeopardy! champion, with winnings of $23,600. Today, your challengers are set decoration coordinator Mitch Loflin and logistics receiver Erin Hoard.
While I keep talking about “assuming the postseason format doesn’t change” in my prediction, it already looks like the show’s 2026 postseason may be different from 2025’s in terms of composition. On yesterday’s Inside Jeopardy!, Sarah hinted that due to all of the very strong nonwinning contestants in this postseason cycle, the show may need to run three weeks of Second Chance play next season. Of course, that will necessitate a change to the number of contestants in Champions Wildcard. Until I hear official numbers otherwise, though, my postseason predictions will still assume the same format as the previous year’s postseason.
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: What is Devils Tower?
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.)
Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming and the Black Hills was made a National Monument by Theodore Roosevelt in September 1906. It has numerous indigenous names in addition to the two mentioned in today’s clue: there is also Matȟó Thípila (Lakota) and Daxpitcheeaasáao (“Home of Bears” in Crow).
This should be a straightforward Final Jeopardy clue for anyone who pays attention to the show’s writing: Devils Tower has been a favorite subject of the writers over the years, and its becoming a National Monument in 1906 is nearly Pavlovian for those who have paid enough attention. For years, the show has said the best way to study for the show is to watch the show—and this Final Jeopardy today is a prime example of that. In fact, the Final Jeopardy about Devils Tower in 2018 also mentioned 1906 while also tying it in to its being featured in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, May 16, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Countries Of The World; The Something Of The Something; 3 Words, 3 Syllables; On A Stamp; Contained Therein; Trash Talk)
Brandon found the Daily Double on Clue 1, and incorrect response put him in the red. Both challengers got off to a good start; at the break, the scores were Erin $2,800 Mitch $2,200 Brandon -$200.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Erin 6 correct 1 incorrect
Mitch 3 correct 0 incorrect
Brandon 2 correct 2 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Erin met her husband when wearing a ridiculous costume.
Mitch made a New Year’s Resolution to watch every Anne Hathaway film.
Brandon won a pinewood derby despite not being sure how to carve a car out of wood.
Despite a hilarious misreading of a country clue, Mitch picked up 6 correct after the break to take the lead and hold it after 30.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Mitch 9 correct 1 incorrect
Erin 7 correct 2 incorrect
Brandon 7 correct 3 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Mitch $4,200
Erin $3,000
Brandon $2,000
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: 20Th Century Song, 21St Century Ad; Book Title Tattle; Plants & Trees; Naval History; Old Testament Names; Trash Talk)
Brandon found DD2 immediately and gained $1,500 from it. Mitch built a big lead, but Erin clawed it back from both DD3 and a number of correct responses following. Erin led going into Final Jeopardy.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Erin 17 correct 3 incorrect
Mitch 18 correct 1 incorrect
Brandon 13 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 30 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Erin $16,000
Mitch $13,800
Brandon $8,300
This Final Jeopardy was a Triple Stumper—and Mitch didn’t make the same mistake that Neeraj did yesterday. Mitch is your new champion; he’ll be back Monday to defend.
Tonight’s results:
Brandon $8,300 – $6,000 = $2,300 (What is the Transameria Building?)
Mitch $13,800 – $5,400 = $8,400 (What is Mt. Wilson) (1-day total: $8,400)
Erin $16,000 – $11,601 = $4,399 (What is Chimney Rock)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) 3 WORDS, 3 SYLLABLES $800 (clue #1)
Brandon 0 -1000 (Mitch 0 Erin 0)
2) BOOK TITLE TATTLE $1200 (clue #1)
Brandon 2000 +1500 (Mitch 4200 Erin 3000)
3) PLANTS & TREES $1600 (clue #18, $12000 left on board)
Erin 6600 +3000 (Brandon 7100 Mitch 13400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 20
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Brandon 4*
Mitch
Erin
DJ! Round:
Brandon 3* 3 5† 2
Mitch 2 4 2 5 2 3 4 5 2† 4† 4
Erin 3 3 4*
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Mitch 3.36
Erin 3.33
Brandon 3.40
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 30 (0.17 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Mitch $13,800 Coryat, 18 correct, 1 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Erin $14,600 Coryat, 17 correct, 3 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Brandon $9,000 Coryat, 13 correct, 3 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $37,400
Lach Trash: $12,600 (on 11 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $4,000
Lead Changes: 5
Times Tied: 4
Player Statistics:
Brandon Monsman, career statistics:
38 correct, 12 incorrect
3/4 on rebound attempts (on 12 rebound opportunities)
23.39% in first on buzzer (40/171)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,500)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,133
Mitch Loflin, career statistics:
18 correct, 2 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,800
Erin Hoard, career statistics:
17 correct, 4 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,600
Mitch Loflin, to win:
2 games: 43.883%
3: 19.257%
4: 8.451%
5: 3.708%
6: 1.627%
Avg. streak: 1.782 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Erin $16,000 Mitch $13,800 Brandon $8,300)
Brandon: You should bet between $2,700 and $3,900 to have the best chance of winning. (Actual bet: $6,000)
Mitch: Standard cover bet over Brandon is $2,801. As Brandon may well bet $0 again, don’t bet any more than $5,499. (Actual bet: $5,400)
Erin: Standard cover bet is $11,601. (Actual bet: $11,601)
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Guessed correctly knowing that one of the legends of Devil’s Tower involved the lines in the monument being from bear claws.
Interesting, I’d never heard that.
See, this is where my Jeopardy hiatus kicks in. I’ve only been really watching the past few seasons, so the Pavlov didn’t register with me. But today I learned!
(I said Mt. Whitney, because a tipi and a horn look conical, and Bear pointed me to California. Classic 2+2=5 out of me.)
I had the same guess. Although I once lived in Oregon for three years, I haven’t traveled extensively in the Western United States.
Ah, WWORDuke, that makes sense about Mt. Whitney, though I’d expected mountains to be too broad(?) to be designated a national monument. But now I know that some National Monuments ARE mountains, but they include neither Mt. Whitney nor Mt. Wilson.
The three contestant responses had struck me as about the craziest (while actually trying, not just attempting to be witty or whatever) responses I recall seeing for one FJ! The Transamerica Building wouldn’t even be qualified to be a national monument because they must be on Federal Land before they can become national monuments AND 1906 was a LONG time before it was built. Also, to me “Bear’s Tipi” sounds like a Native American name, so implies something old and natural. [Maybe Brandon was thinking of National Registry of Historic Places?] “Chimney Rock” only became a national monument during the Obama administration (although I should admit that it was what first came to me before quickly changing to Devil’s Tower). I’ve already mentioned why I’d thought Mitch’s response was off the mark (but now know that it wasn’t “crazy” other than Devil’s Tower being so obvious).
Though it would have been wrong because it was designated so recently, I was a bit surprised that no one attempted the response “Bears Ears” since it was in the national news over the last 10 years — designated by Obama, reduced by Trump (with talk of rescinding the designation), restored by Biden. [So, even newer than Chimney Rock, but remembering the possible un-designation/re-designation situation one might think it could have originally been designated long ago.]
When I heard the answer of Mt. Wilson, I kind of chuckled a bit, as I can see it from the apartment complex that I live in here in Pasadena. 🙂
So maybe Mitch was being whimsical instead of trying to come up with a possibility.
Andy, funny you should mention Pavlov in today’s write up…
I have a sudden craving for some mashed potatoes.
A Close Encounters of the Third Kind reference. I was wondering if someone would make one 🙂
Well, Andy already had made a reference to the movie, but Michael+R managed a witty double reference.👈👍
Good game! Mitch did have the advantage being in the back room when Neeraj over bet in the previous game.
Thinking of the right landmark, I said Devil’s Mountain, which might or might not be specific enough.
When I hear of Pavlov, I’m salivating for a Pavlova.
Wow, I finally got one. It’s been a while.