Warning: This page contains spoilers for the May 22, 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 Born & Died) for Thursday, May 22, 2025 (Season 41, Game 184):
He was born in Fürth, Germany in 1923, shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, & passed away in Connecticut in 2023
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Matt Askins, an aerospace engineer from Chandler, Arizona
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Angela Mustapha, a library specialist from Conway, Arkansas
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Brendan Liaw, a recent graduate & stay-at-home son from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (2-day total: $38,798)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Vancouver’s Brendan Liaw—an alumni of Reach for the Top—has definitely earned enough money to help his parents chip in for rent, picking up $38,798 through two victories. Today, he goes for win #3 against Angela Mustapha and Matt Askins. Brendan has a lot of deep-level knowledge, picking up a number of correct responses at the bottom of the board and could prove to be an interesting foil for Liam Starnes if Brendan happens to win a couple of more games. I’m personally hoping that he does.
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: Who is Henry Kissinger?
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.)
Henry Kissinger, best known for serving as Richard Nixon’s secretary of state, spent most of the second half of his life as a controversial individual, with many pacifists and others celebrating his 2023 passing in a similar way to how many in the United Kingdom celebrated the passing of Margaret Thatcher. (It feels ironic, though, that I am linking to a Luke Winkie article to prove my point, considering how he’s seen by many in the Jeopardy! world.)
All of the pieces are there in the clue for anyone who remembers the long life and career of Kissinger to get today’s Final Jeopardy correct.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, May 22, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Titles; Triple Talk Songs; The Middle Ages; Around The House; “B” & “B”; Last Lines Of The Children’s Book)
Brendan had the best start early, picking up 6 correct responses early. At the interviews, the scores were Brenadn $3,600 Angela $1,000 Matt $400.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Brendan 6 correct 2 incorrect
Angela 4 correct 2 incorrect
Matt 2 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Matt once ran into Walt Disney’s daughter at a Disney museum.
Angela is unable to snap her fingers.
Brendan has a collection of public transit cards.
Matt found the Daily Double right after the break, got $1,000 from it, but still sat third after 30 as Brendan picked up 4 more correct responses.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Brendan 10 correct 2 incorrect
Angela 8 correct 3 incorrect
Matt 5 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Brendan $5,000
Angela $1,800
Matt $1,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Subtitles; Creatures Of The Earth; Outdoor Art; Historical Movies & TV; In The Dictionary; Russian Bodies Of Water)
Matt had an opportunity to get back in the game with DD2, but an incorrect True Daily Double knocked him out of contention. Brendan got $2,400 from DD3 among 14 correct in the round, cementing a runaway with correct responses on five of the final seven clues.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Brendan 24 correct 2 incorrect
Angela 13 correct 3 incorrect
Matt 10 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 30 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Brendan $19,800
Angela $9,400
Matt $2,800
Brendan put an exclamation point on this one by being the only player correct in Final Jeopardy; he’ll go for win #4 tomorrow!
Tonight’s results:
Matt $2,800 – $0 = $2,800 (Who is Sadat??)
Angela $9,400 – $600 = $8,800 (Who is Wiesel?)
Brendan $19,800 + $800 = $20,600 (Who is Kissinger?) (3-day total: $59,398)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) LAST LINES OF THE CHILDREN’S BOOK $800 (clue #16)
Matt 400 +1000 (Brendan 3600 Angela 1000)
2) CREATURES OF THE EARTH $1200 (clue #7)
Matt 4000 -4000 (Brendan 11000 Angela 1800)
3) OUTDOOR ART $800 (clue #18, $11200 left on board)
Brendan 15400 +2400 (Angela 5800 Matt 800)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 16
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Brendan 5 4 4 4 5 5 3 5 3
Angela 4 3 3 5
Matt 4 3 4*
DJ! Round:
Brendan 4 3 4 3 3 5 5 2 1 2*
Angela 2 5 3
Matt 4 4 3* 4 5
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Brendan 3.68
Angela 3.57
Matt 3.88
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 30 (0.16 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Brendan $18,200 Coryat, 24 correct, 2 incorrect, 41.07% in first on buzzer (23/56), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Angela $9,400 Coryat, 13 correct, 3 incorrect, 25.00% in first on buzzer (14/56), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Matt $6,600 Coryat, 10 correct, 4 incorrect, 21.43% in first on buzzer (12/56), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $34,200
Lach Trash: $12,400 (on 12 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,400
Lead Changes: 4
Times Tied: 2
Player Statistics:
Brendan Liaw, career statistics:
75 correct, 12 incorrect
3/5 on rebound attempts (on 12 rebound opportunities)
45.29% in first on buzzer (77/170)
2/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,800)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,800
Angela Mustapha, career statistics:
13 correct, 4 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
25.00% in first on buzzer (14/56)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,400
Matt Askins, career statistics:
10 correct, 5 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
21.43% in first on buzzer (12/56)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$3,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $6,600
Brendan Liaw, to win:
4 games: 60.633%
5: 36.764%
6: 22.291%
7: 13.516%
8: 8.195%
Avg. streak: 4.540 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Due to today’s game being a runaway, no wagering suggestions are posted.
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
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Born in Germany, Nobel Peace Prize during the Nixon administration, died in 2023 – he was my only guess.
This FJ should be a triple get. The recent controversy regarding Elon Musk’s influence over Trump reminded me of Kissinger, who was alleged by some at the time to have greater influence on policy than Nixon.
Normally, much like on Reddit, you can think of a few reasonable wrong guesses. Not today. People will either have the right answer or blank.
Indeed. I blanked for 10 seconds, then came up with the right answer.
I could not remember who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 but finally came up with Kissinger as I remember him doing a lot of diplomatic work.
Kudos to everyone answering with a Nobel Prize winner. And Wiesel was a decent guess figuring the age who would’ve been in WWII Europe and that Germany is in Europe (but he was actually born in Romania).
Coming from a Finance background, the most Germanic name I could think of winning a Nobel for work in that time period was Scholes of the Black-Scholes model. It turns out that he’s Canadian, born in 1941, and still with us. Oops 😬
Bringing back memories of calculating theoretical values of options using the Black-Scholes model.
Born in Germany – lived 100 years. Died a year and a half ago. Nobel prize winner in 73. It might show my age , but I figured it out before reading the end of the clue. One of the easiest final jeopardy clues in a while. At least for me.
Right there with you, Karen. It seems as though Kissinger has been a big part of my adult life. I was in government when he won his Nobel Peace Prize so this was an instant get. Even though I think it was easier for an older cohort, I felt certain that if any of the contestants got it, Brendan would be the one. Congratulation to Brendan on win number 3. Keep it going, young man.
Yes, for me too! Though last night’s was just as easy for me, though a tad more scared last night.
1973 gave it to me. I chuckled at the Luke Winkie reference.
It took me between five to seconds to get it, but I was pretty sure Kissinger was born in Germany, and I knew he died relatively recently.
I think this Final Jeopardy was so easy. It should not even have been used, although I am 77, so he’ was been a big part of early my life, as in my dodging Vietnam, with a high draft number; try 347!
When I called my mom and dad to tell them, just to go on for a second, my dad told me my mom was taking a bath, but she said to tell me not ever to say she didn’t do anything for me! 😂
It must not have been so easy because two of the three contestants didn’t know the answer.
This was back to back simple ones for me. It does help that they give me categories that are in my wheel house of a Poli Sci degree.
Retro congrats to Brandon on win #3 and his first runaway. Will he get #4 to close out the week?
Can’t wait to see! Plus, it’s going to be Friyay! 🙂
My husband got a Poli Sci degree, too, but he doesn’t watch Jeopardy! and gets annoyed if I bring up Jeopardy! clues to him unless I have something funny to tell in relation to them.
🙂 I could just see it……Lisa to husband….about Jeopardy….husband groans……no, no it’s funny! Husband….go ahead, it better be funny!
Sometimes he rewards me with a bigger laugh than it had gotten from me.