Warning: This page contains spoilers for the September 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 Historic Americans) for Tuesday, September 16, 2025 (Season 42, Game 7):
Upon this man’s re-election, Karl Marx called him “the single-minded son of the working class”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Susan Harris, a professor from Chicago, Illinois
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Alex Rossell Hayes, a political scientist originally from Baltimore, Maryland
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Paolo Pasco, a puzzle writer originally from San Diego, California (4-day total: $107,342)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Since September 1984, 473 people have won 4 or more games of Jeopardy! in the United States. Paolo Pasco, originally from San Diego, hopes to become the 288th to win their fifth. While Paolo has already mathematically taken a Tournament of Champions place (assuming no format changes), that 5th win has always been seen as the important one for players and fans alike. Hoping to stop Paolo from getting to the important milestone are a pair of academics in political scientist Alex Rossell Hayes (originally of Baltimore) and professor Susan Harris (of Chicago).
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: Who is Abraham Lincoln?
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.)
In a congratulatory letter written by Karl Marx to Abraham Lincoln on behalf of the International Working Men’s Association in Europe following the 1864 election, Marx and the organization described the 16th President of the United States as “the single-minded son of the working class”, as they were very pleased with the progressive policies being enacted in the United States by Lincoln, especially the elimination of slavery. Marx and the organization wrote, “They consider it an earnest of the epoch to come that it fell to the lot of Abraham Lincoln, the single-minded son of the working class, to lead his country through the matchless struggle for the rescue of an enchained race and the reconstruction of a social world.“
The letter was presented to U.S. Ambassador Charles Francis Adams in January 1865 and can still be found at the Marxists Internet Archive.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Tuesday, September 16, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: European History; It’s A Mystery To Us; Words In Friendliness; That’s Quite A Novel Synopsis; Revenge; A Dish Best Served Cold)
Paolo found the Daily Double early, doubled up, and took a big lead into the first break. After 15 clues, the scores were Paolo $8,400 Susan $2,600 Alex $1,200.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Paolo 10 correct 0 incorrect
Susan 3 correct 0 incorrect
Alex 2 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Susan joined her community theater after her cancer treatment.
Alex works for a political polling company.
Paolo wants to rent out 8 treadmills to recreate an OK Go music video.
Paolo picked up another half-dozen correct to bring his score over five figures after 30 clues.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Paolo 16 correct 0 incorrect
Susan 6 correct 0 incorrect
Alex 8 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Paolo $10,800
Susan $4,200
Alex $4,000
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: U.S. Geography; Great Stuff; Interesting Trees; Hodgepodge; Thanks For The Memoirs; Fiery Words & Phrases)
Paolo found DD2 on clue #7, picking up $5,000; the hunt for DD3 took so long that both challengers forgot the category that DD2 was in, giving Paolo enough time to regain control, find DD3, and cement the runaway.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Paolo 27 correct 0 incorrect
Alex 18 correct 5 incorrect
Susan 7 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Paolo $28,200
Alex $9,600
Susan $3,400
Nobody was correct in Final Jeopardy as a couple of joke responses came out. Paolo is now a 5-time champion; he’ll go for win #6 tomorrow!
Tonight’s results:
Susan $3,400 – $3,399 = $1 (Who is Andrew Jackson?)
Alex $9,600 – $1 = $9,599 (Who has thumbs and is happy to come in second?)
Paolo $28,200 – $1,026 = $27,174 (Who wants to recreate that OK Go music video with me?) (5-day total: $134,516)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) WORDS IN FRIENDLINESS $800 (clue #5)
Paolo 2400 +2400 (Alex 0 Susan 600)
2) FIERY WORDS & PHRASES $1200 (clue #7)
Paolo 14000 +5000 (Alex 3200 Susan 3000)
3) GREAT STUFF $800 (clue #23, $3200 left on board)
Paolo 25400 +2000 (Alex 7600 Susan 3400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 144
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Paolo 3 4 3 4*
Alex
Susan 5
DJ! Round:
Paolo 3 3* 4 5 3 4 5 5 2 2 5 2*
Alex 4 4 3 2 4 3 3 5 5† 2†
Susan 4†
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Paolo 3.56
Alex 3.50
Susan 4.50
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 0 (0.00 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Paolo $21,600 Coryat, 27 correct, 0 incorrect, 40.35% in first on buzzer (23/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Alex $9,600 Coryat, 18 correct, 5 incorrect, 38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Susan $3,400 Coryat, 7 correct, 2 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $34,600
Lach Trash: $11,600 (on 8 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,800
Lead Changes: 0
Times Tied: 0
Player Statistics:
Paolo Pasco, career statistics:
129 correct, 8 incorrect
6/6 on rebound attempts (on 18 rebound opportunities)
40.35% in first on buzzer (115/285)
9/11 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $20,500)
3/5 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $22,040
Alex Rossell Hayes, career statistics:
18 correct, 6 incorrect
0/1 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,600
Susan Harris, career statistics:
7 correct, 3 incorrect
0/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $3,400
Paolo Pasco, to win:
6 games: 67.686%
7: 45.814%
8: 31.010%
9: 20.989%
10: 14.207%
Avg. streak: 7.095 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- No wagering suggestions are posted due to today’s double runaway game.
- Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.
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Good clue! Knowing the communist manifesto was published in 1848, I genuinely was unable to guess anyone other than Lincoln.
The clue didn’t specifically say president, but if you decided to assume a president, then there were only a handful that met that time frame which made me surprised Paolo didn’t attempt a guess. $1,026 bucks is still a chunk of cash to lose.
You’re definitely right, but I’m guessing “importance of extra money” goes down and down the more of it you win, and there’s a much greater difference between $2,000 (what Paolo would have got for a third place finish in his first game, even though he was mathematically guaranteed at least second if we’re looking at how the game played out) and $134,516 than there is between $134,516 and $136,568!
Lincoln seemed to be the only reasonable response to this while remaining a contemporary of Marx. I wasn’t sure if Marx was alive for TR’s presidency, but Roosevelt was technically never reelected to the presidency, either. That eliminated the one potential other answer in my mind.
Good clue, and I think a little tricky because most of the presidents whom you think Marx would be praising hadn’t been elected by that point. I could only think of Teddy Roosevelt, assuming that he was being praised for his trust-busting and conservation efforts. Lincoln helping to end slavery does make sense with hindsight.
I said Lincoln out of desperation (who was a Marx’s contemporary about whom Marx could have said something nice) and was pleasantly surprised.
Made an “educated” guess and got it right. I was beginning to wonder when I would get the correct answer To Final again.
Today’s final reminded me of a rule that I follow. If the response is a President of the United States and you aren’t sure of the correct answer, it’s always a safe bet to go with Abraham Lincoln. That rule came into effect for me today and awarded me with a correct response. 🙂
Today’s game pretty much belonged to Paolo from start to finish. He seems to be getting stronger, the more he plays. Congratulations to Paolo on becoming a five-time champion. May he continue to be successful.
I guessed Teddy Roosevelt. And Katerina E. is right, he never was reelected. My bad. Bad start for me on FJ this season, as I’m 0-7.
Awesome 5th win by Paolo and we’ll see if he can get win #6 tomorrow night.