Warning: This page contains spoilers for the September 5, 2025, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that today’s game is an encore presentation of the game that originally aired on July 25, 2025.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category 20th Century Names) for Friday, September 5, 2025 (Season 41, Game 230):
According to one obituary, in 1935 he owned 13 magazines, 8 radio stations, 2 movie companies & $56 million in real estate
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor & trivia host from Baltimore, Maryland
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Charlotte Cooper, a graphic designer from San Francisco, California
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Scott Riccardi, an engineer from Somerville, New Jersey (16-day total: $455,000)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Today’s final Encore Presentation, concluding Season 41, is a replay of the final game of season, between Jonathan Hugendubler, Charlotte Cooper, and 16-day champion Scott Riccardi. Because the Tournament of Champions was 15 games in total and the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament was 14, it left 1 more game to fit into a six-week encore presentation window. I thought it was generally a good idea to pick this game to fill the window; not only does it re-establish continuity going into Monday’s season premiere by reminding everyone what happened in the season finale, this was one of the more exciting games to boot.
That being said, this will cause one of the more unprecedented moments in terms of the airing of the show. Because Daytime Jeopardy airs the episode from exactly six weeks ago, and today’s encore presentation aired exactly six weeks ago, we are going to have the highly unusual situation of the same episode airing in the Daytime slot and the “regular” slot. So, to answer the inevitable questions that will happen today: Yes, this was intentional. No, your local station didn’t screw up today. Both the Daytime and regular episodes are the same.
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: Who is William Randolph Hearst?
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.)
William Randolph Hearst, the supposed subject of the movie Citizen Kane, was one of the largest media moguls of his time, with his media empire still existing as Hearst Communications. October 1935’s Fortune magazine would have provided the citations of Hearst’s holdings, though by 1945, Hearst’s support of Hitler’s policies nearly saw him ruined.
One thing that certainly came up with some viewers six weeks ago, though: “According to one obituary, in 1935…” does not mean that the subject died in 1935. The comma is there to separate things; it is not one continuous thought. Anyone who is misled by this Final Jeopardy is misled as a result of their own misunderstanding of how the English language works.
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Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, September 5, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Game Recap:
For most of today’s game, it seemed as though it would be smooth sailing towards victory #17 for Scott Riccardi, with Scott into five figures after the opening round after 16 correct responses, and both Charlotte and Jonathan far behind.
However, Jonathan got some momentum in Double Jeopardy, finding both Daily Doubles in the opening 3 clues of the round, doubling up through them both, and most importantly taking them away from Scott. While Scott picked up 13 more correct responses for a total of 29, Scott would need to get clue #61 correct to extend his streak.
It seemed like there was a good chance of that happening when both Charlotte and Jonathan gave Hearst as their Final Jeopardy response. However, the shock of the season came in its final moments, when Scott responded with Howard Hughes, ending the season’s longest win streak at 16 games and making Jonathan Hugendubler our champion over the summer. Jonathan will be back on Monday to defend his title in the Season 42 opener.
Scores going into Final:
Scott $23,600
Jonathan $14,000
Charlotte $7,800
Tonight’s results:
Charlotte $7,800 + $7,800 = $15,600 (Who is Hearst?)
Jonathan $14,000 + $9,601 = $23,601 (Who is hearst?) (1-day total: $23,601)
Scott $23,600 – $5,000 = $18,600 (Who is Howard Hughes?)
Game Stats:
Jonathan $11,200 Coryat, 13 correct, 3 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Scott $22,400 Coryat, 29 correct, 0 incorrect, 45.61% in first on buzzer (26/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Charlotte $7,800 Coryat, 12 correct, 1 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $41,400
Lach Trash: $9,800 (on 6 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $2,800
Lead Changes: 2
Times Tied: 1
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Concerning today’s comment…“According to one obituary, in 1935…” does not mean that the subject died in 1935. I was one of those people who initially thought that the subject did die in 1935. This is why we have commas to inject into sentences. I will enjoy watching this episode again.
Thanks Andy for the clarification.
Thanks so much for this site. Love your expertise. And on today’s rerun I too wondered about the 1935 reference. Great explanation.