Who won Jeopardy! Tonight? June 23, 2025, Monday

Fans of Jeopardy! tuned in on Monday, June 23, 2025, for another exciting episode with quick buzzers, big bets, and incredibly tough trivia. In the last few seconds, a new champion was revealed. Emily Croak, who made her Jeopardy! debut, performed exceptionally well, and won tonight.

She secured victory by being the only player to get all three Final Jeopardy questions right. She finished with a total of $13,201, beating both the defending champion, Andrew Brigger, and another challenger, David Spelman.

Emily's win came from her consistent performance and strategic gameplay. Even though she was behind David for most of the Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy rounds, she took advantage of the fact that both of her opponents missed important Daily Doubles. The only right answer she gave on Final Jeopardy was "Who is Folger?" in the Collections category. This made her the new champion.

The American quiz show Jeopardy! has been around for a long time and is known for its unique question-and-answer format. Since its premiere in 1964, it has challenged the contestants with questions about everything from pop culture to world history. Its unique structure, emphasis on knowledge, and lasting cultural impact set it apart from other game shows.

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Jeopardy! episode highlights: June 23, 2025, Monday

Jeopardy Round

The first round opened with 6 categories: Historic U.S. Businesses, Found in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, Read, Yellow, Blue, and Salute the Flag of Ecuador!.

At the beginning of the contest, all three contestants were active, but David Spelman quickly took the lead. The winner from last year, Andrew Brigger, found the first Daily Double under Historic U.S. Businesses and correctly answered a clue about the Battle of Little Bighorn, which added $1,000 to his score.

Emily Croak got a few questions right, but she remained in third place for most of the round. David quickly responded to the buzzer, which helped him take early control of the board. Emily was selective with her clues, while Andrew stayed in the middle of the board and didn't look at low-value clues. David was in first place at the end of the round.

Scores at the end of the Jeopardy Round:

• David: $5,800
• Andrew: $2,000
• Emily: $1,400
• Daily Double: Andrew (+$1,000)

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Double Jeopardy Round

This round featured the categories: Single-Named Singers, World Cities, Around the Body, Sunrise, Sunset, Before & After, and Rip Van Winkle Slept Through It. David kept a slight lead and found the second Daily Double under Sunrise, Sunset. He took a $4,400 risk, but he got the answer about a clue on Indonesia wrong, which caused his score to drop a lot.

Andrew found the third Daily Double in Before & After. He was falling behind, but he made a bold $6,000 wager on a clue that required combining a dessert and a band name (Bananas Foster the People). This made his score go down a lot.

Meanwhile, Emily played steadily, answering questions from different categories and building a lead. She didn't make any risky bets. Emily won the round because both of her opponents lost their Daily Doubles.

Scores at the end of Double Jeopardy:

• Emily: $12,200
• David: $6,600
• Andrew: $2,000
• Daily Double 2 (David): -$4,400
• Daily Double 3 (Andrew): -$6,000

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Final Jeopardy Round

This week's Final Jeopardy category was Collections. According to the clue, this man's wife, who went to Vassar and wrote, "Thousands of dollars may be paid for a copy of Shakespeare," in 1896.

According to the Folger Shakespeare Library, Emily Jordan Folger was the wife of Henry Clay Folger and a collector of books. Emily Croak was the only contestant who answered correctly, "Who is Folger?"

Andrew Brigger and David Spelman both missed the clue. Since Emily was ahead, her bet of just $1,001 guaranteed victory. After giving the wrong answer and losing $5,601, David had less than $1,000. Andrew dropped to $2,000 even though he was already behind. Emily won the night's Jeopardy! with her final score.

Final Jeopardy results:

• Emily: Correct (+$1,001) → $13,201
• David: Incorrect (-$5,601) → $999
• Andrew: Incorrect (no wager) → $2,000
• Correct response: Who is Folger?

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Contestants of the evening

Emily Croak – Champion

Emily Croak is a 37-year-old stay-at-home mom from Denver, Colorado. When she played Jeopardy! for the first time, she kept her cool, focused, and intuitive. It was easy for her to stay consistent during the game because she answered questions carefully and didn't take many risks.

Emily slowly took the lead while her opponents lost momentum because they missed Daily Doubles. She won $13,201 for giving the right answer on Final Jeopardy. Emily's calm demeanor and careful gameplay stood out, showing that strong memory and careful thinking can win over risky bets.

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David Spelman – Challenger

David Spelman is a sales and marketing expert from Livingston, NJ. He showcased brilliance and analytical skills on Jeopardy! He had a degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Wharton. He got off to a strong start and quickly took the lead by answering a wide range of clues from different categories.

However, in Double Jeopardy, he lost $4,400 because he missed the Daily Double, which weakened his position. He tried to get better, but by the end, he couldn't catch up. David demonstrated quick thinking and range, which made him a strong contestant with potential in a less risk-driven game, despite missing the Final Jeopardy, finishing with $999.

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Andrew Brigger – Returning Champion

Andrew Brigger, a high school social studies teacher from Roseville, Minnesota, came back as the current Jeopardy! champion. He won $16,000 in previous games. Andrew played at a steady pace, but he lost in the Double Jeopardy round. He was known for being calm and having a strong knowledge of history and politics.

A missed $6,000 Daily Double bet damaged his score by a significant margin. While he did answer a few early history-based clues, the high-risk bet put him out of the running. He kept the same $2,000 amount before and after Final Jeopardy. Andrew's academic background as a teacher gave him an edge, but this round's aggressive play cost him a chance to defend his title.

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How is it different from regular game shows?

Jeopardy! is unique because the clues come first, and the contestants must answer in the form of a question. It depends largely on knowledge, so players need to be able to think quickly and be well-read on a wide range of subjects.

In Final Jeopardy, contestants have to use strategy to pick clues, handle Daily Doubles, and place smart bets. Other game shows typically depend on luck or physical challenges. Jeopardy!, on the other hand, rewards planning, memory, and calm decision-making skills. The players are not competing for popularity or fun, but for accuracy.

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Game statistics from Tonight’s Jeopardy! episode

Jeopardy round scores:

• Andrew: $2,000
• Emily: $1,400
• David: $5,800

Daily Double 1:

• Category: Historic U.S. Businesses
• Clue: The Bismarck Tribune shocked the nation with the first full account of this 1876 event in which one of its correspondents died.
• Answer: What is the Battle of Little Bighorn?
• Wager: $1,000 by Andrew (Correct)

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Double Jeopardy! round scores:

• Andrew: $2,000 → dropped to $1,200 after missing a DD
• Emily: rose from $1,400 to $12,200
• David: $5,800 → dropped to $6,600 after DD miss

Daily Double 2:

• Category: Sunrise, Sunset
• Clue: Mt. Bromo is one of this country’s active volcanoes
• Answer: What is Indonesia?
• Wager: $4,400 by David (Incorrect)

Daily Double 3:

• Category: Before & After
• Clue: Fruity dessert created at Brennan’s in New Orleans that had the 2011 hit song “Pumped Up Kicks”
• Answer: What is Bananas Foster the People?
• Wager: $6,000 by Andrew (Incorrect)

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Final Jeopardy! Round scores:

• Emily: $12,200 → $13,201 (Correct: Who is Folger?)
• Andrew: $2,000 → $2,000 (Incorrect)
• David: $6,600 → $999 (Incorrect)

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Emily played with patience and good timing. She avoided Daily Doubles, which turned out to be high-risk for her opponents. Her accuracy on regular clues kept her close enough to strike when others stumbled. By Final Jeopardy!, her score was strong, and her correct answer pushed her across the boundaries.

In the next episode, Emily will be back as the new champion. Viewers will want to keep an eye on her because of her calm and collected playing style. She has a good understanding of the game and makes smart bets, giving her the potential to go on a winning streak.

Emily Croak won tonight's episode of Jeopardy! on June 23, 2025, thanks to her close attention and careful planning. David and Andrew were ahead at different times, but risky bets cost them the lead.

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Emily won the $13,201 prize because she was quiet and gave the right answer on Final Jeopardy. She is now the winner and will play in the next game. Emily's calm determination beat even the most sure-of-themselves competitors with her well-thought-out strategy and vast knowledge of trivia. In the next episode, she will be the new champion, so everyone will be looking at her.

Edited by Sriparna Barui