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Who won Jeopardy! tonight? February 21, 2025, Friday

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On February 21, 2025, Jeopardy! fans were treated to another exciting episode as three contestants fought for a seat in the finals. There were dramatic moments and unexpected turns in the game. So, who won tonight's competition?

Tonight's Jeopardy! winner was Roger Craig, an applied scientist from Arlington, Virginia. During the game, Roger got a big lead that he kept through the Double Jeopardy! round, progressing to the semifinals in the end. With strong competition from John Focht and Maya Wright, Roger's performance was impressive.

Jeopardy! has always been a popular example of how its unique format, tough questions, and mix of experienced and new players continue to engage viewers. As a famous quiz show, Jeopardy! continues to provide viewers with a thrilling mix of intelligence and strategy.

Jeopardy! episode highlights February 21, 2025, Friday

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Jeopardy round

The Jeopardy round on February 21, 2025, set the stage for intense competition in six categories: Sayeth The Bible Book, A.P. History, Hobbies & Pastimes, Are You Into Astrology? It's Country Music, Y'all, and Idioms.

John Focht led early, answering seven clues without a mistake and earning $5,400. He won the most money with his strategic play, even though "Are You Into Astrology?" and "It’s Country Music, Y’all" clues were difficult for all contestants.

Roger Craig and Maya Wright started slowly. Roger failed three clues, leaving him with $400 at the first break. Maya started with $600, which was also difficult. John's consistent performance in this round gave him a clear lead after the first segment.

John finished Jeopardy with a $7,800 score after answering 11 questions correctly. Roger's performance improved to $2,600, while Maya finished at $2,200. The stakes increased in the harder Double Jeopardy Round.

Double Jeopardy

The Double Jeopardy changed in a round. Stakes were higher and clues were worth twice as much. Prologues, Moving Words, Flowers, Old Stuff, Oscar-Winning Role, and "G"eography were this round's categories.

Roger Craig proved why he was one of Jeopardy!'s most respected players in this round. He found multiple Daily Doubles and strategically bet large amounts to increase his lead. Roger earned $36,000 by the round's end. Strong Oscar-Winning Role and Moving Words performances helped him extend his lead, especially after a few Daily Double responses.

John Focht's strong performance in the earlier round couldn't match Roger's dominance in Double Jeopardy. John answered 18 clues correctly and earned $13,800, which was good but far behind Roger. Also struggling, Maya Wright only answered seven clues correctly and finished with $1,400.

Roger's $36,000 total showed he was winning, but Final Jeopardy had everything to play for.

Final Jeopardy

As always, the Final Jeopardy round can change the game. The clue for tonight's Composers category was:

“Yale takes credit for starting a commencement tradition when it gave this composer an honorary doctorate in 1905.”

All three contestants correctly identified Edward Elgar, the British composer of Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1.

The hint revealed a fascinating historical fact: Yale awarded Elgar an honorary doctorate, which led to the use of his music in graduation ceremonies, particularly Pomp and Circumstance, now a U.S. and Canadian graduation song.

The drama came from how each contestant bet their final amounts. Roger, who led, did not bet on the final clue, keeping his score at $36,000. John Focht bet $915 added to his $13,800 score to make $14,715. Maya bet $47 and won $1,447.

This meant that Roger Craig won, securing his spot in the semifinals. All of the contestants got the Final Jeopardy correctly, Roger had a huge lead when the final scores came out, and his win was never really in doubt after the Double Jeopardy round.

Contestant profiles

John Focht: John Focht, the leader of a baseball software team from El Paso, Texas, was very focused, even though he had just been told he had cancer. Even though he did well in the first round of Jeopardy!, he couldn't quite keep up with Roger in the later rounds. Focht ended the night with $14,715 after Final Jeopardy, which is a good showing even though he didn't win.

Roger Craig: Roger Craig, an applied scientist from Arlington, Virginia, demonstrated his qualities as one of the most favorite Jeopardy! contestants. As the first person to use analytics from the J! Archive in video games, Roger made the most of the Daily Doubles and ended with a score of $36,000, which could not be topped. His win tonight is another step towards the semifinals.

Maya Wright: The graduate student from Atlanta, Georgia, Maya Wright, was a steady player, but it was hard for her to keep up with the tougher rounds. Wright did well in the first round of Jeopardy! but not so well in Double Jeopardy. However, she was able to answer the Final Jeopardy question correctly and win $1,447.

Game recap - February 21, 2025 Jeopardy!

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Jeopardy round:

Categories: Sayeth The Bible Book; A.P. History; Hobbies & Pastimes; Are You Into Astrology?; It’s Country Music, Y’all; Idioms

Performance:

Scores at the break (15 clues):

Fun fact from interviews:

After Jeopardy! round:

Performance:

Scores:

Double Jeopardy round:

Categories: Prologues; Moving Words; Flowers; Old Stuff; Their Oscar-Winning Role; “G”eography

Performance:

Scores going into the final:

Final Jeopardy:

Clue answered by all contestants: Who is Elgar?

Tonight’s result:

Tonight's episode of Jeopardy! exhibited intelligence and strategy, and Roger Craig had a well-deserved win. This episode showed how Daily Doubles and intelligent wagers helped Roger win easily. Moreover, Roger was ahead going into Final Jeopardy, even though John Focht and Maya Wright did solid work.

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