In a thrilling episode of Jeopardy! aired on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, the seventh matchup of the 2025 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament culminated in a dramatic Final Jeopardy! round. The contestants—Ryan Long, Robin Carroll, and Ray LaLonde—engaged in a fierce battle that kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

Meet the Contestants

Ryan Long: A ride-share driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ryan is a super champion with a remarkable 16-game winning streak.

Robin Carroll: An instructional designer from Atlanta, Georgia, Robin secured her place in Jeopardy! history by winning the Tournament of Champions in 2000.

Ray LaLonde: Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Ray is a scenic artist renowned as the second-longest-streaking and second highest-winning Canadian champion in both regular play and overall, following Mattea Roach.

The Game Unfolds

The first round saw Ryan and Ray quickly accumulating $1,800 each. However, a challenging clue under the category “Cities on the Lake” stumped all three contestants. The clue required identifying the lake associated with “Neenah & Oshkosh.” Ray’s incorrect response of “What is Lake Michigan?” was followed by Ryan’s “What is Wobegon?” and Robin’s “What is Lake Superior?” The correct answer was “Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin,” leading to a dip in their scores.

Robin made a strategic comeback by correctly answering the first Daily Double, propelling her to the lead with $5,200 by the end of the first round. Ryan trailed with $3,400, and Ray closely followed with $2,800.

In Double Jeopardy!, Ray demonstrated boldness by wagering all his money on a Daily Double related to George Soros and correctly identifying “Hungary,” boosting his total to $8,000. He continued his momentum with another Daily Double, bringing his score to $15,400. Despite limited correct responses in this round, Ryan managed to secure second place with $9,800, while Robin’s incorrect answers placed her in third with $9,200. Ray led going into Final Jeopardy! with $17,000.

Final Jeopardy! Showdown

The Final Jeopardy! category, “World Geography,” presented the clue: “Located on an island, in 2016 this world capital began following 2 different time zones.”

Robin’s Response: “What is Paris?” (Incorrect)

Wager: $601
Final Total: $8,599

Ryan’s Response: “What is Bangkok?” (Incorrect)

Wager: $9,700
Final Total: $100

Ray’s Response: “What is Copenhagen?” (Incorrect)

Wager: $2,601
Final Total: $14,399

The correct response was “What is Nicosia?” Despite the incorrect answer, Ray’s conservative wager ensured his victory with a final total of $14,399.

Looking Ahead

The excitement continues on Wednesday, February 26, as three new contestants—Ben Chan, Claire Sattler, and Shane Whitlock—compete for a spot in the semi-finals. Viewers can anticipate another engaging episode filled with intellectual challenges and strategic gameplay.

Jeopardy! airs weekdays; check your local listings for broadcast times.

‘Jeopardy!’ Battle is Decided on Final Question: Who Won February 25 Game?

‘Jeopardy!’ Battle of Fan Favorites Is Decided on Final Question

Spoiler Alert

Jeopardy.com

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Tuesday, February 25 episode of Jeopardy!]

The seventh matchup in the 2025 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament came down to a nail-biting wager between two fan-favorite contestants.

“Today I feel bad for reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic because we have an even brainer trio here today,” host Ken Jennings said after giving a brief recap of Monday’s game. Ryan Long (a ride-share driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Robin Carroll (an instructional designer from Atlanta, Georgia), and Ray LaLonde (a scenic artist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada) faced off on Tuesday, February 25’s game show. Long is a super champion who won 16 games before his streak ended. LaLonde is the second-longest-streaking and second highest-winning Canadian champion both in regular play and overall, behind only Mattea Roach. Carroll won the Tournament of Champions in 2000.

During the first round, Long and LaLonde were flying through answers, racking up their banks to $1,800 each. However, they both incorrectly answered a question under “Cities on the Lake.” Under the $1,000 questions, the game show contestants had to answer “Neenah & Oshkosh.” LaLonde answered first with “What is Lake Michigan?” which was incorrect. Long then buzzed in and answered, “What is Wobegon?” Jennings informed him that he was wrong and all three contestants snickered. Carroll answered incorrectly with “What is Lake Superior?” The host told them that the correct answer was “Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin.” This brought all of their total to under $1,000.

In a shocking turn of events, Carroll pulled ahead to first place after correctly answering the first Daily Double of the game. Ironically, there was a category called “Transportation Information,” but the rideshare driver did not answer any of them. By the end of the first round, Carroll was in the lead with $5,200, Long had $3,400, and LaLonde was not too far behind in third with $2,800.

In Double Jeopardy!, LaLonde pulled substantially ahead when he correctly answered the Daily Double and wagered all of his money. “George Soros survived the rule of the arrow cross Fascist Party in this country late in World War II,” the question read. “What is Hungary?” LaLonde correctly answered, bringing his total to $8,000.

He found the second Daily Double in that round as well, betting $3,000, and pulling ahead with a total of $15,400. Without answering many of the questions in the round, Long somehow pulled in second place with $9,800. Carroll wasn’t too far behind with $9,200. She was in second but incorrectly answered a few questions towards the end of the round, causing her to fall to last place. LaLonde was way in the lead with $17,000 going into Final Jeopardy!.

The category for Final Jeopardy! was “World Geography.” LaLonde was expected to win with his substantial lead, but anything can happen in Final Jeopardy!. The question read, “Located on an island, in 2016 this world capital began following 2 different time zones.”

Carroll went first, answering incorrectly with “What is Paris?” She wagered $601, leaving her with $8,599. Long also answered wrong with “What is Bangkok?” He wagered $9,700, which dropped him down to a final total of $100. LaLonde answered with “What is Copenhagen?” but was not correct either. The answer was “What is Nicosia?” the capital of Cyprus. Despite being wrong, LaLonde only wagered $2,601, leaving him with $14,399, making him the episode’s winner.

On Wednesday, February 26, three new contestants will face off for a chance at the semi-finals. Ben Chan, Claire Sattler, and Shane Whitlock will be behind the podiums.

Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check your local listings