08-02-2025
Purdue's Adriana Harmeyer wins first 'Jeopardy!' 32nd Tournament of Champions final
Throughout the history of the show "Jeopardy!", the final Jeopardy question has had the power to shift the tide of the game with a kingmaker moment.
That was on full display in Friday night's 32nd Tournament of Champions, as Purdue University archivist Adriana Harmeyer had her queenmaker moment and took home the crown thanks to a smart bet on a difficult final question.
What was Friday's final Jeopardy question?
At his trial, revolutionaries referred to the deposed Louis XVI with this last name, one used previously for a dynasty?
The answer?
What is Capet?
Who got it right? None of the contestants.
Before the final Jeopardy question, Harmeyer was tied in second with her opponent Neilesh Vinjarmuri, a software engineer from Lionville, Pennsylvania, at $11,400.
Both contestants sat behind Isaac Hirsch, a customer support team lead from Burbank, California, who led with $13,800.
Thanks to a smart bet of $6,000, Harmeyer ultimately took the lead as she was left with $5,400, compared to Hirsch's $4,799 and Vinjarmuri's $0 final amount.
After going on a 15-episode winning streak last summer, Harmeyer is now two wins away from taking the crown in the 32nd Tournament of Champions and being deemed "Grand Champion."
A strong performance out of the gate by "Jeopardy!" champion competitor Ryan Manton, a systems administrator from Ohio, initially put Harmeyer in second place.
But by the double "Jeopardy!" round, Harmeyer had climbed into first place. By the end of the round, Harmeyer's winnings totaled $22,000 over Manton's second-place total of $12,000.
Story continues after photo gallery.
"Jeopardy!" airs nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday on WTHR in Indianapolis.
Isaac Hirsch, a customer support team lead from Burbank, California, defeated rivals Mark Fitzpatrick and Amy Hummel, earning $17,600.
Out of the 19 contestants listed in the 2025 Tournament of Champions, Harmeyer shines leagues above the competition. A tournament tracker on Jeopardy's website puts her 15 wins at the top of the board. Hirsch, the competitor directly below her, has seven wins.
Harmeyer's initial run on "Jeopardy!" ended after 16 games, resulting in a grand total of $351,600. She was eventually defeated by Drew Basile, a graduate student from Michigan, and Tekla Sauter, a nonprofit strategist from Illinois.
On Tuesday, Harmeyer racked up another $22,000. Here's a look at her winning streak from 2024:
Wednesday, May 29, 2024: $26,200
Thursday, May 30, 2024: $20,000
Friday, May 31, 2024: $25,400
Monday, June 3, 2024: $20,200
Tuesday, June 4, 2024: $24,400
Wednesday, June 5, 2024: $19,900
Thursday, June 6, 2024: $19,600
Friday, June 7: $27,400
Monday, June 10: $21,600
Tuesday, June 11: $21,000
Wednesday, June 12: $33,000
Thursday, June 13: $19,800
Friday, June 14: $20,500
Monday, June 17: $27,000
Tuesday, June 18: $23,600
Wednesday, June 19: $2,000
Brad Rutter has won $4,938,436 — including tournaments — on "Jeopardy!" According to the show's website, Ken Jennings is second on the list with $4,370,700.
Ken Jennings won a record 74 consecutive games, according to the website.
Quick, can you answer these Jeopardy! questions? (answers are below)
According to the book of Psalms, these objects 'have ears, but they hear not.'
The Spanish title of this Vicente Blasco Ibanez novel about bullfighting is 'Sangre y Arena.'
After 'The Civil War' aired on PBS, this Memphis Civil War historian became a celebrity.
Potential contestants are invited to audition by taking the show's online test, which can be found here: Adult contestants must be age 18 or older. Producers recommend you have at least 15 minutes to complete the test.
(And those answers in the form of a Jeopardy! response above were: "What are Idols?" "What is 'Blood and Sand'?" "Who is Shelby Foote?")
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue professor wins 1st 'Jeopardy!' Tournament of Champions final
