Today’s Final Jeopardy – Friday, December 5, 2025

Current Champion

Nikolas Polsinelli, career statistics:
44 correct, 6 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
35.96% in first on buzzer (41/114)
4/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,500

To win:
3 games: 64.111%
4: 41.102%
5: 26.351%
6: 16.894%
7: 10.831%
Avg. streak: 3.786 games.
(Click Here for Methodology)

Upcoming Encore Presentations

September 26-27: S42 E174 (May 7, 2026)
October 3-4: S42 E175 (May 8, 2026)
October 10-11: S42 E176 (May 11, 2026)
(Source: Bell Fibe TV program guide)

All Time Winnings

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Regular Play Only:

1. Ken Jennings $2,520,700
2. James Holzhauer $2,462,216
3. Matt Amodio $1,518,601
4. Amy Schneider $1,382,800
5. Jamie Ding $882,605
6. Cris Pannullo $748,286
7. Mattea Roach $560,983
8. Jason Zuffranieri $532,496
9. Scott Riccardi $455,000
10. David Madden $430,400
11. Julia Collins $428,100
12. Matt Jackson $411,612
13. Austin Rogers $411,000
14. Ray Lalonde $386,400
15. Harrison Whitaker $373,999
16. Adriana Harmeyer $349,600
17. Caleb Groen $346,968
18. Adam Remsen $306,415
19. Ryan Long $299,400
20. Arthur Chu $297,200

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Including Tournaments (and Consolation Prizes):

1. Brad Rutter $4,968,436
2. Ken Jennings $4,372,700
3. James Holzhauer $3,614,216
4. Matt Amodio $1,964,601
5. Amy Schneider $1,864,800
6. Yogesh Raut $1,598,403
7. Victoria Groce $1,023,801
8. Mattea Roach $897,983
9. Jamie Ding $885,605
10. David Madden $785,733
11. Cris Pannullo $754,286
12. Roger Craig $706,200
13. Andrew He $684,365
14. Larissa Kelly $671,930
15. Matt Jackson $623,612
16. Jason Zuffranieri $549,496
17. Paolo Pasco $548,717
18. Scott Riccardi $533,000
19. Jerome Vered $499,102
20. Julia Collins $495,767
21. Austin Rogers $493,000
22. Juveria Zaheer $491,000
23. Ben Ingram $449,201
24. Adriana Harmeyer $446,600
25. Buzzy Cohen $441,603

Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category History) for Friday, December 5, 2025 (Season 42, Game 65):

A storm in the 1960s blew off what looked like a spout on this sandstone formation that made the news in the early 1920s

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Margaret Dunlap, a writer from Burbank, California

Youssef Shareef, a cashier originally from Houston, Texas

Ron Lalonde, a medical physicist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2-day total: $35,601)

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Our week of Jeopardy! play ends with Ray Ron Lalonde holding down the champion’s lectern for the second consecutive game. Looking to take his spot and go into the weekend as Jeopardy! champion are Houston’s Youssef Shareef & Burbank’s Margaret Dunlap.

We’re also only ten days from the start of Second Chance competition; don’t forget to check back next Sunday for the Week 1 preview!

Correct response: What is Teapot Dome?

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.)

Why was the rock in Wyoming’s Natrona County named Teapot Dome when it is missing a handle and a spout? The formation that gave its name to the central Wyoming oil field, and the subsequent bribery scandal that rocked the Warren G. Harding administration of the 1920s, once contained parts that looked like a handle and a spout; unfortunately, erosion and storms weathered away the rock, with the “handle” being lost in 1930 and the “spout” in 1962.

As long as one can associate the 1920s with Teapot Dome and not the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, this should be a gettable Final Jeopardy clue. Then again, I thought yesterday’s was pretty straightforward and it turned into a Triple Stumper…

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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, December 5, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: We 5 Kings; Repurposing; Compose Yourself!; All Kinds Of Crummy; U.S. Museums; Let’s Give Star Wars A Hand)

Ron found the Daily Double immediately; unfortunately for him, an incorrect response put him in second place at the break. After 15 clues, the scores were Youssef $2,800 Ron $1,800 Margaret $1,600.

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Youssef 5 correct 0 incorrect
Ron 4 correct 1 incorrect
Margaret 3 correct 0 incorrect

Today’s interviews:

Margaret dropped out of high school…to attend college early.
Youssef is a cashier but is also a community college student.
Ron was starstruck by Wayne Gretzky when serving as a dinner theatre waiter in Thunder Bay.

Ron led for most of the segment, but Yousself retook the lead on the 30th clue of the round.

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Youssef 8 correct 0 incorrect
Ron 11 correct 3 incorrect
Margaret 5 correct 0 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Youssef $4,800
Ron $4,000
Margaret $3,000

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Border Rivers; Chemistry; Classic Artists’ B-Sides; Stock Symbols; 6-Letter Words; Alexander Pope)

Ron doubled up through DD2; his wager on a late DD3 was excellent and cemented a runaway after Youssef was unable to get in and be correct on either of the last two clues of Double Jeopardy.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Ron 23 correct 6 incorrect
Youssef 13 correct 2 incorrect
Margaret 10 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 6 (0 today).

Scores going into Final:

Ron $17,200
Youssef $8,400
Margaret $7,800

Margaret was the only player correct in Final Jeopardy, so Ron’s runaway was important for picking up win #3. He’ll go for win #4 on Monday.

Tonight’s results:

Margaret $7,800 + $601 = $8,401 (What is teapot dome?)
Youssef $8,400 – $8,400 = $0 (What is idk)
Ron $17,200 – $300 = $16,900 (What is ???) (3-day total: $52,501)

Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) LET’S GIVE STAR WARS A HAND $400 (clue #1)
Ron 0 -1000 (Youssef 0 Margaret 0)
2) CHEMISTRY $2000 (clue #5)
Ron 3600 +3600 (Youssef 3600 Margaret 3000)
3) STOCK SYMBOLS $800 (clue #28, $3600 left on board)
Ron 19200 -2000 (Youssef 8400 Margaret 5800)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -10

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Ron 2*
Youssef
Margaret

DJ! Round:
Ron 4 5* 2† 2 1 2 5 1 2 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2*
Youssef 1 5 1 1† 3 3
Margaret 3 4 3 3 4

† – selection in same category as Daily Double

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Ron 2.89
Margaret 3.40
Youssef 2.33

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 6 (0.09 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Ron $18,600 Coryat, 23 correct, 6 incorrect, 43.86% in first on buzzer (25/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Margaret $7,800 Coryat, 10 correct, 2 incorrect, 17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Youssef $8,400 Coryat, 13 correct, 2 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $34,800
Lach Trash: $12,400 (on 13 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $6,800
Lead Changes: 7
Times Tied: 4

Player Statistics:

Ron Lalonde, career statistics:

68 correct, 14 incorrect
3/4 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities)
40.94% in first on buzzer (70/171)
3/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,400)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,000

Youssef Shareef, career statistics:

13 correct, 3 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,400

Margaret Dunlap, career statistics:

11 correct, 2 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $7,800

Ron Lalonde, to win:

4 games: 52.950%
5: 28.037%
6: 14.846%
7: 7.861%
8: 4.162%
Avg. streak: 4.125 games.

Andy’s Thoughts:

• Whether you like it or not, the rules of the show for the last 40 years—which all contestants must agree to abide by before commencing play—states that contestants do not lose points for giving the intended response on a rebound, even if the judges overturn a preceding incorrect response. I am also certain that the show has elected to keep this rule the same way in spite of multiple pieces of viewer feedback arguing otherwise over the decades. Thus, it does not matter at this point whether a viewer thinks it is fair; I do not see this rule changing (and comments arguing against this rule are considered off-limits in this episode’s comments section.) It should also be noted that any remedy was already applied in-game as per the show’s rules; thus, any suggestions that Margaret should be returned to the show are off base, in my opinion.
• Today’s J!6 clues can be found at the monthly archive.

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Ron $17,200 Youssef $8,400 Margaret $7,800)

Ron: Bet no more than $399. (Actual bet: $300)

Youssef: Standard cover bet over Margaret in the battle for second is $7,201. (Actual bet: $8,400)

Margaret: In the battle for second, bet between $1,201 (just in case Youssef makes a bet less than $600) and $6,599. (Actual bet: $601)

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