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Who won Jeopardy! Tonight? May 23, Friday, 2025

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Tonight’s Jeopardy! episode, aired on May 23, 2025, delivered an intense battle of intellect, strategy, and quick reflexes as three diverse contestants vied for the coveted champion’s title. Returning to defend his title was Brendan Liao, a recent graduate and stay-at-home son from Vancouver, British Columbia, who had already amassed an impressive three-day total of $59,398.

Facing him were two strong challengers: David Crockett, a congressional liaison from Washington, D.C., and Jim Carpenter, a retired music professor from Charlotte, Vermont.

From the outset, the game was tightly contested. Brendan took an early lead but faltered in the Double Jeopardy round with two missed Daily Doubles, resulting in a negative score that disqualified him from the final round. Meanwhile, Jim and David battled neck to neck, trading leads through a series of complex categories.

In Final Jeopardy, Jim Carpenter emerged victorious by correctly answering the clue on Time with Julian calendar. He secured a winning total of $25,601 and became the newest Jeopardy! champion.

Jeopardy! episode highlights May 23, 2025

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Jeopardy round

The first round showcased the categories: Oh Some Surgery, Sports Mascots, Eponymous Capital City Airports, Definitions of Legal Terms, Green Day, and Wanna Be an American Idiom. Brendan Liao, the returning champion, had a slow start but steadily recovered with correct responses in Green Day and Legal Terms.

David Crockett showed strong early gameplay, scoring on clues like Beirut and Habeas Corpus. Jim Carpenter gained traction mid-round, correctly identifying clues like “Statute of Limitations” and “Southpaw.”

Also read: Today's Final Jeopardy! answer: Friday, May 23, 2025

The Daily Double appeared in American Idioms, where Jim bet the maximum $1,000 and successfully answered “acid test.” As the round concluded, the scoreboard was tight—Brendan held a narrow lead, David was close behind, and Jim surged with confident answers. The game was competitive and brisk, with strong buzz-in strategies from all players, setting the stage for an intense Double Jeopardy.

Jeopardy! Round scores (End of First Round):

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Double Jeopardy! Round

The categories were: Remembrance of Things Past, Magicians, S is for Small, Country Music, Literary, and Pop Culture Gems. Jim opened the round with confident selections in Country Music, correctly identifying instruments like the digeridoo and zither.

Brendan made a strong push in Literary and Small, answering Cast and suggestion, but stumbled on a high-stakes Daily Double in Small, losing $5,000 on “scintilla.”

David remained consistent, picking up points in Pop Culture and Historical Politics. Brendan’s second Daily Double wager in Pop Culture—a true Daily Double—was a costly miss on “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” bringing his score to zero and eliminating him from Final Jeopardy.

Also read: Who won Jeopardy! tonight? May 6, 2025, Tuesday

Jim and David continued trading correct responses, with Jim overtaking the lead on the final clue about the Statue of Liberty. His methodical approach gave him a slight edge over David going into Final Jeopardy.

Double Jeopardy round scores (End of Second Round):

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Final Jeopardy! round

The Final Jeopardy category was “Time.” The clue:

Eponymously named and in use for more than 600 years, it was based in part on concepts from the Greek mathematician Sigenes.

David Crockett wrote “chronometer,” then scratched it out and attempted “sundial,” both incorrect. He wagered $3,999, ending with $8,801. Jim Carpenter, however, responded correctly with “Julian calendar,” a historically significant timekeeping system used throughout Europe before the Gregorian reform.

Read more: Today's Final Jeopardy answer: Wednesday, May 14, 2025

His large wager of $12,201 brought his total to $25,601, earning him the title of the new Jeopardy! champion. Brendan Liao concluded his impressive three-day streak with total earnings of $59,398. The episode ended with Ken Jennings congratulating the players for an excellent game, promising more quiz thrills after the weekend.

Final Jeopardy round scores (End of Game):

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Read more: Today's Final Jeopardy answer: Thursday, May 22, 2025

About Jeopardy! contestants

Brendan Liaw – Returning Champion

Brendan Liaw, a son from Vancouver, British Columbia, who just graduated and stays at home with his parents, came back to Jeopardy! as the current three-day champion, having won an impressive $59,398.

Brendan had won two games easily and got the right answer on Final Jeopardy in his third game. He was known for being calm and having a lot of general knowledge. He said in his contestant interview that writing for Conan O'Brien would be his dream job because he wanted to be a comedy writer. But Brendan had a hard time with this episode.

Read more: Who won Jeopardy! tonight? May 2, 2025, Friday

After doing well in the first round of Jeopardy!, he was disqualified from the final round of Jeopardy because he missed two high-stakes Daily Doubles during Double Jeopardy, lowering his score to -1,600. Even though his run was over, he made a big impression.

Jim Carpenter – New Champion

Jim Carpenter, a retired music professor and conductor from Charlotte, Vermont, had a great first game on Jeopardy He was calm and smart at the same time. In areas like Literary and Country Music, where he showed sure command, his academic background stood out.

Jim's turning point came when he won his Daily Double bet on American Idioms and did well in the Double Jeopardy round, which gave him a narrow lead over his closest competitor going into Final Jeopardy.

Read more: Who won Jeopardy! tonight? May 12, 2025, Monday

He was sure to win when he correctly guessed the Julian calendar as the answer to the Time-themed Final Jeopardy clue. His risky bet of $12,201 brought his total to $25,601. This made him the new Jeopardy! champion and gave his run an exciting start.

David Crockett – Challenger

This week on Jeopardy!, David Crockett, a congressional liaison from Washington, D.C., showed a great mix of political and cultural knowledge. He has black belts in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and his interview as a contestant showed that he is both active and disciplined.

David answered quickly when the buzzer went off for categories like Legal Terms and Pop Culture. He also scored consistently in both Jeopardy! and Double Jeopardy! rounds. David had a great chance to win Final Jeopardy because he was only $600 behind the leader.

But his final answer, which started as "chronometer" and was scratched out to become an incomplete "sundial," was wrong. He started with $3,999 and ended up with $8,801, coming in second. He was a strong and memorable competitor because he played fair and was always calm.

Also read: Who won Jeopardy Tonight? May 22, Thursday, 2025

Jeopardy! Game recap from May 23, 2025 episode

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Contestants:

Jeopardy Round Highlights:

Categories included Oh Some Surgery, Sports Mascots, Green Day, and Eponymous Capital City Airports.

End of Round 1 Scores:

Double Jeopardy Round Highlights:

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End of Round 2 Scores:

Final Jeopardy Round:

Final Scores:

Outcome:

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Tonight’s Jeopardy! episode on May 23, 2025, was a thrilling display of knowledge, risk-taking, and strategy. As the game of Double Jeopardy started, it was close between three smart people. But things quickly got dramatic when returning champion Brendan Liaw missed two Daily Doubles and lost his big lead. Even though David Crockett left before the final round, both Jim Carpenter and Crockett put on a very competitive show.

Ultimately, Jim won because of his knowledge and willingness to take risks. His answer to Final Jeopardy was the Julian calendar. Jim wins the latest season of Jeopardy! with a score of $25,601. Fans are excited to see how Jim does in the next episodes now that Brendan's three-day streak is over.

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