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Jeopardy! fans tuning in on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, witnessed a competitive and intense game (Season 41, Game 183). Brendan Liaw emerged victorious once again. After an impressive performance across all three rounds, Brendan secured his second consecutive win and now carries a 2-day total of $38,798.
Brendan had a big lead going into the Final Jeopardy round. All three players were stumped by the last clue, but his small bet won him the game. It was the last clue on Jeopardy in the World News 2024 category. It asked what city fell on December 8, after Hama and Homs. Brendan gave the wrong answer of "Kharkiv," but his smart bet of only $1 helped him stay on top with $25,199.
Jeopardy! is a long-running game show where three contestants show how much they know about different topics. With a rule that says you have to answer in the form of a question and a new daily champion, each episode of the show is a new test of speed and intelligence.
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Jeopardy! episode highlights – May 21, 2025, Wednesday
Jeopardy round
The game opened with categories like America: A Look Back, Adjectives, Artificial Intelligence On Film, and Seek & Ye Shall Find. Right from the start, Brendan Liaw set the pace. He responded correctly to 8 questions before the first break and ended the round with 15 correct and only 1 incorrect. He gained a notable lead early on and maintained momentum.
Romy Negrin was more cautious but steady, contributing 6 correct responses with 2 incorrect by the end of the round. Sam Macken, despite his early struggle with the Daily Double and a few rebounds by Brendan, managed to secure 4 correct answers but had 3 wrong. This put him in negative territory going into the Double Jeopardy round.
Scores at the end of Jeopardy round:
- Brendan: $8,400
- Romy: $1,800
- Sam: –$600
Brendan’s quick recall and accuracy set him apart, giving him a strategic advantage heading into the next stage of the game.
Double Jeopardy! round
The second round brought in new categories such as Peoples Of The World, An Abundance Of Caution, and Geologic Time Divisions As Friends Episode Titles. Brendan continued his domination here. He picked up the first Daily Double and added $4,400 to his total, pushing his score further ahead. He ended the round with 27 correct and only 2 incorrect responses.
Sam tried to catch up by hitting Daily Double 3 but chose a conservative wager, which kept him far behind in score. He performed better in this round, answering 13 questions correctly, but remained out of contention due to his earlier missteps.
Romy, on the other hand, doubled her score and matched half of Brendan’s total, keeping her within striking distance for Final Jeopardy.
Scores after Double Jeopardy:
- Brendan: $25,200
- Romy: $12,600
- Sam: $10,600
Despite the growing gap, Romy played tactically and remained a competitive force going into the final round.
Final Jeopardy! Round
The Final Jeopardy category was World News 2024.
The clue was:
“Headlines read of the fall of Hama on December 4, Homs on December 7 & this city on December 8.”
The correct response was “What is Damascus?”
Unfortunately, none of the contestants got the correct answer:
- Sam guessed Ramallah and dropped from $10,600 to $1.
- Romy guessed Aleppo, losing her entire $12,600, ending at $0.
- Brendan guessed Kharkiv, but only wagered $1, finishing with $25,199.
His low wager allowed him to retain the lead and secure his second win.
Contestant Profile
Brendan Liaw
Brendan Liaw from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, has just graduated and is staying at home with his family. Brendan has been interested in facts and general knowledge since he was a child. He won two straight games on Jeopardy!, including the May 21, 2025 episode, thanks to his calm demeanor and consistent play.
Brendan was very good at controlling the game in both the Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy rounds. Across all, he got 27 questions right and only 2 wrong. He was smart to use a Daily Double to add $4,400 to his total, and going into Final Jeopardy, he was well ahead of everyone else.
Even though he gave the wrong answer of "Kharkiv," his careful $1 bet won him the prize of $25,199. Brendan has now won $38,798 over the course of two days and will be the defending champion in the next episode.
Romy Negrin
Romy Negrin is a graduate student from New York, New York. On May 21, 2025, episode of Jeopardy!, she came up with creative ideas and a calm plan. Romy was smart and funny, and she was known for throwing Frederic a Pirates of Penzance-themed birthday party.
In Jeopardy, she got off to a slow start by correctly answering only six clues. In Double Jeopardy, she picked up the pace by getting 9 more clues right. After the second round, Romy had $12,600, which was exactly half of Brendan's score. This meant she could make a strategic Final Jeopardy play.
She gave the wrong answer, "Aleppo," instead of the right one, "Damascus," and lost all of her points, ending up with $0. The way Romy played, no matter what happened, showed how well she could stay calm, get better during the game, and stay in contention until the very end.
Sam Macken
Sam Macken appeared on Jeopardy! on May 21, 2025. He is from Boulder, Colorado, and plays in an orchestra. Sam came into the competition with a creative and artistic background. He played the bassoon and had a great memory of playing with Glenn Close.
But his game got off to a rough start. Early on, he had trouble because he got three questions wrong and lost money on a Daily Double. At the end of the round, he was down $600. Sam did well in Double Jeopardy to get back on track. He got 9 questions right and ended the round with $10,600, just behind Romy.
With a Daily Double, he could have closed the gap, but he chose to play it safe, which slowed his recovery. When it came to Final Jeopardy, Sam got "Ramallah" wrong and lost everything but $1. He played tough, and even though he didn't win, he came back strongly in the second half.
Jeopardy! game recap for Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Jeopardy! Round
Categories:
- America: A Look Back
- Adjectives
- Artificial Intelligence On Film
- “J” Store
- The Highest Population In The State
- Seek & Ye Shall Find
Early Game summary:
- Sam struggled with 3 incorrect responses, including Daily Double (answered incorrectly).
- Brendan rebounded 2 of Sam’s errors, gaining a strong lead by the first commercial break.
First Break stats (15 clues in):
- Brendan: 8 correct / 0 incorrect – $6,000
- Romy: 1 correct / 0 incorrect – $800
- Sam: 3 correct / 3 incorrect – - $1,200
Contestant Interviews:
- Sam: Plays the bassoon, performed with Glenn Close.
- Romy: Held a birthday party for Frederic from Pirates of Penzance.
- Brendan: Loves trivia, got into it from reading encyclopedias on rainy days.
Rest of the Round:
- Brendan added 7 more correct answers, ending with a strong lead.
Jeopardy! Round end stats (30 clues):
- Brendan: 15 correct / 1 incorrect – $8,400
- Romy: 6 correct / 2 incorrect – $1,800
- Sam: 4 correct / 3 incorrect – - $600
Double Jeopardy! Round
Categories:
- Peoples Of The World
- An Abundance Of Caution
- Geologic Time Divisions As Friends Episode Titles
- Facts About Authors
- Midcentury Music
- That’s “Super
Daily Doubles:
- Brendan found one Daily Double and earned $4,400 from it.
- Sam got another Daily Double but bet conservatively—missed chance to get into contention.
Romy’s comeback:
- Played strongly, closing the gap with Brendan and ending at exactly 50% of Brendan's score—keeping her eligible for a win with a miss by Brendan in Final.
Double Jeopardy end stats:
- Brendan: 27 correct / 2 incorrect – $25,200
- Romy: 15 correct / 2 incorrect – $12,600
- Sam: 13 correct / 3 incorrect – $10,600
Total unplayed clues this season: 30 (0 today)
Final Jeopardy!
Scores before final:
- Brendan: $25,200
- Romy: $12,600
- Sam: $10,600
Final Jeopardy: Triple Stumper
- Correct response: Not revealed, but all three were incorrect.
- Sam: “What is Ramallah?” → $10,600 – $10,599 = $1
- Romy: “What is Aleppo?” → $12,600 – $12,600 = $0
- Brendan: “What is Kharkiv?” → $25,200 – $1 = $25,199
Winner:
- Brendan is the 2-day champion with a 2-day total of $38,798.
- He will return tomorrow to defend his title and go for win #3.
On May 21, 2025, Jeopardy! showed a game that was both exciting and well-played. Brendan Liaw stood out because he could remember things quickly, keep his cool, and make smart wagers.
He won the title for the second night in a row, even though he didn't have the right answer to Final Jeopardy!. Romy showed a lot of knowledge, but an all-in bet beat her. Sam got better as the game went on, but he couldn't make up for the early loss. Brendan will come back on May 22 to defend his title and try to get his third win.
