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Who won ‘Jeopardy!’ tonight? Triple Stumper in Final Jeopardy leads to a surprising winner

Peter McFerrin faces off in his seventh straight game against Dan Laine from New Jersey and Wilson Li from New York.

Peter McFerrin returned for an eventful seventh game on Tuesday's episode of 'Jeopardy!' He faced off against Dan Laine, from Jersey City, New Jersey, and Wilson Li, from Woodside, New York. The returning champion entered the game with a total of $147,399 and some very dominant wins. Hence, the audience had high hopes for the energy industry professional. This game, though, was anything but smooth, with each round bringing twists and turns. McFerrin, along with the other two, faced all of the challenges head-on, and the episode concluded with some very surprising results.

It seemed that McFerrin returned to his old habits when he started the game, faltering on several clues. By the time the first commercial break arrived, he was in second position with $1,600. Li was at the top of the table with $2,800. Laine was dead last with just $400. McFerrin got the chance to turn his fortunes around when the first Daily Double (DD) came on clue number 22. At this point, McFerrin was still in second spot with $3,400. To get closer to Li, the returning champion wagered  $1,600. The DD belonged to the category 'Magazine By Recurring Feature,' and its clue read, "The Talk of the Town; Shouts & Murmurs." McFerrin answered, "What is The Hollywood Reporter?" which was incorrect. This made McFerrin's account drop down to $1,800.

Heading into Double Jeopardy (DJ), there were no major changes in terms of standings. Li increased his lead and reached $5,200; McFerrin followed behind with $2,400 in his account. Laine remained in the third position with $600. McFerrin's DD luck shone again, as he spotted the second one on clue number two. The correct answer on the first clue elevated his account to $4,400, and he decided to bet $1,600 to go over Li. The DD belonged to the category, 'George-ography,' and its clue read, "This 700-square-mile wetland in southeast Georgia is the largest blackwater swamp in North America." McFerrin gave the correct response with, "What is the Okefenokee?" and took the top spot. 

Li and McFerrin continued to tussle for the top spot throughout the second round. McFerrin decided to take a solid leap ahead of Li when he found the third DD on clue number 18. He wagered $5,400 out of $13,200 to race ahead of Li's $7,600. The DD belonged to the category 'Saints Be Praised,' and its clue read, "Not surprisingly, this apostle is the patron saint of bookkeepers, accountants & tax collectors." The returning champion answered, "Who is Paul?" which was adjudged incorrect. He dropped down to $7,800. The round ended with McFerrin still holding on to his lead with $11,400, while Li had made a lot of progress by earning $10,400. Laine remained last with $2,200.

Judging by where things ended in Double Jeopardy, it seemed that either Li or McFerrin would walk out as the winner depending on the Final Jeopardy results. Things, though, did not pan out that way. The FJ belonged to the category 'Alternative Medicine,' and its clue read, "Honoring the brother of the Greek god Thanatos, this alternative medical practice got its name in the 19th century." The correct answer was "What is hypnosis?" None of them wrote the correct response, which caused a Triple Stumper scenario. It was ultimately the wagers that decided the game's fate. McFerrin went big and ended up at $1,999. Li bet $8,599 and ended at $1,801. However, it was not McFerrin who took the crown, but Laine, who bet $7 and ended at $2,193. The 'Jeopardy!' gods were indeed with the software engineer, who won with just seven correct answers. This is the lowest amount a 'Jeopardy!' winner has won, since Bevin Blaber took home the crown with just $600 on June 19, 2025. Laine will return to defend his title in Wednesday's episode, and McFerrin will be heading to the 'Tournament of Champions.'