Who won Jeopardy! tonight? October 17, 2025, Friday

Jeopardy! returned for another episode on Friday, October 17, 2025, featuring competition and minds. Dargan Ware won this night with $26,200. His game performance was commanding, especially after winning Double Jeopardy. Dargan will return as champion on Monday despite Cindy del Rosario's strong Final Jeopardy comeback. The audience stayed glued as three contestants fought for the title of champion at a fast pace and with high stakes. 

Jeopardy! on October 17, 2025, Friday: Key Moments from the episode.

Jeopardy Round

The game started with the classic Jeopardy round and the contestants had to navigate categories like How’s Your Gulf Game? and Movie Improvisations.

Denver's reigning champion, Cindy del Rosario, took an early risk when she found the Daily Double but forfeited after an incorrect response. After this setback, she played catch-up all around.

The scores after 15 clues were:

• Dargan: $3,200
• Sondra: $2,800
• Cindy: $1,000

As the round continued, the pace remained steady, with Dargan maintaining his lead. By the time the Jeopardy round ended, the scores were:

• Dargan: $5,200
• Sondra: $4,200
• Cindy: $3,000

Dargan had 10 correct answers and just 1 incorrect. Sondra was close behind with 7 correct answers, while Cindy had 9 correct but struggled with one incorrect response.

Double Jeopardy Round

The game took off in Double Jeopardy, especially for Dargan. He hit both Daily Doubles early and brought in $10,400. He kept his lead and pushed for a runaway with his confident play throughout the round.
The categories were History, TV Personalities, and Sold! To The Highest Bidder. 

At this point, the scores stood at:

• Dargan: $35,600
• Cindy: $11,400
• Sondra: $7,400

Dargan answered 28 clues correctly and only made 1 error. Cindy and Sondra, despite playing well were unable to catch up with Dargan’s commanding lead.

Final Jeopardy Round

The Final Jeopardy category was "20th Century Science" and the clue posed a significant challenge. 

The question read: "Calling it 'a particle that cannot be detected,' physicist Wolfgang Pauli first proposed this in 1930; it was detected in 1956." 

The correct response was "What is the neutrino?"

Cindy del Rosario was the only contestant to answer correctly, wagering $3,401 for $14,801. However, Dargan's early lead was hard to cross..

Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats – October 17, 2025

Jeopardy! Round:

Categories: How’s Your Gulf Game?; A Brief History Of Time; Don’t Tell Me To Calm Down; This Is What We Trained For!; Movie Improvisations; Daddy, Is There Really A…

Daily Double: Cindy del Rosario found the Daily Double but fell back to $0 after an incorrect response.

Scores after 15 clues:

• Dargan: $3,200
• Sondra: $2,800
• Cindy: $1,000

Statistics after 15 clues:

• Dargan: 5 correct, 0 incorrect
• Sondra: 4 correct, 0 incorrect
• Cindy: 4 correct, 1 incorrect

Interviews:

• Dargan is president of the Alabama State Poetry Society.
• Sondra works as a practice patient at a medical school.
• Cindy enjoys mountain biking and skateboarding.

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

• Dargan: $5,200
• Sondra: $4,200
• Cindy: $3,000

Double Jeopardy! Round:

• Categories: History; TV Personalities; Sold! To The Highest Bidder; Philosophy ABCs; Cat Of 5 Tales; “Pass”words
• Dargan dominated the round, picking up $10,400 on both Daily Doubles within the first 6 clues.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy! Round:

• Dargan: 28 correct, 1 incorrect
• Cindy: 17 correct, 1 incorrect
• Sondra: 10 correct, 0 incorrect
• Total number of unplayed clues this season: 6 (0 today).

Scores going into Final Jeopardy:

• Dargan: $35,600
• Cindy: $11,400
• Sondra: $7,400

Final Jeopardy! Round:

• Category: 20th Century Science
• Clue: Calling it ‘a particle that cannot be detected,’ physicist Wolfgang Pauli first proposed this in 1930; it was detected in 1956.
• Correct Response: What is the neutrino?
• Cindy was the only player to answer correctly, adding $3,401 to her total.

Scores after Final Jeopardy:

• Sondra: $7,400 – $4,001 = $3,399
• Cindy: $11,400 + $3,401 = $14,801
• Dargan: $35,600 – $9,400 = $26,200

Final Results:

Winner: Dargan Ware, with a total of $26,200. He will return as the champion on Monday.

On October 17, 2025, Dargan Ware won Jeopardy! with a stellar performance. His impressive lead after Double Jeopardy made his win almost certain, despite Cindy's Final Jeopardy win. New champion Dargan will defend his title on Monday. Platforms like Hulu, Peacock and fuboTV stream Jeopardy! for fans across the world.