Warning: This page contains spoilers for the September 11, 2025, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Today Spelling Counts) for Thursday, September 11, 2025 (Season 42, Game 4):
The winning word at the first Scripps National Spelling Bee was this, a plant & genus with sword-shaped leaves now on the trophy
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Andy Miller, a math professor from Nashville, Tennessee
Jill Frechette, a research data analyst originally from West Boylston, Massachusetts
Paolo Pasco, a puzzle writer originally from San Diego, California (1-day total: $20,001)
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Paolo Pasco is your new Jeopardy! champion after his win yesterday dethroning 1-day champion Ian Morrison. Today, he faces off against research data analyst Jill Frechette and math professor Andy Miller.
There’s one thing in today’s game that concerns me; it’s something that I assume has been caused by the generation gap between the show’s writers and Gen-Z: There is a category in today’s Double Jeopardy round titled I LOVE THAT FOR YURI, which I assume is a category about people named Yuri. However, “yuri” has a significantly different alternative meaning, probably much better known by Gen Z (or at least fans of anime and manga) that I don’t think the show realized here when putting this category together. Certainly, if this was unintentional, I think it’s further evidence that the show needs to put someone in their research department who is a terminally online Gen Z specifically to catch things like this.
(Content continues below)
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Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my Betting Strategy 101 page. If you want to learn how to bet in two-day finals, check out Betting Strategy 102. In case the show uses a tournament with wild cards in the future, there is also a strategy page for betting in tournament quarterfinals.
Correct response: What is gladiolus?
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.)
Designed in 2019, the “Scripps Cup” was designed by Cincinnati’s Rookwood Pottery, and deliberately chose the gladiolus flower for decoration due to its being the winning word of the first spelling bee in 1925. The flower gets its name due to its leaves shaped like swords, particularly the gladius sword used by Roman foot soldiers.
I do enjoy the show requiring spelling to count in today’s Final Jeopardy clue, due to the obvious references to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
We have many new offerings at The Jeopardy! Fan Online Store! Here are our current featured items, including our new Masters Season 3 Player List T-shirt:
Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, September 11, 2025 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Around North America; Songwriters; This Old Thing?; Play Your Cards Right; Don’t Forget To Remember; Gee, “Ography”!)
Andy found the Daily Double and used it to propel himself into the lead after 15 clues. At the break, the scores were Andy $7,800 Paolo $3,200 Jill $0.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Andy 7 correct 0 incorrect
Paolo 6 correct 0 incorrect
Jill 0 correct 0 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Andy has been trying out for Jeopardy since college and is inspired by his friends.
Jill often volunteers to fall out of a kayak.
Paolo has an epipen signed by George Lopez.
Paolo picked up 7 correct after the break to claw back most of Andy’s lead.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Andy 10 correct 0 incorrect
Paolo 13 correct 0 incorrect
Jill 2 correct 0 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Andy $8,600
Paolo $6,600
Jill $1,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: 200 Years Ago; Oscar-Winning Title References; I Love That For Yuri; Engineering; Writers At Rest; Overlaps)
This round belonged completely to Paolo; he found both Daily Doubles in the first 4 clues and picked up 19 correct in the round, cruising to a runaway and finishing one correct response away from a $30,000 Coryat score.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Paolo 32 correct 0 incorrect
Andy 14 correct 0 incorrect
Jill 3 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Paolo $34,400
Andy $12,200
Jill -$400
Both remaining players were incorrect in Final Jeopardy; Paolo went for a small bet and has a big total through 2 days. He’ll go for win #3 tomorrow!
Tonight’s results:
Jill -$400 (By rule, did not participate in Final Jeopardy)
Andy $12,200 – $7,800 = $4,400 (What is Laurel)
Paolo $34,400 – $204 = $34,196 (What is Laurel? <3 Tatay) (2-day total: $54,197)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) THIS OLD THING? $800 (clue #7)
Andy 3800 +3000 (Paolo 600 Jill 0)
2) OSCAR-WINNING TITLE REFERENCES $1200 (clue #2)
Paolo 7400 +4200 (Jill 1200 Andy 8600)
3) WRITERS AT REST $1600 (clue #4, $31200 left on board)
Paolo 12800 +3200 (Jill 0 Andy 8600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 161
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Paolo 3 3
Jill
Andy 4 5 4 3 4*
DJ! Round:
Paolo 3* 3 4*
Jill 2
Andy
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Paolo 3.20
Andy 4.00
Jill 2.00
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 0 (0.00 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Paolo $29,800 Coryat, 32 correct, 0 incorrect, 49.12% in first on buzzer (28/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Andy $10,000 Coryat, 14 correct, 0 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Jill -$400 Coryat, 3 correct, 2 incorrect, 8.77% in first on buzzer (5/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 0 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $39,400
Lach Trash: $12,600 (on 11 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $2,000
Lead Changes: 2
Times Tied: 1
Player Statistics:
Paolo Pasco, career statistics:
53 correct, 6 incorrect
5/5 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
41.23% in first on buzzer (47/114)
3/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $5,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $24,300
Jill Frechette, career statistics:
3 correct, 2 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 0 rebound opportunities)
8.77% in first on buzzer (5/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/0 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: -$400
Andy Miller, career statistics:
14 correct, 1 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,000
Paolo Pasco, to win:
3 games: 64.800%
4: 41.990%
5: 27.210%
6: 17.632%
7: 11.425%
Avg. streak: 3.841 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
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