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Who won Jeopardy! tonight? June 16, 2025, Monday

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On Monday, June 16, 2025, the return of Jeopardy! brought another exciting episode, featuring a match between defending champion Katie Kornacki and two new contestants, Tom Thriveni and Sarah Cox. The episode had a unique mix of tricky clues and strategic gameplay, keeping the show's excitement levels high, as they have for decades.

Sarah Cox, a chief of staff from Austin, Texas, won the episode on June 16, 2025. After Katie and Tom, she passed them by playing well in every round and winning Final Jeopardy with the right answer and a score of $15,050.

Since 1964, Jeopardy! has been a huge part of American game shows. The show has made a name for itself in trivia history with its unique answer-and-question format. Ken Jennings hosts the current syndicated version, which continues to bring tough clues and fun competition to people's homes every weekday.

Jeopardy! episode highlights – June 16, 2025, Monday

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The June 16, 2025 episode opened with a mix of creative categories, and the gameplay was filled with risk-taking and comebacks. Returning champ Katie Kornacki faced off against writer Tom Thriveni and newcomer Sarah Cox.

Jeopardy! round

The Jeopardy! round on June 16, 2025, opened with the categories: The Space Between Us, Novel Plot Points, Three-Letter Body Parts, Rare, Medium, and Well Done. All three contestants began cautiously, with Sarah Cox establishing early control by correctly answering a series of medium-value clues.

Katie Kornacki was right behind her, and she skillfully raised her score without taking any unnecessary risks. After getting the Daily Double clue and betting $1,000 on The Space Between Us, Tom Thriveni was down right away.

The problem is that his answer was wrong, which dropped his score to zero. Even though he missed, he showed he was tough by slowly catching up. Sarah's steady accuracy put her ahead at the end of the round and set the tone for the next stage.

Jeopardy! round scores:

Double Jeopardy round

In the Double Jeopardy! round, the competition intensified with the categories: Historic Objects, Alliteration, We're Bussin’, World Geography, Parenthetical Song Titles, and Viking Lore. Katie attempted to shift momentum by landing on the Daily Double under Historic Objects, wagering $2,000. However, she missed the question, which cost her crucial points.

Also read: Today's Final Jeopardy! answer: Monday, June 16, 2025

Sarah, on the other hand, kept up her good work, picking out high-value clues and eventually finding the third Daily Double under World Geography. She bet $3,000 that the right answer would be that Somalia is the country in the Horn of Africa with the longest coastline.

Tom did a great job of getting better after the last round and getting back into positive territory. Sarah had a huge lead going into Final Jeopardy because she played strategically and got all of her answers right.

Double Jeopardy round scores:

Final Jeopardy! Round

The Final Jeopardy! round featured the category Book Covers. The clue asked which book had a 1974 cover where Allison Maher Stern posed horizontally on stools and pretended to swim. Only Sarah responded correctly with “What is Jaws?” She wagered a modest $50, securing her win with a total of $15,050.

Katie didn't give an answer, so she lost $3,000 and her score went down a lot. Tom gave the wrong answer, lost $800, and his final score went down. Sarah's accuracy under pressure and smart bet showed that she was the winner of the episode. She won this round and is now the new Jeopardy! champion.

Final scores:

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Sarah Cox – Chief of Staff from Austin, Texas

Sarah Cox did amazing on her first episode of Jeopardy!. She showed confidence, the ability to remember things quickly, and a smart strategy. As a chief of staff from Austin, Texas, Sarah stayed the same from the first round and quickly took the lead with correct answers.

She bet $3,000 and got it right, which added a lot to her total. She went into Final Jeopardy with a solid $15,000, so she only put up $50. With a final score of $15,050, she won. She beat a strong challenger and a returning champion by staying calm, making smart bets, and knowing a lot about the game.

Katie Kornacki – Professor of English from Hartford, Connecticut

Katie Kornacki came into the game as the defending champion, having won $20,000 in the last match. Katie was a careful and methodical player in the early rounds. She is an English professor from Hartford, Connecticut.

During the Jeopardy round, she kept up with Sarah, but in Double Jeopardy, it was hard for her to keep up. She found a Daily Double under Historic Objects, but she gave the wrong answer, which cost her points.

In Final Jeopardy, too, her safe bet didn't pay off—she left the answer blank and lost $3,000, ending with $2,600. Katie stayed calm and competitive during the whole game, even though she couldn't defend her title.

Tom Thriveni – Writer from Los Angeles, California

In his first appearance on Jeopardy!, writer Tom Thriveni from Los Angeles, California, showed that he was tough. He had a rough start when he got the first Daily Double under The Space Between Us and got the answer wrong, which dropped his score to -$800. Even though he got off to a rough start, Tom did well on Double Jeopardy.

He kept picking out higher-value clues, and by the end of the round, he was back in the black. He gave the wrong answer on Final Jeopardy and lost $800, ending with $3,200. Tom was determined and knew a lot about a lot of different things, which made him a strong and respectable competitor in this episode, even though he didn't win.

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Game statistics from tonight’s Jeopardy! episode

Jeopardy! Round:

Double Jeopardy! Round:

Final Jeopardy!:

Category: Book Covers

Clue: In 1974, Allison Maher Stern posed horizontally on stools and pretended to swim for a cover of this book.

Correct response: What is Jaws?

Triple Stumper:

Correct Daily Double Responses:

The fact that Sarah chose to bet only $50 on Final Jeopardy showed that she knew she was ahead. Making the most money wasn't the goal; ensuring victory was. With the right answer, she won the whole thing and got $15,050.

Tom's wrong guess and Katie's blank answer showed how tough Final Jeopardy is. Both of them had chances to challenge Sarah's lead but failed. It proved that Sarah was the winner in all three rounds.

Sarah Cox won Jeopardy! tonight, June 16, 2025, showing how smart she is and how well she can handle stress. With a score of $15,050, she beat Katie Kornacki to become the new one-day champion and passed Tom Thriveni.

She did well on Double Jeopardy and had the only correct answer on Final Jeopardy, which helped her win. The episode showed how intense and strategic the show can be very well.

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