Jeopardy! Shake-Up: What Really Happened on December 9, 2025
Jeopardy! turned white-knuckle on Dec. 9, with the defending champ teetering from the first clue as a three-way clash tightened into a two-player brawl. One last response decided whether the crown stayed put or slipped away.
Tonight's Jeopardy! was one of those games where the champ looked doomed, then somehow threaded the needle at the end. It started like a three-way brawl, turned into a duel, and came down to a single word that kept the crown right where it was.
Who won Jeopardy! tonight?
Will Riley, back with $16,801 from his first win, faced Jenna LaFleur and Steve Riddell on the December 9 episode. Early on, Riley and Riddell traded blows, but LaFleur changed the temperature of the room on clue 18: she uncovered the Daily Double, shoved all her chips in, and nailed it with the response 'bootlegging.' That slingshotted her into the lead at $4,800, and she rode the momentum to close the first round on top with $7,600. Riley ended the round with $5,400; Riddell was at $4,400.
Double Jeopardy: big swings, bigger nerves
Riley made his move by finding the first Daily Double of Double Jeopardy, risking the entire $6,200 he had at that moment. He went for it with 'Martinique' and doubled up instantly. Later, LaFleur grabbed the third Daily Double of the game (this one in poetry), wagered $2,000, and missed. Host Ken Jennings followed by giving the correct response, and with that stumble, momentum shifted back to Riley.
Headed into Final Jeopardy, the scores were tight enough to make everyone sweat: Riley at $19,600, LaFleur at $14,400, and Riddell at $9,200. Not a runaway, but a clear target on Riley's back.
Final Jeopardy: the clincher
The category was 'Legends,' and the clue pointed to a Scottish symbol gifted to the King of Munster. Only Riley connected the dots. Riddell went with 'royal crest.' LaFleur swung big with 'unicorn sword.' Riley locked in the winner:
'Blarney Stone'
He wagered $9,201 and finished the night with $28,801, the only player to get Final right.
The scoreboard snapshots
- End of Jeopardy! round: LaFleur $7,600; Riley $5,400; Riddell $4,400
- Before Final Jeopardy: Riley $19,600; LaFleur $14,400; Riddell $9,200
What it means (plus a small numbers quirk)
Riley survives and advances. He is back on Wednesday for game three after posting $28,801 tonight. He originally came into Tuesday's game with $16,801 from his first win.
One oddity from the write-up: it framed $28,801 as Riley's two-day total. That number is clearly his single-day haul from tonight; if you're keeping score at home, his running tally would be his first-day $16,801 plus tonight's $28,801.
Bottom line: another tense, down-to-the-wire finish in a season that keeps serving them up.