[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, February 28 episode of Jeopardy!]
The first semi-final of the 2025 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament already ended in a tight result. One contestant had a stellar poker face that made fans think he lost the Final Jeopardy! question.
Shane Whitlock from Benton, Arkansas, Roger Craig from Arlington, Virginia, and Jaskaran Singh from Plano, Texas, competed in the first semi-final on Friday, February 28. Singh currently works as a consultant but has applied to law school and is looking for a career change. Host Ken Jennings said he might qualify for the college tournaments in the future.
Whitlock, a radiologist, started off the game by answering nearly every question, leaving his opponents in the dust. However, Craig, an applied scientist, quickly caught up, answering many questions in a row. He also got lucky when Whitlock incorrectly answered a question, causing his total to go down close to Craig’s.
Singh quickly moved into second place when he correctly answered his Daily Double and wagered all of his money. The question read: “Random House says this 2-word term for one who travels a lot for business was suggested by a Mad Max film title.” He answered with: “What is a road warrior?” which was correct. This moved him into second place with $3,600.
It was a tight race already by the end of the first round. Craig was in last with $4,400. Whitlock and Singh were tied with $5,000. With Daily Doubles and final wagers, those results could change quickly.
In Double Jeopardy, Singh answered nearly every question in the beginning, gaining a huge lead. He also found the second Daily Double but got it wrong, losing $4,000. He was still in second place with $5,400. Whitlock found the second DD of the round, also answering incorrectly. He was knocked down to $0.
After that, it was a battle between Craig and Singh. Whitlock answered a few questions but couldn’t catch up to them.
By the end of Double Jeopardy, the scores had changed drastically. Craig was in the lead with $14,400. Singh wasn’t too far behind with $12,600. Whitlock was in last with $3,200.
For Final Jeopardy, the category was “Famous Names.” The clue was “As a young reporter in Appleton, Wisconsin, Edna Ferber interviewed this hometown celebrity originally from Hungary.”
Whitlock answered correctly with “Who is Houdini?” He wagered everything and ended with $6,400. Singh also answered with Houdini and wagered $12,598, making his final total $25,198.
“And now we come to the sphynx-like face of Roger Craig,” Jennings joked. Even the website, Jeopardy Fan, said that Craig’s “poker face” made them think he had the wrong answer.
Craig answered correctly, though, wagering $10,801, making his final total $25,201. He won by $3 and is moving on to the finals. After hearing that news, Craig let out a big breath on stage.
The next semi-finals will take place on Monday, March 3.
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