Who won Jeopardy! tonight, July 25, 2023?

Jeopardy! returned on Tuesday night, bringing a returning champion back to the podium. Did they do enough to keep the crown or is there a new Jeopardy! champion?

Fans of the trivia show know that time is running out on season 39. Ken Jennings was back as the host tonight, as Mayim Bialik remains out of the picture in support of the writers’ strike — the same strike that could delay season 40.

Who is the current Jeopardy! champion?

Taylor Clagett, a marketing director originally from Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, entered Tuesday’s game as the current Jeopardy! champion. His two-day total sat at $31,800.

His competition tonight included Julie Sisson, a library circulation assistant from Everett, Washington, and Andrew Knowles, a psychology resident from Portland, Oregon.

Things were relatively close during the “Jeopardy!” round. Taylor maintained a lead at $6,200, while Andrew stood in second with $4,400 and Julie in third with $3,000.

Julie mounted an impressive comeback during “Double Jeopardy!” play. Taylor stayed in the lead with $9,700, but Julie wasn’t far behind at $8,200. Andrew’s total of $6,400 set things up for an exciting final.

Taylor was the only player not to correctly answer “Final Jeopardy!” tonight. Julie’s wager was enough to give her the victory over Andrew, making her the new Jeopardy! champion with $11,210.

What was tonight’s Final Jeopardy! clue?

Despite tripping up the returning champion, tonight’s “Final Jeopardy!” felt a little easier compared to recent clues. Here it is in the category “Compound Word Origins”:

This compound word meant an astronomical object of exceptional brightness in 1910; it was soon applied to actors & athletes

“Jeopardy!” set (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) /

Answer: What is superstar?

Taylor was on the right track but only wrote down “star” as his response. It cost him $8,722 and the game. Julie added $3,010 to her score to give her the win over Andrew, who only won $301 for his correct response.