Today’s Final Jeopardy Answer, November 18, 2025, Tuesday

Jeopardy! fans watched yesterday as Harrison Whitaker secured his fifth win, achieving a commendable five-day total of $160,999. His first performance placed him among the show's top 25 champions by performance metrics. Harrison is the first eligible player for the 2027 Tournament of Champions. This dominant run has set a high standard for his challengers to end his streak.

On November 18, 2025, the final Jeopardy! round's question was under the category of 17th-century names. Johannes Kepler, 1571, a German polymath, was the right answer. Astronomy and planetary motion laws are his most famous works. His revolutionary orbital mechanics theories challenged the prevailing models.

The show continues its decades-long tradition of testing contestants' knowledge on many topics. The 42nd season of Jeopardy! draws millions of viewers. One of the best current champions faces two formidable newcomers today. 

Jeopardy! Episode Highlights November 18, 2025, Tuesday

Jeopardy episode: The Beginning of the game

Three strong Jeopardy! players started the game. The returning champion, Indiana researcher Harrison Whitaker, was challenged by Canadian teacher Tony Antoniades and North Carolina aspiring linguist Lydia Boshart. Contestants searched for Daily Doubles in various categories using clues. The Jeopardy round sets the scores and momentum for the harder round.

Double Jeopardy: The stakes getting higher

Double Jeopardy raised stakes and clues. The category "At The Jim Henson Creature Shop." stood out this round. Fans of other media franchises discover the show through this "crossover category". These categories strategically promote the show to new generations. The show has evolved by including current cultural categories.

Final Jeopardy Answer and Analysis

The final category was 17th Century Names. 

The clue presented to the contestants stated: "He turned 30 in the first year of the 17th century & had notions that planets don’t move with constant speed along their orbits" 

The correct response is, "Who is Johannes Kepler?"

Kepler, born in 1571, turned 30 in 1601. He created accurate planetary motion laws. His laws showed that planets orbit the sun elliptically, not circularly as Copernicus did. Kepler found that planet velocity varies with distance from the sun. He transformed early modern astronomy and provided a foundation for Isaac Newton's universal gravitation theory.

Jeopardy! Contestants Confronting tonight

Harrison Whitaker

As the defending champion, Harrison Whitaker dominated. The Terre Haute, Indiana researcher had raised $160,999 in five days. He's a top Jeopardy! champion by performance. Harrison's success comes from knowledge and strategic betting. The game was about whether he could continue his incredible run and win his sixth. Harrison qualifies for the 2027 Tournament of Champions with his continued success.

Lydia Boshart

Raleigh's aspiring linguist Lydia Boshart challenged the champion. Her strengths as a linguist may be in language, history, literature, and geography. New Jeopardy! challengers often reveal unexpected knowledge. Lydia wanted to use her language skills to score and break Harrison's streak in her debut game.

Tony Antoniades

A Toronto teacher, Tony Antoniades, filled the final spot. Teachers have broad knowledge, making them tough Jeopardy! opponents. To compete, Tony used his broad knowledge. He really wanted to stop the champion's runaway success. He needed early rounds performance to compete in Final Jeopardy.

Johannes Kepler was the answer to a 17th-century astronomy question on Jeopardy! on November 18, 2025. The game pitted five-day champion Harrison Whitaker against newcomers Lydia Boshart and Tony Antoniades. All three contestants showed excellent trivia and strategy in the episode. Viewers must watch the broadcast for the final scores and wagers. The winner will either start a streak or extend Harrison Whitaker's impressive run to six days. Jeopardy! episodes are available to stream on Hulu.