Which Jeopardy! clue ended 14-game champion Harrison Whitaker’s streak?

Jeopardy! season 42's latest episode premiered on Monday, December 1, 2025, and featured 14-game champion Harrison Whitaker competing for the 15th game, hoping to continue his winning streak.

He played against Libby Jones, from Davenport, Florida, and Brendan Thomas, from Fayetteville, Arkansas, almost dominating the game, but the one incorrect response in the Final Jeopardy! round led to his run officially coming to an end.

The 27-year-old researcher, originally from Terre Haute, Indiana, was defeated by Libby Jones, who emerged as the 1-day champion on Monday night, winning a total $24,801.

Harrison was two wins away from being in a three-way tie for the No. 10 spot on Jeopardy! Leaderboard of Legends for most consecutive game wins, and was even close to reaching the top 10 for highest winnings in regular-season play.

Here's the clue in the Final Jeopardy! round that ended Harrison Whitaker's streak

Whitaker dominated the scoreboard in the first two Jeopardy! rounds, but the margin between him and the other two was narrow in the latest episode of Jeopardy! premiered on Monday, December 1, 2025. So it all came down to the Final Jeopardy!

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Postage Stamps.” The clue read,

“A 1959 4-cent stamp depicts an eagle & a maple leaf beneath the name of this project.”

The correct response was “What is the St. Lawrence Seaway?”

Host Ken Jennings first turned to the players in second and third place, Libby Jones and Brendan Thomas, who came up with the correct response:

What is the St. Lawrence Seaway?

While Whitaker, the 14-game champion, revealed his response, which turned out to be incorrect: “What is the Ambassador Bridge?” and wagered $13,401, this gave him a total of $7,599.

With that, his Jeopardy! streak could not be continued, ending his run, leading to Libby Jones, a recruiter, becoming the new champion. The Final scores were:

• Brendan Thomas $3,600 + $3,599 = $7,199 (What is St. Lawrence Seaway)
• Libby Jones $17,200 + $7,601 = $24,801 (What is the St. Lawrence Seaway?) (1-day total: $24,801)
• Harrison Whitaker $21,000 – $13,401 = $7,599 (What is The Ambassador Bridge?) (14-day total:  $373,999)

That put him in 14th place for All-Time Jeopardy! Winnings (regular-season play), above Adriana Harmeyer, and below Ray Lalonde.

With 14 wins, including the highest single-game total of the season so far with a staggering $50,000 in 1 game alone, Harrison has qualified and secured his place to compete in the 2027 Tournament of Champions.

The 27-year-old researcher grew up attending local schools and then earned his undergraduate degree at New York University, completed a master’s at Columbia University, and went on to a PhD at the University of Cambridge in England.

Whitaker dreamt about coming on Jeopardy! since high school, as he told the Indiana Statesman recently:

"I've wanted to go on “Jeopardy!” since I was in high school. If you like quizzes that are about everything, you know, and that aren’t just about like logos of fast-food companies or whatever, then like “Jeopardy!” is kind of your only option in America."

He applied to participate a couple of times but could not reach past the online test, and then, when he was struggling between jobs and spending long days on applications, being periodically unemployed, he decided to give it a shot again.

"There was one day where I was tired of filling out job applications and I just thought, ‘Well, if I have to do something that I can convince myself is productive, may as well be a “Jeopardy!” application,’ he said.

That's when his luck hit it off, and he went on to achieve a remarkable Jeopardy! run and also earned a spot on the Tournament of Champions.

Stay tuned for more updates.