Final Jeopardy today delivered a classic science stumper on Jeopardy. The October 17, 2025, episode (Season 42, Game 30) featured Dargan Ware, Sondra Venable, and returning champion Cindy del Rosario, with the round’s clue pointing straight at Wolfgang Pauli’s most famous 1930 hypothesis. The correct response was “neutrino,” and only one player converted at the end.
Today’s Final Jeopardy (Category: 20th Century Science)
Clue: “Calling it ‘a particle that cannot be detected’, physicist Wolfgang Pauli 1st proposed this in 1930; it was detected in 1956.”
Correct response: “What is the neutrino?”
Pauli’s 1930 idea filled in the energy-accounting gap in beta decay; the experimental confirmation came in 1956 with the Cowan–Reines neutrino experiment. (Frederick Reines later received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 for his neutrino work.)
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Contestants, Hometowns & Occupations
- Dargan Ware — attorney & writer from Bessemer, Alabama
- Sondra Venable — standardized patient from New Orleans, Louisiana
- Cindy del Rosario — hospice & palliative care nurse from Denver, Colorado (1-day total entering today: $23,201)
All three appeared in Season 42’s October 17 game.
Game Flow: Categories, Daily Doubles & Score Progression
Jeopardy! Round categories: “How’s Your Gulf Game?”; “A Brief History Of Time”; “Don’t Tell Me To Calm Down”; “This Is What We Trained For!”; “Movie Improvisations”; “Daddy, Is There Really A…” After 15 clues, the scores stood at Dargan $3,200, Sondra $2,800, Cindy $1,000; at the end of the round, it was Dargan $5,200, Sondra $4,200, Cindy $3,000. Cindy found the round’s Daily Double but dropped to $0 on an incorrect response.
Double Jeopardy! Round categories: “History”; “TV Personalities”; “Sold! To The Highest Bidder”; “Philosophy ABCs”; “Cat Of 5 Tales”; “’Pass’words.” Dargan hit both Daily Doubles early in the round and netted $10,400 from them, building an insurmountable lead.
Scores heading into Final Jeopardy: Dargan $35,600, Cindy $11,400, Sondra $7,400.
Final Jeopardy Results & Wagers
- Sondra: $7,400 → wagered $4,001 → finished $3,399 (response: “What is a quark?”)
- Cindy: $11,400 → wagered $3,401 → finished $14,801 (response: “What is a neutrino?”)
- Dargan: $35,600 → wagered $9,400 → finished $26,200 (response: “What is Quark? WPS! UTCIAD!”) — 1-day total: $26,200
Outcome: Dargan Ware is the new Jeopardy champion and will return on Monday. Cindy was the only player to get the Final correct, but Dargan’s runaway protected the lead.
“20th Century Science” — Why the Neutrino?
Pauli described the neutrino as “a particle that cannot be detected,” a line embedded in today’s clue that also timestamps his 1930 proposal. The 1956 detection reference points to the Cowan–Reines experiment that finally verified the particle. Those two dates—1930 and 1956—bookend the clue’s logic and lead squarely to neutrino.
Analysis: Science clues trend tougher. Today’s framing rewarded players who linked beta decay’s missing energy to Pauli’s hypothesized particle, then recalled that the hands-on proof came in 1956.
Inside the Numbers: Buzzer & Get Rates
Career statlines after the game show how the board favored Dargan. He finished 28 correct / 2 incorrect in the game, went 2/2 on Daily Doubles (net $10,400), and held a 47.37% first-on-buzzer rate (27/57). Cindy posted 17 correct / 1 incorrect, went 1/2 on Daily Doubles (net $1,400), and was 29.82% first on the buzzer (34/114) across her appearances; she improved to 2/2 in Final Jeopardy overall. Sondra’s game closed at 10 correct / 1 incorrect, with 0/1 in Final Jeopardy and 15.79% first-on-buzzer (9/57).
Unplayed clues this season remained at 6 (none today).
Wagering Theory Check (Matches Suggested Lines)
With $35,600 vs. $11,400 vs. $7,400 before Final, the recommended approach was: leader bets no more than $12,799; second covers third with $3,401; third wagers at least $600 to chase second. Dargan’s actual $9,400 fit the safe-leader band; Cindy’s $3,401 was the textbook cover; Sondra’s $4,001 chased second as advised.
Airdate & Publication Timestamps
The game aired on Friday, October 17, 2025. The Jeopardy! Fan recap was posted by Andy Saunders on October 17, 2025. Primetimer’s same-day feature by Rajasini Saha went live at 12:55 PM EDT on October 17, 2025.
Who’s Back on Monday?
Dargan Ware returns as champion with a $26,200 1-day total. (Cindy’s 1-day total entering today was $23,201 from October 16.)
Full Contestant Breakdown (Quick Bios as Shown/Discussed On-Air or in Recaps)
- Dargan Ware — attorney & writer; president of the Alabama state poetry society; ran a History category and leveraged both Daily Doubles early in Double Jeopardy.
- Sondra Venable — standardized patient; works training healthcare professionals; posted a clean stat line in regulation but missed Final.
- Cindy del Rosario — hospice & palliative care nurse; mountain bikes and skateboards; 2/2 lifetime in Final Jeopardy after today.
Final Jeopardy Today: Quick Reference
- Date: October 17, 2025
- Category: 20th Century Science
- Clue: “Calling it ‘a particle that cannot be detected’, physicist Wolfgang Pauli 1st proposed this in 1930; it was detected in 1956”
- Correct Response: What is the neutrino?
- Winner: Dargan Ware — $26,200 (1-day total)
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