South Bend native Joyelle McSweeney is the newest “Jeopardy!” champion.
McSweeney, a poet and English professor at the University of Notre Dame, won big on Monday night, earning over $17,000 during the first two rounds of the popular quiz show.
After the first commercial break, she shared the name of her dog.
“His name is Zigismondo III, the King of Sweden, and the pretender — oh wait, I have his middle name wrong. The King of Poland and the pretender to the throne of Sweden.”
But, she said, they just call him Ziggy for short.
McSweeney faced off against W.A. Robison, a retired educator from Natchitoches, Louisiana and returning winner Christopher Tillman, a pastor from Plover, Wisconsin.
What was the Final Jeopardy question for Monday, Nov. 3, 2025?
The Final Jeopardy question for Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 was in the category “The Western Hemisphere” and read as follows:
“Officially getting an international border in 1848, this area of land is up to 150 miles wide & has about 2,000 miles of coastline.”
McSweeney was the only contestant with the correct answer, which was “What is Baja California?”
McSweeney only wagered $100 since her winnings already totaled $17,600, meaning she won the game with $17,700.
When is ‘Jeopardy!’ on? What time? Where to watch
“Jeopardy!” airs nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday on WTHR in Indianapolis.
Visit jeopardy.com/watch to see when and where the show airs in your area.
Where is ‘Jeopardy!’ streaming? How to watch without cable
You can watch “Jeopardy!” episodes live on Peacock with some subscription plans. Episodes stream later on Peacock, Hulu and DisneyPlus.
Watch ‘Jeopardy!’ on Peacock
Watch ‘Jeopardy!’ with Disney+ bundle
You can also stream episodes of “Jeopardy!” online with a subscription to Philo.
Watch ‘Jeopardy!’ on Philo
Take the Jeopardy! audition test
Potential contestants are invited to audition by taking the show’s online test, which can be found here: jeopardy.com/be-on-j/anytime-test. Adult contestants must be age 18 or older.
Contributing: Alexandria Burris
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.
Katie Wiseman covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Notre Dame professor and poet Joyelle McSweeney is the newest ‘Jeopardy!’ champion. See the Nov. 3 Final Jeopardy
Reporting by Katie Wiseman and John Tufts, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
