I just won the Jeopardy! College Championship and $100,000, AMA!

Redditor for 5 years

So is the key to success using reddit or not using reddit?

major key

Is there any strategy to how you answer questions, or is it just raw knowledge?
^{You fixed your proof pic link, good on ya!}

there are two main types of questions - straightforward raw knowledge (this country with capital of Sofia) and then tricky ones where you have to pick up on and synthesize little bits of information - like my last final jeopardy (this man cast a 12,394 votes while serving in the senate from 1973 to January 2009) -- of course no one is going to have each senator's vote count memorized, but I was luckily able to pic up on the critical information of January 2009 - that's when Obama was inaugurated, now I know he was still in grade school in 1973, so he can't be the answer... but Joe Biden may just be right!

At first, I thought they were trying to go for who had served in the Senate longest, which led me to Byrd, but I luckily realized that they were really asking who stopped serving in the senate in 2009

and thanks for the heads up! should be fixed now hah

Congrats! Hate to ask, but how much do you get to keep after taxes?

around 70k or so... I don't really mind paying taxes, and would be happy to pay more if it meant better public infrastructure and universal healthcare

Was there any sexual tension between any of the contestants, with all of them being in college?

only me and alex

I heard that Trebek keeps his mustache under a glass bell in his office and he smokes a strand of it with some primo hash and menthol tobacco in a Lakota peace pipe that was twice blessed and thrice cursed in order to maintain his powers.

Any truth to that?

i can neither confirm nor deny

Did you ever get those pair of Yeezys? Has Kanye reached to you for money yet?

i actually wore a pair of yeezys for the finals, but I haven't heard from him yet, unfortunately

Let me see

http://i.imgur.com/9w6zzLP.jpg

Did you get to know or hang out with any of the other contestants, or were they your enemies that you ignored?

I'm actually pretty good friends with all of them and still talk to them. which makes it awkward when people are like "im so glad you won i hated X contestant" and i'm like uh thanks but s/he is actually pretty cool

What are you going to do with the money?

The current plan is to invest most of it for Law School, and I also plan on traveling after senior year.

I'm also excited to donate some of it to the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University, as my mom is a survivor and raises money for them on her birthday every year.

Where do you plan to go to law school?

not sure yet, depends on my LSATs hah. The dream would be Yale, but I also really want to go to Michigan or UVA.

Come to UVA! Charlottesville is the greatest city in America (not that I'm biased or anything)! But seriously though, UVA Law is fantastic and in such a better location than Michigan haha.

haha I was looking at UVA undergrad and really liked it! I'm still just a bit salty about getting waitlisted there though

UVA law grad here. I was astounded when I began practicing and finding that most of my colleagues hated law school. I had more fun there than I did in college.

Winning Jeopardy! is going to be a real bonus when it comes time for your essay. Let them know you applied undergrad, too -- they like commitment to the University.

thanks for the advice!

[deleted]

nah i'm investing in bitcoin

Do you find that people think of you as intelligent up until the point that they realize the extent of your admiration for Kanye?

that's a loaded question

Do you think Barack Obama knows what he's doing?

nice meme, marco

but tbh yea i do i volunteered for him in 2012

Did you find the way that Niki answered questions (By directly cutting off Alex and moving to the next question, audibly voicing her frustrations on a wrong answer) distracting at all in the two day final?

it wasn't distracting so much as it was disorienting, she was totally in the zone and i just wasn't on her level, especially the second half of that first game

congrats for winning! A question, do you guys know the topics before the show so you can do something of a psuedo cram session?

thanks! and hah I wish, it would make things a lot easier - see the sleepy hollow category in my semifinal match haha.

we actually have no even remote idea of what's gonna come up before hand and the producers are extra careful to make sure we don't have any contact with anyone who does.

Where would you rank TLOP in Kanye's discography? I haven't had a listen to it yet (waiting until he remasters it in a week or so) but I hear it is really good.

It is really good. I honestly think it would take a miracle for anything to surpass MBDTF (which is my favorite album) but if I had to rank the albums it would go

MBDTF>LR>Yeezus>TLOP>808s>CD>Graduation

I know lots of people would disagree with me on that one but i think that LR-CD are all really close, like a 9/10, and could change depending on how I'm feeling, with MBDTF being a 10 and Graduation being an 8.

ultralight beam, famous, waves, FML, Real Friends, NMPILA, and Fade are all fantastic songs

My man. For me, its

MBDTF>LR/CD>Yeezus>Graduation>808s

I would have to agree, LR and CD seem like a part 1 and part 2 of the same album to me, and some days I prefer one to the other so it is hard to give them a fair ranking. At first I HATED 808's but it really starting to grow on me. Can't wait to give TLOP a listen since it went from 10 to 18 tracks

agreed on 808s, it really grew on me after Yeezus. And yeah I definitely hope that by "fixing wolves" he means that he'll bring Vic and Sia back

What'd you get on your SAT's?

i did well but not a 2400 or anything, talking about test scores gives me unfortunate flashbacks to high school

but moral of the story is that i'm not some sort of genius, unfortunately (thankfully you don't have to be one to do well on Jeopardy!)

Excluding taxes, with your winnings you could purchase 200,000 tacos from this popular fast food chain. You'll want to think inside the box for this one?

that dude with the cart on 36th and vermont who makes dank tacos al pastor?

Are you getting any love mail from fans? If I were in the area, I would have asked for a date... My friends and I all thought you were super cute. I did visit DC in 5th grade though :) Unfortunately we're in Belgium, but hopefully you're happy to know you have fans from all around the world!

who/how do people in belgium watch jeopardy?

I'm actually studying abroad in the netherlands and I had to get friends to facetime it to me lol

What are you majoring in college? And did it help you?

Political Economy - it's a cool major at USC that allows me to take a nice mix of hard econ and ir/development economics/polisci classes, it definitely helped me, especially the stuff I learned about different countries.

I'm also in a liberal arts gen-ed program unique to USC - the Thematic Option, which definitely really helped. To be honest though, IB Literature and European History and APUSH were the most helpful classes as far as jeopardy knowledge goes

Are you going to Disney World?

nah, but if they pay me to say yes i'll gladly edit this answer

Are you gonna celebrate with some budweisers?

you know it

/u/uhhhhmmmm your meme has peaked

Hey I watched this guy! I was rooting for Augustana woman, but I'm glad he won. Thanks for using my meme, man

it's a nice meme

Would you still do it if they didn't pay you, but the trip itself was all free?

We'll I'm currently studying abroad so it's kinda far, but sure. you offering?

At what point during the competition did you figure out buzzer timing?

Also, how do you feel about your chances for the Tournament of Champions? Will you make any changes to how you prepare, now that you know what to expect?

I got a decent hold on it relatively quickly but I never felt like i was either at a huge advantage or disadvantage as far as the buzzer went, and in the finals niki was totally killing me on the buzzer

At what point does your buzzer register? If you press your buzzer while Alex is reading, will your podium light up first? Or do the buzzes only count after he stops reading?

If I recall there is a light that goes off when they can buzz, which is usually the last syllable of the last word Alex says.

this is correct. and if you buzz too early it locks you out for a quarter second

Shouldn't we give you the answers and you provide the questions?

what is... no

How did you get on the show? Also, how much studying did you do before the show and how?

there's an online test on jeopardy.com and then from there something like 5% are invited to in-person auditions, and then 5% of those are invited to be on the show.

and studying was mostly just watching the show and practicing with a pen as a buzzer, and a ton of sporcle.

Do you film one episode or multiple episodes in one day?

5 episodes per day! so it was all in 2 days of filming

So no studying in between?

I played the countries of the world quiz on sporcle after day one of filming if that counts

Then why do you look so damn glum?

taking a selfie while smiling is more awkward than conversing with alex trebek

So did you keep the sweatshirt? In all seriousness though congrats, I was pulling for you from the beginning as a fellow MD native and Yeezy fan.

haha I had to keep it, yeah.

and some people misinterpreted that comment haha, I love USC but I have more than enough sweaters for LA where it's only cold enough to even wear them one week every year; and the bookstore sweaters aren't cheap!

Simcity or Cities Skylines?

i really want to get into cities skylines but i haven't played it because i know i'll get addicted. I absolutely love minimetro though, it's an addictively simple game about designing subway lines!

The modding ability of Skylines is the best part, but I do enjoy the challenge of Minimetro. If you like simple games like that one, you may also like Concrete Jungle. Its a puzzle solving city builder

I'll def check it out!

Who served in the senate from 1973 to 2009, casting a total of 12,394 votes?

Just wondering, thought you might know.

bernie sanders?

Are there strategy games that you are just oddly terrible at? How are your crossword skills? Are you amazing at all board games?

I am not a huge fan of crosswords to be honest, there are way too many cheeky or just ridiculous clues that make no sense to me.

And haha I don't really play many board games, but i've heard good things about the cones of dunshire

I read that there is a 'Personality Test' that you need to pass in order to be selected to be on TV for Jeopardy! What exactly is that and did anybody not pass? Thanks,

there is no personality test, and it's not like they're looking for specific things. But for the in person auditions (that like 300 people are invited to for the college show), they have everyone say a couple fun facts and play a practice game in addition to a written test, so i'd assume personality is one of many factors they look at when selecting contestants

Gratz dude! I was hoping that you would pull through instead of that snobby chick from Berkeley. And what is Alex's off camera personality like? After the game ends and the 4 of you are chit chatting, what are you guys talking about?

Niki is cool. And he's chill, but was in serious pain due to a knee replacement surgery so he wasn't having the best time... he did not appreciate us jumping all over the board haha.

And it's literally just small talk haha

What prompted you to change your final jeopardy answer in the championship(from Byrd to Biden)?

I was pretty sure Byrd had died sometime in 2010 so I wasn't comfortable with that answer - this led me to brainstorm and I had kind of an aha! moment when I realized it's probably Biden

A few things:

1. Your username is awesome and you should feel awesome

2. What was it like being on Jeopardy? Anything you didn't expect?

3. What are your thoughts on The Life of Pablo?

1. hah thanks i think it's a little silly but it could be worse considering it's my middle school email

2. It was surreal - that's the word i think is most accurate. I definitely didn't expect it go by so quick

3. Big fan, not my favorite work of 'ye's but there are some fantastic songs on there.

What are some of your best study tips for college? c:

procrastinate as much as you can

Was it hard to concentrate over Niki's aggressiveness?

it definitely caught me off guard and made it hard to settle down, it's a good strategy

I watched the whole championship, congrats!

1) you're the one who was the Kanye fan right? Hear his new album yet? Thoughts?

2) Do any of you network or socialize at all with the other contestants during the whole process or is it pretty separate and competitive?

3) How cool is Alex Trebek? He's my fave. Any anecdotes about him?

1) TLOP slaps 2) haha we're all friends 3) he showed up the first day in a canadian tuxedo - a denim shirt with denim pants. a legend

Since you did this what is your next goal big goal you want to achieve?

get a summer job!

hopefully as bernie's vice president

Will you go to Disneyland with that cash? Also, is that cash enough to pay your student loan (if any)

i'm gonna drink a budweiser

As a Pitt alum and Kanye stan I don't know if I've ever been as torn as I was watching the finale. Did Alex actually talk to you about Kanye during the commercials like he said he was going to? I bet he hates him and made fun of you for liking him.

haha he didn't really bring it up, he just makes largely inoffensive small talk "oh this is a close one, you guys feeling good about it?"

Fight on, Sam! Fellow Trojan (Annenberg '13) and Jeopardy! alum (Kids' Week 2003) here. Congrats on winning the tournament against some very strong competition.

How do you feel about going back for the Tournament of Champions, knowing that the material will likely be more difficult?

haha well i'll probably not do as well but i'm excited, it's gonna be fun

Hello, It's me your brother.

Will you share your winnings with your brother?

ok im actually his brother: notice last name, and I am advising u to chill, hes not giving me any

can confirm

How nervous were you heading into the last game knowing that 100k was on the line?

it wasn't too bad actually - I was more nervous before the semifinals to be honest, the whole 2 day thing helped lower the pressure a little bit, and just knowing I had already made it to the finals, i figured even coming in 3rd would be solid

Niki was hawt, get her number by chance?......

$50,000

What would be your dream Jeopardy category?

well the easy answer is kanye but that came up and i got outbuzzed so...

mad men characters?

What's the first thing you bought, and what is your plan with your new found money?

I'm going to try and spend it responsibly - it's a nice safety net to have and not one I plan on wasting. That said, I just went on a trip to Prague and Vienna that was amazing.

to copy my answerfrom above about what i'm doing with it:

The current plan is to invest most of it for Law School, and I also plan on traveling after senior year. I'm also excited to donate some of it to the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University, as my mom is a survivor and raises money for them on her birthday every year.

How long ago did you film the College Championship episodes? Was it tough keeping it a secret this long?

a month ago - it wasn't easy but i definitely had some fun with it, my friends were convinced that I came in third place haha

Oh I hope this isn't too late but big Jeopardy! fan, it looked super fun to be on the college tournament. First of all congratulations on the win! You mentioned the tournament took place over 2 days, but how much time did you guys actually have together and around the studios? What was your initial reaction when Niki stole your thunder on that Yeezy question? And most of all, aside from winning of course, what part of the experience was the most fun?

thanks!

we all stayed in the same hotel for three nights so we were able to hang out for a bit after the filming!

And I'll never live that kanye question down haha.

The most fun part was just make friends with all of the other contestants-so many amazing people from all over the country

Are the buzzers as frustrating as they seem on TV?

yup, but it's bound to be that way when there are a ton of questions that 2 or 3 of us all know

How did you feel when you didn't get to answer the Kanye question? Alex made it seem like a bigger deal than your initial facial expression. You seemed more focused with you're eye on the prize.

hahaha the question came up and it was easy enough that I knew everyone knew it and it would be a buzzer race, and when i lost i was just like bruh

That whole kanye thing was a joke right?

It was a bit tongue in cheek of course but I really like his music. Seeing him on the Yeezus tour was legitimately one of the greatest nights of my life.

How's The Life of Pablo?

dank

i fell like you are really liberal but i enjoyed watching you on Jeopardy. Do you drink?

lmao wat