The Jeopardy! National College Championship finally came to an end on Tuesday night.
The primetime tournament featured 36 students from undergraduate universities and colleges in the United States. The top prize was $250,000 dollars. The second-place prize was $100,000 dollars, and the third-place finisher took home $50,000 dollars.
Who Won The Jeopardy! National College Championship?
After two weeks of competition, the finalists were Liz Feltner, Jaskaran Singh, and Raymond Goslow. Liz, a senior at Northeastern University, was from Baton Rouge, LA, and was majoring in political science and business administration.
Jaskaran, a senior at the University of Texas in Austin, was from Plano, Texas, and was majoring in finance and economics. Raymond, a senior at Kennesaw State University, was from Austell, GA, and was majoring in geospatial sciences.
Although Jaskaran dominated the first game, the second match was a lot closer. Still, he was able to walk away with the victory and the $250,000 dollar prize.
Jaskaran Singh Jokes That He’s Skipping Class After His Big ‘Jeopardy!’ Win!
no chance i’m going to class tomorrow https://t.co/P4iXnnITR2
— Jaskaran Singh (@jsinghmlk) February 23, 2022
After winning the tournament, Jaskaran took to Twitter to joke, “no chance i’m going to class tomorrow.”
He retweeted that reply in response to an interview with a local San Antonio news outlet.
In recognition of his victory, UT Austin President Jay Hartzell announced that they would light the UT Tower to burn orange to honor his victory. Although the recognition is usually reserved for football wins or national championships, Jaskaran’s Jeopardy! win is more than deserving of the torch being lit. Jaskaran also got courtside seats for the men’s basketball game against TCU.
Won 20th game tonight and met Jaskaran, the champ.
Solid night. 🤘🏽@jsinghmlk @Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/Upn57gch2o— Chris Beard (@ChrisBeardUT) February 24, 2022
Even after he got home, he had to keep his big win a secret to his family and friends for about three months. “I just told my parents ‘I did well,’” he recalled. No one knew who would come out on top during the nail-biting watch party, where they anxiously awaited to see the final results.
“When I put the zero down, at the watch party, people were like ‘what did you do?’” he said with a laugh. “And I was like, don’t worry. You’ll see.”
Jaskaran admitted to being a “superfan” of the decades-long trivia game show when he was in elementary school, but he grew out of it. He took the qualifying test at age 13 but didn’t make the cut. It wasn’t until last year, when his mother encouraged him to try again, that he managed to secure an audition.
It’s not every day you get to have the @Jeopardy National Champion in your locker room 🤘#HookEm x @jsinghmlk pic.twitter.com/VG5nSkmBkA
— #20 Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) February 24, 2022
Jaskaran said that he is prepared for the extra attention that he’ll receive when he finally heads back to class.
“I’m already the guy with the turban so I already stand out in a sense,” he said. “Now I’m the Jeopardy! guy. It’s even easier to find me.”
Will Jaskaran Singh Stand A Chance Against Matt Amodio & Amy Schneider In The Jeopardy! Tournament Of Champions?
His win didn’t only secure him the $250,000 dollar prize and bragging rights, although Jaskaran did say he plans to put that money to good use.
“I do need a car,” he admitted. “I’ll probably get a car. I’ll donate some. And then, well, I’ll figure it out. It’s still pretty surreal right now.”
Jaskaran also scored an invitation to the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, which will be held later this year. There, he will face off against some of the biggest names of the season, such as Matt Amodio and Amy Schneider.
“It’s going to be pretty tough going against all these people who have won a bunch of money on Jeopardy! but I’m excited to do my best, and represent UT again,” he said.
Jaskaran Reveals His Jeopardy! Strategy: Buzz Fast & Know Things!
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In an interview with Jeopardy! after the game, Jaskaran was asked how it felt to win the grand prize. “[It] feels pretty awesome,” he replied. “It’ll definitely go a long way towards paying my tuition and a lot more so that’s really great.”
When asked if he used any strategy in the final game, he replied, “Not particularly. I just, I guess, sort of just buzz fast and know things and that’s pretty much it. I don’t think there’s much more to it.”
Jaskaran revealed that the best part of the experience was “definitely getting to meet all the other contestants. I met so many cool people from all over the country. It was really a great experience.”
He also gave a special shoutout to his parents, his sister, and his friends, saying that they “helped me, you know, prepare for this and generally just for being great friends all throughout my college career. William, Jason, Sendel… who else am I missing? Graham. All great guys. So thanks to them and everyone at home.”
All episodes of the tournament are currently available to stream on Hulu.
want to shout out all of the other contestants for being some of the nicest people I’ve met (except alfred smh). Thanks to the Jeopardy staff for making us look pretty and bringing us all together. Not much left to say besides hook ’em and catch me in the Tournament of Champions!
— Jaskaran Singh (@jsinghmlk) February 23, 2022
