The Jeopardy! College Championship is an annual tournament that pits college students from across the country against each other to win $100,000. The tournament began in 1989, and has become one of the most anticipated two-week series of games on Jeopardy!
How the College Championship Works:
The tournament itself is two weeks long (10 episodes), and made up of fifteen contestants. During the first week of quarter-finals, each contestant gets the chance to play Jeopardy! in the usual format of three players per game. The winners of these five games automatically move on to the semi-finals, as well as four wildcard contestants. The wildcards are chosen based on their final scores in the quarter-final rounds.
The first three games of the semi-finals consist of the nine quarter-finalists playing one game each. The winners of these three games move on to the finals, which is made up of two distinct games. The college champion is the contestant with the highest combined score in both final round games.
Prizes:
The prizing for the College Championship is as follows:
- Quarterfinalists - $5,000
- Semifinalists - $10,000
- Third Place - $25,000
- Second Place - $50,000
- Winner - $100,000
While the quarter and semi finalists receive a fixed amount, the finalists receive the above guaranteed payout, but can win more if their earnings over the two final games add up to a greater amount than their guaranteed prize.
In addition to cash, the winner of the College Championship receives an invitation to the annual Tournament of Champions.
'Jeopardy!' College Championship Winners:
- Tom Cubbage, Southern Methodist University (1989)
- Michael Thayer, Rutgers (1990)
- Scott Gillispie, Georgia Tech (1991)
- Billy Baxter, William & Mary (1992)
- Phoebe Juel, Grinnell College (1993)
- Jeff Stewart, Brigham Young (1994)
- Ben Lyon, University of Oklahoma (1995)
- Shane Whitlock, University of Arkansas, (1996)
- Craig Barker, University of Michigan (1997)
- Andrew Hutchings, Harvey Mudd College (1998)
- Carolyn Cracraft, University of Chicago (1999)
- Janet Wong, Drew University (2000)*
- Pam Mueller, Loyola University (2000)*
- Vinita Kailasanath, Stanford (2001)
- Kyle Hale, Texas A&M (2002)
* Two College Championships were held in 2000, the first in February for season 16, and the second in November for season 17.
Source: Official 'Jeopardy!' website
Fun Facts:
- The only school so far to boast more than one College Championship winner is Stanford University.
- Tom Cubbage is the only Jeopardy! College Champion to go on to also win the Tournament of Champions, which he did in 1989.
- Contestants in the College Championship are chosen randomly from a pool of potential contestants who pass a 10-minute, 50-question online test. Contestants must be currently enrolled in a full-time undergraduate program, with no prior degrees.
