A Brown University student took a big gamble on 'Jeopardy!' last night. Here's how it went.
Answer: The winning contestant of a quiz game show tournament where the contestants are friends, a big bet is made, and the last bet of the episode is a shout-out to the contestant's mom.
Question: What is Brown University Justin Bolsen's return to "Jeopardy!"?
On Thursday, Bolsen returned to the popular television game show four years after his first appearance as a high school freshman from Canton, Georgia, for the "Jeopardy! Teen Tournament." The show's first-ever high school reunion tournament brings back 27 former teen contestants for a 14-day event, a chance at $100,000 and a spot in the Tournament of Champions.
There were two moments in Bolsen's winning performance that have fans of the show talking.
The first was when he hit on the third Daily Double of the game. He had accumulated $8,600 at that point, putting him behind Harvard University sophomore Shirya Yarlagadda, who had $8,800, and ahead of American University student Teagan O'Sullivan from Watertown, Massachusetts.
Bolsen bet it all, correctly answered "What is Halley's Comet," and took the lead, which he never gave up.
His second big moment was his Final question, when he placed the rather peculiar wager of $823. Why? Because added to his score of $22,400 it equaled $23,223. The 223 represents the day the show aired, Feb. 23, but more importantly, it's his mom's birthday.
"She'll get a nice little surprise when she watches this," Bolsen said in a clip "Jeopardy!" posted online after the show aired.
How does Bolsen feel about being back on 'Jeopardy!'?
Bolsen was excited when he found out he would be back on the show.
The first-year student, concentrating in economics and international and public affairs, said in a news release from Brown University, that returning to "Jeopardy!" had two major draws — that the competitors had stayed friends over the years, and that there would be less anxiety.
“It’s nice to have someone you know well that you’re competing against, because it makes the environment a little bit more calm, like you’re just pals playing a friendly game,” Bolsen said in the news release.
He added the first "experience taught me that it’s OK to mess up and it’s normal to make mistakes. This time, I went in with the mindset that I’m going to go and have fun, and if I lose, I lose.”
When will Bolsen return to 'Jeopardy!'?
"Jeopardy!" has not yet announced the lineup for the semifinals, which will start on March 3.
Bolsen wasn't the only Rhode Island appearance on 'Jeopardy!' this week
On Tuesday, the second day of the tournament, the contestants were challenged with a question about Newport.
Answer: The Breakers, once a Newport summer home of this 19th-century transportation industry family, has 48 bedrooms and 27 fireplaces.
Question: Who are the Vanderbilts?
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Brown University student on Jeopardy! - did he win?
