‘I still don’t believe’: North Texas Jeopardy! champion gets shot at $250K grand prize

David Montesino
·3 min read
1

Jared Watson still cannot believe he has a shot to be a champion among champions of TV’s popular trivia game show Jeopardy!

Watson, a quality control specialist from Greenville, is one of 27 contestants who will compete in the next Tournament of Champions since 2022. The competition has nine quarterfinal games, three semifinal games and a “best of seven” finals series, where the first champion to win three games takes home the $250,000 grand prize and an invitation to compete in “Jeopardy! Masters” on ABC.

“I still don’t believe that it has happened to me,” Watson told CBS Texas. “Every moment of it (finding out he had qualified) was completely surreal.”

⚡ More trending stories:

→ Texas to 'spring forward': When daylight saving time begins

→ How Texas became a hotbed for chupacabra sightings.

→ Is there truth to another mountain lion sighting in Glen Rose?

He breathlessly explained that this has been a years-long odyssey for him to even get on the show, “That I never thought would actually happen,” he said.

Taking a breath, an ebullient Watson beamed saying, “But it did, and here I am.”

Watson’s game show resume includes winning three days in a row back in June 2023. His quarterfinal turn comes Monday, Feb. 26.

So, what has he been doing since last June?

“Studying,” Watson said.

Returning Jeopardy! champions, competition schedule

Fri., Feb. 23: Quarterfinal 1

  • Suresh Krishnan, a 6-game champion from Suwanee, Ga.

  • Matthew Marcus, a 4-game champion from Portland, Ore.

  • *Emily Sands, a 3-game champion and S37/38 Champions Wildcard winner from Chanhassen, Minn.

Mon., Feb.. 26: Quarterfinal 2

  • Ben Goldstein, a 5-game champion from Dexter, Mich.

  • Cris Pannullo, a 21-game champion from Ocean City, N.J.

  • Jared Watson, a 3-game champion from Greenville, Texas

Tues., Feb. 27: Quarterfinal 3

  • David Sibley, a 4-game champion from Walla Walla, Wash.

  • *Yungsheng Wang, 3-game champion and S37/38 Champions Wildcard winner originally from Lafayette, La.

  • Hannah Wilson, an 8-game champion from Chicago, Ill.

Weds., Feb. 28: Quarterfinal 4

  • *Nick Cascone, a 1-game champion and S37/38 Champions Wildcard winner originally from Queens, N.Y.

  • Jake DeArruda, a 3-game champion originally from Ludlow, Vt.

  • Yogesh Raut, a 3-game champion from Vancouver, Wash.

Thurs., Feb. 29: Quarterfinal 5

  • Kevin Belle, a 3-game champion from Silver Spring, Md.

  • Luigi de Guzman, a 5-game champion from Arlington, Va.

  • *Juveria Zaheer, a S39 Second Chance winner and S39 Champions Wildcard winner from Whitby, Ontario, Canada

Fri., March 1: Quarterfinal 6

  • Brian Henegar, a 3-game champion from LaFollette, Tenn.

  • *Josh Saak, a 3-game champion and S37/38 Champions Wildcard Winner from Boise, Idaho

  • Stephen Webb, an 8-game champion from Longmont, Colo.

Mon., March 4: Quarterfinal 7

  • Ike Barinholtz, “Celebrity Jeopardy!” Season 1 champion from Chicago, Ill.

  • Melissa Klapper, a 3-game champion from Merion Station, Pa.

  • Ray Lalonde, a 13-game champion from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tues., March 5: Quarterfinal 8

  • Justin Bolsen, JEOPARDY! High School Reunion Tournament champion from Canton, Ga.

  • Ben Chan, a 9-game champion from Green Bay, Wisc.

  • Emmett Stanton, a 3-game champion from Baltimore, Md.

Weds., March 6: Quarterfinal 9

  • Sean McShane, a 3-day champion from South Boston, Ma.

  • Troy Meyer, a 6-day champion from Tampa, Fla.

  • *S39 Champions Wildcard Winner TBD

Broadcast schedule for the semifinals and finals:

  • Thurs., Mar. 7: Semifinal 1

  • Fri., Mar. 8: Semifinal 2

  • Mon., Mar. 11: Semifinal 3

  • Tues., Mar. 12: Finals Game 1

  • Weds., Mar. 13: Finals Game 2

  • Thurs., Mar. 14: Finals Game 3

  • Fri., Mar. 15: Finals Game 4 (if needed)

  • Mon., Mar. 18: Finals Game 5 (if needed)

  • Tues., Mar. 19: Finals Game 6 (if needed)

  • Weds., Mar. 20: Finals Game 7 (if needed)