'Thanks, Mrs. Knox!': Bishop Verot's Claire Sattler gives 'Jeopardy!' shout-out to her teacher

Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press
·3 min read
Claire Sattler on the set of "Jeopardy!" in January 2023. She's appearing in the show's High School Reunion Tournament in February.
Claire Sattler on the set of "Jeopardy!" in January 2023. She's appearing in the show's High School Reunion Tournament in February.
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Thanks, Mrs. Knox!

Contestant Claire Sattler wrote those words with her Final Jeopardy answer Monday on the TV game show “Jeopardy!”

And with good reason.

Thanks to a long-ago reading assignment from her ninth-grade English teacher, Sattler said she knew the answer to the final clue immediately. Now the former Bonita Springs resident moves to the semifinals in the “Jeopardy!” High School Reunion Tournament.

Sattler, 21, said she was worried when the Final Jeopardy category was revealed: African Countries.

“It was my nightmare category,” Sattler said after the episode aired Monday night. “I’m terrified of geography. And even more terrified of African geography.”

'Jeopardy!': SW Florida champ Claire Sattler returns for High School Reunion Tournament

More: Bonita Springs teen wins 'Jeopardy!' Teen Tournament, takes home $100,000 prize

But then she heard the clue: This country dropped to third-largest in Africa after a portion of the country declared independence in 2011. And she remembered reading a book on Sudan’s Darfur Genocide during a unit on genocides taught by her former English teacher, the now retired Lynn Knox, at Fort Myers’ Bishop Verot High School.

“I learned a lot about Sudan,” Sattler said. “So when the question came up, I knew it immediately. And I knew I had to give her a shout-out.

“Maybe I would have gotten it without her, but I definitely wouldn’t have gotten it so immediately without her assigning us that book.”

Knox even texted Sattler after the episode to thank her for that shout-out. “It was so good to hear from her,” Sattler said.

Sattler on 'Jeopardy!' competition: 'I’d be honored to lose to any of them.'

The Bishop Verot graduate — who won the “Jeopardy!” Teen Tournament in 2018 — is competing on “Jeopardy!” in the new High School Reunion Tournament. The semifinals start Friday, March 3.

The tournament features 27 former contestants from the annual Teen Tournament. They’re all competing for the $100,000 grand prize and a spot in the “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions. The episodes were filmed in January.

Sattler watched Monday night’s show with about 40 friends — including some former Teen Tournament contestants — at a downtown bar in New Haven, Connecticut.

“It was super fun,” she said. “Everyone was cheering. Every time I got a question right, people cheered. It was great.”

More: Bonita Springs teen wins, heads to 'Jeopardy' finals for annual Teen Tournament

More: Bonita Springs teen makes it to 'Jeopardy!' Teen Tournament semifinals

More: Bishop Verot senior competes on 'Jeopardy!' Teen Tournament 

Claire Sattler and host Mayim Bialik on the set of "Jeopardy!" in January 2023. She's appearing in the show's High School Reunion Tournament in February.
Claire Sattler and host Mayim Bialik on the set of "Jeopardy!" in January 2023. She's appearing in the show's High School Reunion Tournament in February.

The Yale University senior said the competition on “Jeopardy!” was much more intense this time. She said she was nervous going into the tournament, but also at peace with whatever happened.

“I was nervous because all the other people who have advanced so far … are all phenomenal players,” she said. “So I was like, well, any of them, if I play, there’s a chance I get absolutely beaten to a pulp (laughs).

“But that’s how the game works, and it all comes down to the categories, the buzzer. These were also great friends of mine. And as I said before, I’d be honored to lose to any of them.”

Sattler ended up besting her two opponents Monday — Rohan Kapileshwari of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Rhea Sinha of Chatham, New Jersey — and racking up $18,411 in winnings.

“I was just really, really happy that I made it to the second round,” she said. “That was all I could ask for. …

“It was a great experience. I was just super-happy that I made it from the original 27 pool to the nine. Because that’s a huge cut-off!”

“Jeopardy!” is a syndicated show that appears weeknights on various TV networks nationwide. It airs at 7:30 p.m. on Southwest Florida’s NBC2.

Learn more about the “Jeopardy!” High School Reunion at https://www.jeopardy.com/contestant-zone/2023/high-school-reunion.

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1). You can also call at 239-335-0368.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Jeopardy! winner Claire Sattler thanks Fort Myers teacher