SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Indian American teenager Sharath Narayan, an Alabama high school student, won this year’s $100,000 Jeopardy Teen Tournament.
The two-day finals were held in Washington DC, and came to its conclusion Tuesday. Narayan bested the two other finalists in the competition, Alex Fischthal and Michael Borecki, who came second and third, respectively. The TV show is hosted by Alex Trebek, and is in its 33rd season.
Narayan’s victory was taped earlier this year, but his friends and classmates held a watch party anyway in his honor Monday, he said in an interview. “It’s great to have all the community support, it feels great to know that everyone is rallying behind you and I really appreciate everyone coming out,” he said. “Being on jeopardy has been one of my lifelong dreams. We’ve been watching it since I was little, I love trivia.”
Narayan was chosen out of nearly 300 teenagers to compete in Jeopardy’s Teen Tournament, after an audition.
“It was kind of hard to fathom that I made it to the audition, when they sent the email for the audition and then to the show, which is even bigger,” Narayan said.
The biggest Jeopardy challenge of all? Getting to the buzzer first, according to Narayan. “Definitely intimidated by the buzzer, getting in on the buzzer quickly is difficult,” he said.
“The Teen Tournament is my favorite yearly event due to the energy and enthusiasm of our young contestants,” Trebek said in a statement. “Taping this year’s shows in D.C. only added to that feeling of excitement and also created a sense of occasion that was felt by everyone who participated in it.”
