In this episode of Post-Podium, I had the opportunity to chat with the finalists of the 'Jeopardy! National College Championship' (JNCC): Jaskaran Singh (UT Austin), Raymond Goslow (Kennesaw State), and Liz Feltner (Northeastern). We went over why they auditioned for Jeopardy!, their reactions to their wins in the semifinals, and how they each handled the fickle Jeopardy! buzzer. We also reviewed some clues in the finals and went over game dynamics, compared and contrasted the tournament with the syndicated show, and talked about the celebrations after taping and reactions from others after the finals aired.

What did Liz want to talk about as one of her contestant stories? Is Jaskaran a "foodie"? How did Raymond experience what he describes as a moment of "gay privilege"? All of these questions and more are answered in this episode of Post-Podium!

Timestamps

0:14 - Intro

1:08 - Panel introductions

2:09 - Jaskaran deals with newfound fame

2:48 - Liz recounts her finale watchparty

4:08 - Raymond recounts his finale watchparty

6:42 - "Why Jeopardy!?"

8:05 - "What did your audition timeline look like?"

9:01 - "How did you prepare for the JNCC?"

12:15 - Jaskaran talks about his semifinal Final Jeopardy! response

14:00 - Liz talks about her semifinal tiebreaker clue

16:58 - Raymond talks about his worrisome semifinal score

18:54 - "What was a category that you didn't want to see in the finals?"

20:15 - "How consistent were you on the buzzer from game to game?"

22:48 - The Jeopardy! buzzer: Team Lights vs. Team Sound

23:59 - Alternative contestant stories

26:19 - Finals Breakdown: "MYTHIC CONSTELLATIONS" for $1,600

27:11 - "How much time was there between game 1 and game 2 of the finals?"

28:19 - "Did you make any changes or adjust your strategy going into game 2?"

29:38 - Finals Breakdown: Jaskaran swept "FOOD COMBOS"

30:17 - Did Jaskaran's approach to the Daily Doubles change from clue to clue?

31:37 - "What aspect of this experience surprised you the most?"

33:24 - Opinions on the tournament's structure

36:40 - "Would you have preferred to have been on the syndicated show?"

39:09 - Jaskaran's reaction to qualifying for the Tournament of Champions

40:16 - Other behind the scenes stories (Wheel of Fortune set pictures, Finals afterparty)

42:59 - Reactions on social media

47:05 - "What was the best purchase you've made with your winnings thus far?"

50:06 - Wrapping up and promoting social media

52:05 - Outro