TV: November 2004 Archives

Tonight was round 1 of the Jeopardy College Tournament. One of the contestants, Kermin, a comp-sci/engineering student from Carnegie Mellon University, had a commanding lead (well over $10K) going into Final Jeopardy.

His final wager had Alex Trebek scratching his head, but Kermin was clearly sending a message to fellow computer nerds. His wager:

$1337

In leetspeak, 1337 translates to "leet" or "elite."

Due to his correct response in Final Jeopardy, Kermin ended up with $31,542, which makes it likely he'll wind up in the final rounds of the tournament. It was a clever gesture, perhaps one that only could have been outdone if he had wagered $1132, which would have left him a final score of $31,337.

Somewhat relatedly, "Video Games" was a category earlier in the game, (Everquest, Grand Theft Auto, and Unreal Tournament were all correct responses) and "Blogs" was a category a few weeks ago.

Thanks to my friend Chenzie for getting me the screenshot.

Update (11/19/04): According to a comment below, Kermin won the game tonight by wagering $1041. 1041, when converted from decimal to hexadecimal equals "411." 411 is a synonym for "information." Thanks for catching it, Max. I believe this pushes him into next week's finals.

Update (11/22/04): In tonight's game, Round 1 of the Finals, Kermin explained his 1337 wager to Alex and the rest of the audience. He went on to win the game, putting him in a great spot for Round 2 of the Finals on Tuesday. I think he has to lose by $10,000 in order to lose the championship.

Update (11/23/04): Kermin won the finals, by a lot.