The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

Students vie for spots in mock Jeopardy contest

Sophomore Scott Mutchnick, junior Ross Steinberg, and senior David Panitch participate in a GBN jeopardy elimination round. They competed to place into a jeopardy competition being held on March 20 as part of the All-School Workshop.

Before school on Dec. 12, junior Ross Steinberg sat in the library computer lab with 32 of his classmates, completely silent. They typed away at the computers, scrambling to qualify for the next round of GBN Jeopardy.

Steinberg said the students were asked 100 questions in 25 minutes, giving them about 15 seconds per question. He said he had to go with his gut reactions and, on one question, incorrectly  said Maine was the northernmost  state instead of Alaska.

“I love Jeopardy,” said Steinberg, who made it to the second round. “I have always watched it, and although I had to get up early on a late arrival day, it was worth it. We have so many opportunities at our school and we should really take advantage of them.”

The mock Jeopardy tournament is run by co-sponsors Todd Rubin and Ana Peso. Rubin said after the first elimination round, 14 students were selected to advance to the second round on Jan. 17. The students were asked to take a written test and play mock games.

According to Rubin, seniors Brian O’Keefe and Michael Freidin will be in the final show. Rubin said there will also be a wildcard game that will be played on the day of the final tournament to determine the third contestant. The wildcard contestants are sophomore Rich Kaplan, junior Benji Englander, and senior Jake Gianni.

These finalists  are scheduled to appear on the final show or wildcard tournament on the day of the All-School Workshop. The final competition will also be broadcast on the GBN cable station, Comcast channel 16, as well as on (GBNBroadcasting.com), according to Rubin.

Rubin said the idea for the tournament came around two years ago when he was sitting with Peso at a lunch table. After they discovered their mutual fondness for trivia, they decided it was time to have a tournament at GBN.

“We’re going to do [the show] in the Little Theatre, we’re going to tape it, have a host and a big board so we’re going to simulate the exact show to a T,” Rubin said.

Steinberg said while he prepared for the second round, he watched a “good amount” of Jeopardy over winter break. He practiced hitting the buzzer quickly and read the blogs of past Jeopardy winners and a few general knowledge books.

“I have a lot of general knowledge, but there is some tough competition,” Steinberg said.

Rubin encourages students to sign up to watch the show on the All-School Workshop day as part of their activities.

“[Students] will get a little glimpse behind the scenes of what it looks like to tape a real game show,” said Rubin. “Ms. Peso will [also] talk a little bit about her experience on the real Jeopardy … so I hope a lot of kids will come to the session and play along with the contestants themselves.”