I was watching Jeopardy last night (of course), and it was the Teen tournament. Usually I'm not too into that tournament - I know a lot of the answers easily and get annoyed when the kids don't get the easy (to my college-educated self) questions - "To Be or Not To Be" is from Hamlet, DUH!!!! - and I also get annoyed when I don't know the correct response, because I should, because they're teens, and I learned all that stuff years ago. And I also think half of the kids are super annoying, trying to be witty and funny, and just looking silly most of the time.
BUT this was the final round of the Teen tournament, the 2nd of the 2 day final. I hadn't watched the 1st day, and I'd only seen a few of the other rounds. I knew one of the kid in the final from previous rounds - and I didn't like him, he was annoying and sounded like he was trying to pretend to be a 21-year-old jock so he could sneak into a bar or something. His real voice was the voice that my nephew Caleb uses when he mimics an older adult. But it was his real voice! Annoying. Ugh, anyway.
I think I knew the kid in the middle, too, an over-anxious nerd who was trying to live up to his social standing and was full of angst because he was being beat out by a future jock stuck in his high school days and a kid with a sweet afro who seemed like he barely cared.
And it was when I saw the kid with the sweet afro who seemed like he barely cared that I finally began to care. He was awesome and he restored my faith in teens on Jeopardy - that they aren't all super annoying and ridiculous. He was so cool.
So I took a screen shot of him with my phone, so I could post how I just found the coolest contestant on Jeopardy ever.
And then Leonard (!!!) pulled up the Daily Double in the double Jeopardy round. And he had $19,000 or something - it was also quite a bit more than his contestants, but at least $10,000 at this point.
And he wagered $18,000.
!!!!
The audience went into a mini-tizzy. I loved the gasps and giggles as he calmly waited for the clue, and I swear I heard one fainting mother somewhere off-camera.
AND HE WAS CORRECT!
The kid went into the final Jeopardy round with $37,000.
And I was already excited to post about this and couldn't stop smiling and giggling about this teen (I know, pot calling the kettle black after calling that kid above a total nerd. Let's not worry about that now).
And then Leonard, the cool as a cucumber teen who was putting everyone in psychedelic fits of pure glee with his nonchalant demeanor and crossed-arms buzzing-in posture, had such a great final Jeopardy response to the clue.
The category was Military Men, the 'answer' was looking for who said a famous quote (which they actually quoted, of course) in 1944.
The annoying dude got it right, but didn't have enough money between the two rounds to be much of a contender anyway. The angsty nerdy one didn't get it right, which if he had, he would've won with the two days' winnings.
And Leonard? Well, this is what he said (pardon the comment early in the video from the video taper):
I LOVE THIS TEEN!
He's my favorite, hands-down. If they could get him, Ken Jennings, and Watson in one room, I'd be so happy. So much Jeopardy personality in one room, it might explode from nerdy sweetness!
And so marks the first time I've ever enjoyed the Teen Tournament. If only they could all be like this.
Shoot, if only the regular Jeopardy contestants could be like him. I think the world would stop fighting, peace would abound, and we'd all just smile all the time about everything.
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