Need another diversion during the coronavirus pandemic? One that entertains and educates simultaneously?
The annual “Jeopardy College Championship,” hosted by Alex Trebek, begins tonight and will put 15 young brainiacs to the test for 10 days. Their anxious parents, meanwhile, will get to see if those exorbitant student loans have actually been worth it.
Among this year’s field of contestants is Alistair Gray, a Sunnyvale resident who is attending UC San Diego. He debuts in Wednesday night’s game, facing off against Londyn Lorenz, a sophomore at the University of Mississippi from Perryville, Mo., and Kylie Weaver, a senior at Penn State from McLean, Va., for a shot at the semifinals.
In tonight’s opener, Marshall Comeaux, a sophomore at the University of Texas from Dallas, Texas, plays against Emma Farrell, a senior at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, from Telford, Pa., and Sirad Hassan, a senior at Princeton University from Frederick, Md.
The winner of the college championship, which airs April 6-17, claims the $100,000 grand prize and a berth in the next “Tournament of Champions.”
Other contestants competing are:
— Sophie Casarico, a junior at Florida State University from St. Augustine, Fla.
— Joe Coker, a junior at Hendrix College from Conway, Ark.
— Tyler Combs, a senior at Indiana University from Greenfield, Ind.
— Natalie Hathcote, a junior at Liberty University from Parker, Colo.
— Kayla Kalhor, a sophomore at the University of Florida from Longwood, Fla.
— Beni Keown, a freshman at Northwestern University from Evanston, Ill.
— Nathaniel Miller, a sophomore at Yale University from Miami, Fla.
— Nibir Sarma, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota from Eden Prairie, Minn.
— Xiaoke Ying, a sophomore at the University of Southern California from Arcadia, Calif.
In the Bay Area, “Jeopardy” airs at 7 p.m. on ABC7 (KGO-TV).