USC junior Sam Deutsch edges out Cal, Pittsburgh to clinch Jeopardy! College Championship

Samuel Deutsch, a junior majoring in political economy, has become the first Trojan to win the Jeopardy! College Championship since the tournament began in 1988.

Deutsch competed against Sarah Dubnik and Niki Peters, students at the University of Pittsburgh and UC Berkeley respectively, in the final round Friday.

The show, which is an offshoot of the regular Jeopardy! game show that has been on air since 1964, brings together full-time undergraduate college students from around the country, who have to face a series of challenging rounds of trivia before competing in the finals.

“It was really cool meeting students from all over the U.S. who were not only incredibly smart but funny and interesting as well,” Deutsch said in an email to the Daily Trojan. “Though we were competing against each other, at the end of the day I think we felt more like teammates than competitors; the producers did a great job at helping everyone loosen up and be friendly.”

The Jeopardy! College Championship has hundreds of in-person auditions, and only a select few make the final cut.

“I was kind of shocked. Finding out that I was one of the lucky 15 was surreal,” Deutsch said.

Going over history and geography, playing Sporcle (an online trivia game), watching old episodes and using a pen as a mock buzzer helped Deutsch prepare for the show and claim the grand prize of $100,000.

But Deutsch felt that he couldn’t prepare for being quizzed by Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, one of television’s most recognizable figures, despite having practice rounds beforehand.

“I felt like a deer in the headlights, to be honest. The lights were bright,” Deutsch said. “I felt lucky to be even on the show and didn’t think about whether I could win.”

Deutsch subsequently qualifies for a place in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions.

Deutsch, who grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, was especially thankful that his friends and family were there to support him at the taping.

“The best moment had to be hearing my family and friends cheering me on. Since the show tapes in Culver City, a bunch of my friends were able to make it to the taping and root for me,” Deutsch said.

Deutsch noted how the interdisciplinary nature of his major helped him succeed.

“I like taking economics classes of course, and the political economy major allowed me to combine that with a bunch of fascinating international relations courses as well, and that unique combination of perspectives has helped me synthesize and build on what I learn,” Deutsch said.

Apart from being a political economy major, Deutsch’s versatility and love for music led him to DJing with his roommate Max.

“I’m into all sorts of stuff from hip-hop to indie to electronic, and L.A. is great because I’m able to go to concerts all the time here. Max and I enjoy doing parties on the Row and clubs in Hollywood,” he said.

His drive for constant learning is making him consider going to law school after graduation. His business law classes have also played a role in this decision.

Deutsch plans to invest a part of the prize money and use it in the future to help pay for law school. He is also willing to set aside some of it to go to Tokyo for a post-graduation trip. Deutsch is a travel enthusiast currently studying abroad in the Netherlands and hopes to find work that allows him to travel.

“I also plan on donating some of my winnings to the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University,” Deutsch said. “I chose this charity, as it is one I have a personal connection to. My mom is a survivor and a huge inspiration. Every year she has run in fundraisers for breast cancer research, and I look forward to supporting her this year.”

This post was updated at 7:27 p.m. on Feb. 12.