Wilmington teen competing on 'Jeopardy!' Thursday
A Wilmington native will appear on this long-running trivia game show Thursday.
If you answered, “What is 'Jeopardy!'?” you’d be correct.
New York University freshman Mohan Malhotra, 18, will appear on "Jeopardy!" on Thursday – airing at 7 p.m. on WPVI/6 and 7:30 p.m. on WBOC/21 – as part of the game show’s annual College Championships.
Played under bracket tournament rules, 15 players compete in five matches with three contestants in the first week. The five winning participants advance to the next round, along with the four contestants who scored the highest point total in their respective games. Three semifinals games with three participants will commence, and the winners advance to a two-day final.
While Malhotra is contractually obliged to withhold his results, he said his time on the show, which he's watched since he was a kid, was an enjoyable one. Malhotra said he's always been interested in trivia. He became involved in academic quiz tournaments at the Independence School in Pike Creek and continued throughout his time at the Charter School of Wilmington.
It was in high school where he tried out for "Jeopardy!" the first time but never received a callback.
As he got older, he tried to catch the show when he could, but he never put much thought into trying out again. By chance, Malhotra said, he auditioned one more time.
Malhotra's best friend, a University of Georgetown student, was taking the online test and encouraged Malhotra to do the same, even if it was only for fun.
“What happens, happens,” Malhotra said he thought.
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Tryouts include an online written test in which applicants have 15 seconds to answer each question. A percentage of those who score well on the test undergo multiple auditions. After the audition process, Malhotra learned he would be appearing on the show.
“It almost all happened by accident,” Malhotra said. “I took the test, and it changed everything.”
In January he was flown out to Los Angeles for two days to participate in the College Championships.
Much like Earl Holland, a News Journal sports producer who appeared on eight episodes of "Sports Jeopardy!" Malhotra said he had to get familiar with buzzing in for answers, but his experience from auditioning to appearing on the show was “a blast” and “addicting.”
“I just wanted to keep playing,” he said.
Malhotra, who attends the NYU School of Business as a double major in finance and computing and data sciences, said his great experience was only enhanced by the people he met during his time in Los Angeles, saying the opportunity allowed him a chance to meet “a lot of really cool like-minded people.”
"It was honestly one of the best experiences in my life,” he added.
Malhotra said he will be watching his appearance on the show with a group of friends in New York City on campus. The Malhotra family is holding a viewing party Thursday at the Hindu Temple Auditorium on Yorklyn Road in Hockessin. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for light refreshments.
Malhotra's father, Arun Malhotra, 50, of Wilmington, said his son always took an interest in reading and specifically trivia. He jokingly recalled that he used to tell his son to stop wasting his time on trivia and focus on one subject, but he couldn’t be more proud.
“I’m eating my own words now,” he joked. “This kid is driven by reading and the urge to know and figure out things.”
Contact Alonzo Small at (302) 324-2856 or asmall@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @P_AlonzoSmall.
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