For the next two weeks (and four days), 27 of the 30 players from Season 35’s two Teen Tournaments return for the High School Reunion Tournament. Emma Arnold, Rotimi Kukoyi, and Sophia Weng were unable to take part for various reasons and have been promised a future re-appearance on the show.
In case you want to watch the first appearances of these players, Jeopardy!’s YouTube channel has the 20 episodes of the Season 35 teen tournaments.
Some of the players will want to prove that their first performance was no accident. Others, for various reasons, will have some sort of redemption on their mind and will want to make the most of their second chance. It will be an exciting few weeks!
As always, my tournament prediction model has run 100,000 simulations of the tournament to devise its predictions.
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Monday, February 20:
 Audrey Sarin Senior at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Seattle, Washington 12 correct, 1 incorrect 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities) 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57) 0/0 on Daily Doubles 1/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $8,400 Predictions: |
 Maya Wright Senior at Emory University Peachtree City, Georgia 85 correct, 7 incorrect 6/6 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities) 35.71% in first on buzzer (80/224) 2/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,600) 2/4 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $14,700 Predictions: |
 Rohit Kataria Junior at Vanderbilt University Wheelersburg, Ohio 16 correct, 3 incorrect 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities) 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57) 0/0 on Daily Doubles 0/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $11,400 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: Based solely on past performance, Maya would look like the favorite here; after all, she was a finalist in her tournament, whereas Audrey and Rohit both were eliminated in the quarterfinals. However, what we don’t know is how each player’s skills have changed over the past four years. I’m certainly curious to see how things play out! |
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Tuesday, February 21:
 Avi Gupta Senior at Stanford University Portland, Oregon 95 correct, 5 incorrect 5/5 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities) 38.43% in first on buzzer (88/229) 3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $9,000) 4/4 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $16,150 Predictions: |
 Jack Izzo Senior at Northwestern University San Diego, California 38 correct, 6 incorrect 0/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities) 33.33% in first on buzzer (38/114) 1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$4,600) 1/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $13,800 Predictions: |
 Alison Purcell Senior at the University of Texas at Austin Bellaire, Texas 13 correct, 1 incorrect 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities) 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57) 0/0 on Daily Doubles 1/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $5,800 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: Avi comes into this tournament as the favorite; he was the strongest player in the two tournaments combined four years ago. But four years is a long time; it’s definitely a wide-open tournament, in my opinion. By this time, we’ll definitely have more of an idea how things will shake down over the 14-game event. Especially with everyone coming back, the potential storylines are endless; some players, like Avi, might be gunning for the ToC spot they didn’t get before, while others might be out for redemption after their first appearance might not have gone perfectly for them. It’s very intriguing! |
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Wednesday, February 22:
 Stephanie Pierson Junior at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Macon, Georgia 14 correct, 2 incorrect 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities) 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57) 0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000) 1/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $9,000 Predictions: |
 Autumn Shelton Junior at Princeton University Lamar, Missouri 35 correct, 4 incorrect 3/5 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities) 25.44% in first on buzzer (29/114) 2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $200) 2/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $13,600 Predictions: |
 Sreekar Madabushi Junior at the Georgia Institute of Technology Basking Ridge, New Jersey 20 correct, 1 incorrect 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities) 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57) 1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,600) 1/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $12,400 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: Sreekar is definitely one of those players who I think is out for redemption during this tournament; he had 20 correct but didn’t make the semifinals because of a conservative Final Jeopardy! bet. Autumn was a semifinalist, while Stephanie bowed out in the quarters. The prediction model likes Sreekar or Autumn, but it’s so difficult to predict anything with four-year-old data. |
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Thursday, February 23:
 Justin Bolsen First-year student at Brown University Canton, Georgia 38 correct, 6 incorrect 3/4 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities) 30.70% in first on buzzer (35/114) 3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $900) 1/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $14,700 Predictions: |
 Shriya Yarlagadda Sophomore at Harvard University Grand Blanc, Michigan 33 correct, 3 incorrect 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities) 24.56% in first on buzzer (28/114) 4/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,800) 1/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $14,000 Predictions: |
 Teagan O’Sullivan First-year student at American University Watertown, Massachusetts 43 correct, 6 incorrect 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities) 39.47% in first on buzzer (45/114) 1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$500) 2/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $17,700 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: The prediction model thinks this is one of the two most evenly-matched quarter-finals, with all three players between 32-35% chance to win. Justin may be in search of redemption after missing a late True Daily Double in his tournament; it’s also a matchup between three semifinalists from the Spring 2019 tournament. |
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Friday, February 24:
 Jackson Jones Junior at Vanderbilt University Louisville, Kentucky 45 correct, 5 incorrect 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities) 38.26% in first on buzzer (44/115) 3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $7,000) 1/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $19,000 Predictions: |
 Ryan Presler Senior at Brandon Valley High School Sioux Falls, South Dakota 67 correct, 3 incorrect 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 15 rebound opportunities) 26.32% in first on buzzer (60/228) 3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $8,000) 2/4 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $13,550 Predictions: |
 Isabella Pagano First-year student at Caltech Libertyville, Illinois 14 correct, 2 incorrect 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities) 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57) 0/0 on Daily Doubles 0/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $8,000 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: This match was one tiebreaker away from being a rematch of the 2019 final, at least between Jackson and Ryan. In between, I think Isabella got a difficult draw here. Ryan is in the tournament after initially being the alternate, after Rotimi Kukoyi was unable to participate. |
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Monday, February 27:
 Rohan Kapileshwari Senior at the Universty of Texas at Austin Winston-Salem, North Carolina 40 correct, 7 incorrect 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities) 38.60% in first on buzzer (44/114) 0/0 on Daily Doubles 1/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $12,400 Predictions: |
 Claire Sattler Senior at Yale University Bonita Springs, Florida 81 correct, 12 incorrect 7/8 on rebound attempts (on 15 rebound opportunities) 33.48% in first on buzzer (75/224) 5/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $8,000) 3/4 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $15,550 Predictions: |
 Rhea Sinha Cornell University graduate Chatham, New Jersey 15 correct, 3 incorrect 0/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities) 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57) 0/0 on Daily Doubles 0/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $11,800 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: Claire is the favorite in this quarterfinal—after all, she has her own tournament championship to defend! Of course, she’ll also have a target on her back, having a tournament win under her belt. |
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Tuesday, November 28:
 Lucas Miner Junior at Yale University Miami, Florida 73 correct, 13 incorrect 4/4 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities) 31.14% in first on buzzer (71/228) 3/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000) 4/4 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $12,950 Predictions: |
 Anish Maddipoti Junior at the University of Texas-Austin Austin, Texas 17 correct, 5 incorrect 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities) 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57) 1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,400) 0/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $9,200 Predictions: |
 Audrey Satchivi Senior at Indiana University-Bloomington Carmel, Indiana 32 correct, 2 incorrect 4/4 on rebound attempts (on 11 rebound opportunities) 23.68% in first on buzzer (27/114) 1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,000) 1/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $12,400 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: Despite Lucas being a finalist, Audrey played very well in her tournament and comes into this match as a slight favorite. (It just goes to show how much luck is often in these tournaments in general; the margin between winning and losing is so small in many cases.) Those margins are what make predicting these events so difficult. |
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Wednesday, March 1:
 Tim Cho Senior at Columbia University Champaign, Illinois 40 correct, 6 incorrect 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities) 34.21% in first on buzzer (39/114) 3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,400) 2/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $14,900 Predictions: |
 Dan Oxman Senior at the University of Maryland South Orange, New Jersey 15 correct, 11 incorrect 0/2 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities) 38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57) 0/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$3,000) 0/0 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $600 Predictions: |
 Eesha Sohail UCLA graduate Bakersfield, California 37 correct, 6 incorrect 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities) 34.21% in first on buzzer (39/114) 0/0 on Daily Doubles 0/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $14,700 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: Redemption is definitely the theme of quarterfinal #8: Tim is the favorite here, having nearly defeated tournament winner Claire Sattler in the semifinals. Dan will hopefully make a good showing; this tournament is a perfect chance at redemption for him, after giving 11 incorrect responses back in 2018. Meanwhile, Eesha herself would have been a finalist had her Final Jeopardy! wager in 2019 been less aggressive. |
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Thursday, March 2:
 Hannah Nekritz Senior at Brandeis University Stamford, Connecticut 30 correct, 3 incorrect 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities) 25.44% in first on buzzer (29/114) 0/0 on Daily Doubles 1/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $13,500 Predictions: |
 Caleb Richmond Sophomore at Georgetown University Bedford, New Hampshire 38 correct, 6 incorrect 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities) 34.21% in first on buzzer (39/114) 1/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$4,000) 1/2 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $16,600 Predictions: |
 Maggie Brown Sophomore at the University of West Florida Pensacola, Florida 12 correct, 2 incorrect 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities) 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57) 1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,500) 0/1 in Final Jeopardy Average Coryat: $12,200 Predictions: |
| Andy’s Thoughts: Another very even quarterfinal is predicted here, despite Maggie not reaching the semis four years ago. (Blame Lord of the Flies for that one.) This is one of those games where you definitely couldn’t say the prediction model got it wrong, regardless of the result. |
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Here’s my thoughts on each quarterfinal matchup and who I would think the favorite is!
QF1: Maya – It certainly helps that she has a much larger sample size than either of the other two, but I think she still has the best chance. I just hope she tightens up her Final Jeopardy betting a bit – for those that don’t remember, Maya wagered $8,000 in her tournament semifinal, in a runaway position that only allowed a safe wager of… much less than that.
QF2: Avi – I mean, do I really have to say much? I would probably agree that he’s the favorite, partly due to being strongest on the buzzer and partly due to being perfect on wagering clues.
QF3: Sreekar – I think the fact that $18,000 wasn’t enough to qualify for a wild card slot in this tournament shows just how strong the 2019 field was.
QF4: I genuinely have to idea. It’s too close to call. Of course, the Daily Doubles will probably prove to be the main factor here.
QF5: Jackson – In the alternate reality where Bizarro Jackson beats Bizarro Avi on the tiebreaker, I think it’s not too far fetched to think that Bizarro Jackson would be good enough to win the tournament. But I can’t count Ryan out just yet.
QF6: Claire – Much with Avi, I don’t think I have to explain much. Although I don’t understand what you mean by “she’ll have a target on her back”.
QF7: Audrey – Even though she’s weakest of the three on the buzzer, I also think Daily Doubles play a huge factor, so the fact that she’s the only player in this game with a positive Net Earned helps her win chances significantly IMO.
QF8: No idea. Tim is the strongest based on paper, but Eesha will probably prove to be a factor, and Dan could sneak away with a W if his two opponents bet big and miss on Final. This is one of those that I would need to watch to be able to predict the outcome.
QF9: Caleb – I’ll admit, this is partly due to my bias of sharing a home state (New Hampshire representation is nice to see!) but I also think he does have the best chance of winning, based on prior stats. But again, given how it’s been about four years since any of the contestants played, I don’t know!
Of course, these are just my thoughts – I’m very excited to see how the tournament plays out!
Much like* oops!
As to QF6, I imagine (besides, as Andy said, she’s won a tournament before) it is because of her high stats.
As to QF5, I love your “Bizarro” view, but Ryan Presler is my choice for winning the whole thing if he doesn’t have some pure (un)lucky breaks.
To be fair, Ryan also had some very lucky breaks. If you remember, in his semifinal, he barely led going into Final – which was a Triple Stumper. He would have lost had either of his opponents wagered properly, but since they both went all-in, he managed to eke out a win and a finals spot with $1,599 to his name.
That’s another part of my predictions – I was slightly apprehensive to mark Eesha as the favorite just because I don’t know if she’s boned up on wagering strategy since. But looking back at this now, I think she’s strong enough to outmaneuver Tim and claim a semifinal spot. So ignore the “no idea” there – I think Eesha is probably the favorite to win.
Same thing with QF4 – even though it didn’t work out, the fact that Justin was willing to go for a True Daily Double with two clues left shows to me that he’s probably more aggressive than either of his competitors. And I don’t think he was influenced by James, considering that tournament taped about two months before James’ first episode did. (side note: what?)
I just like Ryan Presler because of his low “incorrect” percentage. Four years ago I still lived where I could get over-air network TV, so I’m sure I watched those teen tournaments, but I don’t recall ANY details (though I do remember things I enjoyed in James Holzhauer’s original run). My favorite contestants are the ones who can answer the most questions correctly [quantity, but most especially the percentage correct].