Today’s guest post is written by Merritt Allen.
As a lifelong Jeopardy! fan and former third-place contestant, I was surprised at how engrossing the 2012 Teen Tournament was.
Typically, I ignore the Teen Tournament, turning up my trivial nose at post-2009 pop culture and 7th grade biology questions.
But this year’s tournament was compelling for three primary reasons:
1. Harder material (which means smarter kids; show writers and producers match material to intellect based on pre-show screening).
2. Washington, D.C., locale lent itself to good host-contestant interchange.
3. Joe Biden presented an entire category of questions.
Now, I have watched probably 80 percent of the nightly Jeopardy! broadcasts since the current show began airing in 1984. And I have never seen Presidential or White House involvement like this. (more…)