This is Jeopardy!

Now entering the studioNow entering the studioare today's contestants? The correct question is: Who is Brian Gondos? During his appearance on the game show last night, Gondos earned 8,600 "points" -- a total which qualified him for the second round of play as a wildcard, he said. A group of Gondos's friends gathered in the fourth floor lounge of High Rise North to cheer him on. "I was excited to watch the show on television, but it was really strange to see myself trying to answer the questions," Gondos said. "I became really frustrated during the middle of the show." After the top five finishers, Gondos was the third highest point earner in the tournament. Gondos earned his place by betting all his money on the final Jeopardy! question: "This is the southern-most point in North America." He correctly answered "Panama" and doubled his points for the evening. "I had to take the chance with the final question," Gondos said. "It was the only way I had a chance to advance." The semi-finals will be televised on Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. on WPVI-TV, channel 6. "I guess I have earned my 15 minutes of fame," Gondos said. "It's not quite like being elected president, but it has been a blast." He added that he is unsure of how he will spend his earnings. "At first I was thinking of getting a car," he said. "But I think the smartest thing for me to do is let it grow in stocks or mutual funds for 20 or 30 years. I have to talk to my broker." Gondos is one of 15 college students from across the country selected to compete in Jeopardy!'s two-week long College Tournament. "The taping was over winter break -- we did five shows a day," he said. "It was a great experience because I'd always wanted to be on the show." According to Gondos, he did not have time to study extensively before flying to Los Angeles. "I tried to review a lot of fine arts info because I wasn't too familiar with it," he explained. "I spent at least one hour a day on it." Gondos said the most difficult task in the show was buzzing in. "All of the contestants were about equal in intellectual skills," he said. "The winners were the people who picked up on how to buzz in the fastest." Gondos said the selection process consisted of a written test, a mock game and an interview. Jeopardy! paid for his flight to Los Angeles and his hotel, and also gave him spending money. "When I first got to L.A. and played a rehearsal game, I was nervous, but talking to other contestants calmed me down," Gondos said.