Frosh to appear on 'Jeopardy!'

College freshman Sebastian Stockman is one of 15 students nationwide to go on the show. Out of a pool of a few thousand applicants, only 15 college students nationwide are chosen each year to compete on Jeopardy!'s annual college tournament. And this year, College freshman Sebastian Stockman is one of them. In less than a month, Stockman will fly to the University of California at Berkeley for an intensive, two-day taping of the popular quiz show. The tournament will air in 10 nightly half-hour segments from May 4 to May 15. Stockman learned of his selection as a contestant last Friday when a television crew from WPVI-Channel 6, which televises Jeopardy! in Philadelphia, surprised him as he ate lunch in Kings Court/English House. Philly After Midnight reporter Karen Rogers presented Stockman with a Jeopardy! hat and certificate. As the lunchroom erupted with applause, the stunned Stockman could only reply, "Wow." Stockman remained dazed for the rest of the day as friends, his parents and even Interim Provost Michael Wachter congratulated him. "This is just another example of how deep and diverse Penn's talent pool really is," Wachter said. Once all the excitement had subsided, Stockman, whose friends call him "Sub," spoke with a grin and a slight Missouri twang about his decision to try to become a contestant on Jeopardy! "I've always liked trivia. I just figured I'd give it a shot," he said. While at home in Alma, Mo., last spring, Stockman registered via the Internet to take a Jeopardy! exam in nearby Kansas City, Mo. Jeopardy! receives tens of thousands of college applications each year over the Internet and through the mail. However, only a few thousand of these students are selected randomly to take a 50-question test that probes their knowledge on everything from popular culture to history. Students then try their hand at a mock Jeopardy! game involving actual game buzzers. A mere 15 students are chosen to appear on the show based on their exam and game performance. Before applying for Jeopardy!, Stockman served as the president of his high school quiz bowl team for two years, leading the team to state-level competition. Now he has less than one month to prepare for he knows will surely be a grueling but electrifying experience in Berkeley. "I'll probably practice the game on my Jeopardy! CD-ROM and bone up on my trivia," Stockman said. He'll also receive help from his dormmates, who have already become accustomed to losing to Stockman at his computer game. His favorite Jeopardy! categories are "Books and Authors" and "Sports." The last time a Penn student appeared on Jeopardy! was in 1996, when College senior Brian Gondos, then a sophomore, advanced to the semi-finals of the college tournament. If Stockman wins the grand prize on the show, he will receive a cool $25,000. But to Stockman's friends, he's already a winner. When Philly After Midnight filmed Stockman and his friends celebrating at Smokey Joe's Friday night, the group drowned out the reporter with cheers and shouts. Stockman was reluctant to predict how he would fare on the show. "I'm just happy to be there," he said. "I was pretty lucky to get to be a contestant. However I do is OK with me."