Mount Pleasant trivia buff gets chance to shine

Tapping into a store of trivia at leisure is one thing. It's quite another to summon quick and accurate recall under time pressure and while facing tough competition.

Bishop England High School senior Will Dantzler, son of Lynn and Mary Helen Dantzler of Mount Pleasant, was one of 15 contestants culled from 75,000 aspirants to vie for the $75,000 champion's purse in the annual "Teen Jeopardy" competition, based on NBC's long-running quiz show.

How'd the young whiz do? For that answer, you have to tune in to the tournament beginning at 7:30 tonight on WCBD-TV, Ch. 2. The "Teen Jeopardy" telecasts run through Nov. 13.

"I really enjoyed the competitive atmosphere between the other contestants and me," he said last week. "We all are still communicating via Facebook and were very supportive of each other while competing. But it was very stiff competition. A lot of bright kids were involved."

If Dantzler's participation was gratifying to his parents, it was thrilling for him, said his mom.

"It's a real dream come true for Will, because he's a real trivia buff and we've always watched 'Jeopardy' as a family."

Of the 75,000 teens who took the online test to qualify last spring, 10,000 passed it. From their number, 300 were chosen to go to the next round of competition to determine who would make the cut to go on the show. Mock shows and further testing took place at six sites around the country in May, rendering the final 15 contestants.

The format of "Teen Jeopardy" is more or less identical to the adult version, but with questions aimed more at teenage interests, Dantzler said.

"Essentially it's the same as a weekday episode, but contestants are teens and the questions and categories cater more to us. There are a lot of pop culture questions."

Players compete in a series of five shows the first week. The winners of those games and the four highest money-earners move on to the semi-finals. The three victors on those shows proceed to a two-game finals match.

The three finalists keep the cash they garnered in the last two games, with a minimum guarantee of $25,000 for second place, and $15,000 for third place. Players reaching the semi-finals are guaranteed $10,000, while every player is guaranteed at least $5,000.

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.