A junior at the University of Southern California from Cypress, California...

Thomas Zamora

Hi, I'm Thomas Zamora from USC, and you're watching me on jeopardy.com.

Do you ever play JEOPARDY! online?
I used to play Jeopardy! online, but I haven't played it for a while. Uh, I don't have the internet in my apartment.

What's your major?
Um, my major is cinema-television production, and I hope to someday become a director, either TV or film, um, I'm also interested in editing, art direction, things like that.

How did you prepare for today's game?
Um, I thought about preparing for, uh, the game today, but it was very difficult because I was working on film this past month. And so, I actually have just been trying to relax, trying to clear my head. A lot of my friends have been asking me questions at random times to see if I could--see if I could answer them, and that's pretty much it. I haven't been able to study or anything, so let's see how it goes.

How did you find out you were chosen as a contestant?
I found out I was selected because my mom called me randomly on my cell phone in the middle of the day, and I was having the worst day ever. I just found out that I had to get these location permits and all these things, and my mom calls me, and she says, "You got on Jeopardy!" And I was like, "Oh..."--because I was so, so, just, like, bummed out that day. But then I got home and I was like, "Whoa! I'm on Jeopardy!"

What made you decide to try out for JEOPARDY!?

Win one for USC, Thomas!

2001 College Championship 2nd runner-up: $14,100.

Thomas was 20 at the time of the 2001 College Championship.

2001 College Championship Online Tournament user name: tjz1138