Are any of your college rivals here?
Yeah, I see--I saw Nebraska, but they're leaving the Big 12 soon, so, hopefully that means I won't have to consider him a rival anymore.
What do you hope to take away from this experience, other than money?
Um, besides money, which is great, um, just as much fun as possible, and just trying to see how this dream comes tr--comes alive. I mean, it's--I've--already been a fantastic experience.
What is your dream category?
Dream category? Probably, like, something BEST PICTURE WINNERS FROM A--POST-1970, and then maybe a few mythological figures thrown in there just for kicks.
Where do you hope to be in ten years?
Ten years from now, I see myself as some cranky, curmudgeony lawyer type, just working in some firm, just enjoying the fact that I've been on College Jeopardy! |
2010-B College Championship wildcard semifinalist: $10,000 + a Nintendo Wii + the Wii Jeopardy! game.
Husband of Season 37 player Maddie Kahan.
Last name pronounced like "KAY-han".
Jeopardy! Message Board user name: Trustbuster
Kyle won $5,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire on 2017-09-12.
Kyle Kahan
Texas A & M University
November 15, 2010
Well, my first game went swimmingly. Aside from the buzzer. That went drowningly. That contraption aside, I’m happy with how my performance went. No matter how I did today, my friends are going to give me a hard time anyways. The experience I’ve been through is one that just can’t be put into blog form. The bonds formed, the lights, the sheer aura of awe/fear given off by Trebek is just something that has to be felt firsthand. I went up against two really good opponents, and I just have to hope my final bid is enough to get me to the semis. Because that would be nice. Also, I will not be in charge of marketing for my novel. Though to be fair, my description of it is probably the best worded understanding of it I have made to date. I’ll just add more adjectives next time. Surreptitious will make people buy it, right? (Working title: Magnum Pursuit Fighters. I’m really glad I didn’t say that on air.)
What a time, what a time, what a time. My run may be over, but I have never had this much fun in my life. The people were outstanding, both contestants and Jeopardy! employees, and I am all the better having met them. This has been a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I am honored to have been a part of it. I think I’m going to look into Field Hockey though, after Mini-Golf of course. I think that’ll be the first thing I buy with the money. The addition of the Nintendo Wii is a nice expansion to my ever growing pile of nerdom. I’m proud of how I did, and even more proud of how my opponents did, avoiding the strategically placed tiger pits and bear traps. Well done to everyone. I suggest a reunion show in about 10 or 20 years, just to make things interesting. I’ll be even more ready then. To my fellow Esprit de Corps, I love and salute you all. Thank you for making a dream come true. Now for the novel….
November 5, 2010
Hello world, allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Kyle Walker Kahan, currently a senior economics major at Texas A&M University, and I am thrilled to even have the opportunity to write this. The first question people are probably wondering is, "Kyle, how did you become so devilishly charming?” To that I answer, years upon years of practice in the cold, dark areas surrounding Houston suburbs.
Trivia has always been a love of mine, ever since my dad wouldn’t stop hounding me on what the state capitols were. Finally, to end his high-and-mighty attitude, I forced my second-grade self to learn them all and the trivia tryst has continued since then.
This was my fourth and final time auditioning for College Jeopardy!, the previous three ending in: 1) Failure at online test 2) Failure at online test and 3) Heartbreak at the personal audition. Let’s just say I was not the most confident undergrad at my audition. I was just happy enough to visit Raleigh anyway, since I had always wanted to visit Duke and UNC. The trivia was an added bonus. What detracted this bonus however was that I had my LSAT back in College Station the day after my audition. "But, Kyle”, I hear you clamoring, "How could you achieve such a fine and delicate balance without cracking under the pressure?” To be honest, I don’t know how. I found a way though, and I’ll embellish it when I tell people about it in the future. I’m thinking a dragon somewhere would make it good.
The actual audition was pretty enjoyable. I mostly kept to myself, flipping a pencil in my hand and trying to act normal, which apparently to others is completely abnormal. I digress. A lot. We were eventually called in to our audition room where the cheerful staff members made the stress of trying out for Jeopardy! instantly vanish with their upbeat pep. We did some warm-up questions and then the dreaded second test. I thought I did okay, so I tried to put in the back of my mind, since, you know, LSAT the next day. After the test, we talked, we laughed, we cried (*edit, this is the royal we) and then everyone was called up for the in-person segment. I must have been in probably the fourth or fifth group called up, so I had plenty of time to analyze the competition. My reaction to their answers, was a fearful, "Where do people find the time to do everything they have listed?” I barely have enough time to learn the Thriller dance.
So, the audition ended, we had our goodbyes and a sweet water bottle (excellent for canoeing by the way) to end a good day. I immediately went into LSAT mode and completely disregarded trivia for the next 48 hours. Time went by, summer days drifted away (tell you more? No can do), and I went back to Texas A&M, 100% confident my final attempt at College Jeopardy! had passed me by. Come mid-September, while studying Aztec God names for Quiz Bowl, I get a call from a number I do not recognize. I figured it was my mystery shopping company, so I picked it up and what do you know, the cheerful voice of Maggie made my day. After the review of the rules and legal nonsense, I was invited to the show and I couldn’t stop smiling. Still can’t actually, made watching Steel Magnolias tricky. This has been an amazing time of my life, and just to make the show is a dream come true, and I cannot wait to participate. If I do well, I’ll probably go a bit nuts, help my parents go to Europe, and spend a dollar or two on the eventual law school tuition thing. Life is good now, thanks to trivia.
Thanks and gig ‘em: Kyle Kahan |
