Claire Sattler Wins 'Jeopardy!' Teen Tournament

Claire Sattler, a 17-year-old senior from Bonita Springs, Fla., won the "Jeopardy!" Teen Tournament today and claimed the $100,000 grand prize. Emma Arnold, a junior from Owings Mills, Md., came in second and took home $50,000, while Maya Wright, a senior from Peachtree City, Ga., finished third and collected $25,000.

"It still absolutely feels like I'm dreaming," Sattler said after her win. "I really had no expectations to make it onto the show, let alone make it to the finals and win the whole thing, so this whole thing is just completely surreal to me. Now that I'm back to normal life, even though the contestants all still talk on a regular basis, I feel like it was all one big fever dream!"

Sattler plans to major in biomedical engineering when she goes to college next year, and though she plans to use some of her $100,000 prize to pay for her continued education, she also plans to share some of her winnings with a STEM organization she founded.

"I love STEM, especially engineering, and I love being able to combine my passions in order to help people in my STEM4students program," she said. "I'm planning to donate to the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee, Fla., the organization that hosts our program, as well as to STEM4Students proper, so we can keep STEM education growing in my community."

Sattler said that her initial goal for the tournament was to make it to the semifinals, so once she reached the finals her main strategy was to relax and enjoy herself. Her biggest concern, she says, was her "fellow finalists," Emma Arnold and Maya Wright.

"Maya had just been on fire on the buzzer throughout the tournament, and if a question was absolutely absurd, Emma always seemed to have the answer," said Sattler. "Looking at my competition, I was really prepared for third and I was okay with that. I was just ecstatic to have made it that far, so I stuck to my strategy from the other games, and with a little extra luck on the buzzers, I think it all worked out pretty well in the end."



Arnold, who came in second, said she didn't expect an all-female final.

"It was a big surprise we all ended up together," she said. "We actually spent a lot of time together while the quarterfinals were being taped. We had lunch at the same table, and Claire and I were sitting next to each other while we watched the rest of the games. In the end, it was like playing with your sisters or girlfriends."

Arnold says that she "can't imagine what $50,000 would physically look like," and she plans to use most of her winnings to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.

"I've always wanted to be a writer and it would be nice to have a little nest egg to support myself," said Arnold. "Who knows, maybe I'll invest it. I have already pre-spent $300 of it on new ice skates."



Third-place finisher Maya Wright, who had wanted to compete on JEOPARDY! since she was five years old, said she employed a strategy during the Teen Tournament that was given to her by a former Academic Bowl coach.

"He always told our team to buzz in if we were 80% sure of the answer," Wright said. "He also told us to answer quickly and confidently. That's what I did, and it seems to have worked."

Wright also relied on advice and support from her parents during the tournament.

"My dad always gives me words of encouragement before every test and competition," said Wright. "I am exceedingly grateful for those pep talks. My mom told me to do my best and 'just have fun.' That's exactly what I did, and I think it worked pretty well. I recently realized that I might have forgotten to thank my parents while I was on stage. This haunts me because I am exceedingly grateful for their love and support, which has allowed me pursue dreams like this one."