Canaday D Roots for Roomie

Canaday D forgot any last minute exam preparation last night as it gathered to cheer for Brian T. Chan '00, a contestant in the quarter-final round of College Jeopardy.

Chan, a history concentrator from Chicago, beat college students from Loyola and Marist Colleges and will compete in the semi-final round, to be aired this Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

Although he led throughout the game, accumulating $7,100 by correctly providing the questions to answers from random categories such as Australia; Road Trips; Bible; Science and Technology Firsts; and "GR" (words that start with the letters GR), Chan was relying on the Final Jeopardy question to beat his opponents.

He wagered an additional $7,000 on the following Final Jeopardy answer in the "Colleges and Universities" category: "Anchorman is an informal term used for the lowest ranking graduting senior of this Institution."

"I thought that I has to be sure that my answer was right in order to wager so much," Chan said. He correct answer, "What is the Naval Academy," was followed by his room address, Canaday D-51.

Chan's fans--more than 40 students crammed into the Canaday common room--responded to this obvious display of dorm spirit with boisterous cheers and screams. This study break, said Canaday D Proctor Carter Stewart, was a great success and a bonding opportunity.

Roommates and friends were happy to see Chan in the spotlight.

"All I can say is that Brian is an amazing person," said Mike Abte '00, his roommate. "In addition, he is really down-to-earth and modest."

Chan, a future Eliot House resident, began his Jeopardy career by watching the show when he was a child. In high school, Chan competed in the Scholastic Quiz Bowl. This year he trained for the extensive try-out process by playing computer Jeopardy against Harvard friends.

After taking a test and attending an interview in the fall, Chan was notified in January that he was to be one of the fifteen contestants flown to L.A. for the taping of College Jeopardy in February.

Although he won last night, his net earnings from the game are still to be determined by his success Monday night during the semi-finals, the results of which are still a highly-guarded secret. However, Chan's Jeopardy future looks bright.

"I would love to compete again," he said. It is easy money and great fun."