Liz Feltner watched on as her run in the “Jeopardy!” National College Championship wrapped up Tuesday night, surrounded by a rowdy crowd of Husky supporters rooting for the fifth-year political science major who beat out 33 students to get to the finals.

She came in third place in a rapid-fire, two-episode contest against Raymond Goslow of Kennesaw State University and Jaskaran Singh of the University of Texas at Austin, who gained a steep lead in the first half-hour episode and ended up winning the first prize of $250,000.

Friends and supporters packed into the Curry Student Center to cheer on their fellow Husky as she responded to clues about the color of Bradley Cooper’s eyes, the Black Eyed Peas, and use of the term “Gucci” to mean good. The final round of the “Jeopardy” tournament had been filmed previously and aired on Tuesday, allowing Feltner to revel in the journey with her Northeastern community.

Students packed the Curry Student Center to watch Liz Feltner compete in the finals of Jeopardy! National College Championship finals. Photos by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

“I just feel so lucky that I got to have this opportunity,” said Feltner at the end of the two episode prime-time contest. “This has been so crazy, and I’m just so glad you all are here to share it with me.”

For her finish, Feltner will take home $50,000 and the honorary title of “Tie-Breaking Queen,” given to her by the ABC Network after her nail-biting win in the semifinals, which came down to a tie-breaking question.

Students packed the Curry Student Center to watch Liz Feltner compete in the finals of Jeopardy! National College Championship finals. Photos by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

Feltner filmed the final episodes immediately after her tense, tie-breaking victory in the semi-finals, and she admits she was starting to feel the stress.

“I was just in such a mood. I was very, very tired and hungry and frustrated,” said Feltner. “I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime, I had a very high stress day, and I was just ready to be done.”

For a player whose wins depended on risky, all-or-nothing bets and a tie-breaker finish, Feltner said she’s usually not into big gambles.

“I’m actually pretty risk-averse, because I don’t want to lose points on something I don’t know,” said Feltner. “I wanted to be 90% sure that I was right before saying anything.”

Students packed the Curry Student Center to watch Liz Feltner compete in the finals of Jeopardy! National College Championship. Photos by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

Feltner was thrilled she could get a close-up look at the “Jeopardy!” studio and a peek at what’s behind those impressive podiums, and she gained a solid group of friends who got to know each other as they spent four days eating, sleeping, and filming the 17 half-hour “Jeopardy!” match-ups.

“We have a group chat where we talk to each other all the time. It’s really cool, we’re just really good friends,” said Feltner.

Months after the 36 college students forged a bond under the searing television stage lights, they also cheered for each other on social media as each episode aired.

Friends applaud and hug Liz Feltner after watching her compete in the finals of Jeapardy! National College Championship in Northeastern's Curry Student Center. Photos by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

“Talk about close! @LizFeltner1 was tied going into Final Jeopardy in her quarterfinal AND semifinal games,” tweeted Raymond Goslow, one of Feltner’s fellow finalists. “It took two gutsy, all-in wagers, two correct responses, and a high stress tie-breaker victory for her to punch her ticket to the finals!”

Feltner’s advice for any Huskies who might want to follow in her footsteps? Be persistent—she tried out five times before she got on the show.

And learn to press that buzzer at just the right time. If you buzz too soon, you get a half-second penalty.

“It’s a really fine line with the buzzer, and I just never really found it,” said Feltner.

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