2025 College graduate Shaan Mishra became the latest “Jeopardy!” champion on Oct. 24.
The trivia game show features three contestants who compete to solve clues quickly and formulate responses in question form for monetary prizes. Mishra, who studied economics and computer science at Penn, faced off against Kristina Pohribnij — a stay-at-home mother — and three-time defending champion and 2007 University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduate Tom Devlin.
Mishra is set for another appearance on Oct. 27, where he will seek to extend his winning streak.
In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Mishra described the “shock and awe” that followed his comeback victory after a series of losses from the start of the game.
“I was really struggling early on to get control of the buzzer and kind of begin this slow ascent upwards,” Mishra said. “I think there was a moment in that game, especially early on, where I kind of resigned myself to the reality that it might not be successful, but I was able to keep my wits about me and play my game, and it worked out in the end.”
Mishra was able to regain ground during the “Double Jeopardy!” and “Daily Double” rounds, which put him in the position to win the game.
“Going into “Final Jeopardy” … I decided to wager nothing and … pray that [Devlin] got the question wrong, which, fortunately enough for me, he did,” Mishra said. “It was a very crazy moment to win.”
2025 College graduate Shaan Mishra (left) with 2007 Penn Carey Law gradate and fellow “Jeopardy!” contestant Tom Devlin (right) (Photo courtesy of Shaan Mishra).
Although Mishra said that he applied to the game show on a “whim,” he added that he had developed an interest in trivia during his time at Penn, where he joined a Quizzo team.
Mishra received the call inviting him to participate in July. Soon after, he recalled spending “a very intense 45 days” preparing for the show, which taped in September. At the time, he was on a backpacking trip and postponed the start date of his consulting job to plan strategies for the competition.
His preparation included utilizing his computer science minor from Penn to analyze the archives of past clues from the show, such as what topics were most frequently discussed. He also spent time focusing on his wagering strategy.
According to Mishra, though, most of his success came from accumulating knowledge from those around him — an approach he described as the result of “being a lifelong learner.”
“They don’t really give you anything in terms of preparation materials,” he added. “It’s literally just the wealth of human knowledge.”
Mishra also discussed the relationships he formed with his fellow contestants.
“[Devlin is] a very brilliant man,” he said. Mishra also developed a friendship with Pohribnij, whom he described as “incredibly nice.”
Mishra joins a list of other Penn affiliates who have won “Jeopardy!”, including College junior Rishabh Wuppalapati — the game’s 2024 champion.
