LDS teen earns $10,000 as 'Jeopardy!' semifinalist

Will Casper batted .500 while playing the game of "Final Jeopardy!"

For that, he earned $10,000 — and an incredible experience.

Casper, a 17-year-old high school senior from Basin City, Wash., was

part of the famous game show's annual Teen Tournament. After advancing

to the semifinals, Casper was edged out of the competition by Rachel

Cooke in an episode that aired on Monday.

"It really was a lot of fun and something I'll remember for the rest of

my life," said Casper, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints.

Casper's ascent to the game-show stage began when he took an online

test that led to an invitation to audition. He traveled to Los Angeles

in November to compete against approximately 300 other hopefuls. After

participating in a follow-up test and mock competition, Casper was

chosen as one of the final 15 contestants.

Casper, who played football for Connell High School, is also a member

of the school's "Knowledge Bowl" team. He has aptitude for reading and

said that aside from essay-writing he enjoys most subjects at school.

Success at "Jeopardy!," however, requires more than just fact-recollection.

"I've watched it for years," he said. "It's not always about who knows

the most. It's a lot of buzzer-timing. It's kind of tricky."

In Monday's episode, Casper fared well with the subject of history —

specifically, categories about the American Revolution and ancient Rome.