Columbus native will compete in quiz show on national TV. When and where to watch
A Columbus High School graduate will be on national TV this week, competing in a popular quiz show.
If you tune in at 8 p.m. this Friday to NBC’s “Capital One College Bowl,” you’ll see 2020 Columbus graduate MJ Scott and his two Morehouse College teammates begin their quest against other trios from 15 schools for $1 million in scholarships.
A nondisclosure agreement prevents revealing his team’s results, but Scott thinks he represented his school and family well.
“It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, competing on a national stage with my Morehouse brothers — just a great time,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Scott, 21, tried out for the team last fall after seeing a flyer that piqued his interest.
“I’ve always liked trivia and ‘Jeopardy,’” he said.
When he got the phone call saying he was one of only two students chosen out of about a dozen who tried out, he said, “I was just excited because I’ve always wanted to do this.”
Scott was on the five-member Morehouse team that won the 2022 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge national championship against more than 60 historically Black colleges and universities in April. That event was conducted online and generated a $75,000 institutional grant for Morehouse.
“I was so happy,” he said, “especially because we had a couple seniors who had been so close to winning the championship and finally won.”
Scott figures that success helped his team get an invitation to try out for the College Bowl, where each competitor already earned $5,000 for reaching the first round. After an interview to see how well they do on camera, Scott and his Morehouse teammates went to the Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, Georgia, for this season’s filming in front of an audience over several days in June.
“I made a lot of friends from different schools,” he said. “… It was cool to see where they filmed some Marvel movies.”
Also cool was meeting Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, the co-host of the show along with his brother Cooper.
“They were very nice,” he said.
You must have broad knowledge to do well in quiz shows, said Scott, who estimates he spends about two hours per week studying for competitions. He lists sports, history and science as his best categories. But knowledge is only part of the winning formula when you compete in a quiz show. You also need a combination of speed and composure.
“I was really nervous at first,” he said. “But once I got on stage, I just focused. … If you can’t buzz in, it doesn’t matter if you know it.”
Scott, a junior biology major, plans to attend law school to become a civil rights attorney.
“I have a real passion for it,” he said. “I just want to help as many people as I can.”
But first, Scott has a TV program to watch.
He will celebrate his team’s College Bowl debut at a friend’s apartment. And even in that party atmosphere, he insists, “I can’t say anything (about the results) until after the game is over.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 10:24 AM.
