A University of Georgia trivia trio is in a strong position to each pocket $125,000 in winnings on “Capital One College Bowl” that airs Friday on NBC.
Aidan Leahy, a 21-year-old senior from Suwanee majoring in history and public administration, is captain of the UGA’s quiz bowl team and has taken part in trivia competitions since the age of 10. Elijah Odunade, a 21-year-old senior from Norcross and political science major, competed in “College Jeopardy” earlier this year, finishing in the quarterfinals. Layla Parsa, a 21-year-old senior from Marietta and engineering major, has not had much experience with college bowl but loves useless facts.
“I’m a bit of a perfectionist,” Leahy said in a group Zoom interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the first-round win aired on NBC. “I do have a competitive spirit. I try not to be weird about it.”
Leahy is so skilled, he frequently answered host Peyton Manning’s questions during the two-minute drill before Manning had a chance to finish the question in that first competition against the University of Florida.
“I watched a fair amount of videos on how to improve button-pressing speed,” he noted on air before the quarterfinal round. “I know that’s going to lead us to a win.”
Parsa, a part-time construction worker, is very much a STEM student at heart but knows plenty about English. “I’m the modern day Renaissance woman,” she noted. Odunade is into politics, inspired by Barack Obama entering the White House 14 years ago.
The competition show, shot at Trilith Studios earlier this year in Fayetteville, is hosted by former NFL star Peyton Manning with his brother Cooper providing comedic side comments.
In the opening round, UGA demolished the University of Florida with Leahy’s two-minute drill dominance readily evident. His quick moves got them 13 correct answers. Florida answered eight. UGA won 675 to 360.
“It was great to get to know the other team,” Leahy said to the AJC. “They were very nice. Mostly I was relived more than anything. I had no real expectations to win and to win that way.”
The quarterfinals against the University of Texas in Austin was significantly tighter.
Georgia ripped through the first two rounds and jumped ahead 80-10.
“Georgia looks poised,” said Peyton’s brother Cooper. “Go Dawgs. Sic-’em!”
Texas came back during the hand-off round, briefly jumping ahead 130-100 after Georgia missed all three animated films nominated for an Academy Award (“Avatar,” “Up” and “Toy Story 3.”) Georgia had a slight edge (140-130) going into the two-minute drill, where Leahy this time made several mistakes but his team answered enough questions (nine) to eke out a victory. Texas started strong and had nearly 20 seconds to take the victory but missed the final three questions.
During the final six competition called the “Blitz” that aired last Friday, Georgia barely defeated Syracuse University. During the two-minute drill, Georgia again correctly answered 13 questions, matching its first-round total, and only got two wrong. (Leahy this time gave his teammates a chance to help him and they fed him several correct answers.) Syracuse finished with 12 correct answers, just missing a tie by a couple of seconds.
The final four will compete at 8 p.m. Friday, followed by the finals at 9 p.m.
Credit: NBC
Credit: NBC
University of Georgia
Layla Parsa
Age: 21
Year: Senior
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: General Business
Hometown: Marietta
Fun Fact: She participates with the Baha’i Student Association volunteering at local food banks and doing road cleanups. Layla is also a part of Society of Women Engineers, intramural fencing, and STEM and enjoys listening and playing music in her free time. She owns copious amounts of comic books.
Favorite Trivia Category: Pop Culture
Aidan Leahy
Age: 21
Year: Senior
Major: History and Public Administration
Minor: Portuguese
Hometown: Suwanee
Fun Fact: He studied abroad at Oxford University for a semester. Aidan also competed in the International Quizzing Olympiad as part of the U.S. team and is currently the captain of UGA’s quiz bowl team. He likes rock climbing.
Favorite Trivia Category: Pop Culture
Elijah Odunade
Age: 21
Year: Senior
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Norcross
Fun Fact: Elijah was a “College jeopardy” quarterfinalist and volunteers at his local senior center. In his free time he plays soccer, tennis, and listens to music, especially 1980s new wave.
Favorite Trivia Category: Sports
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