Honors student and Quiz Bowl competitor chosen to compete on “Jeopardy!”

Junior history and English major Natalie Hathcote  does not remember a time when was not studying history and memorizing facts. But now she has the opportunity to show off her trivia skills on one of the most popular game shows of all time.

In November 2019, Hathcote was one of 15 college students selected from a group of 18,000 to compete in “Jeopardy!” on the show’s annual College Championship. She will travel to Los Angeles, California, in early February for filming, and the show will air later in April.

Originally from Colorado, Hathcote says her passion for history has always been a part of her life. 

“When we were younger, my sister had a children’s encyclopedia, and she only read the science section. I, meanwhile, read everything else,” Hathcote said. “By the time I was in middle school, I was steadfastly obsessed with different eras of history.”

Hathcote does not remember a time when she was not fascinated by historical information. 

“I went through a phase where all I wanted to read and talk about was Marie Antoinette,” Hathcote said. “It (a love for history) has basically just been my thing since I was a kid.”

When deciding on a college, a Christian environment, the Christian aspect, accreditations and size of campus were all very important to Hathcote. 

“I was very interested in the Honors Program here (at Liberty), and I really liked the size of campus,” Hathcote said. “There is an evident sense of possibility because it is such a large and prosperous university.”

Hathcote has also been a member of the university’s Quiz Bowl team since her freshman year. Her initial interest in the team began during a College for a Weekend visit at Liberty. She attended an informational event for the group while visiting campus with her parents.

“My family loves trivia, and my parents thought it (Quiz Bowl) sounded like something I would be good at,” Hathcote said. 

At first, Hathcote thought the experience was weird – something she would not try more than once. But after giving the team a chance, she discovered a new passion.

“I went to the first practice and tryouts, answered a couple of questions right, and from there, it was just too fun to give up,” Hathcote said. “Now, a lot of my closest friends are the ones I have met through Quiz Bowl.”

Hathcote has a very real and honest approach when it comes to defending the team.

“I think you need to have a healthy understanding that doing competitive trivia in college is a bit absurd, but I have never let people really make fun of it,” Hathcote said. “It (Quiz Bowl) is awesome, and the fact that it is a real thing is pretty cool to me.”

While she does not know all of what to expect during her time competing in “Jeopardy!,” Hathcote is doing everything she can to be prepared and feels she is ready for the experience. 

“If anything trains you for high-pressure trivia like ‘Jeopardy!,’ it’s Quiz Bowl,” Hathcote said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how God uses this.”

Kazmucha is a feature writer. Follow her on Twitter.