A senior from Pasadena, Maryland...

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan's first memories of Jeopardy! are the sounds the dollar figures make when they come up on the Jeopardy! board, and yelling at the TV when he knew the answers. This teen contestant ranks second in his class with a GPA of 5.00, and plans to major in journalism. Ryan hopes to write sitcoms for a living one day, but right now he's honing his craft by maintaining a website where he can voice his thoughts, opinions and off-the-wall humor.

What was his thought process when he found out he was selected for the Teen Tournament? Well, first he thought it was "really cool," and then he started to worry that he might embarrass himself. So to prepare for the big day, this accomplished golfer read the almanac and made sure he had a good night's sleep. To him, the best part of the tournament was "meeting the gang, they're a neat bunch!"

2001 Teen Tournament semifinalist: $5,000.

17 at the time of the Teen Tournament.