By Cochise Lucas (Staff Writer)

Thursday, Oct. 15 – For the second time this semester, the Think Fast game show visited Wells theater at Wesley College.

The stakes remained as high as the first-game appearance: a $200 prize for the winner.

This is the second of a three-game progressive tournament that Wesley has scheduled for the semester.

Senior Samantha Dobrich, a finalist at the first game show, expressed hope for a victory.

“I was so close last time,” Dobrich said. “I blame it on the buzzer. But I’m ready to win $200 this time.”

The game, based on general trivia and pop culture, consists of two rounds. The winners of the two rounds, along with two wild card winners, will compete during the final round.

Jake Long, owner of Towd Entertainment, hosted the game show and asked students the questions.

“It’s where Jeopardy meets MTV,” Long said.

Long and his staff travel nationwide and are highly popular as college entertainers.

Dave Meyers, also known as DJ Money, provided the music and technical work for the show.

“We have been to every major college in the country,” Meyers said. “I enjoy this job. The kids really get into it.”

As students arrived, each person received a remote with five buttons, which were used to answer multiple choice and video questions.

At the end of each round, the four best contestants made their way to the stage; only one would receive a ticket to the final round.

The first of the finalists to reach 1,000 points – Dobrich – received entry into the final round.

Along with the winners of the two rounds, five students in the audience were chosen randomly for a segment in the show called bootleg dancing and singing.

Contestants gave their best shot at singing and dancing. Whoever the crowd crowned the best received made it to the final round with 200 extra points.

However, if either of these wild card winners answered a question wrong in the finals, he or she had to leave the stage to allow a randomly chosen student a chance to win the $200 prize.

Senior Mike Ward became a final contestant because a wild card contestant got an answer wrong.

“It felt good to be picked and have a chance at the $200,” Ward said. “I needed some money plain and simple, and I came real close to getting it.”

Sophomore Kirk Brooks won the second round and squared off with Dobrich and two others in the final round.

“Money is going to bring a brother out,” Brooks said. Brooks won the first leg out of the three progressive tourney events.

As different wild card students entered and exited the stage, Brooks and Dobrich battled to a dramatic finish. Both contestants tied scores with 900 each and only needed one answer to win.

Brooks quickly answered the final question and won his second game show.

“I was nervous but that’s where [a football question] came in,” Brooks said.

Despite not winning, many students had fun watching and playing.

“I just came out because I was bored and wanted to hang with my friends,” said Tony Savage, a sophomore. “It was real fun, and I would definitely like to do it again.”

Other students, like freshman Drew Ocasio, were in it for the money.

“I came to win that $200,” he said. “I wish Wesley would have more events like this to pull us students out of our dorms.”

The Think Fast game show will be coming to Wesley one more time this semester.

The next game winner will receive $1,000.