From Quiz Bowl to quiz show: Bryce Wargin ’07 praises CMA during four-day reign as Jeopardy! champion

Culver Military Academy graduate Bryce Wargin ’07 praised the school during his four-game run as Jeopardy! champion after host Ken Jennings asked what it was like attending a military high school.

“It really helped me. I was a really shy person back then. It helped me to develop interpersonal skills, being able to talk to somebody, hold a conversation,” he said. “I really appreciated that.”

Wargin, 36, who won $72,199 on the shows that aired last week, also talked about how Culver teaches leadership.

“I’m not saying I was the best leader while I was there. But I had the opportunity to develop some leadership skills,” Wargin said.

Jennings pointed out that Wargin, wearing a matching dark green sweater, shirt and tie during Thursday’s show was “kind of dressed in military colors right now.”

“I’m not sure they would have had flowers on their tie,” Wargin joked.

During a telephone interview, Wargin talked more about how Culver helped him academically, socially and as a leader. Academically, he concedes, he could be lazy at times but his instructors pushed him. He also was a bit awkward socially, but his fellow students went out of their way to welcome him.

“Culver put me in a position where I had to talk to people,” Wargin said. “There were times, especially my first year, where I’d go off and just eat by myself and people would feel like they shouldn’t let me sit alone. They’d come up and talk to me. That helped me come out of my shell a little bit and develop some of my social skills.”

Wargin started at Culver as a third classman after spending his freshman year at Warsaw High School, when he took calculus. He said Warsaw didn’t have any more math classes left for him to take.

He said Ed Quella, a longtime Culver employee who was night officer-in-charge, was a family friend who recommended Culver.

“Culver had more math classes and in general had better academics,” Wargin said.

 

 

Wargin also talked about how Culver made him a better leader.

“God gave me many talents. Leadership was not one of them. But because of Culver, I have enough leadership ability for most normal purposes,” he said.

Wargin said he was one of two people in his class in Band who didn’t earn the rank of lieutenant. He served as squadron music & arts leader and a platoon leader.

“The lessons I learned from that and watching others who excelled in leadership, like Charlie Phelps ’08 or Matt Gethers ’05, that helped me later in life when I had to take leadership roles.”

Culver also pushed him to be a better student. Wargin said former humanities senior instructor Richard Battersby, his mentor, told Wargin he wouldn’t allow him to take his Advanced Placement U.S. history class because he knew he wouldn’t put in the needed effort.

“He was right. But one thing Culver gave me was it made me work hard for things. God gave me a great mind. And because of that I was a little bit lazy -- maybe a lot bit lazy. I was not prepared for a class of his caliber,” Wargin said.

He recited a long list of Culver teachers who he said influenced him: humanities master instructor Ed Kelley, mentor humanities instructor Candace Koehn (retired), former science instructor Phil Blessman, science instructor Josh Pretzer (now dean of faculty), master humanities instructor Joe Horvath (retired), master humanities instructor Jen Cerny, mentor math instructor Martin Engelbrecht (retired), senior instrumental music instructor and band director David Weirich, former band director and Fine Arts Chair Maj. Bill Browne (retired), former assistant band director Chad Gard, and retired-U.S. Army Maj. Tom Duckett (retired), who was chair of Culver’s Leadership Department when Wargin was at Culver.

“I felt there were so many teachers at Culver who had an impact on me that I’m concerned I’ve forgotten one,” he said.

Wargin’s last name when he attended Culver was Durgin. When he married his wife, Jennifer Ward, they decided to combine their names to make a new last name.

He majored in mathematics and political science at the University of Notre Dame and earned a master’s degree in statistics from Texas A&M. He’s lived in five states the past six years since his wife earned her doctorate in philosophy. She is now an assistant teaching professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

 

 

He worked as a statistician for the Duke University Population Research Institute, taught math and science at a private school in Utah and is now a post-market surveillance coordinator at W.L. Gore & Associates, where he monitors the safety and performance of medical devices.

Wargin said being on the Quiz Bowl teams at Culver, Notre Dame and Texas A&M led him to want to try to be on Jeopardy! He had passed the test once before and had an audition, but didn’t get a call back in the two-year time limit. He took the test again and auditioned again and he was nearing the two-year time limit when he was invited to be on the show.

“It’s not something you just make even if you have the knowledge to make it,” Wargin said.

Wargin started his Jeopardy! run by defeating six-time winner Josh Weikert, a politics professor from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Weikert led going into the final round with $15,000 and Wargin was in second with $12,400. Wargin won when he correctly answered the Final Jeopardy! question: Invented by a student in 1924, this system has a total of 64 combinations.” Wargin wagered $3,000 and answered ‘Braille.” Weikert bet $9,801 and incorrectly answered “Morse Code.”

Wargin easily won the next three games.

He lost on Friday after falling behind early. He had a chance to tie for the lead early in the second round when he bet his whole $3,400 on the Daily Double, but answered incorrectly. He also answered wrong on the final question, to finish third and earn another $2,000.

As a four-game winner, Wargin likely will qualify for an entry into the Tournament of Champions. Contestants who win five games are guaranteed a spot.

“I’m very thrilled,” he said.

Wargin said he heard from former Culver classmates and teachers during his Jeopardy! run. He said he still thinks about Culver regularly. Sometimes when he’s out taking a walk “The Culver Song” will come to him and he will sing it to himself.

“Culver has meant a lot to me,” he said.