Oct 24
Convocation with Brandon Blackwell: Adventures in Quizzing, Apology of a Tryhard
Brandon Blackwell might be best known for his role as "The Lightning Bolt" on The Chase Australia and The Chase USA, but he has been on and off game shows for almost two decades, spanning platforms, genres, and even continents. After a series of TV appearances as a teenager, Blackwell started quizzing seriously and joined the American circuit in 2014. In 2016, he made his debut internationally at the Quiz Olympiad in Athens and won two medals, including a gold in the world speedquizzing discipline.
In 2017, Blackwell left the American trivia scene for good to train in the UK, where he played for some of the top quiz clubs in the world. While there, he competed on University Challenge, a British cultural institution that many say "makes Jeopardy! look like a walk in the park.” Blackwell's team from Imperial College London won every match by large margins, and Brandon himself was the highest scorer in the tournament. Most notably, though, he was also responsible for prompting a rebuild of the quiz program at Imperial, turning around almost 20 years of subpar results into a dynasty that won three national championships in four years.
More recently, Brandon has competed in high-level quizzes all over the world. Individually, he finished second overall in the Junior World Quizzing Championships in 2020, but most of his success has come in groups: Blackwell has more team quiz titles at the national level or higher in the 2020s than anybody else in the world. He is also often sought after as a tactician, having served as coach to some top Jeopardy champions and as an advisor to the US National Team.
This convocation was also presented as a virtual webinar. Please register in advance if you would like to attend via Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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