The top contestants with the highest mathematical scores in each category advance to the final rounds.
This was also the second season after season 1 where both top 2 contestants were males.
Thomasson entered his first fiddle contest in the late 1920s, at age 19, and was disappointed when he did not place among the top contestants.
The top contestants are professional teams fielded by competing manufacturers.
The top contestants typically read around 1,000 to 2,000 words per minute with approximately 50% comprehension or above.
In the 2012 International contest, the top contestants placed as follows:
As the top contestant in the "Jeopardy!"
Usually both the male and female teams are top contestant in the highest national league; having won it on several occasions.
The top contestant with the highest score from round 2 plays the game in the 3rd round who has to answer 5 questions.
In this final performance phase of the competition, the top contestants from each team compete against each other during a live broadcast.