ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AFPN) -- An Airman from here got a chance to “Stump the Schwab” on ESPN2’s nationally televised sports quiz show April 26.
Chief Master Sgt. Troy Marvin, the 89th Communications Group superintendent, finished as the top contestant and came within one question of winning $5,000.
The show is centered around ESPN’s top researcher and sports guru, Howie Schwab. Mr. Schwab has been with the network since it began in 1979. ESPN officials said they felt so confident with his sports knowledge that last year they decided to develop a quiz show around his talent.
The 30-minute show pits three contestants against each other and Mr. Schwab, answering sports trivia questions.
The top contestant of the night goes one-on-one against Mr. Schwab at the climax of the show in an attempt to “Stump the Schwab.” The top contestants of the season are invited back at a later date to narrow the field until one remaining contender is left. That top challenger goes head-to-head with Mr. Schwab in the season finale with $25,000 on the line. In the show’s first year, no one defeated Mr. Schwab in the finale.
All shows for this season have already aired, as 75 contestants attempted to move on. Chief Marvin was one of the top nine invited back to compete in the semifinals. However, he will not be able to attend the show’s taping because he is on a temporary duty assignment.
“While I’m disappointed I’m not able to continue to the semifinals, I volunteered for this … duty, and I’m committed to fulfilling my military job,” Chief Marvin said. “I thanked ESPN, but told them that because of my military commitment, I won’t be able to attend the semifinal taping. I was just very happy I got to go and test my abilities on the show.”
The 24-year veteran has competed in many sports quiz contests nationwide. He said he has always done well, and has even been banned from four contests because he won year after year.
Chief Marvin said of all the contests he has competed in, “Stump the Schwab” was probably the toughest because of the screening process.
In March, the chief said he went to Philadelphia for an exhausting tryout. He made it through and was then invited to New York to compete on one of the 30-minute episodes.
“Since it was on national television, and the fact of going up against the Schwab, made it a nerve-racking experience,” Chief Marvin said. “But I came to the conclusion that it took a lot of guts just to be there, and I settled down.”
On the show, Chief Marvin made it through the first two rounds, eliminating his opponents one by one. He then went head to head with Mr. Schwab in the episode’s final round.
The final round consists of three questions in each of four categories, with the opponent picking the question. There are two ways to win: To accumulate the most points or the opponent incorrectly answers three questions.
The score was tied 6-6, and it came down to one question each. Mr. Schwab correctly answered his question and took a 9-6 lead.
With two strikes, Chief Marvin’s final question was in the hockey category. The question was about a 1995 on-ice incident, and Chief Marvin said he could not recall the correct answer.
“Overall, considering the questions asked, I think I did well,” Chief Marvin said.
Stuart Scott, the show’s host, and Mr. Schwab thanked the chief throughout the show for serving his country.
Just before the final round, Mr. Schwab again expressed his gratitude to Chief Marvin and all the military, and said, “Thank you, and good luck, but I still want to beat you.”