GPS Zeng to the rescue again, helping Imperial College London win the University Challenge at the buzzer

GPS Zeng to the rescue again, helping Imperial College London win the University Challenge at the buzzer
Maximilian Zeng (left) answers a question on television show University Challenge as teammate Fatima Sheriff (right) looks on.
PHOTO: YouTube/Dave Garda

Imperial College London came up trumps and was crowned champions of the British quiz programme University Challenge 2022 on Monday night (April 4). 

But inside, we all know who their star man and MVP is - Singaporean Maximilian Zeng.

Nicknamed 'GPS Zeng', this biochemistry student has become a fan favourite for being lightning quick when answering geography-related questions in earlier episodes.

During the final with the University of Reading, Zeng did not disappoint and brought his A-game. 

The moment Jeremy Paxman, the show's presenter, uttered "for your picture starter, you’re going to see a map", what followed was almost a given.

As expected, Zeng rang his buzzer ahead of anyone else for question one to earn Imperial College 10 points.

Even his teammates couldn’t keep up in the following round as Zeng continued his winning streak.

The 22-year-old nonchalantly provided the correct answer for the next question before his team captain Michael Mays could nominate him to do so (fans of the show were quite certain who should be nominated).

[embed]https://twitter.com/KDCunliffe/status/1511066469731295240[/embed]

This resulted in a slight grin from Mays as Zeng repeated his answer to Paxman.

It was far from a runaway victory for Imperial College as they pipped the University of Reading to the trophy with a score of 125 to 115.

After the programme ended, Twitter was abuzz with comments on Max Zeng, who had shot to social media stardom for his prodigious geography knowledge on the quiz show.

One netizen reckoned: "If the world was to explode tomorrow, Max Zeng would be able to create an exact copy within a week or two." 

[embed]https://twitter.com/Polonius90/status/1511091273335193600[/embed]

Another mentioned that Zeng's performance on the show made him seem more reliable than Google Earth. 

[embed]https://twitter.com/menialgooseber1/status/1511076229868367886[/embed]

The final episode of this season's University Challenge can be viewed here. Awaken your inner Zeng and you might get one or two questions correct, good luck.

ALSO READ: In the hunt for new ideas, Singapore eases obsession with grades

amierul@asiaone.com

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