{"691378":{"#nid":"691378","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Alumnus Wins \u2018The 1% Club\u2019 $100,000 Grand Prize  ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWithout using a zero, what is the lowest possible four-digit number you can make in which the digits add up to 18?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s the question that stood between Georgia Tech alumnus Austin Huguenard and the $100,000 grand prize on Fox\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JiNrx5I-1NY\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe 1% Club\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou have no idea how relieved I was\u201d at the question, the computer science graduate said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHuguenard was one of two players remaining from a field of 100 contestants. Questions challenge players\u2019 logic and reasoning, whittling the field as each fallen player adds $1,000 to the pot, and the final question is one that only an estimated 1% of the public can answer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlayers can split the final prize money, so when Huguenard locked in his answer of 1,179 with time to spare on the 30-second clock, he knew he had secured at least a share of the prize. It was revealed that his counterpart missed the question, making Huguenard the first to claim the full prize in the two-season run of the American version of the show. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot a \u201ctraditional trivia buff,\u201d Huguenard\u2019s proclivity for pattern recognition and logical problem-solving gave him the confidence to try out for the show. Over 15 rounds, the questions grew increasingly difficult. But, as players began to drop out, the Alpharetta, Georgia, native stayed calm and trusted the training he had received as a Tech student. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe 1% question was especially aligned with the way Georgia Tech helps teach you to think and to approach these difficult problems,\u201d he said. \u201cWith these optimization problems, you have several constraints that must be satisfied while finding the best solution. This comes up in algorithms, discrete mathematics, and combinatorics classes. The clock is another factor that I felt prepared for because of the high-pressure moments I faced here.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EThe pressure of being on the show paled in comparison to the nerve-racking nature of keeping his victory a secret.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s something I wanted to scream from the mountaintops and celebrate with everyone, and that was probably the most difficult part of the entire experience,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;Huguenard got that chance when the episode aired in mid-July as he hosted a watch party for his family and friends.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is now preparing to move to New York City to start his career as a software engineering analyst at Deloitte. While most of the prize money is headed for long-term savings, he\u2019ll use some to furnish his apartment with the essentials as well as an espresso machine and baking tools. For now, baking is a hobby, and he says game show viewers shouldn\u2019t expect to see him on the \u003Cem\u003EUltimate Baking Championship \u003C\/em\u003Eany time soon.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Austin Huguenard became the first contestant to claim the show\u2019s grand prize.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAustin Huguenard became the first contestant to claim the show\u2019s grand prize.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Austin Huguenard became the first contestant to claim the show\u2019s grand prize.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2026-07-31 19:45:23","changed_gmt":"2026-07-31 19:55:05","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-07-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-07-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680746":{"id":"680746","type":"image","title":"Screenshot-2026-07-31-at-3.46.54-PM.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAustin Huguenard, CS 2026, in front of the Ramblin\u0027 Wreck during his time as a Georgia Tech student. Submitted photo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1785527255","gmt_created":"2026-07-31 19:47:35","changed":"1785527255","gmt_changed":"2026-07-31 19:47:35","alt":"Austin Huguenard","file":{"fid":"265055","name":"Screenshot-2026-07-31-at-3.46.54-PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/31\/Screenshot-2026-07-31-at-3.46.54-PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/31\/Screenshot-2026-07-31-at-3.46.54-PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":3017461,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/07\/31\/Screenshot-2026-07-31-at-3.46.54-PM.png?itok=5C18ddGg"}},"680747":{"id":"680747","type":"video","title":"Georgia Tech Alumnus Wins \u2018The 1% Club\u2019 $100,000 Grand Prize","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAustin Huguenard became the first contestant to claim the show\u2019s grand prize.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1785527556","gmt_created":"2026-07-31 19:52:36","changed":"1785527556","gmt_changed":"2026-07-31 19:52:36","video":{"youtube_id":"JiNrx5I-1NY","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JiNrx5I-1NY\u0026list=PLsH8f8oZVRS_gjVDCFld8VsYITR5c9Jve\u0026index=3"}}},"media_ids":["680746","680747"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"118331","name":"game show"},{"id":"506","name":"alumni"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013\u0026nbsp;Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}