The boy who solved it all
by Zaneta Ng
NTU’s social media posts celebrating computer science student Vannes Wijaya’s victory on the hit educational game show, Clash of Champions, went viral, garnering over 5 million views and 314,500 likes, comments and shares across NTUsg’s platforms.
The third-year NTU undergraduate triumphed over top students from leading universities – including the University of Oxford and Stanford University – to win the show’s second season, which challenged contestants in logic, memory, spatial reasoning and arithmetic.
Since its launch in June last year, the second season of the Indonesian series has amassed more than 100 million views across 16 YouTube episodes.
Congrats on winning Clash of Champions Season 2! How did it feel to take the crown?
It was very surprising! I’m very grateful as I didn’t expect to go that far. On the first day’s deathmatch, I told myself to survive for as long as possible and not think about my ranking. Honestly, I just love that brain “kick” I get when solving a puzzle.
How did you get into this competition?
I’ve been active in Olympiads since primary school and have friends who were in the show’s first season. Joining the second run was a chance to play brain games in Jakarta and meet new people. I thought: “Why not?” I submitted a video and took an IQ test for their open call.
While the weekly episodes aired from June to August 2025, we filmed everything over one packed week in May. There were several games each day and we never knew what to expect in each round. I was interning with ST Engineering then, so I was grateful to be able to take leave to fly to Indonesia for the filming.
The show features many logic and strategy challenges. Which one was the most memorable?
I had lots of fun with Brain Flip, a game that tested our memory, logic and speed. We had to memorise a grid of numbers, letters and symbols, then answer questions that referred to each symbol’s position on the grid. I usually struggle with memorising stuff, but somehow I could recall each symbol’s placement naturally. I answered as fast as I could and won the round, scoring three times more points than the runner-up.
You now have over 118,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok and even a WhatsApp channel. How does this newfound fame feel?
At the Jakarta airport, I was surprised when people recognised me and asked to take photos with me. I’m still a regular student, so I don’t know why so many people look up to me. But I do love watching fan edits of the game show on TikTok – so much effort is put into the video editing.
In one group episode, teams had to drop a member to form a new team and I volunteered to leave. Many fans made clips saying how sorry they felt for me. In fact, my fans even tagged NTU on social media when I won.
These days, I go live on TikTok – sometimes alone, sometimes with fellow contestants – to recap our time on the show or unbox fan gifts. We do this about twice a month, and I enjoy interacting with fans. I’d love to post more, but juggling social media with my algorithm engineering internship at Huawei can get overwhelming.
“It’s quite funny to see my face on a photocard,” says Vannes, who was cheered on by fans at a ticketed finale watch party of the academic reality series.
Vannes, you’ve come a long way. Why did you choose NTU, and what’s life like here?
I chose NTU because it’s one of the top universities for computing, and I was fortunate to receive a scholarship. I have many friends who make me feel at home, and my professors are knowledgeable and encourage us to use computer science to solve real problems. The NTU campus is so pretty. I often study at the Business Library. In the evenings, the breakout rooms at Wee Cho Yaw Plaza are perfect for coding with my friends. I like swimming at the NTU pool, which has just been renovated.
You met fellow NTU students on the show. How was that experience?
There were five other NTU students on the show, including my computer science senior, Bernard Efendy (below). Back in my first year, we used to run computing and data science club activities together. On the show, the two of us lasted the longest among all the NTU contestants. He now works at Huawei, where I’m interning, so we still meet up sometimes. I’m grateful to have a friend and senior like him – someone I can turn to for advice both professionally and personally.
With friends from NTU's computer science and data club.
You started joining mathematics Olympiads at the age of 10, and now you've won this show. What keeps you motivated?
Many people aren’t aware of the value of Olympiads, but the show’s virality has helped change that. In some ways, the show felt similar to an Olympiad with its mix of logic, problem-solving and high-pressure challenges. Experiences like these are great ways for children to explore their passions – you never know where it might take you.
I’ve been lucky to have a family that has always supported me, from enrolling me in extra maths classes to patiently listening to me ramble about geometry. When I didn’t pass the entry test for my primary school maths club, my parents spoke to the teacher to help me get in. My sister helps run my socials now. That ongoing support, along with the excitement of tackling challenges, is what keeps me going today.
Any advice for students who want to develop their passions?
I’ve always loved maths, but it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that I grew obsessed with coding. Once you find the right thing for you, you’ll naturally think about it all the time – that’s how it is for me with algorithms. So if you haven’t found your passion yet, keep trying other things until you find it.
HEY! STUDENT WRITER
Coding and algorithms are foreign to sociology major Zaneta, but you can catch her doing her daily rounds on The New York Times games.
This story was published in the Jan-Feb 2026 issue of HEY!.
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