Jeopardy Champ From Michigan Shares the Best Contestant Stories

A 'Jeopardy' contestant from Michigan is not only showing off his trivia chops, but he's also sharing some of the more interesting 'contestant chats' we've seen recently.

Ben Goldstein works as a content marketing strategist and lives in Dexter, Michigan. The current Jeopardy champion has amassed a total of $15,198 in his two days on the quiz show, a bit under the average contestant's haul of just under $20,000 per episode.

Why We're Rooting for Ben

Putting your support behind the local contestant is just the right thing to do, isn't it? Goldstein is a University of Michigan graduate and his wife Rachel is an Upper Peninsula native. The couple moved from New York to Michigan after they got married, taking up residence in Dexter in 2014, according to Mlive. Dexter is about 10 miles northwest of Ann Arbor.

But we're not just rooting for Ben's winning streak to continue on the iconic game show because he's from the Mitten State. Goldstein has made the 'contestant interview' portion of the show rather interesting.

Oftentimes when Jeopardy contestants chat it up with hosts Ken Jennings or Mayim Bialik, it's awkward and somewhat of a nothing burger. "I have a cat named Morris and blah, blah, blah." But Goldstein's anecdotes have been different.

Honeymoon in the Emergency Room

On Goldstein's first visit to the show, he detailed how he and his wife spent the first day of their marriage in ER.

"My wife and I planned this fabulous destination in San Juan Puerto Rico. My wife started feeling sick on the way out there, on the plane, it turned out she had recently caught a rotavirus," Goldstein explained.

He went on to say that his wife "white knuckled" her way through the ceremony and reception and went to the emergency room the next day.

Fending Off a Local Lunatic

Goldstein went on to win his first game of Jeopard at the end of last week and got to come back for an appearance on Monday (6/19). Of course, that means coming up with another story to share during the get-to-know-you portion of the show, and Ben didn't disappoint.

He explained that he's always been a martial arts fan and noted that one time he had to use his skills to defend himself and some coworkers.

"We were approached by a local lunatic who asked us for money and when we refused, he took out a knife and put it against my boss' ribs," he said. "I threw him into the street, landed a flying side kick into his stomach, [and] got his knife."

He went on to say that no one was injured and that he's earned the reputation of a real-life action hero.

What's Next for Goldstein?

Ben Goldstein makes his third appearance on Jeopardy tonight (6/20), attempting to become a three-day champion. We certainly hope he does well. And we're looking forward to another great story when Ben chats it up with Mayim.

Jeopardy airs locally on WNEM-TV 5 weeknights at 7 pm. Elsewhere in Michigan, the quiz show can be seen on WDIV-TV, WILX-TV, WPBN-TV, and WLUC-TV.