Beloved Michigan ‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Loses Cancer Fight

A Michigan native and Jeopardy! champion has died after a short but fierce battle with cancer. Gordon “Ben” Benjamin Scripps was 52.

If you’re a Jeopardy! fan, you may remember the Michigan native from his appearance on the show in 2020, just months before host Alex Trebek passed away.

Early Life and Career

A lifelong lover of television and broadcasting, Scripps studied at Central Michigan University and went on to work at Cadillac’s local CBS station, 9 & 10 News, where he began covering high school sports and later worked behind the scenes as a news producer.

Ben Scripps' Jeopardy! Journey

According to his obituary, Scripps took the Jeopardy! “Anytime Test” in 2019, advanced through regional auditions in Chicago, and was selected to appear on the show in March 2020. Because it was the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no studio audience for his taping.

On Jeopardy!, Scripps won his first two games, collecting $38,158, before losing his third match to competitor Nathan Berger, according to TV Insider. His family notes that appearing on the long-running game show had been his lifelong dream.

Family and friends have described Scripps as a gentle soul. In his final days, hospital staff would remark, “Wow, you’re a Jeopardy! champion, you must be really smart,” to which he would reply, “Nope, just good at trivia… you’re the smart one in the room.”

His brother shared on Instagram that even while suffering, Scripps found ways to make others laugh and offer comfort.

“Thankfully I had a chance to go and say goodbye to him earlier this week and the f***er was still making me laugh even while cancer was ravaging his body. Laughing through uncontrollable tears because he was comforting me… forever my big brother!” he wrote.