ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Who is a nine-time “Jeopardy!” champion from Northeast Wisconsin who won a quarterfinal Tournament of Champions contest Tuesday night?
If your answer was, “Who is Ben Chan?” then you are correct.
St. Norbert College philosophy professor Ben Chan took first place in the match, accruing a total of $29,800. With this victory, he moves on to a semifinal game Thursday on FOX 11.
Chan was in attendance at a community watch party held Tuesday at Zambaldi Beer in Allouez.
Chan earned local celebrity status when he won more than $250,000 during his nearly double-digit win streak last spring. He was featured during SNC’s graduation with some special “Jeopardy!” questions and threw out the first pitch at a Wisconsin Timber Rattlers baseball game. The state Assembly even honored his “Jeopardy!” success last month with a joint resolution adopted unanimously.
Chan has been praised for his dedication to giving back to his community, using his “Jeopardy!” winnings to support local organizations focused on mental health, addiction counseling and public park initiatives.
Chan is one of 27 contestants competing in the Tournament of Champions to win the $250,000 grand prize and an invitation to compete in the primetime version of “Jeopardy!” on ABC. The best-of-seven finals start March 12.
“It really was important to represent Green Bay well,” Chan told FOX 11. “It was amazing how much more Green Bay noticed than even my wildest dreams.”
Joining Chan at Zambaldi to watch the quarterfinal appearance was his family, colleagues, and people he’s met because of his “Jeopardy!” success.
“He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life and I’m so happy he’s doing well,” said Bill Niedzwiedz, a friend of Chan. “He’s just so well grounded, but you watch him — he’s so happy.”
Chan says he was confident going into the tournament, but says his competition was as well.
“It was like summer camp. The main feeling I had today was nostalgia for missing the people I played with because it was such a nice filming experience.”
The playing experience was pretty good too. Chan dominated the quarterfinal competition, nearly tripling the winnings of the runner-up.
“There’s a lot of luck involved, really,” said Chan. “That was actually a good board for me in tonight’s game, so I might have looked a little better than I actually am because I got good categories for me.”
“Jeopardy!” airs at 6 p.m. weeknights on FOX 11.
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