Northern Michigan’s Own Jeopardy! Star

By Patrick Sullivan | May 23, 2020

Cadillac resident Ben Scripps went on a winning streak on the game show Jeopardy!, winning in his first two appearances. Unfortunately, the third appearance wasn’t a charm; Scripps ultimately lost to competitor Nathan Berger, of Portland, Maine, after making a big bet on what would turn out to be an incorrect answer to a Daily Double.

The 9&10 television director appeared on the show May 18 and got off to a quick start, beating the buzzer on the first three questions, answering them correctly, and jumping out to an early lead. Then he fell behind, ending the first round in third place.

Scripps eventually came back to win the game in Final Jeopardy. When he returned the next day, host Alex Trebek said of the champion: “He was up and down more often than a yo-yo.” Scripps went on to win that game, too.

“Being on Jeopardy! was literally a life-long dream; when I was a kid in the Grand Rapids area, the whole family would be in front of the TV at 7:30 to watch, and I knew right from the start I wanted to be on the show, even if I was only 11 at the time,” Scripps told Northern Express in an email. “The whole thing is still a little surreal to me, but it was also the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.”