Ron Lalonde follows twin brother as Jeopardy! champion with eye-watering earnings

Twin brothers Ron and Ray Lalonde both became Jeopardy! Champs, while Harrison Whitaker’s 14-game streak ended

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Ron Lalonde has followed his twin brother

Ron Lalonde followed in his twin brother’s footsteps this week by becoming a two-day Jeopardy! champion, echoing the success Ray Lalonde achieved nearly two years ago.

Ray competed from December 2022 to January 2023 and won 13 consecutive Jeopardy! games, earning nearly $400,000. Ron, aware of that legacy, took the stage determined but focused.

Host Ken Jennings reminded viewers of the family connection. “Your twin brother, Ron, called you the real ‘Jeopardy!’ talent in the family,” Jennings said, noting the high bar Ray had set. Ron smiled, not appearing fazed by the pressure. Ray watched from the audience as his brother began.

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In Ron’s debut, he faced Libby Jones, who had previously ended a 14-game winning streak by Harisson Whitaker. The Final Jeopardy category was “Monuments and Memorials.”

The clue was, “In NYC’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, an alcove with memorials to Hart Crane, Sylvia Plath, and 54 others is the ‘American’ this.”

Ron had $11,200 going into the round. He answered “Poet’s Corner,” which was correct, and wagered $4,001. That pushed him to $15,201, just enough to edge out Jones, who had $15,200 but answered incorrectly and lost $7,201.

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Ron Lalonde’s twin brother, Ray, clapped from the audience.

Jennings congratulated him. “The Lalonde twins are two for two,” he said as Ray cheered from the crowd.

Ron returned the next day to compete against Marie D’Avignon and Andy Luo. The Final Jeopardy category was “The Supreme Court in the 19th Century.”

The clue, “Citing the ‘language of the people, whether sellers or consumers,’ in 1893, the SC ruled on the botanical designation of this.”

All three contestants answered “Tobacco,” which was incorrect. Ron had built a large lead, entering Final Jeopardy with $24,400.

He wagered $4,000 and finished with $20,400, securing his second win. His total after two games stands at $35,601.

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Ron was neck and neck with his competitor in the final round, almost winning by $1(Image: YouTube / Jeopardy!)

Ray’s run was one of the longest in recent history. Ron’s early performance may not have matched his brother’s numbers, but he still has made an impression on viewers.

Jeopardy! has featured several family members over the years, but twins winning on separate episodes is a first.

Harrison Whitaker’s run came to an end earlier this week after a 14-game streak, winning nearly $375,000 before falling to Jones, the same contestant Ron later defeated.

“I knew I had to wager basically just enough to guarantee the win if I got it right,” Whitaker said. “When that clue came up and I didn’t immediately know the answer for sure. That was obviously a difficult feeling.”

Whitaker said he actually accepted the outcome, “No game is a guarantee. No question is a guarantee. You just have to be a combination of prepared and lucky.”

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