Millions cheered his brilliance on the “Jeopardy!” stage, completely unaware he was fighting for his life. Inside the tragic, untold story of contestant Ben Scripps’ courageous final battle with cancer.
‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Ben Scripps Dies After Losing Battle With Cancer
Jeopardy! Inc.
The Jeopardy! community has lost another contestant. Two-day champion Ben Scripps died on September 20 after a short battle with cancer.
Dykstra Funeral Home shared his obituary on their website, announcing his death. Gordon Benjamin Scripps was a TV director from Cadillac, Michigan. He was 52 years old and died in Holland, Michigan. His full name came from both of his grandfathers, but like most people in his family, he went by his middle name.
Scripps was on Jeopardy! in May 2020. He took home $38,158 in two games. He lost his third game to Nathan Berger. According to his obituary, it was his lifelong dream to be on the game show. Scripps took the anytime test in 2019 and went to Chicago, Illinois, for the next step. After being selected, he flew to California in March 2020. He was met with no one in the audience as COVID-19 had just begun.
Aside from Jeopardy!, Scripps also had a passion for golf. He belonged to a club that took frequent trips to Northern Michigan to play.
Scripps was described as a “gentle soul” and “friend to all.” “He had a great, contagious smile and a quick sense of humor,” his obituary stated.
His brother confirmed the news on Instagram with a slew of pictures. “My brother Ben Scripps left his earthly vessel last night and went on to whatever adventure awaits us next,” he wrote.
“In his final days, the nurses and doctors would all say ‘Wow, you’re a Jeopardy! champion, you must be really smart.’ He would reply with ‘Nope, just good at trivia, you’re a nurse(or doc), you’re the smart one in the room.’ While he hated being in the hospital, he could not stop singing the praises of all the nurses who cared for him. Using energy that he just didn’t have to let them know how much he appreciated them.”
“Thankfully, I had a chance to go and say goodbye to him earlier this week, and the f**ker 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 continued.
“While being polar opposites, we could not have been more alike in so many ways. Ben lived his life on his terms and knew exactly who he was… and he was terrific! Simply the most kind, caring, gentle, and forgiving person I’ve ever known. I had the chance to ask him if he was scared, and he thought about it for a good while (I swear I heard the Jeopardy! theme) and then said, ‘No, because whatever is next is either nothing or it’s better.’ I’ll take the best brother ever for $2,000, please, Alex.”
His funeral is Sunday, September 28, in Holland. He chose to be cremated.
Fans reacted to the news on Reddit. “I didn’t personally know him, but Ben was a coworker of my dad, and this weekend we learned he had lost his battle with inoperable cancer diagnosed only a few months ago,” the original poster said.
“Wow. My condolences to his friends and family. I’m surprised he was only a 2-day winner, because I recognized him immediately. He made a good impression, obviously. Glad he got to live out his dream,” another fan said.
“Rest well, Ben & say hi to Alex for us all,” a fan wrote.
“My condolences to your dad and Ben’s family,” one last fan said.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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