Jeopardy champion Ben Scripps dies at 52 after battling cancer: 'Best brother ever for $2,000 ple...

The twoday champion had a &34;lifelong dream&34; to compete on the iconic game show, according to his death notice. Jeopardy champion Ben Scripps dies at 52 aft

The two-day champion had a "lifelong dream" to compete on the iconic game show, according to his death notice.

Jeopardy champion Ben Scripps dies at 52 after battling cancer: 'Best brother ever for $2,000 please, Alex'

The two-day champion had a "lifelong dream" to compete on the iconic game show, according to his death notice.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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September 24, 2025 5:40 p.m. ET

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Ben Scripps on 'Jeopardy' in May 2020. Credit:

Ben Scripps, a *Jeopardy* alum who won twice on the show in 2020, has died.

Scripps died at age 52 on Saturday, Sept. 20, in Holland, Mich., the Dykstra Funeral Home announced in his death notice. His brother, Bubba Mack, said that he died following a battle with cancer in an Instagram post.

Scripps won $18,000 during his first *Jeopardy* appearance on May 18, 2020, which came during Alex Trebek's final year as the host of the show. He triumphed again the following day with an additional $19,358, bringing his two-day total to $38,158. His streak ended on May 20 when he lost to Nathan Berger.

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The former champion's obituary stated that Scripps "had a lifelong dream to be on *Jeopardy*," noting that he qualified to compete in 2019 after taking an online test and trying out for the show in Chicago.

Born Gordon Benjamin Scripps in Cadillac, Mich., in 1972, the *Jeopardy* alum knew from a young age that he wanted to work in television. He studied broadcasting at Central Michigan University and worked for the news team at Cadillac's local CBS station, Channels 9 & 10, where he began by covering high school football games and ended his career producing the news from behind the switcher board.

The 'Jeopardy' set.

Amanda Edwards/Getty

Mack said that his brother was extraordinarily gracious during his last days in the hospital.

"In his final days the nurses and doctors would all say wow you're a *Jeopardy!* champion, you must be really smart," Scripps' brother wrote. "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."

Mack remembered his brother as a kindhearted soul.

"Ben lived his life on his terms and knew exactly who he was... and he was terrific!" he wrote. "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 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.'"

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Mack ended his post with a touching tribute to his sibling's time on the iconic game show.

"I'll take the best brother ever for $2,000 please Alex," he wrote. "'This Cadillac news director was the best of the human race and will be missed greatly by anyone who knew him.' Who was Ben Scripps 12/25/72 - 9/20/25."**

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Source: "AOL TV"

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