Don’t look now, but Green Bay’s Ben Chan is about to raise the roof again on “Jeopardy!”
The nine-time Season 39 champ in 2023 and runner-up of last year’s Tournament of Champions is returning, buzzer in hand, to compete in the second “Jeopardy!” Invitational Tournament.
Chan, an assistant professor of philosophy at St. Norbert College in De Pere, is one of 27 fan-favorite champions from past seasons to do battle for a $150,000 grand prize and an invite to compete in the 2025 “Jeopardy!” Masters.
Fans eager to cheer Chan on again will have to wait until the end of the month. The “Jeopardy!” Invitational Tournament begins on Monday with the first of nine quarterfinal rounds. Chan will compete on Feb. 26 against Claire Sattler, a comedian and research scientist from New York, and Shane Whitlock, a radiologist originally from Benton, Arkansas.
Winners of the quarterfinals move on to three semifinals, which are followed by a multiple-game finals series. The first to win two games will be crowned the champion.
Chan, who won $354,600 from his original run and tournament play, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette in an interview last March that he would be open to returning to the Alex Trebek Stage if he were ever invited back for a tournament.
“I think ‘Jeopardy!’ has been very good to me, and every time I’ve learned something important and new from the experience,” he said. “It is kind of daunting. It’s an intense experience, but it has proven more than worth it every time. So if the opportunity were to present itself … I’d be excited.”
Chan became a statewide sensation as a “Jeopardy!” champ, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Milwaukee Brewers and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers games and being honored at the Wisconsin State Capitol for his humility, excellence and positive representation of Green Bay.
Watch parties in Green Bay and the surrounding area drew big crowds. He frequently talked about Green Bay on the show, including his love for the Zippin Pippin roller coaster at Bay Beach Amusement Park. His raise the roof hand gesture during player introductions became his signature.
“Jeopardy!” airs at 6 p.m. weekdays on WLUK (Fox 11) in the Green Bay-Appleton market.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
