Whee! Ben Chan gives Bay Beach's Zippin Pippin roller coaster some love as 'Jeopardy!' Tournament of Champions tightens in Game 3
Like moms so often are, Ben Chan’s was right when she cautioned him there would be some really good players in the “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions.
Game 3 of the finals proved it is indeed going to be a battle.
Yogesh Raut won his first match of the contest on Thursday, and just like that it’s all tied up. Chan, Raut and Troy Meyer, the three finalists from the the field of 27 champions who earned the right to compete, have now each won one game.
That means the ToC is guaranteed to spill into next week before Chan fans find out if the most famous professor in Green Bay can win it all. It’s the first finalist to win three games in the best-of-seven series who takes home the $250,000 grand prize.
During an interview on Thursday morning with Pete Petoniak on WLUK-TV’s “Good Day Wisconsin,” Chan talked about what it’s like to go up against Raut and Meyer.
“These guys are good. They’re both world champion quizzers. ... “ he said. “It was a really cool experience playing with people of that caliber. The best way I can describe is it’s kind of a like an intellectual knife fight. That’s what it feels like up there. We’re all getting beat up a little bit.”
In an interview with the Green Bay Press-Gazette in February, Chan said his mother back in Queens, New York, has been thrilled with all of his “Jeopardy!” success, but she also has reminded him to not put too much importance on winning given the level of competition.
“She’s very happy, but I think she also wants me to keep it in perspective,” Chan said.
She would be proud to know that if you scan comments on social media from Chan’s fans, the words that seem to come up most often are “humble” and “sweet.”
Here's how Game 3 of the ToC finals went down
Chan led with $5,800 to Raut’s $4,600 and Meyer’s $2,800 after the first round. As was the case in Game 2, Meyer and Raut again each successfully wagered a true Daily Double during the Double Jeopardy! round to bolster their winnings.
It was Raut with $29,600, Chan with $17,800 and Meyer with $15,200 heading into Final Jeopardy! All three of them correctly answered the United Nations clue, so it came down to who wagered how much to win the game. Chan ($30,401) edged out Meyer ($30,400), but Raut ($35,601) came out on top.
Chan introduces viewers to the thrill of Zippin Pippin roller coaster at Bay Beach Amusement Park
If Bay Beach Amusement Park sees a significant spike in attendance this summer, thank Chan. He gave the Green Bay park and its star attraction, the Zippin Pippin wooden roller coaster, some serious love during the contestant interviews.
He told host Ken Jennings how the coaster that was Elvis Presley’s favorite (in the 1970s at Libertyland in Memphis, Tennessee) was purchased by the city of Green Bay (in 2010) and brought to Bay Beach, where it costs just $1 to ride.
“As you might be able to tell I have trouble relaxing, so at the start of summer I like to go once a day for the first week of summer so I get into the summer mood,” he told Jennings of riding the Zippin Pippin.
Jennings asked if he would continue that tradition if he wins the ToC.
“Well, I might do what Elvis did, which is to shut down the park and bring all of his friends to ride the Zippin Pippin,” Chan said.
In his Press-Gazette interview, Chan said he spotted a Zippin Pippin lapel pin at the Bay Beach gift shop when he was there last season and bought it specifically to wear on ToC. He also wore it to the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison when he was recently honored for being such a good ambassador for Green Bay on the show.
There's not a stats category for it, but Chan is 2 for 2 on doing an awesome job of shining a light on things that make the area special. During Game 2, he talked about the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' Bratzooka. Bonus points to him for making the ToC must-see TV for local viewers.
Important programming note for Friday's Game 4 on WLUK; watch party heads to Appleton
Viewers in Green Bay and the Fox Valley who normally catch “Jeopardy!” at 6 p.m. on WLUK will need to tune in at 3:30 p.m. on Friday for Game 4. The broadcast time has been moved up due to coverage of the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament.
There will be a watch party with Chan at Jim's Place, 223 E. College Ave., Appleton.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Ben Chan gives Zippin Pippin a fun ride in Game 3 of 'Jeopardy!' ToC