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Did Ben Chan almost lose a spot on 'Jeopardy!'? Nine-day champion reveals details as he explores a new sport

Ben Chan's nine-day winning streak came to an end when he misspelled a word by just one letter but he seems to have taken to baseball now

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘Jeopardy!​’ is known to make celebrities out of everyday people who might otherwise not have a chance to become rich and famous until they do something extraordinary at a given turn of time. This game show offers a respite and slingshots them to fame overnight if they can outsmart their opponents with their knowledge. A philosophy professor at St. Norbert College, Ben Chan, was able to enjoy a nine-day winning streak on ‘Jeopardy!’ which unfortunately came to an end as he misspelled a word by just one letter. 

Now that professor has taken some time off from the gameshow, he is enjoying a new sport: baseball. Recently, Ben threw the first pitch at a baseball game while rocking some gear from ‘Jeopardy!’. The philosophy professor's advent into baseball is a pleasant sight for fans of the show, who are delighted to see their favorite contestant recuperating from a catastrophic loss. 

A pitch at the Minor League Baseball game

Ben was offered a chance to pitch at a Minor League Baseball game. He later hung out with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and had a lot of fun with the entire team. He even took to Twitter to share a photo of himself in a red shirt tossing the ball. Ben was visibly very focused as he threw the ball as hard as he could. He captioned the post, “Here's me looking super chill and relaxed throwing out the first pitch with the @TimberRattlers a few weeks ago.” He further added, “(If you find yourself in NE Wisconsin, you really should see a T-Rats game. Minor league baseball is the best live sports experience, IMHO.)” 

This opportunity came knocking on Ben's door after he endured a crushing loss on ‘Jeopardy!’, which ended his nine-day winning run, courtesy of host Mayim Bialik’s controversial decision. However, Ben could have almost missed this nine-day winning streak due to a personal error that could’ve kept him away from ‘Jeopardy!’ entirely.

'Didn't see the invite to audition for ‘Jeopardy!’'

Ben recently revealed that he almost missed a chance to participate in the game show as he didn’t see his invitation until two months after it was sent out. He tweeted, “Speaking of "sliding door" (h/t @buzztronics) moments.. I didn't see the invite to audition for Jeopardy! until 2 months after it was sent, and my tryout date had passed. I hate imposing & wasn't going to ask for another shot until friends encouraged me… & I got my shot!” 

Along with the tweet was also a screenshot that describes Ben’s desperation in some detail to correct his wrong. The screenshot read, “Dear Jeopardy! Contestant Department, I somehow (!?!?!?!) missed this email when it was originally sent. Is there any chance that I'm still eligible for upcoming Game Play auditions? Many thanks, Ben Chan.” Fans were quick to appreciate and support him. One said, "I am glad your friends encouraged you,” while another wrote, “could see myself doing that accidentally and my friends encouraging me the same way… Your friends seem like amazing people…I’m sorry you missed your first audition…”

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