Goshen's Ben Ganger uses South Bend opera experience on Jeopardy. Here's how he did it.
April 30, 2025
Goshen's own Ben Ganger will defend his title against two competitors as he enters into his second day on the trivia show, Jeopardy. Ganger, 30, took home $24,999 during his first time on the show, defeating his competitors by a wide margin.
Stage presence
Ganger, a data analyst at Viewrail by day, performs on stage as an opera singer in local productions, something his co-star Emanuel-Cristian Caraman said isn't easy.
"Being a musician helps, you have to move your mind really fast. The orchestra doesn't wait for you," he said of Ganger's ability to be quick. "You always have to be exact in your performance."
"We do a lot of shows together," Caraman said of the baritone. Caraman and Ganger performed in the South Bend Symphony Orchestra's performance Puccini's Tosca in March. Caraman has been performing with Ganger for the past seven years, he said.
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Ganger has been performing since the spring of 2014 in his debut performance as the count in The Marriage of Figaro at Goshen College — where he graduated from in 2016 before attending Bowling Green State University for a Masters in music for opera performance.
Ganger said he was informed at the end of January that he'd be on the show and he taped his episodes on March 5. Though Ganger had one month to prepare, he said, it's not his profession as a data analyst that helped him, but rather, his familiarity with the stage. His "adrenaline management skills," he said, were useful.
"There's an element of staying calm under bright lights and tons of pressure that you get a taste of when you're on stage for operas and musicals," Ganger said. "That made being on stage at Jeopardy at least a little more familiar of a feeling."
Locally, Ganger performs with South Bend Lyric Opera and co-founded the South Bend chapter of Opera on Tap South Bend, who host monthly recitals at Iron Hand Wine Bar. South Bend is the only city in the state with both an opera company and Opera on Tap chapter, Ganger proudly told The Tribune on April 30.
Jeopardy preparations
Without any study guide, Ganger took to J! Archive — which consists of Jeopardy questions from previous seasons — to prepare for his appearance on the show. He played through old games of the show as his family would act as host Ken Jennings and Ganger would practice buzzing in, he said.
"That was good for pretending that I'm on stage and getting used to calling for the next clue, but it was also really helpful to get a sense of what clues I should not buzz in on. When to stay quiet on stage," Ganger said.
Caraman described Ganger as someone who's very smart with a lot of knowledge, calling him an "encyclopedia person." Caraman wasn't able to watch Ganger's Jeopardy debut Tuesday night, but said he'll try Wednesday.
Ganger buzzed in 36 times, with a 94% success rate, to answer 34 questions correctly, the Indy Star reported. His efforts defeated returning champion Erin Morin, who buzzed in only 11 times during the show.
Ganger's preparations to be on Jeopardy began when he was a child, as he watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune with his family after dinner. He was hooked by Washington native Ken Jennings' big run in 2004.
"I got to go out and play and he was the guy behind the host lectern, which was a really full circle moment," Ganger said.
He envisioned himself taking the Jeopardy stage himself one day, Ganger said, saying it was fun to make that dream come true. Prior to Jeopardy, Ganger said, he'd host trivia competitions with his wife, saying he's been "obsessed for a while."
Ganger and his wife plan to spend the winnings on a vacation in Greece for their 10th wedding anniversary by immersing in Athens' history and experiencing the country's islands.
Community support
The Goshen community is proud Ganger's success, as Goshen College encouraged the community on Facebook to tune in and Goshen Brewing Company hosted a view party Tuesday night.
Goshen College offered their congratulations to Ganger in an emailed statement, saying, "Congratulations to Ben on his success last night! This is a proud moment for Goshen College and a testament to the value of a liberal arts education. Thanks, Ben, for representing GC so well, and we'll be cheering you on again tonight!"
Goshen Brewing Company set up an outdoor picnic viewing of the show. Ganger, who attended the watch party, called the experience and community support "surreal" and a "jaw-drop moment" when he saw the big screen and people from different parts of his life attend, including work friends, theater friends out-of-state friends.
"The response, just since last night, has been so heartwarming," Ganger said.
The community support brought him a sense of civic pride, he said. "It's fun to see Goshen responding in such a positive way. I love this town. I was born here, raised here, I still live here and I think the experiences I've had here equipped me very well for what I ended up doing out in L.A."
Though Ganger knew he was going to win, he got the chance to see the community's reactions in real time.
"I've been very excited for people to see that," he said.
Ganger struggled to put Tuesday night's feelings into words.
"I feel so lucky to be in a community that's happy to come together when something fun like this happens," he said.
Viewers can catch Ganger on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Jeopardy can also be streamed on YouTube TV or Pluto TV or by TV screening services DirecTV Stream, Philo or fuboTV.
Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com.