‘Jeopardy!’: Brayden Smith, last champion of 5 games under Alex Trebek, died

Brayden Smith, the relentless “Jeopardy!” competitor Alex Trebek nicknamed “Billy Buzzsaw” because of his ability to cut his competition, died. He was 24 years old.

Smith was a five-day champion and one of the last to compete on the Trebek “Jeopardy!” it was. Many fans compared him to James Holzhauer because of his tendency to fall for the Daily Doubles and his courage in making big bets.

Trebek, who was undergoing treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer at the time, was visibly charmed by Smith’s skills.

“More impressive, I don’t know what to say,” said the 80-year-old host at one point during the Smith race.

“I would like to think that Brayden was a final gift for Alex Trebek. He loved a great champion ”, a“ Jeopardy! ”Viewer wrote, according to Decider.

“I’m very happy that Alex Trebek has a competitor like Brayden in some of his last shows”, another “Jeopardy!” fan wrote.

Smith died on February 5 – about a month after his last “Jeopardy!” episode aired. The cause of death has not been revealed. According to his obituary, Smith had his lifelong dream of being five times champion in “Jeopardy!” – a requirement to compete in the program “Tournament of Champions”.

“We are heartbroken to share that our dear Brayden Smith recently passed away unexpectedly,” wrote Smith’s mother, Debbie Smith, on Twitter on Friday. “We are very grateful that Brayden was able to live his dream in @danger. ”

Friday afternoon, “Jeopardy!” posted a tribute to the contestant, calling him “kind, funny and absolutely brilliant”.

Brayden Smith recently told The Ringer that he tried to get into “Jeopardy!” at least a dozen times, signing up for Children’s Week and tournaments for teenagers and colleges.

“I remember being really bad at first,” he said. “In my defense, I was in elementary school.”

As soon as he finally made it into the program, Smith won $ 115,798 during his five-game winning streak. He was looking forward to competing in the “Tournament of Champions”, according to his obituary.

“These people are kind of my trivial idols and knowing that I will be on the same metaphorical and literal stage they were on is something really special,” said Smith during a “Jeopardy!” interview. “‘Jeopardy!'” It’s much better than anything I could have imagined. Every moment, since the last time I was in the studio, was a moment that I wanted to go back to. ”

“I am very grateful for everything, for all the opportunities I had,” he added. “I was happy to be able to show what I am capable of.”

Smith’s death occurs about three months after Trebek’s death. The “Jeopardy!” competitor said the late host was a “mainstay” in his life.

“The best part for me was spending time with him,” Smith said during a “Jeopardy!” interview. “To finally be on stage with someone I see five nights a week, every week, for more than a decade, was really a dream come true.”

Tributes to Smith began to flood social media when news of his death appeared, including a post by a recent colleague “Jeopardy!” champion Burt Thakur, who credits “Jeopardy!” in teaching you English.