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Opinion February 12, 2021 3 mins read

‘Jeopardy’ Suffers Another Devastating Blow As ‘Alex’s Last Great Champion,’ Brayden Smith, Dies

Opinion ı By Carmine Sabia

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Brayden Smith

The prime-time television game show Jeopardy has suffered another devastating blow following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.

The man known by some as Trebek’s last great champion, Brayden Andrew Smith, has died at the age of 24.

Before Trebek died after a long battle with caner on November 8, 2020, Smith amassed a grand total of $115,000.

“BRAYDEN ANDREW SMITH Brayden Andrew Smith passed away Friday morning, February 5, in Las Vegas, Nev. He was 24. Brayden attained a lifelong dream as a five-time champion on the popular Jeopardy! television game show,” his obituary said.

“His appearances were among the last hosted by Alex Trebek, and Brayden was hailed on social media as ‘Alex's Last Great Champion.’ He was looking forward to competing in the show's Tournament of Champions. A 2020 graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a degree in economics, Brayden intended to attend law school and become an attorney for the federal government.

“He was a voracious reader and autodidact, a lover of knowledge and an advocate for justice. His room was bursting with books on political science, philosophy, economics, and history. He recently served as an intern with the prestigious Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., where he researched criminal justice reform issues,” it said.

The “Jeopardy” champion was hospitalized for several days at a Southern Nevada hospital before he died on Feb. 5. No cause of death has been given.

“The JEOPARDY! family is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brayden Smith. He was kind, funny and absolutely brilliant. Our deepest condolences go out to Brayden’s family. He will be missed,” the show said.

The show posted a video interview with the champion in January where he expressed his joy at being on the show and his love for Trebek.

“’Jeopardy!’ is so much better than anything that I could have even imagined,” he said. “Every moment since I was last on the studio live has been a moment that I’ve been wanting to get back on there.”

“I’m just glad we were able to do it, and I was glad that I was able to show what I was capable of,” he said. “Every moment I was there that I moved from the third lectern to the champion’s lectern, I wanted to stay there as long as possible.”

“Everybody knows that he (was) ailing,” he said of Trebek. “To put on a brave face and go out there every day and continue to give America and the world some good cheer, especially this year, is really a testament to how great of a person he was.”

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Carmine Sabia

Carmine Sabia Jr started his own professional wrestling business at age 18 and went on to become a real estate investor. Currently he is a pundit who covers political news and current events.

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