Judge is Third Law School Representative to Compete on Jeopardy

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For the third time within a year, a representative from the Mercer Law School will appear on Jeopardy, the popular night-time television game show.

Ben W. Studdard III, BA ’82, JD ’84, a state court judge in McDonough, will compete on the popular game show emceed by Alex Trebek. The show will air Monday night, April 1.

Ironically, Studdard’s college roommate, B. Michel Phillips III, BA ’82, JD ’85, a Smyrna attorney, appeared on the TV show last year and came away with more than $30,000 in winnings after successfully competing three nights on the show.

Studdard and Phillips, in addition to being roommates in college, were teammates on the Mercer College Bowl squad in the early 1980s. Studdard said he credits those years of competing at Mercer with helping him in his current efforts on Jeopardy.

“They have had try-outs in Atlanta several times. I have passed every time but it was after I attempted in May of last year that I received a phone call from Jeopardy,” the Locust Grove resident said.

Judge Studdard said he was actually working out on a treadmill at a fitness center when he received a call in December from the show’s producers. He said he only had about a month to refresh his memory on the knowledge he learned years ago while on the Mercer College Bowl team.

In addition to Judge Studdard and Phillips, third-year Mercer Law School student Erin Lang appeared on Jeopardy Feb. 18. She finished a close second in competition. She, like the two Law School alumni who competed on Jeopardy, is also an undergraduate from Mercer.

Rick Cameron is senior associate athletic director for communications, overseeing athletic media relations, including management of mercerbears.com, the official website of Mercer Athletics, while also maintaining his broadcasting responsibilities as Voice of the Bears.