Identical Twin of 13-Day Champ Set To Appear On Jeopardy
Will Ron Lalonde become a superchampion like his brother?
Ray Lalonde is well known for his time on Jeopardy, and his twin brother is about to follow in his footsteps. Ron Lalonde’s Jeopardy debut is scheduled for next Wednesday, December 3.
Ray and Ron were born in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Like many contestants that came before them, watching Jeopardy in the evening was a daily habit for the Lalonde brothers. They’ve been fans of the show since the 1970s, when Art Fleming was the host. Ray was the first to apply for Jeopardy, and it took 20 years before he finally made it on. Ron has also been applying for years, and he was waiting in the contestant pool when Ray got the call in 2022.
Ray Lalonde was a very strong Jeopardy contestant. He won 13 games in December 2022 and January 2023, before he lost his 14th game to Lloyd Sy. He won $388,400 in his initial run on the show, and added $15,000 in Jeopardy’s never-ending spin cycle of tournaments. Ray’s 13-game win streak ranks second all time among Canadian contestants, behind only Mattea Roach’s 23. Only time will tell if Ron will perform as well as his brother.
Ron has shared a few details about his appearance on Jeopardy, as well as what it’s like being the second twin to appear on the same show. His family traveled to Los Angeles to see the taping in person, and that included his brother. According to Ron, host Ken Jennings accidentally called him Ray a few times during the taping. Ron also said “there was a great deal of teasing as well about ‘how can we tell that you’re not your brother?'”
The Lalondes aren’t the only pair of identical twins to play Jeopardy. In April of 1999, Robin Travers was a contestant on the show, and her twin sister Karin made an appearance two months later. Both of them lost their first and only game to a returning champion who ran away with the lead. Robin finished with a score of $2,500, and Karin finished with $100.
