‘Jeopardy!’: Ron & Ray LaLonde Speak Out About ‘Critical’ Fans, Family Life and More

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Ron LaLonde was a three-game Jeopardy!  champion earlier this month, winning $55,501 in total, three years after his twin brother, Ray, won 13 games and a total of $388,400. Now, the pair are speaking out about growing up together, competing on Jeopardy! and the show’s often “critical” fans.

Growing up in Canada, the twins told Toronto Life that they had a “big family” in a “small house.” The twins are two of seven siblings, who would all gather around the TV to watch Jeopardy!, which they said “became a ritual” in their home.

They shared that their parents were big readers and always had books around. They would go to the library with their mom every Saturday, which allowed them to learn about many subjects, which for Ron was dinosaurs and for Ray was space. They both share a love for mythology.

The twins have moved out of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and “don’t punch each other in the nose” anymore since they live apart. Ron shared that he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a job as a medical physicist. ” I was working in optimization and radiation therapy, and there was a small company forming in Pittsburgh doing some pretty interesting things in my field. I’ve been down here ever since,” he shared.

Ray is a scenic artist, living in Toronto, who worked on the set of The Handmaid’s Tale in 2023. He is now working on the follow-up show, The Testaments, as well as the film The Boy in the Iron Box.

On the topic of Handmaid’s Tale, Ray told the outlet that he was told Elisabeth Moss, who led the series, is a fan of Jeopardy!. However, fellow Canadian author Margaret Atwood never acknowledged him being on Jeopardy!. “I’m not actually sure she is a Jeopardy! fan,” he said.

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After applying for many years to be on Jeopardy!, and feeling under pressure because of his brother’s success on the show, Ron said that he was nervous on stage. “I didn’t think I would be so nervous, but my legs would not stop shaking. I was a lot more comfortable by the second and third games,” he said. About the most surprising part, Ron said, “That first game, it was being under the lights.”

To add to his nerves, Ron had social media to worry about, especially since he carries a familiar surname. “I knew that people who watch online have a tendency to pick apart every single thing you do—if you don’t shake hands with your opponents right away after the game, if you don’t clap after they get a Daily Double clue,” he said.

However, Ron had the support of his brother, since he sat in the audience for every game. Ray was not allowed to have anyone as his episodes were filmed during COVID.

Some fans thought that it was really Ray at the podium during Ron’s run, but they shared that they never did the “twin switch thing.” ” I don’t think we ever knew any twins who did that. I think that’s probably a twin myth,” Ray shared.

“As a twin, you are always struggling to find your own identity. Pretending to be Ray is not something I would ever do,” Ron chimed in. Ray also said they have never had twin telepathy.

“Viewers are really critical. When Ray was on, he had a swaying habit, and he got called Ray the Sway.”

Ron said that he faced “very little” criticism. “I guess I didn’t stay on long enough for people to get sick of me,” he shared.