Following in the footsteps of his “Good Will Hunting” co-star and best friend, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck has joined the list of celebrities who have won “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” “The Accountant” star paired with “Jeopardy!” champion Jamie Ding for the TV game show.
Ben Affleck wins major prize on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’
Ben Affleck appeared on Episode 2 of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” Season 5 on July 29. He won the game almost exactly a year after Matt Damon. Just like Affleck, The Odyssey star also paired up with Jeopardy! wiz Ken Jennings. The duo won the top prize for charity. The money Affleck and Ding won will go to Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, the first U.S.-based advocacy and grant-making organisation that supports the people living in Africa.
For the final question, Affleck and Ding had to guess which turkeys were not pardoned by a U.S. president: A) Peanut Butter & Jelly; B) Tater & Tot; C) Mac & Cheese; D) Spaghetti & Meatball. Since the duo did not know the answer, they used their lifeline to ask host Jimmy Kimmel. The talk show host was not very sure, but he guessed that the answer was Spaghetti & Meatball.
Not wanting to take a risk, Affleck and Ding decided to use another lifeline as a friend. They called Ding’s longtime trivia partner Stephen Morrison, who did not know the answer and refused to guess. Consequently, the Gone Girl star suggested that they go with Kimmel’s answer. “I would bet on Jimmy,” he said. “I would go for it.”
Just as Ding locked in the answer for the $1 million question, host Kimmel said, “I have such a stomach ache right now.” The show ultimately revealed Spaghetti and Meatball as the right answer. Affleck and Ding were genuinely shocked, but celebrated the win by hugging and jumping. They are the fifth winners of the game since Kimmel took up hosting duties in April 2020.
