SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Season 5, Episode 2 of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” which aired on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
Ben Affleck has joined the pantheon of celebrity winners of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” taking home the top prize with a little (or a lot) of help from “Jeopardy!” champion Jamie Ding.
Affleck conquered the $1 million question almost exactly one year after his “Good Will Hunting” co-star and best bud Matt Damon did the same. Damon was similarly paired with a “Jeopardy!” wiz — current host Ken Jennings — who helped him reach the top prize for charity.
The money from Affleck and Ding’s victory will go toward Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, the first U.S.-based advocacy and grant-making organization dedicated to supporting the people living in the African region.
In 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. Not knowing the answer, the contestants used their lifeline to ask host Jimmy Kimmel. While Kimmel said he was not 100% sure, he guessed the answer as Spaghetti & Meatball. Affleck and Ding then used another lifeline to phone a friend, which was Ding’s longtime trivia partner Stephen Morrison. Morrison did not know the answer either and declined to guess, which led Affleck to suggest they should go with Kimmel’s guess. “I would bet on Jimmy,” he said. “I would go for it.”
