‘What is Central New York?': Meet the Syracuse Lawyer Set to Play ‘Jeopardy!’

Central New York is about to be very well-represented on one of the most famous television game shows ever.

The game is Jeopardy!, and a contestant from Syracuse is set to make her debut on Friday, December 9th. A contestant with a massive winning streak was recently defeated, a development that is in her favor as she looks to win money against some of the best minds in the United States.

Sorry, we'll phrase the next line in the form of a question: who is Central New York's new fan-favorite?

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Meet Ellen LaBerge, Central NY Resident and Future 'Jeopardy!' Contestant

A story from Syracuse.com earlier this week introduced us to Ellen LaBerge, a resident of Syracuse, who is set to appear on Jeopardy! for the first time on Friday, December 9th. LaBerge will take on the winner from Thursday, as well as another new contestant, with the hope of beginning a long winning streak, and taking home the prize money that comes along with it.

Here's an interesting fact: LaBerge's Facebook profile lists her as being from Niskayuna, New York, right here in the Capital Region! We didn't need another reason to root for Ellen, but it appears as though we have one.

LaBerge states that she is the chief legal officer at C&S Companies on her LinkedIn page, a position she has held since 1997. She is a 1980 graduate of Dartmouth University and a 1983 graduate of Notre Dame Law School.

Syracuse.com notes that LaBerge is slated to face another new competitor, Matthew Ott, an accountant from Boston. As is customary for Jeopardy!, she will face whoever wins Thursday's episode, and will attempt to replace them as the returning champion.

That returning champion will not be Cris Pannullo, who lost on Tuesday's episode to end a 21-game winning streak. That's a break in LaBerge's favor, for sure.

This is an incredibly cool story, and we can't help but root for Ellen LaBerge to succeed for as many shows as possible. As you can see from the photo above, she is a mother, as well as an extremely successful lawyer. Those two aspects of her life should be commended by everyone, no matter how she performs on the game show.

LaBerge's first episode will air Friday at 7:30PM on Albany's ABC affiliate, WTEN. We'll be tuned in, and we hope the rest of the Capital Region, Central and Upstate New York will be, too.