‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Jamie Ding Hits Big Trouble in Quest for Win Number 5

Ready for the Tournament of Champions! Jeopardy! contestant Jamie Ding hit big trouble in his quest for game five.

Ding, from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, came into the game with a four-day total of $106,601. On March 19, the law student and bureaucrat played against Jason Snell, from Mill Valley, California, and Jordan Haynie Ware, from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Warning: Spoilers for the March 19 episode of Jeopardy! ahead!

Ware, a priest, found the Daily Double on clue three. She was tied with Snell, a journalist and podcaster, at $800. Ware wagered the allotted $1,000 in “Pen Names.” The clue read, “She used the pen names Flora Fairfield & A.M. Barnard, but used her real name on ‘Jo’s Boys.'”

“Who is Louisa May Alcott?” she answered, giving her $1,800.  She kept the lead by the first 15 clues with $4,600. Ding was in third place with $600.

Ware kept the lead by the end of the round with $5,400. Ding gained momentum and moved to second place with $4,000. Snell had $3,400.

In Double Jeopardy, Ware found the DD on clue six. She had $9,000 and wagered $4,000. In “Leprosy, Ancient, & Modern Afflication,” the clue was “The causative agent of leprosy was found by Albert Neisser & this Norwegian man the disease was later named for.”

“What is Hansen?” the game show contestant answered, giving her $13,000. Ding then took the lead after that. He found the DD on clue 22.

Ding had $14,400 and wagered $4,400. The clue in “Do ‘U’ Remember?” “Elements of the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry & 82nd & 101st Airborne Divisions assaulted & captured this location on June 6, 1944.”

“What is the Utah Beach?” he answered correctly, giving him $18,800.

“On D-Day. Yes,” host Ken Jennings said.

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The round ended with two clues unanswered. Ding ended in the lead with $20,800. Ware had $12,600. Snell was in third place with $10,000.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Composers.” The clue read, “In the 1860s, he composed one of his most famous pieces to celebrate the birth of longtime friend Bertha Faber’s second son.”

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Once again, Ding was the only contestant to give the correct response. Snell answered, “Who is Haydn?” He wagered $6,400, making his final total $3,600. Ware’s response was “Who is ??” She wagered $8,401, ending her with $4,199.

Ding’s correct response of Johann Brahms gave him the win. He wagered $4,401, making his final total $25,201. This gave him a five-day total of $131,802. He also qualified for the next Tournament of Champions with five wins.

Snell spoke out on Reddit after the game. “The moment we walked out afterward and I saw my wife, I said to her, ‘We got our punches in.’ What a hard-fought match. We gave it our all. Jordan’s great and, y’know, Jamie is amazing.”

He also shared that Jennings said he had the best buzz-in percentage of the game. “But TBH, what I didn’t do was ring in if I just didn’t know the answer, and these were tough boards for me,” Snell said.

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