‘Jeopardy!’: Jamie Ding Aims to Break 4-Year Record With 20th Win

He did it again! Jamie Ding has been setting and breaking records throughout his time on Jeopardy!. Now with his 20th game here, did he break another, and did his streak continue? After a close call on Wednesday, he might be in danger of losing.

Ding, from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, came into the April 9 game with a total of $539,573. For his 20th game, the law student and bureaucrat played against Alexandra Leith, from Dedham, Massachusetts, and Prithish David, from Washington DC. Warning: Spoilers for the April 9 episode of Jeopardy! ahead. 

The beginning of the first round was disastrous for all of the contestants, with triple stumpers and incorrect responses. The highest score by the first 15 clues was $2,600 from David, a financial advisory consultant.

Ding found the Daily Double on clue 20. He had the lead at $4,000 and wagered all of his money.

In “Allow Me to Interject,” the clue was: “A 2009 article in the NYT Magazine explored how this word denoting lack of success ‘went from verb to interjection.'” “What is fail?” Ding answered correctly. That gave him $8,000.

Ding ended the round with $8,800. David had $3,400. Leith, a national account manager, was in third place with $800.

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In Double Jeopardy, Leith found the first DD on clue one. She wagered the allotted $2,000 in “‘A’ City to Remember.” The clue was, “Great Scot! It sits upon the Rivers Dee & Don on the North Sea.”

“What is Aberdeen?” Leith answered correctly. She added $2,000, which gave her $2,800.

He had a huge lead of $19,200 when he found the second DD on clue 14. Ding wagered $3,800 in “Americans in Paris.” The clue read, “This expat, writer & salon host is said to have sat for Picasso 90 times before he finally finished her portrait.”

“Who is Gertrude Stein?” he answered correctly. This gave him $23,000.

By the end of the round, Ding had $32,200. David was in second place with $6,600. Leith had $6,000.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Writers in Residence.” The clue was: “In 1759, he purchased Ferney, the French home where he lived for two decades, largely because of its proximity to the Swiss border.” The correct response was Voltaire.

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Leither wrote, “Who is?” She wagered $601, leaving her with $5,399. David’s response was “Who is Wyss?” He wagered $100, giving him a final total of $6,500. Ding had the correct response and wagered $827. That gave him a total of $33,027.

Ding won his 20th game, with a total across all of $572,600. He tied Julia Collins in seventh place for the same number of games won, according to the Leaderboard of Legends. The game show contestant also surpassed Mattea Roach for total winnings in regular season play and moved to sixth place. They had $560,983.

According to a press release, Jeopardy! has not had a champion reach 20 or more wins since 2022. In that year, Amy Schneider won 40 games, Roach won 23, and Cris Pannullo won 21. If Ding wins one more game, he will tie with Pannullo.

Ding’s dominance began early. In his third game, he responded correctly to 45 clues, including Final Jeopardy. Only one other player has accomplished that feat: Ken Jennings during his 74-game run in 2004. Ding and Jennings are tied at 45. 

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In addition to tying the all-time single-game correct responses record, Ding holds the Season 42 single-game winnings record with $56,400, his score in Game 15 of the streak.

Both of Ding’s parents, who are retired educators, have been in the audience for every game. He credits them for instilling a love of learning in him.

“The king has dominated again,” a Reddit user commented.

“It’s strange or magical how Jamie’s score keeps creeping up, and before you know it, it’s another runaway. Jamie seems so calm. I’m getting anxious, and I’m obviously not even playing,” said another.

“Wow, a 20-game winner. Amazing achievement!” a third added.

Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock

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