‘Fantastic’: Super champion Jamie Ding finishes his winning run on ‘Jeopardy’

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Jamie Ding’s impressive run on “Jeopardy!” ended on Monday night, marking the fifth-longest winning streak in the show’s history. Fortunately, he had a chance to bid farewell to the game.

Knowing he was likely to lose after being nearly 14,000 points behind, he playfully wrote “TTFN” – meaning “ta-ta for now” – as his Final Jeopardy answer. It was a fitting farewell from a player many fans considered the kindest in the show’s history.

Television

Okay, so I’m a big ‘Jeopardy!’ fan, and I just saw that Ken Jennings actually apologized to a contestant! Apparently, a recent clue used that really old, kind of sexist quote about girls who wear glasses – you know, the one by Dorothy Parker? It caused a bit of an uproar, and it sounds like Ken realized it wasn’t a great thing to include and wanted to make things right.

Ding explained to People that he wouldn’t have played that way if he thought he had a chance of winning. He added that he didn’t recall a ‘Jeopardy!’ super-champion – someone with five or more wins in a row – ever losing in such a significant way before.

After winning 31 games, Ding’s run on the show ended, just one game short of James Holzhauer’s impressive 32-game winning streak in 2019. Ken Jennings still holds the record with 74 consecutive wins back in 2004. Ding was defeated by Greg Shahade, an international chess master.

While Ding performed well, lasting six weeks, his total winnings of $882,605 were significantly less than James Holzhauer’s nearly $2.5 million. The New York Times pointed out that Ding, a 33-year-old who works as a bureaucrat while studying law, didn’t risk as much money on Daily Doubles as Holzhauer did.

I thought James Holzhauer’s orange outfits were fun, but Ding really commits to the color! I read in the New York Times that he might even need to buy more orange clothes as he gets ready for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions – now that’s dedication!

“I have a reputation to uphold,” he said.

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Viewers of ‘Jeopardy!’ were shocked after Tuesday’s episode when all three contestants failed to fill in a missing word from the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ during a clue.

And sure he’s bummed to be done, he told People, but he’s also happy his streak happened at all.

Ding shared that she was happy to see the show uniting people. She also mentioned hearing viewers say it was refreshing to have something uplifting on television.

He admitted that seeing himself on television hasn’t always been pleasant. In an interview with the New York Times, he explained that he tends to be very self-critical, often questioning his own actions or appearance, like asking himself, ‘Why did I do that?’ or ‘What’s wrong with my face?’

There was also worry about whether he could continue his winning streak, such as when he achieved his 30th victory.

Television

Viewers reacted negatively to a reference to Brian Laundrie, who killed Gabby Petito, during Sunday’s episode of ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’. Laundrie’s family also expressed their displeasure with the mention.

He admitted to being anxious while watching the game, even though he already knew how it would end. He described the game itself and the whole experience as fantastic.

Ding explained on ‘Good Morning America’ that no player sets out expecting to win thirty games. He said only someone with an enormous ego would think that was realistic. While he admitted he’d allowed himself to consider the possibility, he was amazed that it actually happened, calling it a dream come true.

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2026-04-28 21:06