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Could Jamie Ding‘s Jeopardy! reign be coming to an end? Fans seem to think the super champion is in danger as he goes for win number 31.
Many seem to think that since Ding, the law student and bureaucrat, is doing a lot of interviews about his time on the game show, that he won’t be on screens for too much longer. Ding appeared on Good Morning America on April 24 after his most exciting game yet, and has also been interviewed by People and other outlets.
“Jamie was on GMA this morning. I believe contestants don’t appear ‘in public’ until after their run is over. Does that mean it ends on tonight’s show or when the taped show is on?” a Reddit user asked.
“Good question. He’s been doing some publicity for a while, though. Just not this level,” a fan replied.
“I don’t think it gives anything away. Jeopardy!‘s publicity department presumably helped set up the interview, knowing when interesting games would air. It could have given something away if they interviewed him yesterday or earlier since there were Tuesday and Wednesday tapings this week (and three last week). The remaining four tape days of the season won’t be until June. (If Jamie played through this week’s tapings, it would be 76 games so far.)” another pointed out.
“Not gonna lie, I had this nagging belief his run was going to end this week. So glad it didn’t. To run this gauntlet, with the kind of competition he had to face this week, is beyond incredible. Kudos of the highest order,” a fan said.
“He may have appeared on GMA, but that didn’t affect today’s game as was in full control in his 31st victory. Now, can he tie James [Holzhauer] on Monday with Win no. 32? Or will the Monday curse take down another ultra champion, as Mondays have been traditionally a dreadful day for ultra champions? Tune in on Monday to find out,” one last fan said.
With 30 wins under his belt and $849,603 in earnings, Ding, from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, is on track to reach $1 million and tie Holzahauer’s record of 32 consecutive games won. Did he win game 31, or is this the end of the road for Ding?
On April 24, he faced off against Nicco Martinez, from Columbus, Ohio, and Zach Pollock, from Media, Pennsylvania. Warning: Spoilers for the April 24 episode of Jeopardy! ahead.
Ding had the lead of $1,800 when he found the Daily Double on clue five. He wagered all of his money in “My First Name’s a Verb.” The clue was ” To stab: A 007 actor.”
“Who is Pierce Brosnan?” he answered correctly. Ding took a bigger lead with $3,600.
By 15 clues, his lead was even bigger at $7,800, compared to $1,200 for Pollock, a retired logistics executive, and $400 for Martinez, an accountant.
Although Martinez and Pollock couldn’t quite catch up to Ding by the end of the round, they did have higher totals than halfway through. Pollock ended with $2,600. Martinez was close with $2,400. However, Ding was still in first place with $9,000.
Ding found the first DD in Double Jeopardy on clue three. Out of $10,600, he wagered $3,400.
The clue in “An Invitation to Science” was, “Thanks to his 1729 book full of sexy pictures of spores, lichens & fungi, Pier Antonio Micheli has been called the father of this.”
“What is mycology?” he answered.
“The study of fungus, which is correct,” host Ken Jennings said. Ding sat at $14,000.
Martinez finally got the chance to show how he plays when he found the last DD on clue 10. He had $3,200 and wagered all of his money.
In “They Come to America,” the clue read, “In October 2025, the U.S. slashed refugee admissions by over 90% to 7,500 allowed in, most from this country.” He hesitated for some time before guessing Mexico. That was wrong, so he dropped down to $0. The correct response was South Africa.
His luck got even worse when he dropped down into the negatives. However, he ended the round with $400.
Pollock had $6,600. Ding ended with a huge runaway of $33,200.
“The Literary Year” was the clue for Final Jeopardy. “In 1954, on the 50th anniversary of this day, a group went to a Martello tower before going on a bender,” was the clue.
The correct response was Bloom’s Day, which only one of the contestants had written. Pollock gave the right response and wagered $1,000, making his final total $7,600. Martinez did not give an answer. He wagered $0, ending him with $400.
Ding’s response was “What is… the day of the locust?” He wagered $198, dropping him to $33,002.
The game show contestant has a 31-day total of $882,605. His reign is not over yet.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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