“Jeopardy!” contestant Jamie Ding‘s winning streak came to an end on Monday after 31 victories and $882,605 earned, which puts him in the No. 5 spot on the list of most consecutive games won and highest all-time winnings in regular-season play. Ding’s beloved run on the show earned him legions of fans on social media, and he told People magazine after his defeat that it was more important than ever for an immigrant “Jeopardy!” contestant to unite viewers.
“I kept hearing how it was bringing people together, and I love that very much,” Ding said. “I’ve heard people say, ‘It’s nice to have something positive on TV!’ As an immigrant and a person of color, I was able to become part of the history of an American institution.”
Ding added, “‘Jeopardy!’ really is an institution and America’s turning 250 years old and the federal government is going after immigrants in a way unlike anything that we’ve seen in the recent past. So I hope that immigrants can be seen in a positive light too.”
Ding joined the “Jeopardy!” history books during his run on the show. The only players to have won more consecutive games than Ding are James Holzhauer (32 games in 2019), Matt Amodio (38 games in 2021), Amy Schneider (40 games in 2022) and Ken Jennings (74 wins in 2004), the latter of whom now hosts the game show.
“I think my last game is unusual, because I was a super champ, but I also lost in a runaway, which I feel like is the first time that ever happened,” Ding told People about being defeated by 13,990 points in his final game. “It almost makes me feel better about the thing because there wasn’t really one clue or whatever that everything hinged on. It being a runaway means that I got to write a goodbye message instead of nothing at all. I wouldn’t have done that if there had even been a chance of me coming out with the victory.”
Ding signed off from the show by writing a farewell note on his final “Jeopardy!” answer that read: “TTFN,” short for “ta ta for now.” The contestant will surely return for the next Tournament of Champions.
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