Jamie Ding, 33, of Lawrenceville, has become a sensation as much for his quirky, calm and humble presence on the Jeopardy! set as for his 31 consecutive wins on the trivia game show.
That’s the fifth highest ever, the most ever for a New Jerseyan, and his winnings are the highest ever in regular-season play. He’s been written up in the New York Times, twice, The Wall Street Journal, twice, the Los Angeles Times, People and Variety. Last Friday, he was featured on Good Morning America, where he watched his final April 27 win with seven friends and the GMA hosts.
Governor Mikie Sherrill has met with Ding at the State House twice. In March, she gave him, his parents and sister a tour, and this week, Ding was on hand as Sherrill signed an executive order to stimulate the construction of more affordable housing in the state. Ding, who described himself on Jeopardy! as a “faceless bureaucrat,” works as a program administrator for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency in Trenton, and is passionate about affordable housing.
During the episode that aired March 23, Ding gave New Jersey props for building more affordable housing. “We’re ahead of New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania. If you’re from one of those states, then shame on you,” he said. “Build more housing.”
Ding, who grew up in the Detroit area, the son of a neurosurgeon and high school math teacher who emigrated from China, has also spoken out for immigrants.
On the show, host Ken Jennings clearly had a rapport with Ding. His humble demeanor, where he seemed surprised if he got the correct answer and impressed when others did, and his humdrum banter about his favorite color (orange); number (6) and letter (f), seemed to tickle the former Jeopardy! champ, who holds the record for consecutive wins with 74.
We caught up with Ding for a post-Jeopardy! chat.
New Jersey Monthly: Have you been surprised by all the attention?
Jamie Ding: It’s been an amazing amount of attention. The Detroit Lions even did an Instagram post about me. Who would’ve thought that? It was also nice to be written up in the campus papers for Seton Hall [Ding attends weekend law school there], and Princeton [Ding was a molecular biology major there and a copyeditor for the Daily Princetonian]. Being interviewed for a publication you used to work for is pretty cool.
You had to tape 5 shows a day, for weeks, when you were on set in L.A. Yet you are described as “drama-free” and “humble.” How did you manage to stay so chill?
I think the nerves were always greater before the game started. The game itself is very fun. Once it actually got going, you’re just up there answering trivia, and I like that.
I’m pretty good at staying relaxed in most situations. The last time I felt like I was losing control of my emotions was the playoff game between the Rams and the Bucaneers in 2022. I was rooting for the Rams and they did come back to win. Maybe it’s Barack Obama. He was always very calm, you know; the phrase “grace under pressure.” I did admire that.
You wore at least a bit of orange on every show. Is that because you went to Princeton?
Orange has always been my favorite color, but going to Princeton accelerated and, well, enabled my habit. When I auditioned for the show on Zoom, I wore my orange Hoagie Haven hat. [Hoagie Haven is a popular Princeton sandwich shop.] The producer recognized it; he had worked in television in New Jersey. Central Jersey people love, love Hoagie Haven, and I think it was a point in my favor. I have a lot of orange things and I did wonder, maybe being the orange guy might make me a little more memorable? Now it’s certainly part of my brand. Some of my friends have suggested making merch.
Ding with host Ken Jennings. Photo: Sony Pictures Television
How did you prepare for the show?
I didn’t make flashcards like some people do. That seemed like more work than fun. And the studying that I did, I don’t think it added very much new knowledge. I can only think of one question where prepping helped, that was about the TV show Industry. My sister [Jessie, a lawyer] had helped me with pop culture; I didn’t know much about it. Cramming might be more effective if you are going from complete ignorance to a little knowledge. But I had a base. I was on Quiz Bowl teams in high school and college, which was a lot of fun. After college I did a lot of bar trivia, then that got stopped by Covid. Now I do a lot of online trivia; I’m in two leagues right now. And I’m always reading a lot, mostly articles in the news, and trying to learn new things.
I might want to prepare for the Tournament of Champions, though. [Once a year, contestants who have won more than five games come back on the show and compete against each other.] I’m excited and a little bit nervous ’cause I do want to do well in that. I have a reputation to uphold.
What was your most exciting moment on the show?
The game on April 23 was phenomenal, just so exciting. There were two five-figure daily doubles, not sure how often that happens. I was behind after the other contestant got a Daily Double correct. I don’t always like to bet very high but when my Daily Double came up, I knew I had to do it. I wagered all of my $32,000. The clue was about the Glass Museum in Seattle, and I answered correctly with the name of the artist, Chihuly. It put me back in the lead.
You employed a strategy called “knight moves,” where you answer a question in one category and then jump to the next category, following the pattern of a knight in chess. Did you invent that?
That was just something random I decided to do. I’m not the first person to bounce around the board; that’s been happening since Chuck Forest pioneered it in the ’80s. I might be the first to do knight moves specifically. I thought it would be fun. And it was fun. And I guess, in retrospect, it may have helped keep my opponents off balance. It also simplified things for me because I didn’t have to put as much thought into picking the next clue.
Any other strategies you can reveal?
I’m happy to reveal anything. The internet has a lot of advice on Jeopardy! strategy, and I think most of it’s correct. The strategy on wagering is pretty well established. The thing that I did do is buzz based off the sound of Ken’s voice, rather than by the lights on the board. You can get in faster if you time your buzz to when Ken finishes speaking. I also practiced buzzing in quickly using a retractable highlighter.
Are you back at work? How have you managed to juggle your job with your trips to Los Angeles to tape Jeopardy!?
I’m back at work. They’ve been great and have given me the time that I need. But I like my job, and there are some tasks and projects that need to get done and I want to see completed. And yeah, I enjoy working.
What will you do with your winnings?
I would like to donate some and put the rest in a high-yield savings account. On my list of charities is the New Jersey Leadership Collective. I did that program back in 2020. Training young progressives, supporting trans people, supporting immigrants. There’s a lot of need out there.
When do you graduate law school, and what do you plan to do as a lawyer?
I graduate next May. I’d like to share my legal knowledge by doing policy and government work, rather than as a practicing lawyer. At least that’s the current plan.
Well, Mikie might have a job for you when you’re done.
Yeah, who knows?
