‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Smashes Ken Jennings’ All-Time Record

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A Jeopardy! contestant just made history! He beat Ken Jennings‘ Coryat score, and the man himself was there to witness it. He had a huge score during his second game, but ended with a low total due to a stunning final wager.

Jamie Ding, from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, returned for his third game on March 17. He has a two-day total of $26,566.

Ding, a law student and bureaucrat, played against Aidan O’Connell, from Henderson, Nevada, and Carman Nareau, from Oakland, California, on Tuesday. Warning: Spoilers for the March 17 episode of Jeopardy! ahead!

“Our champion, Jamie Ding, put on a masterclass here yesterday. His 36 correct responses were a season record, beating the previous record of 35, held by none other than 14-game champion, Harrison Whitaker. Jamie is certainly showing off a high-level of play behind the champion’s podium, but will he have the luck of the Irish with him on St. Patrick’s Day as he faces Carman and Aidan?” host Ken Jennings said at the beginning of the episode.

Ding answered 10 of the first 15 clues correctly, giving him $7,800. He then went on to answer five more clues correctly. The champion found the Daily Double on clue 23.

He had $10,400 and wagered $2,400 in “It’s The Law.” The clue read, “From a Rudyard Kipling work, it’s the idea that the strongest or most merciless in a society or group will survive.” Ding correctly responded with “What is the law of the jungle?” giving him $12,800.

Ding went on to answer four more clues right. He ended with $14,000. O’Connell, a wastewater treatment operator, had $2,600. Nareau, a founder, had -$600.

In Double Jeopardy, Ding answered the first three clues correctly and found the first DD on clue four. With a total of $18,000, he wagered $6,000.

In “Other Kens,” the clue was: “In 1998, sales of Tom Clancy‘s new novel Rainbow Six were outpaced by sales of a near 450-page report written by this Ken.” “Who is Ken Starr?” he answered correctly, giving him $24,000.

Ding answered the other clues until clue 15 correct. That was when O’Connell found the second DD.

He had $2,600 and wagered $2,500 in “Personifying The Nation.” The clue read, “Clad in a salakot hat & a shirt called a barong tagalog, Juan dela Cruz personifies this country’s everyman.” “What are the Philippines?” he answered correctly, giving him $5,100.

Although O’Connell and Nareau had a few more correct responses in the rest of the round, they couldn’t quite catch up to Ding, who had $48,800 and 44 correct responses. His Coryat score is $42,400, according to J-Archive.

This beat Jennings’ highest single-game Coryat score of $39,200 and 25 correct responses, which took place on June 10, 2004, according to The Jeopardy Fan. According to Jennings on the March 17 episode, Ding’s score is a tie for the second-best game of Jeopardy!. The current record is held by Jennings with 45. Ding is tied with James Holzhauer.

“A new record for the season. How high will he go?” Jennings asked.

Nareau had $600. O’Connell was in second place with $4,300.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Historic Names.” The clue read, “This name of a Grand Duchess of the 20th century comes from a word meaning ‘resurrection’ in Greek.” The correct response was Anastasia, and only one of the game show contestants got it right.

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Nareau responded, “Who is Rosario?” She wagered $599, giving her $1. O’Connell’s response was “Who indeed?” He wagered $0, making his final total $4,300. Ding had the correct response and wagered $2,434, giving him $51,234.

This gave Ding a three-day total of $77,800. He will return for game four on Wednesday with a new record. Will he reach the TOC?

Fans reacted to Ding’s incredible total on Reddit. “GOOD LORD. HISTORY WAS JUST MADE,” one said.

“WHAT A PERFORMANCE,” another said.

“Well… after today’s game, I don’t see any scenario where he gets defeated before the month is up…If he makes it just into April and then loses on day 1, that’d still only put Jamie at 13 wins,” a third wrote.

“If he makes it to the ToC, Harrison Whitaker is going to have some competition,” a fan said.

“Annihilation,” one last fan said.