‘Jeopardy!’: Did Champ Jamie Ding Continue His Hot Streak?

Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding was in the midst of a hot streak, returning for his seventh time to the Alex Trebek Stage to add to his already impressive take, with six-day cash winnings equaling $162, 203, for the March 23 game. Did he continue the winning streak?

Hoping to put an end to the Ding Domination were competitors Erin Howard, a community membership facilitator from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and Max Genecov, a clinical psychology Ph.D. student from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“If you watched the show last week, you witnessed five exciting games, as our champion Jamie Ding dominated on the Alex Trebek Stage, breaking records and building up an impressive total, all while sporting various shades of his favorite color orange,” said host Ken Jennings.

Ding began the game with the category “NATO Phonetic Alphabet Suggestions” for $800: “Trot off, foxtrot! ‘F’ takes to the sea with this flatfish that’s born with an eye on each side but soon has one move to the top.” With the answer “What is flounder?” Ding took control of the board.

Ding found the game’s first Daily Double under “Animal Idioms” for $800. With an early lead of $5,200, he wagered $4,200 on the clue: “I love it when I get this largest portion of something, as would befit a savanna predator.” He responded correctly with, “What is the lion’s share?” bringing his total to $9,400. That prompted Jennings to quip that Ding had “the lion’s share of the money right now,” comparing his take to his competitors, Howard with $600 and Genecov with $1,200.

By the first commercial break, Ding was well ahead with $10,400, Genecov was in second with $3,400, and Howard was in third with $600.

In the getting-to-know-you segment, Howard recalled the time she was trapped overnight in a mall during a blizzard. “The security guards stocked up on snacks and movies because they knew they were going to be there all night,” she explained. “So, my coworker and I went and hung out with them for the evening.”

Genecov shared that he has a world-renowned relative: Reuben Kulakofsky, the inventor of the Reuben sandwich. When asked if he enjoys the famous delicacy, Genecov was candid: “I mean, it’s not kosher, so there’s some secret shame there, perhaps. But I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t eat it…but it’s a beloved sandwich around the world.”

Champion Ding, who asked to be introduced on the show as a “faceless bureaucrat,” explained that he takes pride in his work. His company manages the low-income housing tax credit for New Jersey, funding a significant portion of the affordable housing built in the state.

Genecov regained control of the board and picked “A Place in History” for $600. It was a picture clue that read, “Seven popes would reign from this city on the Rhône River after Pope Clement V moved the seat of the papacy there in 1309,” and Genecov answered correctly with “What is Avignon?”

Genecov made a good play for the second half of the first game before Ding took control back. By the end of the first round, Ding was in the lead with $11,600, Genecov was in second with $7,200, and Howard was third with $1,800.

Howard began Double Jeopardy with the category “His Widow Lived On” for $1,600: “The former Mary Anna Morrison lost her husband, this Confederate general, after an 1863 battle & defended his honor as late as 1911.” Genecov nabbed control of the board with the correct answer, “Who is Jackson?”

The second round became a heated back-and-forth between Ding and the challenger Genecov, who gave the champ a good run for his money.

The first Daily Double was found under “His Widow Lived On” for $1,200. Ding bet another $4,200 against his $17,200 pot on the clue, “Almost 30 years after this author’s death, his widow Elaine befriended Bruce Springsteen around when he made ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad.'” With the answer, “Who is Steinbeck?” Ding’s tally became $21,400 compared to Genecov’s $12,000 and Howard’s -$200.

The second Daily Double was discovered by Genecov under “Mexican Geography” for $1,600, and he wagered $7,000 against his $15,200 pot. With the clue, “This southern Mexican state is known for the Mayan ruins of Palenque & Bonampak & as the site of the Zapatista uprising,” Genecov incorrectly answered “What’s Chichén Itzá?” and brought his total down to $8,200 (the correct answer was Chiapas).

By the time the trio made it to Final Jeopardy, Ding was in the lead with $28,000, Genecov was in second with $9,800, and Howard was third with $1,400.

The Final Jeopardy category of “Historic Americans” offered the following clue: “Before taking office in 1801, President Jefferson asked the Army to locate this officer who had ‘knowledge of the Western country.'” Beginning with Howard, she wrote down the correct answer, “Who is Lewis?” After wagering $1,000, her total was now $2,400.

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Genecov also answered “Lewis,” adding $6,000 to his pot, bringing his total to $15,800.

Did Ding get the answer right and keep his title of Jeopardy! champ?

With the answer, “Who was… Lewis?”, Ding won with a new total of $33,000, kept his title, earned a seventh win, and had a seven-day tally of $195,203. “Well done,” said Jennings. “You are getting up there.” Ding will return for an eighth time and, possibly, in a new orange pullover.

Over on the Jeopardy! subreddit, Genecov made an appearance where he shared his feelings about his episode and what it was like to be a constant. “I have mixed feelings about my experience. J! really broke my heart. It was a dream come true, of course, and I met some incredible people, but I waited around my whole first day of filming just to be called back for the next day and get knocked out immediately,” explained the competitor. “I also felt like I got unlucky; I needed to get lucky to beat Jamie, but I knew the Daily Doubles he got, and he told me he didn’t know mine. He was also well-rested compared to the Thursday and Friday games. And of course, he’s an incredible talent and a stand-up guy.”

“I know this is probably the end of the road for me, but I really think I could have been a contender,” wrote Genecov. “I hope I can start enjoying the show again soon.”

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