‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant ‘Went on a Tear’ in Runaway Game

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A compliment from the G.O.A.T! Jeopardy! contestant, Jamie Ding, who has won seven games so far, had another runaway game, and Ken Jennings said he “went on a tear.”

Ding, from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, played against Pranit Nanda, from Houston, Texas, and Abigail Marcolini, from Scottsdale, Arizona, on March 24. Ding had a seven-day total of $195,203. Can he surpass $200,000? Warning: Spoilers for the March 20 episode of Jeopardy! ahead!

Ding, a law student and bureaucrat, racked up $4,200 by clue eight. Nanda, a commodity trader, found the Daily Double on clue 10. He had $2,000 and wagered it all.

In “It’s a Plane,” the clue was “Despite this rhyming nickname, the Hughes aircraft H-4 Hercules flying boat was built almost entirely of birch.” He answered correctly with “What is Spruce Goose?” This gave him $4,000 and made it a closer game.

However, by clue 15, Ding kept the lead with $7,600. Nanda only had $4,800. By the end of the round, Ding had $10,800. Nanda was in second place with $6,200. Marcolini, a bookstore clerk, had -$200.

In Double Jeopardy, Ding accumulated $20,000 by the time he found the first DD on clue 11. Nanda answered only one clue, and there were three Triple Stumpers.

He wagered $6,000. In “The Great Wealth Transfer,” the clue was “The corporation of this immigrant who died in 1919 says his fortune has supported insulin’s discovery & Sesame Street.”

“Who is Levi?” Ding answered incorrectly. The correct response was “Who is Andrew Carnegie?” He dropped down to $14,000. Compared to Nanda’s $8,200, he left the commodity trader room to catch up.

Ding was up to $16,000 when he found the last DD on clue 13. He wagered $3,000 in “Endangered Theses.” The clue read, “The so-called ‘interaction problem’ is a classic objection to this French guy’s theory that mind & body are separate.” He correctly answered, “Who is Descartes?,” giving him $19,000.

Nanda had $12,600 and tried to catch up before Ding “went on a tear,” and from clues 20 to 30, he answered all of them except one. This gave the game show contestant a final total of $27,000.

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Nanda was in second place with $13,000. Marcolini had $1,000.

“Wow! Jamie went on a tear at the end,” host Ken Jennings said.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Homophones.” The clue was “A 2008 Best Picture Oscar nominee & a Roman goddess both have names that are homophones of this state capital.”

Marcolini answered, “What is Augusta?” She was wrong and wagered $999, leaving her with $1. Nanda had the correct response of “What is Juneau?” He wagered $3,000 and ended with $16,000. Ding also had the correct response. He wagered $0, making his final total $27,000.

This brings Ding’s eight-day total to a whopping $222,203. He is only $23,897 away from tying for the top 20 regular play with Jonathan Fisher, according to The Jeopardy! Fan.