‘Jeopardy!’ Fans React After Jaw-Dropping Wager Threatens James Holzhauer Record
Spoiler Alert
Did Jamie Ding just beat another Jeopardy! record? The super champion made a wild wager that would have put him in the ranks with James Holzhauer.
Ding, from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, entered his 14th game with a total of $360,000. If he wins this game, he will tie with Harrison Whitaker with 14 wins this season.
The law student and bureaucrat played against George Thomas, from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and Jessica Frankenfield, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 1. Warning: Spoilers for the April 1 episode of Jeopardy! ahead!
Ding found the Daily Double on clue one. He wagered the allotted $1,000 in “Around the U.S. Capital.” The clue read, “This central interior space has a volume of approximately 1.3 million cubic feet.”
“What is rotunda?” he answered correctly, giving him $1,000.
Aside from a few Triple Stumpers, Ding answered all of the clues within the first 15. He had $10,400 by the first break, whereas his opponents had $0.
The rest of the round didn’t go too well for Thomas, a former engineer, and Frankenfield, an event planner. Frankenfield had -$800. Thomas ended with $200. Meanwhile, Ding racked up $14,600.
In Double Jeopardy, Ding answered the first two clues correctly and then found the first DD on clue three. He had $17,400 and wagered $7,600. In “Mind Your…,” the clue was “Carl Jung coined this 2-word term for primordial memories & impulses that he theorized were shared by everyone.”
Ding correctly answered, “What is the collective unconscious?” This took him to an even $25,000.
Thomas and Frankenfield finally got on the board, but Ding still found the last DD on clue 16. He had $32,600 and wagered $12,400.
The wager made host Ken Jennings say, “Whoa!” In “‘P’s & Queue,” the read, “More than 3 million people a year queue up to visit this Paris cultural center named for a French president.”
Ding correctly answered with “What is the Pompidou?” bringing his total to $45,000. Frankenfield had $5,200, and Thomas had -$1,000. Ding even stole a clue about Philadelphia from Frankenfield.
He ended with $55,800, breaking his own record of single-game winnings. Frankenfield had $5,200. Thomas ended with -$1,800, making the game show contestant ineligible to play in Final Jeopardy.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “The Calendar.” The clue was “Mark Twain wrote the quip that on this day of the year, ‘We are reminded of what we are on the other 364.'”
Appropriately, the response was “What is April Fools’ Day?” Frankenfield got it right. She wagered $800, giving her a final total of $6,000.
Ding did not answer correctly. He wrote, “Labor Day?” Ding wagered a whopping $44,200. This gave him a final total of $11,600.
If he had gotten it correct, Ding would have had $100,000 even. Jennings said that would have put him in the top 10 of all-time with James Holzhauer, who holds all ten spots.
Despite losing a big Final Jeopardy wager, Ding won his 14th game, tying with Whitaker. “I love that wager,” Jennings said.
He now has a 14-day total of $371,600. Ding will return for game 15 on April 2. Can be beat Whitaker?
Reddit fans reacted to Ding’s wild wager and game. “I could not wrap my brain around Jamie’s score going into FJ. Ditto for his FJ wager,: one said.
“I never thought we’d actually have someone get close to James,” another wrote.
“If he had gotten it right, it would’ve been $100k, seventh all time (surrounded entirely by James in the top 10,” a third wrote.
“Oh man, what a miss in FJ, Jamie clearly wants his name on that list with James Holzhauer. I really hope he gets it. It’s too bad he overthought this one, because this FJ felt like an easy layup,” another said.
“Wow, as soon as I saw the FJ clue, I assumed there was no way Jamie would miss it lol you just never know,” one last fan said.
Did you know the answer to Final Jeopardy? Were you shocked Ding didn’t know it? Let us know in the comments.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
This… Is… Jeopardy!
Get absolutely everything about Jeopardy! in your inbox!
Conversation19 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
I
I’m amazed at his depth and breadth of knowledge, and surprised he missed Final today. He seems ho-hum about it all now, and opponents are clearly frustrated. TBH in general I feel like there should be a limit to the number of times a contestant can compete.
-
J
This makes the show boring. I\'ll be more interested when this guy is gone.
-
B
I agree... he often comes across as arrogant, IMHO.
-
K
Totally agree. I\'m waiting for someone to beat him so we can get on with a more interesting show.
-
B
Hes very smug. At this point i cant stand him! Lol
-
-
-
L
had enough of the jamie show.. boring annoying and irritating that we have to watch him answering one after the other. not fun!!
i had enough of him!!! get rid of him!!! get smarter contestants at least to make it a fairer game!
worst jeopardy ever. even my sister says this show is going down!!
2 weeks is too long for this unfair set up!!
my 2 cents!
-
K
I totally agree.
-
H
Jeopardy is boring.
-
-
E
After he has won so much money on each game he should back off and let the other contestants have a go at it.
-
H
I am tired of him.
-
M
It’s nice to see that other people are as sick of Jamie as I am! He’s not fun to watch. I always check the final jeopardy at the end. Unfortunately, he’s still winning. I’ll start watching the show again when he’s gone for good. Too bad he’ll be back for TOC.
-
B
Im sick of Jamie Ding and his smug, progressive self.
-
H
I want to see if Jamie can break Ken Jennings record!!
-
M
Jamie works hard and so does his brain. Of course he went right to Labor Day. Amazing guy. Keep on Jamie! 😇
-
H
How can Jamie make this mistake?
-
Y
Although he has nothing to lose today, since he\'s way ahead in today\'s game, his response was suitable IMO & carefully thought of. This year\'s Apr. 1 is unique, I guess; still, the correct answer to FJ sounded nowhere close to an April Fool\'s joke, lol.
-
-
Y
Did not expect Jamie would do it again but, like I said before, the 1st time he achieved new records on stage made me predict he can potentially break at least 1 of Jame Holzhauer\'s highest single-game winnings.
Since he failed to win EXACTLY $100k today & quickly reach a total of $500k within 15 games, I doubt whether he\'ll get another chance. I predict he\'ll have to pass Day 20 to get his next chance.
In terms of winning streak, he has already proved himself as among the best of Asians & the Chinese. Since he\'s a Jerseyan & relatively young, I predict his surpassing Cris Pannullo or at most tying Mattea Roach at 23 wins is possible. Still, luck & fatigue are factors to keep in mind, too, so he could simply surpass the winning streak of any of the latest super-champs, particularly Harrison Whitaker, Adriana Harmeyer, and Scott Riccardi.
-
D
He’s boring. Still, I’d I’d rather watch Jamie than Amy
-
J
I was so sad that he bet so much….he never does that
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services