'Jeopardy!' champion Jamie Ding's winning streak ends after 31 games
"Jeopardy!" champion Jamie Ding's winning streak has come to an end.
Ding lost to fellow contestant Greg Shahade, a chess player from Philadelphia, in Monday night's episode, ending his streak after 31 wins.
Ding knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to Shahade going into the Final Jeopardy round with $16,000, compared to Shahade's $32,600.
In his Final Jeopardy written answer, he even added "TTFN," short for "Ta ta for now."
Ding told People after his loss that although he was sad his 31-game winning streak was done, he was glad it ended the way it did, coming in second place.
"I think my last game is unusual, because I was a super champ, but I also lost in a runaway, which I feel like is the first time that ever happened," Ding said.
"It being a runaway means that I got to write a goodbye message instead of nothing at all. I wouldn't have done that if there had even been a chance of me coming out with the victory," he added.
With his 31 straight wins, Ding earned a grand total of $882,605 and now ranks at No. 5 on the game show's list of most consecutive games. Former contestant-turned-host Ken Jennings still holds the No. 1 spot after winning 74 consecutive games and earning $2,520,700 total back in 2004.
Viewers can check local listings to catch "Jeopardy!" weeknights or stream "Jeopardy!" episodes the next day after air on Hulu.
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