“Jeopardy!” Champ Jamie Ding Reveals How He'll Spend His Massive Winnings (Exclusive)
“Jeopardy!” Champ Jamie Ding Reveals How He'll Spend His Massive Winnings (Exclusive)
Gillian TellingThu, April 23, 2026 at 6:32 PM UTC
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Jamie Ding on 'Jeopardy!'Credit: Jeopardy Productions, Inc. -
Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding is on a 29-game winning streak and has won $790,000 so far
He revealed to PEOPLE what he hopes to spend some of his earnings on
Ding says it's been incredible to see "so many people" rooting for him and reaching out
Jeopardy! champ Jamie Ding, who just won his 29th consecutive game, couldn't be more humble about the newfound attention his winning streak has brought.
"Just so many people have been rooting for me and reaching out to me," Ding, 33, tells PEOPLE after ranking fifth in all-time consecutive wins.
"Just complete strangers, but also people from my past, like old teachers, old friends," he adds. "It's so nice hearing from everyone and knowing they're enjoying my run."
Ding, the son of immigrant parents from China and a Princeton University graduate, has also been embraced by fans of the show for the fun facts about himself that he's been revealing. Among them, he shared that his favorite color is orange (he makes a point to wear it each night) and he and his sister have an Instagram page where they rate General Tso's chicken.
Jamie Ding on 'Jeopardy!'Credit: Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
Ding says his love of orange even helps him get recognized in public. "I insist on wearing orange everywhere, so I think that might make it easier," he says of fans approaching him. "Strangers will come up for a selfie and I like it. It's fun."
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Ding, who studied molecular biology and currently works at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency as a tax credit program administrator, has won $793,000 so far. He's still considering how he'll spend it when his streak comes to an end.
"There are some causes I would like to support," he says. "Some organizations could really use the money because the federal government is making so many cuts and things are getting so expensive and it's a tough time out there for so many people."
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Ding adds, "I haven't committed to anything definitive yet, but it's tough out there for immigrants. I've always wanted to be doing good things for others and now I'll have significantly more power to do that."
Jamie Ding on 'Jeopardy!'Credit: Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
Ding says that's glad that "as an immigrant and a person of color, I was able to become part of the history of an American institution."
"Jeopardy! really is an institution and America's turning 250 years old and the federal government is going after immigrants in a way unlike anything that we've seen in the recent past," he says. "So I hope that immigrants can be seen in a positive light, too."
According to Jeopardy!'s official Leaderboard of Legends, following his Wednesday, April 22 performance, Ding is ranked at No. 5 in both consecutive games won and highest all-time winnings in regular-season play. He comes in at No. 8 in the all-time winnings list, which includes tournament play.
The only contestants to win more consecutive games than Ding are James Holzhauer in 2019 (32 games), Matt Amodio in 2021 (38 games), Amy Schneider in 2022 (40 games) and now-host Ken Jennings — who secured 74 wins in a row back in 2004.
As for whether he'll splurge a little bit on himself when all is said and done, Ding says he will. "I'd like to buy more orange things! Like maybe a fancy orange watch," he says. "But ironically, even though I work for a housing agency, I'm not sure if I want to buy a house. There's a lot of work that goes into that!"
Jamie Ding on 'Jeopardy!'Credit: Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
Jeopardy! airs daily. Check local listings.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
