I’m Gutted By Jeopardy’s Latest Episode, But Jamie Ding’s 4-Letter Reaction Is A Mood Lift
- Jamie Ding, one of Jeopardy's biggest winners, was defeated by Greg Shahade after 31 victories, ending his winning streak and leaving with $882,605.
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Well, Jeopardy! fans, the day has come. After 31 victories — and landing himself firmly amongst Jeopardy’s biggest winners of all time — Jamie Ding has been defeated. I was absolutely gutted watching the episode that aired Monday on the 2026 TV schedule, as Greg Shahade’s lead continued to grow, ultimately making it impossible for our Superchampion to catch him in Final Jeopardy. As I struggled to accept what was happening in front of my eyes, I found my spirits lifting when I read Ding’s four-letter message to fans.
It was fitting — or possibly a cruel twist of fate — that after 23 of Jamie Ding’s 31 wins came via runaway, his own winning streak would end the same way. Ding entered Final Jeopardy with $16,000. Greg Shahade had $32,600, so we all knew going into the final clue that this was the orange-loving, General Tso’s chicken-eating champ's last regular-season game. He used that to his advantage, including a short-but-sweet message below his official response:
For what it’s worth — and I guess that would be his $3,000 consolation prize — Jamie Ding did get Final Jeopardy correct, but he also included a little reminder to fans that this is not goodbye, merely “Ta Ta For Now.” Indeed, it won’t be long before those orange sweaters are back on the Alex Trebek Stage for Tournament of Champions.
That’s a really exciting prospect, because I can’t wait to see Jamie Ding take on other multi-game winners, most notably 14-day champ Harrison Whitaker.
Jamie Ding And Greg Shahade Took It Down To The Last Clue
Until then I’ll have to try to repress just how close his final game was. It actually came down to the final clue valued at $400. Greg Shahade got it wrong, dropping him to $32,600. If Jamie Ding hadn’t buzzed in, he would have been within reach — barely, but still — with $16,400. Instead, Ding made the attempt and got it wrong, securing the win for Shahade.
It probably wouldn’t have mattered; Greg Shahade answered Final Jeopardy right as well, and his aggressive play style — finding all three Daily Doubles and betting it all two out of three times — tells me he would have bid enough to ensure he beat Ding.
So here we are, with a new Jeopardy! champion.
Jamie Ding’s run on Jeopardy! began March 13, and after 31 wins he leaves one of the best game shows of all time with $882,605 (plus that $3,000 consolation). That’s the 5th-largest amount of money that’s ever been won in regular-season play (after Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer, Matt Amodio and Amy Schneider). Ding stands at No. 7 in All-Time Winnings, which does count tournaments. He’ll have a chance to add to that in the TOC.
Jamie Ding’s 31 wins were good enough for 5th place in Consecutive Games Won, but he’d been playing it so cool that I was starting to believe he might be the one to break Ken Jennings’ record — or at least get closer than anyone else has come.
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It was not to be, though, so for now we’ll bid the law student farewell — a “see you soon,” not a “goodbye” — and see if Greg Shahade can start a streak of his own.
If you missed Jamie Ding’s final night on Jeopardy!, episodes can be streamed for a limited time with a Hulu subscription or Peacock subscription. Check your local listings for air times and channels.
