“Jeopardy!” host and all-time champion Ken Jennings thought Jamie Ding was the one who would finally beat his record.
Ding, a Metro Detroit native, lost the game show April 27 after a six-week run as champ. His 31-game winning streak puts him at fifth in games won on the show. He’s also fifth all-time for cash won on the show at $885,605.
Jennings, who holds the game show’s longest winning streak at 74 and the record for cash won with more than $2.5 million, believes his streak can be beaten.
“I thought Jamie was the guy, actually,” Jennings told USA Today in an interview published Friday. “But as we’ve seen, all it takes is a few breaks in one game, and — next.”
Asked if he talked any trash to Ding about the record, Jennings said “absolutely not.” He added that players like Ding are rare.
“We have a lot of great players, but we have a small number who can play better when the pressure gets dialed up, and he’s one of those,” Jennings said.
A 2009 graduate of Grosse Pointe North High School, Ding, 33, holds a degree in molecular biology from Princeton University. He works as a state public housing administrator in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and is a part-time law student.
“It’s been a wild ride but really fun,” Ding told The Detroit News by phone after the episode in which he lost. “People on the show told me that America’s going to love getting to know you, and I guess they were right.
“And the love is mutual.”
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ken Jennings thought Jamie Ding would break his ‘Jeopardy!’ record
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
