For several weeks, Jeopardy! fans were under the spell of Jamie Ding, who racked up an impressive 31 consecutive wins before his streak ended on April 27, when he was defeated by Greg Shahade, a chess player from Philadelphia. Ding finished his run with a total of $882,605 in winnings.
Ranked at No. 5 in both consecutive games won and highest all-time winnings in regular-season play, Ding captured the attention of Jeopardy! fans with a dominant run that showcased his depth of knowledge and cool-under-pressure gameplay. Now he plans on spreading a message with that attention.
In the interview with People, Ding spoke frankly about his winning streak, just missing besting Jeopardy! champ’s James Holzhauer‘s streak, and his role of champ coming to an end. He spoke positively about his time on television and was grateful he had the opportunity to become part of people’s families.
“I kept hearing how it was bringing people together, and I love that very much. I’ve heard people say, ‘It’s nice to have something positive on TV!'” he told the publication.
However, he also used the moment to speak candidly about his background, expressing pride in his roots and reflecting on what it means to him to be an immigrant, while noting that recent political tensions have made that identity feel even more significant.
Ding stated that “as an immigrant and a person of color, I was able to become part of the history of an American institution.”
Ding further explained that Jeopardy! represents American tradition, and current actions by agencies like ICE have made things harder for immigrants, and he hopes they are still seen as a valuable part of society.
“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 said. “So I hope that immigrants can be seen in a positive light too.”
This isn’t the first time Ding has used his platform for good. The Jeopardy! Super Champ is involved in a federal court battle in New Jersey to protect voter privacy, according to the New Jersey Globe. State officials want to block the U.S. Department of Justice from obtaining the state’s complete voter registration list. It is a database that includes personal information of over six million New Jersey residents, including voters’ names, addresses, birthdates, partial Social Security and driver’s license numbers.
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