Who Is Jamie Ding? Mercer Man Breaks Ken Jennings' 'Jeopardy!' Record

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — Jamie Ding, a Lawrenceville resident, law student and state housing agency employee, made television history when he shattered the single-game Coryat score record on "Jeopardy!" that had been held by the show's own host, Ken Jennings, for more than two decades.

Ding posted a Coryat score of $42,400 in his third game on Tuesday, surpassing Jennings' previous single-game high of $39,200, set June 10, 2004. The Coryat score — a measure of a contestant's correct responses before wagering — is widely regarded as one of the purest indicators of "Jeopardy!" dominance.

Ding finished with $48,800 and 44 correct responses heading into Final Jeopardy, and correctly identified "Anastasia" as the name of the Grand Duchess whose name derives from the Greek word for "resurrection."

After wagering $2,434, he finished the game with $51,234, bringing his three-day total to $77,800.

Jennings, presiding over the historic moment from the host's podium, acknowledged the feat in real time.

"A new record for the season. How high will he go?" Jennings said during the broadcast.

According to Jennings, Ding's 44 correct responses placed him in a tie for the second-best single game in the show's history — tied with professional gambler James Holzhauer — with Jennings himself holding the outright record at 45.

Ding is a Princeton University graduate who earned a bachelor's degree in molecular biology in 2013. He honored his alma mater by wearing Princeton's orange and black on the show, telling the university it had long been a dream to wear those colors on national television.

He has worked at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency since 2021, where he serves as a multifamily and tax credit program administrator. He is currently pursuing a law degree as a weekend J.D. student at Seton Hall University Law School, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Earlier, Lawrence Township officialsencouraged residents to watch and cheered him on, with the township stating: "Lawrence Township is cheering on resident Jamie Ding. We're wishing Jamie the very best of luck and know the community will be rooting him on." Patch

Off the board, Ding has charmed viewers with his personality. He and his sister run an Instagram account dedicated to reviewing General Tso's chicken at Chinese restaurants, which he described as a measuring stick for the quality of a Chinese restaurant.

Ding will return for a fourth game Wednesday with a new record and the possibility of earning a spot in the Tournament of Champions.

"Jeopardy!" airs weekdays in syndication on local broadcast stations and streams the following day on Hulu and Peacock.

Have a correction or a news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com