A “Jeopardy!” contestant just shattered one of the game show’s most enduring records, surpassing a mark set by none other than the host standing at the podium.
Jamie Ding, a law student and bureaucrat from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, demolished Ken Jennings’ single-game Coryat score record during his third appearance on the show, which aired on St. Patrick’s Day. Ding’s stunning $42,400 Coryat score eclipsed the $39,200 mark that Jennings—now the show’s permanent host—set on June 10, 2004, during his legendary 74-game winning streak. The Princeton University graduate broke Jennings’ record by $3,200, or nearly 10 percent.
The Coryat score measures a player’s raw performance by tracking money earned from correct responses before accounting for Daily Double wagers and Final Jeopardy results. Named after former champion Karl Coryat, it’s considered the purest measure of a contestant’s knowledge and buzzer speed—stripping away the volatility of wagering to reveal true dominance.
At the opening of the March 17 episode, Jennings praised Ding’s previous performance: “Our champion, Jamie Ding, put on a masterclass here yesterday.” He noted that Ding’s 36 correct responses in his second game had broken the season record previously held by 14-game champion Harrison Whitaker.
What followed was even more astonishing. Ding delivered a flawless performance, answering 44 clues correctly without a single error. His 44 correct responses tied him with James Holzhauer for the second-best single-game performance in “Jeopardy!” history—behind only Jennings himself, who holds the all-time record with 45 correct responses. Ding dominated from the opening round, seizing a commanding lead that never wavered.
In Double Jeopardy, Ding found the first Daily Double in “Other Kens” with $18,000. He wagered $6,000 on a clue about a 1998 book, correctly identifying Ken Starr, whose report on President Bill Clinton outsold Tom Clancy’s novel “Rainbow Six” that year. The correct response pushed his total to $24,000.
Ding faced competition from Aidan O’Connell, a wastewater treatment operator from Henderson, Nevada, and Carman Nareau, a founder from Oakland, California. O’Connell found the second Daily Double with $2,600 and wagered $2,500 on a “Personifying The Nation” clue about the Philippines, climbing to $5,100.
By the end of Double Jeopardy, Ding held a commanding $48,800, with O’Connell at $4,300 and Nareau at $600. The Final Jeopardy category was Historic Names, featuring a clue about a Grand Duchess whose name means “resurrection” in Greek. The correct response: Anastasia.
Despite his overwhelming lead, Ding wagered conservatively. He answered correctly and finished with a final total of $51,234, bringing his three-day earnings to $77,800. O’Connell, who wrote “Who indeed?” as his response, wagered $0 and finished with $4,300. Nareau wagered $599 and finished with $1.
The Princeton graduate’s path to “Jeopardy!” stardom began in molecular biology. Ding earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton in 2013, where he wore orange and black—his school colors—during his first game as a tribute to his alma mater. He currently attends Seton Hall University Law School as a weekend JD student while working for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency as a multifamily and tax credit program administrator.
The record-breaking performance puts Ding in elite company. Jennings holds the all-time regular play winnings record with $2,520,700 from his 2004 run. James Holzhauer sits second with $2,462,216. Matt Amodio ranks third with $1,518,601, followed by Amy Schneider with $1,382,800. Jennings’ previous Coryat record had stood for nearly 22 years.
Ding’s dominance extended beyond raw Coryat score. He finished first on the buzzer on 40 of 57 clues—a 70.18% rate that left his competitors scrambling for scraps. His buzzer speed and breadth of knowledge mirror strategies employed by champions like Holzhauer and Amodio, who revolutionized the game with aggressive play and intensive preparation.
On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Ding returned for his fourth game and won again, becoming a 4-time champion with total earnings of $106,601. He faced a closer contest this time, as challenger Luke Minton played him evenly through the first 37 clues. But a correct $8,200 Daily Double wager gave Ding the cushion he needed, and he secured victory with a correct Final Jeopardy response. He returns on Thursday, going for win number five.
Whether Ding can convert his exceptional performances into an extended winning streak will depend on maintaining the focus and stamina that have made him one of the most dominant short-term champions in recent memory. But he has already etched his name into “Jeopardy!” history by toppling one of the show’s most impressive records—with the record-holder himself watching from the host’s podium.