Jamie Ding's 31-Game Jeopardy Winning Streak Comes to an End

Jamie Ding's reign on Jeopardy has officially ended.

The contestant's remarkable run of 31 consecutive victories came to a close during Monday's April 27 episode, with new champion Greg Shahade taking the win. Ding accumulated $882,605 in prize money across his successful stretch on the game show.

The loss came in the form of a runaway victory for Shahade, who built such a commanding lead that he held more than double Ding's score heading into Final Jeopardy. This insurmountable advantage meant Shahade's victory was essentially secured before the final clue was even revealed.

Knowing the game was already lost, Ding seized an unusual opportunity. Rather than facing a nail-biting finish, he penned a farewell message in his Final Jeopardy response: "TTFN"—shorthand for "ta ta for now."

"I think my last game is unusual, because I was a super champ, but I also lost in a runaway, which I feel like is the first time that ever happened," Ding told People magazine. "It almost makes me feel better about the thing because there wasn't really one clue or whatever that everything hinged on."

He elaborated on the silver lining of the lopsided defeat: "It being a runaway means that I got to write a goodbye message instead of nothing at all. I wouldn't have done that if there had even been a chance of me coming out with the victory."

Ding now ranks fifth on the all-time list for most consecutive games won on the show.