Jeopardy! champion Greg Shahade reveals how Jamie Ding reacted to being defeated by him after 31 games.
Ding, from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, went home with a total of $885,605, after losing to chess master Shahade on April 27. Shahade, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, went on to win three games, taking home $77,602.
Shahade hosted an Ask Me Anything on Reddit on May 3, where fans of the game show asked him about the game, his personal life, and more.
One fan asked Shahade if Ding, a bureaucrat and law student, had any “mind games” in the green room before the game. “Nah, he was obviously a perfect angel. Probably deep in his soul, he felt bad about how he was probably going to crush all of our dreams, and how to some degree we may have wished he wasn’t there, but he handled it all really well and was very cordial with everyone,” the contestant revealed.
“I obviously don’t know him super well, but I feel very strongly that he is a very high-quality human. Like at a level that’s above that of normal nice people. He just NEVER says anything that doesn’t have a tinge of kindness and thoughtfulness behind it. And it’s not just that, but it always seems completely genuine. Like, I believe he was truly happy for me when I beat him. And that rubbed off on me a bit, because despite the disappointment when I lost, I was also happy for Kate when she beat me.”
“It was great to see America fall in love with Jamie, who on paper may not have seemed like the typical person that would get so many fans as he wasn’t flashy, brash, or anything like that, but his calm and steady kindness really struck a chord with the people, and that can really make you feel hope for the future,” he went on.
Another fan replied to him and said that Ding seemed so kind and that the rumors they saw on the internet said that he was. “INTERNET RUMORS? There is no chance that there was any rumor that painted him as unkind. I went for the handshake after the game and he was like HELL NO, and gave me a giant hug instead,” Shahade said.
The giant slayer told Philadelphia Magazine on April 28 that Ding “said some very nice things” to him after Shahade’s win. He said that the super champion is “the sweetest person, really, really nice.”
Although his reign was short, Shahade told Reddit users that he hopes to compete in an upcoming Tournaments of Champions of Champions Wildcard. “In either case, I’m super excited to go back and play again. Win or lose, it’ll be an honor to spend time around other great players,” he said.
Shahade went on to say that if he is asked back, the one thing that will change is his betting strategies. “Fortunately, I have plenty of time to figure out what tweaks I’d need to make for the TOC, if I should be so lucky to be directly invited to it,” the Jeopardy! champion ended.
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This story originally appeared on TV Insider
