Jamie Ding’s 31-game “Jeopardy!” winning streak has come to an end. That means fans will no longer be treated to a regular look at the 33-year-old’s winsome sweaters.
Through his run on the show, Ding, a bureaucrat and law student from Lawrenceville, N.J., wore a spectacular spectrum of sweaters — cardigans, V-necks, crew-necks — as he piled up wins. His outfits often had at least a peek of orange, his favorite color and, not coincidentally, one of the official colors of his alma mater, Princeton University. “It has long been a dream of mine to wear orange (and black) on national television,” he told the university a few weeks into his “Jeopardy!” journey.
In all fairness to Ding, these weren’t particularly stylish sweaters. He is no Michelle Tsai, a recent contestant who captured the internet’s attention when she competed in an impressive pigeon-patterned sweater that she knit herself.
Ding’s main exception, of course, was the orange and black sweater from the Italian label Octopus that he wore on his first episode. Onscreen, it appeared like an abstracted version of Guy Fieri’s flame shirt or a blazing Prada sweater from a few years ago.
“I just searched for ‘orange and black sweater’ online, and that popped up,” Ding said in a recent interview with The New York Times. “I wasn’t positive about wearing it on the show. But I bought it, I went to a housewarming, my friends loved it and then I brought it with me on the plane.”
The sweater depicted an octopus, though on the show, its tentacles were hidden from view by Ding’s lectern.
Other standout knits from Ding’s run included a patchwork-looking brown sweater that belonged to his father, which he wore in his third game. “My dad has accumulated quite a lot of clothes over the years, and we’re about the same size,” Ding said. “It belongs to me now.”
The insouciant approach to dressing suited a contestant who remained ice-cube calm as he climbed up the leaderboard. Certain “Jeopardy!” contestants have been known to flash a gambler’s brashness or exhibit vocal ticks that drove the audience mad. Ding displayed none of that. He had the affect of an unflappable school teacher. He dressed like one, too.
Many “Jeopardy!” streak-holders have had their choice fashion statements. During his multimillion-dollar run in 2019, James Holzhauer wore a lot of button-up shirts in royal blues and other jewel tones. Amy Schneider, who won 40 games in 2021 and 2022, was known for her trademark pearls, while Mattea Roach, in a 23-game streak, worked through the game board while wearing oversize blazers with the sleeves rolled up. During his record-setting 74 wins, Ken Jennings was a suit-and-tie guy, a look he maintains as the show’s host, albeit with a bit more oomph to his ties and a better cut to his suits. Jennings, you could say, has grown comfortable in the “Jeopardy!” statesman role shaped by his predecessor Alex Trebek.
For contestants, these signature looks are, to some extent, a byproduct of the limited wardrobes that they bring with them. Past contestants have said that “Jeopardy!” producers advised them to bring just a handful of outfits when competing on the show.
Superstitions also run deep for “Jeopardy!” champions. Both Holzhauer and Matt Amodio, another long-running contestant, lamented that when they ultimately lost, they were wearing new shirts.
On Monday, as Ding’s streak finally came to a close (during a game that, coincidentally, had a fashion-themed category), he was dressed in an orange plaid shirt beneath a blazer. It was an ensemble he’d worn before, so in this case, an outfit change was not to blame.
Callie Holtermann contributed reporting.
