Jamie Ding became a household name when he won 31 game of Jeopardy! earlier this year. Now, fresh off his episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, the bureaucrat shared how he is preparing for the Tournament of Champions, how his life has changed, and more.

On July 22, Ding and actor Ben Affleck appeared on Season 5 of Millionaire. Their game stopped at the $250,000 question, in which Affleck led them to the right answer. This pairing came after Ken Jennings and Matt Damon teamed up last season and won $1 million for their charity. Find out if the duo will win $1 million for the Eastern Congo Initiative when the second half of their game airs on July 29.

During his Jeopardy! run, Ding won a total of $885, 605, including the second-place prize during his 32nd game. Being the highest winner this season, Ding, from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, is set to compete in the 2027 TOC against players such as Harrison Whitaker, Tristan Williams, Mina Kimes, and more. The tournament is set to kick off sometimes in early 2027.

Find out how he is preparing for the upcoming tournament, how his life changed since being on Jeopardy!, and more. Then, tune in to Millionaire on Wednesday to see if Ding and Affleck win the $1 million prize.

TV Insider: How are you preparing for the Tournament of Champions?

Jamie Ding: Ooh, I’m making a list of things to do, and haven’t necessarily done them yet, but I’m making a list. Definitely want to hunker down closer to it. Probably not yet, but there are things to brush up on, there are things to learn. There’s buzzer timing. I’m not sure how much I need to work on buzzer timing, but definitely some amount of it. And of course, I’m watching Jeopardy!. I’ve got to keep tabs on the competition. It’s going to be a barn burner. It is.

There’s a lot of multi day/super champions. Is there anybody that you’re kind of nervous to go up against?

I think I’m nervous about all of them, and they’re all very capable. They’re all very capable of beating me. I’m also capable of beating them. Overall, there’s not that much strategy in Jeopardy!. There’s no defense. You can’t disrupt your opponents while they’re doing something. And honestly, they all seem pretty cool. It’ll just be nice to meet them and talk to them.

Do you think that you’ll wear orange through your whole TOC run?

I better, right? I think the audience is looking for that.

It brought you luck last time.

Right.

How has your life changed for you since being on Jeopardy!?

It has been really cool. I mean, lots of people reaching out. People recognize me on the street. Everyone’s super nice.I got a faster, orange watch. I’m doing events. It’s cool. People are interested in meeting me and hearing my thoughts on things. Overall, very positive. Also busier, but in a good way.

If you could play Jeopardy! with a partner, would you? And who would you pick?

With a partner, probably my sister Jesse. I think we’re a good team, and also, I think she does a good job of covering my weaknesses. In the past, when we went down to bar trivia and we got a round “Identify the celebrity from this photo,” I was hopeless there, and she was really good at that. Yeah, things like that.

Maybe you guys could go on pop culture Jeopardy together.

Maybe.

Is there anything that surprised you about being on Jeopardy! that you wouldn’t think watching it at home?

The most pleasant surprise about being on Jeopardy! was that when it’s a video clue or picture clue, they do show the words on the board next to that video or picture. You can’t see it at home, but luckily you can see it up on stage, and that’s very helpful. I read very fast, so that also helped.

Did you have any final thoughts?

It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ve loved it so far. I’m excited to see where it goes next. It’s nice to do something that makes people happy, especially right now.

Jeopardy!, Season 43, September 2026, check local listings, stream on Hulu and Peacock

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC, stream next day on Hulu