DETROIT — Jamie Ding scored his second biggest "Jeopardy!" payday yet on Thursday's episode, extending his win streak to 30 despite a gutsy effort from one competitor.

The win rounds out Ding's sixth week as reigning champ on the long-running TV game show.

How much has he won?

Ding, a 33-year-old who was raised in Metro Detroit, finished Thursday's game with $56,001, just behind his best ever one-day total of $56,400, which he reached on the April 2 episode.

He fended off a spirited effort by Patrick Nolan, an actuary from Wheaton, Illinois. Nolan took a big lead partway through the second round of play, risking (and doubling) all his earnings with a gutsy Daily Double wager.

But three questions later, Ding responded with a true Daily Double of his own, taking back the lead in the high-scoring, back-and-forth matchup.

With Nolan closely trailing him, Ding wagered big in Final Jeopardy! and correctly answered the final clue, which tested contestants' knowledge about the polio vaccine. Nolan's response was incorrect, leaving him with a final total of $18,000. Leighanna Mixter, an attorney from Fresno, California, finished third with $10,400.

Ding has now won $849,603 during his run on "Jeopardy!"

What's next?

Ding still ranks fifth in both games won and total prize winnings on the all-time "Jeopardy!" leaderboard. He needs three more wins or another $533,197 to move up to fourth in either category.

He'll try for win No. 31 on Friday's episode.

Who is Jamie Ding?

Ding, 33, is a 2009 graduate of Grosse Pointe North High School and a 2013 graduate of Princeton University.

During his middle school years, he twice advanced to the national level of the National Geographic Bee, where he briefly met longtime "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek.

In a recently publicized court filing, Ding said he is a politically active Democrat who opposes a Trump administration lawsuit seeking sensitive information included in states' voter rolls.

His father, Yuchuan Ding, is a professor of neurosurgery at Wayne State University. His mother, Ning Yan, is a retired teacher who worked in the Detroit public school system.

He currently resides in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where he works as a public housing administrator for the state government. He's also a part-time law student.

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