Jamie Ding Explains How Ben Affleck's Clutch Strategy Won $1 Million on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'

Jamie Ding has answered thousands of trivia questions throughout his career, but when $1 million was on the line, the Jeopardy! Champion says he nearly froze.

Instead, it was Ben Affleck's clutch strategy that kept the team moving, helping the unlikely pair claim the top prize on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and raise $1 million for the Eastern Congo Initiative.

The Hollywood star and trivia legend may have come from different worlds, but Ding now says their contrasting strengths proved to be the winning formula.

An Unlikely Team Found Perfect Balance

Before stepping onto the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire stage, Ding and Affleck had never met.

Ding, who won 31 consecutive Jeopardy! games earlier this year and earned $882,605, joked that they were 'kind of an arranged marriage'. Despite being strangers, he quickly realised they brought different strengths to the table.

Affleck later playfully credited Ding for the victory, saying it had been 'a great honour to ride Jamie's coattails all the way'. Ding's account, however, reveals the Oscar-winning actor played a far bigger role than many viewers may have realised.

Ben Affleck Stayed Calm When Jamie Ding Hesitated

With only two questions separating them from the jackpot, the pressure intensified.

The pair still had all three lifelines available, but the enormous stakes changed everything. One wrong answer would have slashed their winnings from $500,000 to just $32,000.

Ding admitted the moment affected him.

'I feel like I was quite nervous towards the end because it's a lot of money,' he told USA TODAY.

He then revealed what made the difference.

'I think that Ben was maybe a little more decisive towards the end. He was talking and getting us to move, where perhaps I would've just sat there for a while and been immobilised by indecision.'

It was an unexpected admission from one of television's greatest quiz champions. While Ding had the knowledge, Affleck supplied the confidence, preventing hesitation from taking over at the most critical moment.

A Random Memory Produced a Crucial Answer

The turning point came with the $500,000 question, which asked what achievement occurred just two months after The New York Times claimed it would not happen for '1 million to 10 million years'.

Affleck immediately leaned towards 'the first airplane flight'.

His reasoning came from an unlikely place.

'I only remember this because there was a time in my life where I spent time looking up examples that the press got things wrong,' he said with a laugh.

The unusual memory paid off, sending the pair through to the final question and putting the Ben Affleck $1 million win within reach.

Jimmy Kimmel Helped Seal the Victory

The final question centred on presidential turkey pardons and proved even more difficult.

Ding called his longtime trivia teammate, Stephen Morrison, but time expired before Morrison could offer more than saying his answer would have been 'a wild guess'.

That left host Jimmy Kimmel.

Drawing on years of making jokes about the annual White House turkey pardon, Kimmel reasoned that one answer simply did not sound familiar. Affleck believed the logic made sense, and Ding agreed.

'I liked Jimmy's answer because it made sense,' Ding said. 'It didn't feel like a guess.'

Rather than taking the guaranteed $500,000, they risked another $468,000 by answering the final question.

'It's interesting that we never really seriously considered walking away,' Ding admitted. 'I guess we both wanted to go for glory if we could.'

Moments later, flashing lights and falling confetti confirmed they had won the full Who Wants to Be a Millionaire $1 million prize.

A Win That Meant More Than Money

The victory secured $1 million for the Eastern Congo Initiative, the organisation Affleck co-founded 17 years ago. According to the actor, the charity has supported more than 100 Congolese organisations working with local leaders to build lasting solutions across eastern Congo.

For Ding, the experience also delivered a valuable lesson.

'I certainly think that we did a great job, but it also takes a lot of luck,' he reflected. 'In this case, our skill and luck were both good.'

The Jamie Ding Millionaire victory comes just before his next challenge, the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, where he plans to prepare by strengthening his geography knowledge and continuing his handwritten study routine.

His latest success, however, showed that even the brightest trivia minds can hesitate when the pressure peaks.

As Ding openly acknowledged, Ben Affleck's clutch strategy was not about knowing every answer. It was about staying calm, trusting sound reasoning, and making the difficult decision before doubt could take over. That composure transformed uncertainty into one of the most memorable victories in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire history.