He’s so proud of his son! Dr. Yuchuan Ding, a professor of neurosurgery, cannot wrap his brain around Jamie Ding‘s Jeopardy! success.

As of April 13, Ding has won 22 games and racked up $627,600, cementing his place on the Leaderboard of Legends. Did his dad think he would ever make it that far on the game show? Here’s what he had to say.

“I feel quite surprised,” Dr. Ding told Wayne State University. “I didn’t realize he could go this far, but I think he deserves that because he’s been interested in this kind of knowledge for a long time.”

The doctor is an expert in stroke therapy, traumatic brain injury, and thermal injury research at Wayne State’s School of Medicine, so he understands cognition, recovery, and performance under pressure.

Jamie’s dad said he was surprised when he beat Ken Jennings record, among others. Dr. Ding celebrated with his wife, Ning Yan, and their daughter, Jessie, in the stands.

“Quite surprised,” Dr. Ding said. “He just did a good job, but still got recognized even by the governor.” Jamie earned a shoutout from the New Jersey governor, Mikie Sherrill, and even earned an invitation to the governor’s mansion. During that visit, Jamie and his family met the New Jersey’s Lieutenant Governor Dr. Dale G. Caldwell and took a picture with him.

“Let’s hear it for @njhousing‘s very own Jamie Ding! Last night, he secured the title of the New Jersey player with the most wins in Jeopardy history. Keep on making New Jersey proud!” she wrote on X on April 14. 

Jamie’s Jeopardy! success should have been seen by his parents, though, as he graduated early from high school, and competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and National Geographic Bee as a child.

Plus, with his father being a doctor and his mother being a math teacher, the love of learning and discipline was ingrained in him from a young age.

He started reading at the age of three and became the family’s encyclopedia. “We always asked him questions. He didn’t always know, but he liked to search and find the answers,” Dr. Ding said.

“I know he knows a lot, but I didn’t know he knows so much,” Jamie’s father told the outlet.

“I was not a big Jeopardy! fan before,” he admitted. “But now, we really experience it.”

Ding goes for his 23rd win on April 14, where he will try to tie Mattea Roach for consecutive games won.

Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock