“Jeopardy!” contestant Julia Collins, the winningest woman in “Jeopardy!” history, ended her winning streak Monday night after losing during her 21st appearance on the show.
The 31-year-old Chicago resident had 20 consecutive wins from April 21–June 2, the most wins ever by a female player.
She holds the 2nd longest winning streak in “Jeopardy!” several wins behind Ken Jennings, who won 74 games and $2.5 million in the process.
But the MIT graduate got her piece of the money pie, raking in close to $430,000 in earnings.
Several of her fans tweeted out congratulations for her run on the show, even providing the hashtag “girl power” and expressing how sad they were to see her go. Ken Jennings also sent out a tweet applauding her 20 wins.
Welcome to the 20-Timers Club, @JeopardyJulia. Amazing run.
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) June 3, 2014
“Jeopardy’s” main website and Facebook page shared in the celebration of Julia’s great feat, showing pictures of her competing on the show, and took notice of how she signed her name differently before each game.
For Julia, her dreams were already written in the stars, or her 8th grade yearbook. Predicting that she would be a “Ten Time Jeopardy Champion, “ she clearly reached and surpassed her goals.
Her achievement has already had a tremendous impact on others, especially young women. She imparts some advice to them, to go after what they want in life.
“I feel like it’s really important for girls to see other women who are being celebrated for being smart. And to see accomplishments that are related to intelligence,” she said. “If you really want to do something, do what it takes to make it happen for yourself.”
Julia is expected to return to the show next season for the “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions.