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Winning streak ends for woman who died before her ‘Jeopardy’ episodes aired

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(Fox News) – “Jeopardy” contestant Cindy Stowell’s winning streak has come to an end. Stowell died of cancer the week before her episode was set to air.

Her inspiring run continued into its fifth night on Monday but ended Wednesday night when she was beat out by a GIS technician from Oklahoma City. None of her opponents were told of her illness at the time.

Her total winnings reached nearly $106,000 and will be donated to cancer research “in the hopes that no one else would have to go through what she did,” her family said in a statement.

Stowell’s posthumous appearance is a first for “Jeopardy.” The show’s host Alex Trebrek said in a statement Stowell died Monday after battling terminal colon cancer.

The quiz show says on its website that Stowell was invited to an audition for the show in August. Before the audition, Stowell reached out to a producer to ask how long it might be before she taped her episode because she didn’t have long to live.

Stowell passed the audition and was booked for the earliest possible taping Aug. 31.