Julia Collins (born November 10, 1982) is an American

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

contestant and a supply chain professional from

Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

. She is best known for being a 20-day champion on the quiz show ''

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given genera ...

''. She had the most consecutive wins of a woman contestant until

Amy Schneider Amy Schneider (born May 29, 1979) is an American writer and game show contestant. Winning 40 consecutive games on the quiz show ''Jeopardy!'' from November 2021 to January 2022 and the November 2022 Tournament of Champions, she holds the secon ...

surpassed her on December 29, 2021. During her run from April 21 to June 2, 2014, she won $429,100, which at the time was the third and is now the ninth highest total in ''Jeopardy!'' history for regular play.

''Jeopardy!''

Collins began her original run on April 21, 2014. She won $428,100 over 20 consecutive victories from between April 21 and May 30. On June 2, her run came to an end as she was defeated by challenger Brian Loughnane. She finished the game in third place after wagering her entire daily total in Final Jeopardy! and failing to provide a correct response. Her third place consolation prize of $1,000 was added to her winnings to give her a total of $429,100 – at the time, this was the third highest total earnings in ''Jeopardy!'' regular play history, only trailing

Ken Jennings Kenneth Wayne Jennings III (born May 23, 1974) is an American game show host, author, and former game show contestant. He is the highest-earning American game show contestant, having won money on five different game shows, including $4,522,70 ...

and David Madden. She trailed only Jennings (74) in number of games won and finished just ahead of Madden (19). She would later be surpassed in both categories by

James Holzhauer James Holzhauer (born August 6, 1984) is an American game show contestant and professional sports gambler. He is the third-highest-earning American game show contestant of all time and is best known for his 32-game winning streak as champion ...

, who won 32 consecutive games in 2019, and she would also be surpassed by Jason Zuffranieri in the cash category the same year, giving her the third longest winning streak and sixth highest total earnings in ''Jeopardy!'' regular play history at the time. She was surpassed in both categories by

Matt Amodio Matthew Benjamin Amodio''Jeopardy!'', Sony, 2021 (born December 4, 1990) is an American game show contestant who won 38 consecutive games on the game show ''Jeopardy!'' in 2021, the third-longest streak in the show's history, behind Ken Jennings a ...

in September 2021,

in December 2021.,

Mattea Roach Mattea Roach (born October 26, 1998) is a Canadian tutor and game show contestant who held a 23-game winning streak on the game show ''Jeopardy!'' from April 5, 2022, to May 6, 2022. Roach was the most successful Canadian to play ''Jeopardy!'' a ...

in May, 2022, and Cris Pannullo in December, 2022. Collins was invited to the 2014 ''

Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions ''Jeopardy!'' is an American television quiz show created by Merv Griffin, in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers and must phrase their responses in the form of questions. Over the years, the show has featured many to ...

'', where she finished second in her quarterfinal game against Joshua Brakhage and 2013 College Champion Jim Coury, but reached the semifinals as a wild card. She then won her semifinal game, advancing to the finals, where she finished third, behind winner Ben Ingram and second-place finisher

Arthur Chu Arthur Chu (born January 30, 1984) is an American columnist and former contestant on ''Jeopardy!'', a Television syndication, syndicated U.S. game show. Chu first became known for the unusual style of play he adopted during his eleven-game winni ...

. In the 2018 ''All-Star Games'' draft show, she still remains friends with Ben Ingram and picked him as her first pick and Seth Wilson for her second pick. In 2019, they finished in third place in the second match against Team Ken and Team Austin and split $50,000.

Personal life

A native of

, Collins graduated from

The Madeira School The Madeira School (simply referred to as Madeira School or Madeira) is an elite, private, day and boarding college-preparatory school for girls in McLean, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1906 by Lucy Madeira Wing. History Ori ...

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxim ...

, in 2001. She earned a double-major bachelor's degree in art history and history from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 2005, and a master's degree in logistics and supply chain management engineering from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Julia 1982 births Living people American television personalities American women television personalities Jeopardy! contestants Madeira School alumni Wellesley College alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni People from Wilmette, Illinois Date of birth missing (living people)