Game ends for Cedar Rapids ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant Nikole Villanueva

Nikole Villanueva’s “Jeopardy!” journey ended Thursday, with the power of the final category.

The direct service provider from Cedar Rapids answered incorrectly, but maintained her second-place status for the day, adding $2,000 to her previous winnings of $23,000, bringing her two-day total to $25,000.

Not surprisingly, Jen Jazwinski, an early literacy librarian from Algonquin, Ill., swept most of the literary category and similar clues throughout the game, taking $26,000 to the final round.

She and Ellen McKeeman, a retired nursing staffing coordinator from Newport, Ore., aced the final clue:

“A cleft in limestone in England sheltered Reverend Augustus Toplady from a storm and inspired this popular hymn.”

The correct question: What is “Rock of Ages”? Villanueva, however, guessed “Amazing Grace.” She entered the round with $16,000 and wagered $4,000, lowering her score to $12,000.

Watch Nicole Villanueva win ‘Jeopardy!’ on Wednesday:

Even though McKeeman responded correctly, she remained in third place by a narrow margin. Her gutsy wager of $5,799 of the $5,800 she brought into the final round brought her score to $11,599 — not enough to surpass Villanueva. Placing third sent McKeeman home with $1,000.

Jazwinski also bet big. She added $15,401 to the $26,000 she gained in the first two rounds, bringing her winning total to $42,001. She will defend her title on Friday’s episode, airing at 4 p.m. on KWWL-TV.

Comments: (319) 368-8508; diana.nollen@thegazette.com

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