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Jeopardy! Contestant Who Competed With Stage 4 Cancer Posthumously Donated Her Winnings to Charity

Cindy Stowell. Photo: Courtesy of Jeopardy

Meet Cindy Stowell, a science content developer from Austin, Texas, and Jeopardy! contestant. Stowell recently got to tape an episode of Jeopardy!, a process that was sped up in part because she realized she had terminal cancer. Earlier this year, Stowell passed the online test to appear on the show and was invited for an in-person audition in Oklahoma City. Soon after, she discovered she had stage 4 colon cancer. “I just found out that I don’t have too much longer to live. The doctor’s best guess is about six months,” Stowell wrote to producer Maggie Speak. “If there is the chance that I’d be able to still tape episodes of Jeopardy! if I were selected, I’d like to do that and donate any winnings to … charities involved in cancer research.” Jeopardy! producers answered her call: Stowell got to tape an episode on August 31, and the episode is scheduled to air December 13. Stowell died on December 5. 

Jeopardy! Contestant Donated Money Before Death