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Purdue professor's 'Jeopardy!' win streak ends at 15

Adriana Harmeyer, an archivist at Purdue University, has already qualified for the Tournament of Champions, winning more than $350,000 on the show.

INDIANAPOLIS — A Purdue University professor's incredible run on "Jeopardy!" has ended.

Adriana Harmeyer, an archivist for university history at Purdue, lost on Wednesday's show as she tried to win her 16th straight game. 

Harmeyer had a $2,500 lead after the first round of the show, but scored just $1,200 in "Double Jeopardy!" as Drew Basile of Birmingham, Michigan, took over control of the game. By the time the "Final Jeopardy!" clue was revealed, Basile had run away with the win. 

She finished in third place after missing the final clue, earning $2,000 for the show, bringing her total to $351,600 over her 16-day run.

The 15-game win streak stands as the 11th longest in show history.

Harmeyer's 10th win earned her "super-champion" status. Only 17 champions in "Jeopardy!" history have recorded double-digit win streaks, according to the show.

Five of her 15 wins were "runaway" wins, where the winner's total going into Final Jeopardy makes it impossible to lose, barring a wagering error. 

"I always hoped that I could, but I didn’t expect it to happen," Harmeyer said. "I'm a super-champion…that’s going to take some getting used to."

Harmeyer's fifth win on "Jeopardy!" qualified her for the next Tournament of Champions, the third contestant to make it from this season, the show's 40th.

"Jeopardy!" airs weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on WTHR Channel 13. 

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