Julia Dominick’s appearance on ‘Jeopardy!’ ends with last answer

By Elise Franco

The local game show winner said she can’t think of many things she’d do different if given the chance.

STRUTHERS — Julia Dominick had her first bout with celebrity after winning more than $30,000 on “Jeopardy!”

Monday night, she was back for her second appearance on the popular trivia show.

Dominick, 26, who lives on Wilson Street with her husband, Nick, and their son, Christopher, 1, said she felt more prepared for her champion’s defense.

“Going into it, I was a little bit more sure of myself because I had been there before and I knew the turf a little bit better than the other contestants,” she said. “I think I was still just as nervous though.”

Dominick said after watching the show with her family, which aired Monday night, she felt she did much better than she originally thought.

“I felt like I did really well, and I think I only got like two wrong,” she said. “I led the entire game and I led going into the final round.”

It was in Final Jeopardy with a question about Valentine’s Day that Dominick said she lost her lead, and the game.

She said all three contestants answered the question wrong, but Devin Flanigan of Los Angeles wagered no money, and pulled out the win.

“I was the first to clap for him because to see the expression on his face when he won, I know how that felt,” Dominick said. “It’s just complete ecstatic joy. I had no hard feelings because I had won my money, and I did better than I ever thought I would.”

Dominick’s final winnings totaled $32,401, and she said the money will be used to pay the mortgage on the house she and her husband own, as well as student loans.

She said she felt blessed to have so much support from friends and family throughout the entire process.

“When I left, they would say to me ‘Good luck, and I hope you win big,’” Dominick said. “I would tell them not to say that because I just wanted to have fun.”

She said the day she called home with the news of her prize, she couldn’t believe the reaction.

“When I called them and said, ‘Hey, I made money,’ the sound over the phone was deafening,” Dominick said. “I had a very Zen mentality throughout the whole thing, so they didn’t think that would transpire the way it did.”

efranco@vindy.com