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Mattea Roach (born October 26, 1998) is a Canadian broadcaster 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! and is placed in sixth for all-time regular season wins. Roach won US$560,983 throughout their run, getting the correct response to 93 percent of buzzed-in clues. During their 24th game, they lost to Danielle Maurer by just US$1. With their streak, Roach qualified for the season's Tournament of Champions. Roach placed second in the first season of Jeopardy! Masters, which aired in 2023.
In August 2024, Roach was announced as the host of Bookends, a new CBC Radio show about books and literature, debuting September 8, 2024.Nicole Thompson, "‘Jeopardy’ star Mattea Roach to host new CBC books radio show, ‘Bookends’". Toronto Star, August 27, 2024.
Roach is a lesbian and queer. They have said that their favourite game show growing up was Wheel of Fortune but that they also grew up watching Jeopardy! They have tattoos of Talking Heads quotes and have met Bill Gates. In a May 2022 interview published in Vulture, Roach said that they would prefer Ken Jennings, who hosted the majority of their Jeopardy! episodes, to become the show's permanent host.
In their May 4, 2022, episode, they spoke of having participated in Choir! Choir! Choir!'s 2018 show performing Rick Astley's 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" with Astley himself in attendance. "Toronto tutor Mattea Roach cruises to 'Jeopardy!' win No. 22". Calgary Herald, May 4, 2022.
Roach has said that when they arrived for their first game, they had expected to face off with Amy Schneider, whose 40-day streak had ended, unbeknownst to most, a few months before Roach started competing. The season in which they competed also included 10-plus-game winning streaks from Schneider, Matt Amodio, and Jonathan Fisher.
As the most successful Canadian, Roach lamented that the late former host and Canadian Alex Trebek was not still hosting the game. Of their game strategy, Roach has talked about focusing on the things that are controllable. They also called their strategy "bad", saying it was about minimizing loss versus gain maximization.
Roach was the only person on stage for Final Jeopardy! for their 12th game on April 20, 2022, the first time that scenario had occurred since October 13, 2020. Later, in their 17th appearance on April 27, 2022, Roach had exactly double the score of the second-place opponent, Ben Hsia, at the start of Final Jeopardy! Hsia bet all his earnings and responded to the clue correctly, tying him with Roach. Roach also responded correctly, betting only $1, winning the game by $1.
Roach lost their 24th game on May 6, 2022, bringing a close to their winning streak after they failed to provide the correct response in Final Jeopardy! The contestant who dethroned Roach was Danielle Maurer, a digital marketing manager from Peachtree Corners, Georgia, who finished with a winning total of $15,600, beating Roach by $1.
Roach appeared in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions that aired in November 2022 but lost to Andrew He.
Roach competed in the first season of Jeopardy! Masters, which aired in May 2023. In the finals, they finished second to James Holzhauer, winning $250,000 and an invitation to the next Masters competition.
In 2023, they were a panelist on Canada Reads, championing the eventual winner, Kate Beaton's graphic novel . "Meet the Canada Reads 2023 contenders". CBC Books'', January 25, 2023.
In August 2024, CBC Radio announced Bookends, a program about books and literature to be hosted by Roach, which will replace Writers & Company on the schedule.
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Categories: 1998 Births, Contestants On American Game Shows, Canadian Lesbians, Canadian Non-binary People, Non-binary Lesbians, Living People, People From Halifax, Nova Scotia, Mass Media People From Toronto, 21st-century Canadian Lgbtq People, University Of Toronto Alumni, Canadian Podcasters, Canadian Lgbtq Broadcasters, Canadian Talk Radio Hosts, Cbc Radio Hosts
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