In the end, it was a single dollar and a tip about two American mayors that ended Canada. Danger! the impressive streak of 23 games of the champion Mattea Roach.
On Friday, Roach lost her 24th game for $1 to Danielle Maurer, a digital marketing manager from Georgia, after being stumped by Final Jeopardy.
Roach finished the game with $15,599, while Maurer, who seemed stunned by his minimal win, finished with $15,600.
“It still feels like a dream,” Roach said in a press release from the long-running Q&A show.
“I really came here hoping to maybe win a game, and I still can’t believe it. You know, it’s weird, obviously I didn’t make it to the last one, but I still feel so happy and so lucky to have had this experience.”
Roach, 23, left the game with $560,983 USD, which is roughly $722,498 Cdn.
Final Danger Stunner
The Toronto-based tutor was in the lead heading into the Jeopardy Final round with $19,200. Maurer trailed behind with $11,400, while the third contestant, operations manager Betsy Hobbs, had $7,400.
The final clue was: “These two mayors gave their names to a facility built on the site of a former race track owned by Coca-Cola mogul Asa Candler.”
Maurer correctly answered William Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson. Neither Hobbs nor Roach knew the correct answer.
“It all comes down to the final bet. Did you bet more than $3600?” host Ken Jennings asked Roach as he pretended to wipe a tear from his face and turned to smile at the new champion.
Hartsfield, as Jennings pointed out, is the namesake of the Atlanta airport in Maurer’s home state.
“Obviously for a native Georgian that’s not that hard,” said Jennings, who was quick to add that the questions are written months in advance and randomly assigned.
Mattea Roach’s parents are cheering her on as she racks up an impressive Jeopardy! winning streak, thankful for the life choices her earnings give her and the example she is setting as a member of the LGBTQ community. 2:02
broken record
Roach holds the title for the longest run of any Canadian on the show.
Fans across the country have been rooting for Roach throughout his journey, with many showing their support on social media and fighting over which city he calls “home,” Toronto or Halifax?
Roach’s response? Both. While he spent his early years in Nova Scotia and considers it his home, Roach has said that he became deeply attached to Toronto later in his life.
Earlier in the week, he received an award in the House of Commons from Halifax MP Andy Fillmore. His alma mater, the University of Toronto, also bragged about his wins and his time in school.
In the community of Marion Bridge on Cape Breton Island, Roach’s great aunt and uncle regularly updated the signage outside their grocery store to show their support for the Danger! to bite.
Back in my homeland, I had to visit some of my early die-hard fans! pic.twitter.com/cOJw8ehi6L
‘There are no words’
With 23 wins under her belt, Roach is No. 5 on both the all-time consecutive games list and the all-time highest regular season earnings list. Only Jennings, Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio and James Holzhauer won more games or money during their time on the show.
“When I think about the caliber of those four players, I don’t really feel like I deserve to be mentioned at the same time as them, to be honest,” Roach said.
“And there’s a noticeable financial gap between my money and theirs, but it’s an incredible achievement. I can’t believe it. It’s such an honor to be talked about in relation to people like Ken, James, Matt, Amy. It’s , wow. There are no words.”
Roach will play again in the Danger! Tournament of Champions this fall.
Reference-www.cbc.ca