Mattea Roach’s winning streak on “Jeopardy!” ended by the slimmest of margins on Friday -- one dollar.
Roach, 23, a tutor from Toronto who won $560,983 -- plus a $2,000 consolation prize for her loss -- fell to Georgia digital marketing manager Danielle Maurer, People reported.
Maurer, from Peachtree Corners, a suburb northeast of Atlanta in Gwinnett County, seemingly received a layup when the Final Jeopardy question was announced.
Yesterday's Box Score: May 6, 2022 #jeopardata pic.twitter.com/oypCq5qOXl
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) May 7, 2022
The category was “USA” and the clue was, “These two mayors gave their names to a facility built on the site of an old racetrack owned by Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler.”
Maurer’s correct answer was “Who are William Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson?” Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is named for the two former Atlanta mayors, USA Today reported.
Mattea Roach, it has been a pleasure watching you play. See you in the Tournament of Champions. pic.twitter.com/YVXnmUzecl
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) May 7, 2022
Maurer’s correct answer added $4,200 to her original $11,400 total, giving her $15,600. Roach, who answered the question incorrectly -- “Who are Churchill and Downs? idk” -- wagered $3,601 and fell to $15,599, People reported.
“Obviously, for a Georgia native, maybe that’s not so hard,” host Ken Jennings told Maurer. “But remember, these questions are written months in advance and assigned randomly to games before we even know who the contestants are.”
Roach had a geographical advantage earlier this week when a Final Jeopardy clue asked for the name of Canada’s national anthem, USA Today reported.
Clue: The winner of 23 consecutive episodes of @Jeopardy. The youngest “super champion” in the show’s history. And the person who has made us so proud back here at home.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 7, 2022
Answer: Who is @MatteaRoach?
Congratulations on your historic run, Mattea! We couldn’t be prouder.
Roach’s total earnings placed her fifth on the all-time consecutive games list and the all-time highest regular-season winnings list, the show said in a news release.
She trails only Jennings, Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio and James Holzhauer in both categories.
“It feels still kind of like a dream,” Mattea said in a statement. “I really came down here hoping to maybe win one game and so I still can’t believe it. You know, it’s strange, obviously, I didn’t come through in the last one, but I still feel so happy and so lucky to have had this experience.”
The new champion was thrilled with her achievement.
“It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life,” Maurer said in a statement. “To not only get in there and win, which I was thrilled and excited about, but for me to have it be against a 23-day champion.”
Roach will return to the show when the “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions is held this fall.
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