Why Mattea Roach Considers Her Winning Streak ‘Somewhat Bittersweet and Sad’

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Canadian native Mattea Roach just racked up her 14th consecutive win on Jeopardy!. Now with a place in the Tournament of Champions and rankings in the record books, Roach noted a significant void during her run on the game show.

Mattea Roach of 'Jeopardy!' — Mattea Roach of ‘Jeopardy!’ | Photo credit: Jeopardy!

Mattea Roach put Canada in the ‘Jeopardy!’ record books

Roach clinched her 14th consecutive game on April 22 and now ranks in eighth place for all-time consecutive games. With her current jackpot at $320,081, the 23 year old is in 10th place for all-time highest non-tournament cash winnings. A Toronto resident, Roach is also the winningest Canadian competitor in the history of Jeopardy!, according to Deadline.

The LSAT tutor is one of several Jeopardy! contestants with a winning streak to her name. Matt Amodio, Amy Schneider, and Jonathan Fisher also totaled double-digit victories in season 38. Roach commented on the influx of victory runs.

“This has been such a crazy season of streaks and I was fully thinking Amy [Schneider] might still be here,” Roach said. “If it’s not Amy, there’s going to be some other super-champion that’s just going to knock me out Game One. I guess what I didn’t realize is maybe I could become the super-champion I wanted to see in the world.”

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‘Jeopardy!’ icon Alex Trebek was a proud Canadian

Fans continue to mourn the loss of game show legend Alex Trebek, who hosted Jeopardy! for 37 seasons. Trebek died from pancreatic cancer in November 2020 and is still heralded as the show’s irreplaceable quiz master. A Canadian native, Trebek was awarded the Academy Icon Award from the Academy Of Canadian Cinema and Television in March 2020 and spoke of his pride for his home country.

“You host a popular show for 36 years, you get to be known, you get to be liked,” Trebek said in his recorded speech, according to CBC. “Maybe people think you’re a nice guy. They know you’re Canadian — ergo Canadians are nice people and the country must be a special place. Well, it is! And not just because we’re nice.”

Roach clearly takes her representation of Canada on the Jeopardy! stage to heart and noted how Trebek’s absence during her winning streak is felt during her country’s moment in the game show spotlight.

“It is somewhat bittersweet and sad that [this streak] is happening after he passed,” Roach remarked, “and that he is not getting to celebrate what is now by far the longest run by a Canadian contestant on the show.”

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Mattea Roach is originally from Nova Scotia

Though Roach spent her most of her youth in Halifax, she also considers Toronto as close to hear heart after moving there for her university studies. Apparently, residents of both sectors are staking their claim to the Jeopardy! star.

“People in Nova Scotia, and then also people in Toronto — the two places that I associate myself most closely with — have been very eager to claim me as belonging more to one than the other,” Roach explained. “They don’t want to just claim that you’re from Canada if you’re from a specific city or specific province. It’s like, ‘No, she’s not just from Canada. She’s from Nova Scotia, or she’s in Toronto.”‘

Roach attempts to win her 15th consecutive game on Jeopardy! on April 25.