JEOPARDY! sensation Mattea Roach has donned a winning new look during a revealing Q&A session.
The 24-year-old won 23 games last year and nearly beat James Holzhauer in the first annual Jeopardy! Masters tournament in May.
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Mattea sat down for a Q&A with CBC News while rocking a chic ensemble.
They flaunted their punk-style nose rings, their hair slicked back and wore a black patterned shirt with cranes - making for an edgy combo.
The fifth-winningest regular play Jeopardy! contestant ever- who is non-binary and prefers to go by the pronouns they/them- opened up about first auditioning in 2020.
Mattea revealed they weren't wagering on even making it on the game show, let alone becoming a success story.
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'I WAS BORED'
“I would not call myself a trivia pro at all," they shared.
"I auditioned for the show basically on a whim because I was bored during Covid.
“I completely then did not do anything after doing my initial test to prepare for the eventuality of being on the show.
"Because the odds are just so long, right?"
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They added: "It didn't occur to me that I should start prepping."
Mattea shared that their winning strategy was: "Being a person who is genuinely curious and paying attention to the world around you."
They also revealed their weak spots: "There are a lot of things Americans learn in school that I would not necessarily know.
Jeopardy! fans may remember the meme of Mattea looking completely lost while answering a Final Jeopardy during Masters under "U.S. History."
"I'm not amazing at science because I was not a big fan in high school.”
“I have to trick myself into learning about it.”
Mattea also revealed the one thing she can’t leave their home without: “My headphones. It drives me up the wall to go anywhere without listening to music.”
They also said their bucket list item is to go to Belgium because their “dad went once,” - and their biggest pet peeve is “slow walkers.”
"Double can't stand slow walkers in the airport."
ALMOST WINNING JEOPARDY MASTERS
James Holzhauer won the Jeopardy! Masters crown and $500,000 by the thinnest of margins in a fierce finale.
Mattea lost by 2100 combined points after James made a slightly savvier Final Jeopardy wager- they were leading up until the very last question.
The 32-time winner and pro gambler was pushed to the brink, all while Mattea was reeling from the sudden loss of their father in their family home while filming.
Mattea went home with $250,000 for second place, and Matt Amodio $150,000 for placing third.
James whispered, "Your dad would be so proud of you" and went over and hugged Mattea when declared the champion.
PAINFUL LOSS
Phillip Henry Roach died of a brain aneurysm on May 2, 2023 at their family home in Canada while Mattea was "at the set of Jeopardy!."
Mattea tearfully revealed the loss on stage saying at one point they were dedicating their performance to him.
"My dad passed away at the start of the month very suddenly. He’s a huge part of the reason why I’m here."
"He and my mom instilled an early love of geography in me. My dad taught me all about Turner Classic Movies and old movies."
"So I wanted to recognize the impact he had on my life."
"And also recognize, I was actually here at the set when my dad died."
James tweeted after winning the title: "Mattea’s performance would have been unbelievable in the best of times.
Considering everything they went through this month, this was the gutsiest Jeopardy! achievement since Cindy Stowell’s [who won the 2016 ToC but died of cancer before it aired].
An absolute, star-making masterclass in how to play the game.
"I’m lucky the scores were even this close entering Final. I benefited from more luck in the end. But no one will forget Mattea’s #JeopardyMasters dominance."
MATTEA'S MONEY MOVES
The Gen-Z, Canadian-born contestant was a mere 23 years old and working as a tutor for law students when they became the youngest super-champ (or 10-day-plus winner) in history in 2022.
They graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor's degree in sexual diversity studies, political science, and women and gender studies.
Mattea amassed 23 wins- the fifth-longest streak on Jeopardy! ever and sixth highest regular gameplay earnings of $566,000K.
Their $250,000 Masters win puts them around $810,000 of overall winnings.
Mattea won their first game on April 15, and exclaimed "all my student loans are paid off!" setting the tone for an unconventional yet quite captivating streak.
Critics knocked their stage presence seeing them openly voice their wager strategy and chat between clues.
One particularly memorable moment saw Mattea say with a signature wrist-flick, "I should have wagered more" after getting a Daily Double.
But as more wins came, so did the popularity - and there were some unforgettable games during their run.
One saw the champ answer Final Jeopardy alone on the stage with just Ken, due to a technicality.
The other two entered Final Jeopardy with negative scores, so they didn't even compete.
"Has that ever happened before?" one fan wondered on Twitter at the time.
Mattea's on-stage Q&A stories were also often the talk of the episode.
They revealed they once sang backup in a music video with the legendary musician of "Rick Roll" fame Rick Astley.
During another Q&A, they also revealed to have seven tattoos including two on their thighs dedicated to the band The Talking Heads.
Another game saw Mattea win by the amount ultimately losing by; $1.
Mattea now works as a podcaster and writer in Canada and is considering law school.
Mattea's third stint followed the 2022 Tournament of Champions but they were summarily eliminated by Andrew He.
'NEVER PRACTICED'
Jeopardy!'s boss also corroborated the jaw-dropping tidbit about Mattea after Masters, they went in and have always gone into Jeopardy! cold.
"Mattea spends zero time, and has spent zero time ever practicing for this show."
"They don't learn trivia, they dont read trivia books, they dont sit on the floor in the children's book department like James [Holzhauer- who famously studied children’s general knowledge books].
"Everything they know is from reading, sitting in front of the TV, reading newspapers, and being in front of intelligent people."
Davies lauded: "Mr. and Mrs. Roach were so involved in that, and get so much credit in their broad liberal arts education."
"It just shows their potential," Davies added.
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