First ‘Jeopardy!’ Gen Z super champ’s streak hits 19 games
LOS ANGELES » Reigning “Jeopardy!” champion Mattea Roach represents a new generation of the quiz show’s all-star players.
As of Friday, the 23-yearold Canadian has won 19 games and amassed $469,184 in prize money, putting her among the top 10 contestants for both consecutive victories and regular-season winnings in “Jeopardy!” history.
Roach, who begins her fifth week of competition Monday, is in the company of veteran standout players including Ken Jennings, who’s currently hosting the show, and this season’s champs Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio.
“The fact that I’m now one of the best players of all time hasn’t fully sunk in yet. It doesn’t really feel real,” said Roach, the first Gen Zer to be dubbed a “super champion” by the show for achieving a double-digit string of wins. (Generation Z generally refers to those born from 1997 to 2012.)
A tutor for aspiring law school students, and perhaps one herself, she plays with a breezy confidence. Roach is relaxed enough to casually think out loud about her approach, as she did when she hit a crucial Double Jeopardy last Wednesday.
“You know what, if I wager a lot and lose today, like whatever, I had such a good run,” Roach mused, then successfully wagered a hefty $8,000 and ended up taking the game from formidable challenger Ben Hsia of Fremont, California.
The category was anatomy, the clue was “To gently tease another person,” and Roach’s slightly exasperated response: “I should have wagered more. What is ‘rib’?”
Besides conservative bets, her play has been distinguished by the broad range of knowledge and buzzer command that “Jeopardy!” champs have. Athletic skill doesn’t contribute to the latter, said Roach, who admits that sports isn’t a favored category.
Among her trademarks are an engaging smile and demure wave to the camera at the start of a game; tattoos including Talking Heads song lyrics, and attire that’s on the serious side but with a touch of personal flair. For a recent interview, however, she paired a T-shirt with denim.
“There’s no denim on ‘Jeopardy!’” Roach said, helpfully. As for her on-camera wardrobe, it’s all clothes she already owned — “I hate shopping,” she said — and which she figured would send the right message.
“I wanted to be comfortable, I wanted to look professional and I wanted to express my personality, and I think I accomplished that,” she said.
A native of Halifax, Nova
Scotia, who lives in Toronto, Roach credits her love of learning to her mother, Patti MacKinnon, an auditor, and her father, Phil Roach, who works in human resources. Mattea Roach began reading at age 3, skipped a grade in elementary school and enrolled at the University of Toronto when she was 16.
After mom and dad helped pay for the first two years of college, Roach put herself through the rest.
“I have three younger siblings at home, and even with them (her parents) both working there’s only so much money to go around,” she said. “I figured I can work, so why would I not be?”
She majored in sexual diversity studies and earned minors in political science and women and gender studies. The school’s debate program helped her gain poise and tackle unfamiliar subjects, presumably helpful training for “Jeopardy!” — and maybe politics.