Mattea Roach places 2nd in Jeopardy! Masters tournament

Toronto trivia titan Mattea Roach made it to the finals, but couldn't clinch the Jeopardy! Masters title.

Roach, a writer and podcaster who also has ties to Nova Scotia, finished second on Wednesday's episode, with a combined two-game point total of 41,685, earning a prize of $250,000 US.

Roach was in second place after the first game, and took the lead in the second game heading into Final Jeopardy, the last part of the game.

All three contestants gave the incorrect answer, but — because the score from the first game was taken into account — James Holzhauer ended up defeating Roach by $2,110 US.

Holzhauer won the first-ever Trebek Trophy — named for the late longtime host Alex Trebek — and $500,000 US.

Roach is the most successful Canadian competitor in Jeopardy! history. They won more than $750,000 Cdn and 23 consecutive games in 2022, the fifth-longest streak ever on Jeopardy!

Roach went on to compete in the Tournament of Champions, finishing third in November 2022.

The tournament came at a difficult time for Roach, who noted in Tuesday's semifinal episode that their father died in the course of filming.

Roach said their dad was a big part of why they were able to compete on "Jeopardy!" at all, instilling in them a love of learning.

Roach thanked everyone on set who ensured they could go home to grieve instead of continuing to film on what they said was the hardest day of their life so far.

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