Jeopardy! execs admit there were 'doubts' about casting Mattea Roach before champion exceeds expecta -

JEOPARDY! producers have confessed that there were doubts about adding Mattea Roach to the first ever Masters tournament.

The former 23 day champion is battling against some of the most successful and popular past contestants of all time.

Appearing on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, executive producer Michael Davies let slip that Mattea's participation came with some reservations.

"Let’s just give Mattea some credit," he said on the latest episode, in which he, Sarah Foss and Buzzy Cohen broke down week one of the massive event. "Because there was some doubt expressed about Mattea in many circles before they were invited to Masters."

Mattea, 23, who is non-binary, prefers to go by the pronouns they/them.

Although he didn't reveal any specific reason for the doubts, Michael went on to praise Mattea as a great competitor.

PERSONAL LOSS

Mattea is currently in fourth place in the two-week event, with nine points and two wins. But she has already outlasted ousted competitors Amy Schneider and Sam Buttrey.

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And they continue to play strong even in the face of personal tragedy.

The beloved Canadian contestant's father, Phillip Henry Roach, recently passed away.

Mattea's sudden loss was reported by Nova Scotia Buzz, which is the 24-year-old's hometown.

Phillip Roach "died of a brain aneurysm at his home in Halifax on May 2, 2023," the outlet wrote, adding that his four children with his wife Patti McKinnon were "the greatest joy of his life."

Mattea's father enjoyed playing Trivial Pursuit with his children, the local outlet wrote, and he was proud to have passed down his love of rock music to them.

Mattea was never shy to boast about their bond with their dad on or off stage after first competing on Jeopardy! in April 2022.

Mattea's proud parents hosted a watch party at their home for each and of their original 23 wins last year.

Their parents decorated their glass front door with a sign that read: "This is Jeopardy!"

IN THE LEAD

Jeopardy! Masters - which has invited back six-fan favorite contestants- finished out its second of three can't-miss weeks.

James Holzhauer, 38, has dominated the Jeopardy! Masters tournament so far, having won five of his six matches with his calling card "all in" Daily Double bets.

The tournament's leaderboard showed James so far ahead that he joked the other stats that would determine the eventual $500,000 grand prize weren't even necessary.

With only the semi-finals and finals left starting next Monday, he sarcastically tweeted: "Good thing we had those tiebreakers to establish a clear number 1 seed."

THE END IS NEAR

The Semifinals - which start this Monday - were decided based on the checkmark system, and the two lowest-ranking players were eliminated.

Sam was ranked lowest and he and Matt sweetly shared a hug before the enjoyable professor got the chop.

Then, 2022 Tournament of Champions winner Amy Schneider was shockingly eliminated as well.

The standings are now as follows:

1st: James Holzhauer (15 points, 4 wins)
2nd: Andrew He (12 points, 2 wins)
3rd: Matt Amodio (9 points, 3 wins)
4th: Mattea Roach (9 points, 2 wins)
Eliminated: Amy Schneider (5 points, 0 wins)
Eliminated: Sam Buttrey (3 points, 0 wins)

The remaining schedule is as follows:

Jeopardy! execs admit there were 'doubts' about casting Mattea Roach before champion exceeds expecta

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PERSONAL LOSS

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IN THE LEAD

THE END IS NEAR

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