Did Lesbian ‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Mattea Roach Make It Past Game 24?

Author: Trudy Ring

Mattea Roach had a superlative run on Jeopardy!, but now it has come to an end.

Roach, a lesbian and one of several stellar out contestants the show has had recently, saw her winning streak end in the episode that aired Friday. She lost by a single dollar to challenger Danielle Maurer.

Maurer, a digital marketing manager from Peachtree Corners, Ga., finished in first place with $15,600 while Roach, a tutor from Toronto, came in second with $15,599.

Roach was in the lead with $19,200 heading into Final Jeopardy!, wagered $3,601, and did not respond correctly, while Maurer, who had $11,400 going into the round, wagered $4,200 and did provide the correct response.

The category was USA, and the clue was “These two mayors gave their names to a facility built on the site of an old racetrack owned by Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler.” The correct response was “Who are William Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson?” Both were mayors of Atlanta, and the facility is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

But Roach’s run on Jeopardy! was a great one. Her 23 wins and $560,983 put her at number 5 on both the all-time consecutive games list and the all-time highest regular season winnings list. Only Ken Jennings, Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, and James Holzhauer won more games or money during their time on the show. Schneider, a trans woman, is another of the show’s stellar LGBTQ+ contestants.

“When I think of the caliber of those four players, I really don’t feel like I deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as them, to be honest,” Roach said in a press release from the program. “And there’s a noticeable financial gap between my money and theirs, but it’s an amazing accomplishment. Like, I can’t believe it. It’s such a huge honor that I am being spoken of in relation to people like Ken, James, Matt, Amy.  It’s, wow. There’s no words.”

“It feels still kind of like a dream,” she added. “I really came down here hoping to maybe win one game, and so I still can’t believe it. You know, it’s strange, obviously I didn’t come through in the last one, but I still feel so happy and so lucky to have had this experience.”

Roach will return this fall for the show’s Tournament of Champions, which will also feature Schneider and Amodio.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Trudy Ring