Mattea Roach

Early Life and Education

Mattea Roach was born on October 26, 1998, and spent their early childhood and part of their adolescence in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They attended Sacred Heart School of Halifax, a Catholic institution whose traditions, such as praying the Hail Mary, they maintained even during their Jeopardy! introductions. Roach later moved to Toronto to pursue higher education at the University of Toronto. They graduated with a bachelor's degree that combined sexual diversity studies, political science, and women and gender studies. At the time of their Jeopardy! appearance, Roach was working as a tutor for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and living in Toronto.

Record-Breaking Jeopardy! Streak

Mattea Roach's historic run on Jeopardy! began on April 5, 2022, and lasted for 23 consecutive victories. At 23 years old, they became the youngest contestant to amass such a substantial total, winning US$560,983, which was equivalent to over 700,000 Canadian dollars at the time. Their gameplay was marked by a high degree of accuracy, correctly answering 93 percent of the clues on which they buzzed in. Roach's streak ended on May 6, 2022, in their 24th game, where they lost to Danielle Maurer by a margin of just one dollar after missing the Final Jeopardy! clue. Throughout the streak, Roach achieved several notable milestones and employed a distinct strategic approach.

In their 12th game on April 20, 2022, they were the only contestant to reach Final Jeopardy!, a scenario that had not occurred since October 2020. Later, in their 17th game, they engaged in a dramatic tiebreaker with opponent Ben Hsia, ultimately winning by betting only one dollar. Roach has described their strategy as focused on minimizing losses rather than maximizing gains, and they lamented that the late Canadian host Alex Trebek was not presiding over their games. Their success immediately qualified them for the season's Tournament of Champions. Key moments from Roach's Jeopardy! run include:

• April 5, 2022: Wins first game with $32,001, declaring their student loan paid off.
• April 20, 2022: Becomes the sole Final Jeopardy! contestant for the first time since 2020.
• April 27, 2022: Wins a game by $1 after a strategic bet against Ben Hsia.
• May 6, 2022: Loses 24th game to Danielle Maurer by $1, ending the streak.
• November 2022: Competes in the Tournament of Champions, losing to Andrew He.
• May 2023: Finishes as runner-up to James Holzhauer in the first Jeopardy! Masters tournament, winning $250,000.

At the conclusion of their run, Roach ranked fifth in all-time regular season wins and sixth in all-time regular season earnings, solidifying their status as the most successful Canadian in the show's history.

Transition to Broadcasting and Media

Following their Jeopardy! fame, Mattea Roach quickly established a career in Canadian media. In September 2022, they were named the new host of The Backbench, a biweekly political interview podcast produced by the Canadaland network. The following year, in 2023, Roach served as a panelist on CBC's annual book competition, Canada Reads. They championed Kate Beaton's graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, which went on to win the competition. This role highlighted their literary interests and helped pave the way for their next major broadcasting opportunity, which came in August 2024.

That month, CBC Radio announced that Roach would host a new program about books and literature titled Bookends. The show, which debuted on September 8, 2024, replaced the long-running program Writers & Company in the network's schedule. This appointment marked Roach's ascension to a prominent national platform in public broadcasting. Beyond radio, they made a televised appearance in April 2025 on an episode of Top Chef alongside fellow Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider and actor Michael Cera, who had previously competed on Celebrity Jeopardy!.

Public Persona and Personal Life

Mattea Roach is publicly identified as a lesbian and queer person and uses they/them pronouns. Their personal interests and experiences have occasionally been shared with the public, such as having tattoos featuring quotes from the band Talking Heads and having met Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. In a May 2022 episode of Jeopardy!, Roach mentioned participating in a 2018 performance by the Toronto-based singing group Choir! Choir! Choir! where they sang Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" with Astley himself in attendance. They maintain connections to Nova Scotia, with family residing in both Halifax and Cape Breton.

Career Timeline and Major Appearances

Following their Jeopardy! debut, Mattea Roach appeared in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions in November 2022. They competed in the first season of Jeopardy! Masters in May 2023, finishing second. In September 2022, they became the host of The Backbench podcast. In 2023, they were a panelist on Canada Reads, and in August 2024, they were announced as the host of the CBC Radio show Bookends.

Questions about Mattea Roach

How many games did Mattea Roach win on Jeopardy!?

Mattea Roach won 23 consecutive games on Jeopardy! during their initial run in April and May of 2022. Their streak began on April 5 and concluded with a loss on May 6, 2022. This performance made them the most successful Canadian contestant in the show's history. They also later competed in the Tournament of Champions in 2022 and finished as runner-up in the 2023 Jeopardy! Masters tournament.

How much money did Mattea Roach win on Jeopardy!?

During their 23-game regular season winning streak, Mattea Roach won a total of US$560,983. This amount was equivalent to over 700,000 Canadian dollars at the time. Their winnings placed them fifth in all-time regular season earnings at the end of their run. They later added to this total by winning $250,000 for their second-place finish in the 2023 Jeopardy! Masters competition.

What does Mattea Roach do now after Jeopardy!?

Following Jeopardy!, Mattea Roach pursued a career in broadcasting. They hosted the political podcast The Backbench for Canadaland starting in 2022 and were a panelist on CBC's Canada Reads in 2023. Their most prominent role began in September 2024 as the host of CBC Radio's new literary program, Bookends. They have also made guest appearances on other shows, such as Top Chef in 2025.

What are Mattea Roach's pronouns?

Mattea Roach uses they/them pronouns. They have been public about their identity as a lesbian and queer person. This information is consistently reflected in media profiles and their own public communications. Their use of these pronouns is an integral part of their public persona in Canadian media.

Where is Mattea Roach from in Canada?

Mattea Roach is from Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they were raised for their first six years and part of their adolescence. They attended Sacred Heart School of Halifax. They later moved to Toronto for university and were living there during their Jeopardy! run. They maintain family connections in both Halifax and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Did Mattea Roach win Jeopardy! Masters?

Mattea Roach did not win the first season of Jeopardy! Masters in 2023. They finished as the runner-up. They were defeated in the finals by former champion James Holzhauer. For their second-place finish, Roach won a prize of $250,000. This result also earned them an automatic invitation to compete in the next Masters tournament.

Sources and further reading

• Mattea Roach (Wikipedia)
• Bookends with Mattea Roach, Podcast (podcasts.apple.com)
• Mattea Roach, A Jeopardy! Champ and CBC ... (allto.ca)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-30.