Canadian Mattea Roach appears in an episode of Jeopardy! in a handout photo.Tyler Golden/The Canadian Press
It’s a TV story that’s been hard to ignore for the past few weeks – Canadian Mattea Roach has taken the Jeopardy! world by storm as she’s won game after game, skillfully answering trivia questions on dozens of topics.
Canada’s love for Jeopardy! has always run deep. After all, beloved host Alex Trebek was a proud citizen, and there’s no denying that blank looks given by contestants to questions about Canada feed right into our national dose of smugness.
As Roach hit another milestone on Thursday night with her 23rd win, meaning she’s now in fifth place for all-time greatest players, there’s plenty to learn about the champ and how she’s dominating social media.
Where in Canada is Mattea Roach from?
While she’s based in Toronto, recently having graduated from the University of Toronto and working as a tutor, Roach was raised in Halifax. She also spent time in her childhood in Moncton and Calgary, she revealed on an episode.
Her relatives have not been shy about their pride in her appearances:
How many games has Roach won, and where is she ranked for Jeopardy! overall?
Roach started on Jeopardy! on April 5, and has won 23 consecutive games, the most a Canadian has won on the show. This puts her in fifth place in the overall Jeopardy! hall of fame.
She’s also doing quite well for correct responses and accuracy, with stats to rival the season’s previous superchamps Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio.
How much money has Roach won?
Her winnings so far are an impressive US$560,983, landing her in fifth place overall for regular-season winnings.
Last month, Roach made headlines when she said that her plans for her Jeopardy! winnings are to enter Canada’s notoriously hot housing market, noting that, without the game-show cash, it likely wouldn’t be an option. After saying that she and her friends in Toronto often joke that the secret to home ownership is a loan from the bank of mom and dad, Roach added, “In my case, the ‘rich parents’ is just Jeopardy! That’s going to be how I get on the property ladder. On some level, it’s a little bit grim that I had to go on a game show – and not just appear on a game show but be one of literally the top contestants to ever be on that show – to feel like I have some chance at having financial security in my 20s.”
Roach also said she’ll use her winnings to pay down the remainder of her student loan, and invest in future education. She also tweeted about her debt situation, writing that it had not been having a significant impact on her day-to-day life, but had been keeping her from reaching larger “financial milestones:”
Is Roach the youngest Jeopardy! champion?
While Jeopardy! doesn’t regularly release the ages of its contestants, a story published by ABC, the parent network of Jeopardy!, noted that with her ranking among the top 10 in the show’s history, Roach, 23, is now the youngest “superchampion” ever to appear on the show. With her wins, she’s qualified for the Tournament of Champions.
What’s going on with Roach on Twitter?
After each game, Roach posts very detailed recaps of how it went, including her thoughts on responses, tips for the future and compliments to competitors.
But social media being what it is, plenty of people have voiced their personal opinions on Roach, both good and bad. The 23-year-old seems to be taking it in stride, responding to critics when she sees fit.
She’s made a lot of money. Do Canadians pay taxes on Jeopardy! winnings?
Yes, Canadians pay tax on Jeopardy! winnings, but here, Roach has an edge on her American counterparts: While U.S. citizens pay both federal and state income tax on game-show winnings, Canadian citizens only have to pay a 30-per-cent “withholding fee.” If this sounds familiar, it’s because the same taxation rules apply to Canadian citizens who win the lottery south of the border.
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