Warning: This post contains spoilers about theJeopardy! Mastersfinal.
Jeopardy! Mastershas named its first champion!
Mattea, who uses they-them pronouns, held a hefty lead against both James and fellow contestantMatt Amodioheading into final jeopardy.
James Holzhauer.ABC/Christopher Willard
ABC/Christopher Willard
James, with 9,600 points, incorrectly guessed “Who is T.H. White?” with a wager of 119 points. Though Mattea possessed a wide lead against their competitors with 22,800, they gave the wrong answer when they wrote down, “Who is Chaucer?”
With Mattea’s wager of 5,915 points, 38-year-old Illinois native James took home the gold and ended the competition with 43,795 points overall.
Placing in second, Mattea scored a total of 41,685 and won a prize of $250,000 while Matt came in third with a tally of 15,200 and received a prize of $150,000. In addition to James’s hefty half-a-million dollar winnings,Jeopardy! Masterswill donate $100,000 to the contestant’s charity of choice.
Matt Amodio.Jeopardy!
All three finalists will have the opportunity to return to the competition for next year’s show.
“You played amazingly, your dad is so proud of you,” he gushed as the two hugged. “Your mom too.”
Earlier this month, Mattea’s father, Phillip Roach,died suddenly from a brain aneurysmwhile they were competing on the show. He was 57. On Tuesday’s semi-finals episode, the 24-year-old podcaster announced they would bededicating their run on the legendary quiz show to their fatherin order to honor his legacy.
Mattea Roach.Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images
Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images
Fourth-place finisher Andrew He, who made it to the semifinals,welcomed a sonduring the tournament.
On a previous episode, host KenJenningsasked the new father about the family’s latest addition. “I have a newborn son,” he shared. “Thanks to just everyone in the world, I guess, but especially theJeopardy!crew.”
“I had the double blessing of going from being here on the stage to within 24 hours going with my partner and welcoming the arrival of our son,” he continued.
The new dad went on to shout out his wife, Sarah, dedicating his game to her: “I just want to say to Sarah, I love you so much. This is for you and I wouldn’t be anywhere near here if not for you. So I’m gonna have to bring something nice for you and everyone.”
Also in the tournament, fan-favorite playersAmy Schneiderand Sam Buttrey finished in fifth and sixths place, respectively.
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ThoughMastershas concluded,Jeopardy!continues to air weeknights on ABC (check local listings).
source: people.com
