Mattea Roach Honors Their Late Father on 'Jeopardy! Masters' — Details Here
May 24 2023, Published 2:49 p.m. ET
During a competitor's tenure on Jeopardy!, the host often asks them to elaborate on a pre-provided anecdote. For non-binary Jeopardy! Masters contestant Mattea Roach, their first personal story on the show was a reference to their father, who helped them become interested in subjects typically found on the quiz show.
On May 23, 2023, Mattea took to social media to explain why they chose to talk about their dad on the show. What happened to Mattea Roach's dad? Keep reading for everything the Jeopardy! champion has to say about their family.
What happened to Mattea Roach's dad?
For those who aren't familiar with Mattea's work, they first appeared on Jeopardy! on April 5, 2022, with a 23-game winning streak that lasted until May 6, 2022. They returned to participate in Jeopardy! Masters on May 8, 2023.
In an eight-part thread on Twitter, Mattea addressed rumors about their father and explained that they would be talking about him in the past tense on the episode of Jeopardy! Masters on May 24.
They wrote, "In one of my contestant anecdotes on tonight’s Jeopardy Masters, I’m talking about my dad. I’ve done this many times on the show before, but this time I’m speaking in past tense bc my dad died at the start of this month." Mattea further explained that they have talked about their dad on the show before because he was so important to them.
Mattea said that their dad passed while they were filming Jeopardy!. "I also wanted to talk about my dad bc he passed away while Masters was in production. The first seven episodes were taped before he died, the final three were taped after. (He got to see episode four in studio so he knew it was going well-ish for me)."
Finally, Mattea pleas with the public not to spread rumors about their father's passing, concluding, "Outside of this thread and my remarks in tonight’s episode of Masters, I have no further public comment to offer about my dad right now. I would ask that people respect my privacy and my family’s privacy as our grief is still very fresh."
Fans immediately responded with condolences and promised to respect Mattea's wishes as the Jeopardy! Masters tournament continues. Viewers' thoughts are with Mattea and their family at this time.
