‘Jeopardy!’ Star Mattea Roach Shares Heartfelt Tribute to Late Father

Martin Holmes
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Phillip and Mattea Roach at gig
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It was a bittersweet moment for Mattea Roach on Tuesday (May 23) night’s Jeopardy! Masters as they paid tribute to their late father while also qualifying for the tournament final.

The Toronto native has shared many anecdotes about their father, Phillip Roach, during their time on Jeopardy, including how their favorite item of clothing is a denim jacket that belonged to their dad. Sadly, Phillip passed away on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, after suffering a brain aneurysm. He was 57.

“It’s now on permanent loan, unfortunately,” Mattea said of the denim jacket on Tuesday’s episode. “My dad actually passed away at the start of the month very suddenly. He’s a huge part of the reason why I’m here. He and my mom instilled an early love of geography in me. My dad taught me all about Turner classic movies and old music and all sorts of things.”

Mattea Roach in father's denim jacket

Mattea Roach Twitter

“So I wanted to, in what might be my last game of the series, really recognize the impact he had on my life,” they continued. “And also… I was actually here at set when my dad died, and everyone who was at production, my fellow contestants, I could not have asked for better support going through what is the worst day of my life so far.”

Jeopardy! Masters was in the middle of filming when Mattea received the news that their father had died. Production was put on pause so Mattea could return home to be with their family. The final three episodes resumed filming later in the month.

“My whole family is so thankful for everyone here at Jeopardy for helping us through this really difficult time,” Mattea added.

A choked-up Ken Jennings offered his support, saying, “Mattea, all of us here at Jeopardy are just heartbroken and so sorry for your loss. And speaking as a dad, I can only guess at how proud he must have been of you, and I’m so glad he had the chance to see you play.”

Mattea added further thoughts in a Twitter thread ahead of Tuesday’s episode, writing, “He was the subject of the first ever contestant anecdote I ever told on Jeopardy. My thought had been that if I only ever got 30 seconds of time to talk on the show, I wanted it to be about him.”

They again praised the Jeopardy! staff and their fellow contestants. “Short of being at home with family, I cannot imagine a better place to be when receiving such horrific news,” they said.

“My fellow contestants were beyond supportive in the moment, and so many people on the production side of things moved mountains to make sure I could get home to my family and then come back later in the month to finish out the competition.”

Mattea will have the chance to make the ultimate tribute to her father by winning the Masters tournament. After Tuesday’s episode, they officially advanced to the finals, beating out Andrew He in a most correct answers tie-breaker (Mattea finished on 2 points, 0 wins, 50 correct, while He finished on 2 points, 0 wins, 45 correct).

The final will see Mattea up against James Holzhauer and Matt Amodio.

Check out some of the fan reaction to Mattea’s heartbreaking news below.

Jeopardy! Masters, Weeknights, 8/7c, ABC

Jeopardy! Masters

Ken Jennings

Mattea Roach

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