Mattea Roach seals 21st Jeopardy! win with 'O Canada' question
Final Jeopardy! question didn't prove much of a challenge for the 23-year-old tutor
Canada's most successful Jeopardy! contestant added to her winning streak Tuesday, capping off her 21st victory by correctly answering a clue about her country's national anthem.
Mattea Roach, who holds the record for the longest winning streak of any Canadian on the quiz show, entered Final Jeopardy with $24,600 after crushing the competition during the previous round with 17 correct answers and a strategic bet of $2,000 on a Daily Double.
Her competitors, Enver Casimir of California and Angela Kissner of Ohio, trailed behind with $9,800 and $600, respectively.
Even with a hefty lead, Roach, 23, must have been filled with even more confidence after hearing the final clue:
"'Terre de nos aïeux' follows the title in the French version of this anthem."
Before revealing Roach's correct answer of "O Canada," host Ken Jennings pointed out with a chuckle that Final Jeopardy clues are written weeks or months ahead of time and are randomly selected.
"So we never know when they're going to land," he said. "But I have to think Mattea might know some of the lyrics to O Canada."
Enver, who wagered $8,000, also delivered the correct response. He finished the game with $17,800, but fell short of Roach, whose bet of $4,999 brought her total to $29,599. Kissner, who answered incorrectly, was left with $600.
Over her winning streak, Roach has won $506,184 US.
Fifth-longest streak
Having now jostled Julia Collins out of fifth place for the longest Jeopardy! winning streak, Roach would need to reach 32 wins to tie with fourth-place winner James Holzhauer.
Roach is still a long way off from overtaking current Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings, who won 74 consecutive games in 2004 and amassed $2,520,700 US in winnings for that streak alone.
WATCH | Meet Mattea Roach's proud parents:
Numerous places in Canada have been clamouring to claim Roach as their own as she makes national headlines.
Speaking to The Canadian Press in April, Roach said she considers Nova Scotia home but is also deeply attached to Toronto — the city she moved to for a university degree in political science and sexual diversity studies.
With files from The Canadian Press
