Photo: twitter
Jeopardy!starMattea Roachtook a moment to share a touching tribute to their late father,Phillip Roach.
On Tuesday night’s episode ofJeopardy! Masters,the 24-year-old game show contestant addressed their father’s sudden death after suffering from a brain aneurysm earlier this month. He was 57.
Roach, who uses they/them pronouns, grew emotional as they dedicated what “might be my last game of the series” to Phillip.
“In your very first appearance onJeopardy!, we asked you what your most prized possession was,” said hostKen Jennings. “And you mentioned a denim jacket on extended loan from your dad, right?”
Mattea agreed, sadly noting that the jacket was now “on permanent loan.”
The Torontonian revealed that they were actually on set when they discovered their father’s passing. Though the news marked the “worst day of my life,” they thanked the other contestants andJeopardy!producers for the outpour of support they received.
“I could not have asked for better support going through what is the worst day of my life pretty much so far,” Mattea explained. “Everyone who made sure that I did not have to continue playing. I was able to go home and be with my mom and my brothers.”
“My whole family is so thankful for everyone here at ‘Jeopardy!’ for helping us through this really difficult time,” they added.
Prior to taking theJeopardy! Mastersstage, Mattea took to Twitter to address their fans in the context of their father’s passing.
“In one of my contestant anecdotes on tonight’sJeopardy! 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,” the statement began.
“I wanted to acknowledge my dad in the context of tonight’s game firstly bc he was the subject of the first ever contestant anecdote I ever told onJeopardy,” they continued. “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”
Roach shared that their fellow contestants were “beyond supportive in the moment” and production “moved mountains” in order to allow them to return home to their family and grieve their tragic loss.
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TheJeopardy! Masterstournament concludes Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
source: people.com
