JEOPARDY! Masters 2024 champion Victoria Groce has revealed her biggest fear now that she’s won the special – and it wasn’t the prospect of losing.

Victoria, 43, told all in a new post-victory interview with the game show’s producers.

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Victoria Groce shared that Masters goal was merely to ‘make the finals’Credit: Jeopardy!

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The Jeopardy! star would have been sent back to the JIT qualifier event had she not placed top 3Credit: Getty

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She admitted, ‘I did not want to go back and try to bushwhack my way through that again’Credit: Jeopardy!
Victoria beat out Yogesh Raut and James Holzhauer in the ferocious one-night finale last week.

She took home the $500,000 grand prize, a glitzy Alex Trebek trophy, and the title of Jeopardy! Masters Champion.

2023 champ James received $250,000 for second place, and Yogesh received $150,000 for third.

All three were also guaranteed spots in Masters next year – which was a huge relief to The Queen.

‘DID NOT WANT TO GO BACK’

Victoria joined Executive Producer Michael Davies and Producer Sarah Foss for an interview on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast on Monday.

She explained that while she was over the moon about winning, she really just wanted to place in the top three.

If she hadn’t, she’d be relegated back to next year’s Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (which she already won, putting her in Masters).

This would have meant going through the trenches all over again, and likely facing even stiffer competition next year.

“I really wanted to make the finals,” Victoria shared. “Because I know the JIT next year will be loaded.”

The JIT sees all-time Jeopardy! greats compete for one shot at Masters, and Victoria hinted it’s likely 2024 ToCers like Troy Meyer, Ben Chan and Juveria Zaheer will be in it.

“I’m sure some of the people who played there last year back, you’re going to have Amy, Matt, and Mattea,” she said.

Victoria hinted that it’s likely that intense players like her quizzer pal Troy will be in the next JIT too, and she would rather not have to face him.

“Some of the people from the 2024 Tournament of Champions – it’s an utterly stacked field,” she said.

“I did not want to go back and try to bushwhack my way through that again.”

Victoria’s intent on placing top three was abundantly clear in the last semi-finals episode when she under-wagered on Final Jeopardy, forfeiting a win but in doing so, ensuring she placed second.

The move, which Buzzy called “extremely savvy,” ensured she’d be in the finale and knocked Amy Schneider out halfway through the penultimate episode.

‘IMMEDIATELY LIE DOWN’

Meanwhile, Victoria did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit after her win against James and Yogesh.

Fans asked the Jeopardy! champion everything from fashion advice to what books they should read to questions about her game play.

One Reddit user asked about what the special was like behind the scenes and got quite the response.

They asked, “What’s one special or funny behind-the-scenes Masters interaction that hasn’t been mentioned in an interview yet?”

Jeopardy! Universe

Jeopardy! first aired in 1964 until 1975. Then the nighttime version began in 1974. Since then, many spinoffs of the game show have emerged. Here they all are:

Jeopardy! – (syndicated) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7 pm ET.

Tournament of Champions – 1984 to present, features the top champions who have appeared on the show since the last tournament.

Second Chance Tournament – 2022 to present features hand-selected non-winners from the season prior, where the prize is entry into Champions Wildcard.

Champions Wildcard – 2023 to present, features all one, two and three-day champions from the season prior worth entry into the Tournament of Champions.

Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (syndication) – 2023 to present, features past greats invited by producers to vie for a slot in Masters.

Jeopardy! Masters (primetime) – 2023 to present, features the six highest-ranked Jeopardy! champions competing against each other.

Celebrity Jeopardy! (primetime) – 1992 to present, has celebrities compete against each other to raise money for charity.

Pop Culture Jeopardy (streaming) – 2024 to present, will feature teams of three tasked with pop culture trivia on Amazon Prime, host and airdate TBD

Jeopardy! has done away with specialized tournaments like its College Tournaments, Kids Week, and Professor’s Tournament to gear towards a more sports-like model, with Masters being the top of the Jeopardy pyramid.

Other versions of Jeopardy! have fizzled out throughout the years as well, like Sports Jeopardy!.

Victoria replied with a hilarious tidbit about James and Mattea Roach (eliminated earlier in the special with Matt Amodio and Amy Schneider).

She wrote, “Both Mattea and James will immediately lie down on the stage every time there’s a stopdown. It’s brilliant.”

A confused Reddit user replied to Victoria asking for a be more specific.

“What is a stopdown and why do they lie down?” they wanted to know.

While Victoria didn’t reply, a stop-down is a pause in taping for a re-ruling or a moment that needs to be retaped.

While Masters 2025 has no details announced, fans can expect it next spring with three newcomers and the three 2024 finalists competing.

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Victoria had no intent on going back to the annual JIT which she implied will be ‘stacked’ next yearCredit: Getty

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She also shared a hilarious tidbit. – Mattea and James Holzhauer would ‘lie down’ when taping stopped during MastersCredit: ABC