Maurer Brings Down 23-Day Jeopardy! Giant

The Daily Doubles helped Central graduate Danielle Maurer find double the success on her Jeopardy! run. Maurer was named the Jeopardy! champion two days. Her first win was against Mattea Roach, a Canadian contestant who had a 23-day win streak.

Because Jeopardy! films a week's worth of episodes in a day, Maurer knew she would be up against a "Jeopardy! giant." Maurer sat through four other games and watched Roach compete.

"Every time someone new went up, it was like 'Is this going to end?'" Maurer said.

Though Maurer was intimidated by Roach's ongoing success, she noticed a few things about her style of play that could help when Maurer got to the buzzer.

"She didn't hunt for Daily Doubles," Maurer said. "She was fast on the buzzer, though, so the only way to get ahead was to find the Daily Doubles and bet big."

Maurer said this isn't her usual style, as she is usually "risk averse" and doesn't like to wager large bets.

"People don't understand how much strategy there is in Jeopardy!" Maurer said.

Because Roach followed the traditional style of play by starting at the top of a category and working her way down, Maurer hunted for the Daily Doubles, which helped her to achieve enough that Roach could not wager enough to ensure she would win during the Final Jeopardy!

Still, Maurer knew that at $11,200, her only chance to win against Roach's around $19,000 was if Roach answered the final clue incorrectly.

Roach, who consistently wagered to beat her opponents by $1, lost to Maurer, who won by $1.

The Final Jeopardy! clue was "These 2 mayors gave their names to a facility built on the site of an old racetrack owned by Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler."

Maurer, who has lived in Georgia for 10 years, knew the answer was Hartsfield and Jackson – the namesakes of the Atlanta airport.

Maurer was shocked by the results and couldn't believe she had won.

"If you watch it, you can see the shock and joy in my face and hear the hysteria in my laughter," Maurer said.

After her first win, Maurer returned home for two weeks before the next filming. According to Maurer, there is said to be a "curse" among those who defeat Jeopardy! giants: after taking down someone with a long streak, a contestant often loses in their next game. Maurer said her two-week break gave her the opportunity to process defeating Roach, and she was able to win again in her next episode.

"There was a different energy that day," Maurer said. "Some of the pressure was off. It was more like a free-for-all."

Despite her win that night, Maurer felt her luck was off, as she was not thrilled about all the categories and did not know the Final Jeopardy! However, all three contestants got the last question wrong, and Maurer brought home the gold once more.

In her final episode, which aired Tuesday, May 10, Maurer started off with a rocky first round.

"I had a lot of ground to make up," Maurer said. "I thought, 'This is insurmountable.' But I took a deep breath and decided I would find a way to make it up."

By finding two Daily Doubles, Maurer gained $12,000 and was in first place going into Final Jeopardy!

When she saw the Final Jeopardy! category was "Live Music," Maurer began to worry. The final clue asked for two answers, and Maurer only knew one. Another contestant, Mallory Kass, was named the new champion.

During her three days on Jeopardy!, Maurer won $15,600, $12,399 and $2,000, bringing her total to $29,999.

Filming took place in February/March, and Maurer could only tell a select few her results. Maurer and her husband threw a pool party to watch her first episode.

Maurer's parents, Byron "Lee" and Stephanie Maurer, traveled to Georgia from their Duncansville home on the edge of Newry to watch the episode with Danielle. Local friends and her husband's family also joined, as well as a college friend who Danielle watched Jeopardy! with and many friends and family via Zoom.

The party included a cake decorated like a Jeopardy! board with the categories spelling out "Congrats Danielle."

"I've been overwhelmed since it aired," Maurer said. "I've received so many messages, way more than I can individually respond to. I want to thank everyone for supporting me on my Jeopardy! journey.

Maurer is grateful for her time on Jeopardy! and happy with her run.

"I had an absolute blast," Maurer said. "Not only did I get on, but I won. Not only did I win, but I beat a giant. Not only did I do that, but I won twice."