Victoria Groce

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Victoria Groce (born 1981) is an American quiz player and game show contestant.

Initially known for ending the 19-day winning streak of Jeopardy! player David Madden in 2005, Groce’s increasing success in competitive trivia led to becoming a Chaser on the American version of The Chase. [1]

Returning to Jeopardy! after nearly 20 years, she won the first Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (JIT) in April 2024 and competed in the Jeopardy! Masters the next month.[2]

Early life and education[3][edit]

Groce is a native of Macon, GA.[4] She grew up with two brothers and a sister, describing a "heavy emphasis on being competitive, and where we were expected to be excellent academically."

In school, she skipped two grades and took part in “all kinds of academic competitions. . . . basically everything that my schools offered.” She began competing in Academic Bowl during high school. [5]

At the University of Georgia, she studied comparative literature and continued competing in College Bowl. However, she was not a standout player.[6]

Groce studied piano for many years, intending to be a concert pianist. This experience helped reduce potential anxiety about appearing on television. She has observed that "the idea of being in performance, sitting in front of people, is a very natural one for me." In addition, accompanying choral music taught her “the necessity of just going on,” a skill that has helped her recover quickly after quizzing mistakes. [7]

Once her daughter started school, Groce intended to return to graduate study, aiming for a PhD in virology or immunology. However, the effects of chronic migraine pain became so debilitating that it prevented her from pursuing a career in lab science. [8]

Competitive trivia[edit]

In 2017, Groce started her competitive quizzing career, competing on teams in the United States, Ukraine, and India.[9] She built her trivia credibility in a variety of competitions including a series of team trivia contests called "Geek Bowl," earning Groce's team first place in the Seattle and Chicago competitions.[10]

At the 2022 Ultimate Quizzing Championships (now the International Quizzing Championships) she was part of the winning team, "The New Janitors," in the club competition and won the pairs competition with Kevin Ashman of England.[11] At the 2023 International Quizzing Championships she won the national team competition with the United States team[12] and the pairs competition with Thomas Kolåsæter of Norway.[13] Groce also placed second individually in the 2023 World Quizzing Championships, just one point behind Ronny Swiggers of Belgium.[3]

In other quizzing endeavors, she has won multiple academic competitions and placed within the top ten at the annual World Quizzing Championships in multiple years.[14]

The Chase[edit]

Her success in competitive quizzing and connections to the trivia community[5] led to Groce being invited to serve as a "chaser" on the third season of the U.S version of the game show The Chase[15] alongside Jeopardy! champions James Holzhauer (who was a contestant on the GSN version), Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter.[16][17]

Prior to her debut in season three, Groce was promoted as "the smartest woman in the world based on her domination of online trivia tournaments."[18] On the show, her nickname is "the Queen."[19]

Jeopardy![edit]

Initial appearance[edit]

Groce first appeared on Jeopardy! on September 19, 2005 (Season 22), identifying herself as “a musician originally from Decatur, Georgia.” [20]

She has said that she remembers very little of her brief J! experience, as she was preoccupied by the stress of a recent move to Pittsburgh and raising a new baby.

In her first game, she beat 19-game champion David Madden, causing host Alex Trebek to call her a “giant-killer.”

She finished her next game in third place, behind retired advertising executive Ray Freson and writer Stacey Swann. In total, she won $23,801.

2024: JIT and return to J![edit]

In April of 2024, Groce was invited to compete among a field of 27 contestants from throughout the show’s history in the inaugural Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.

Groce and fellow Chaser Brandon Blackwell, also in the JIT field, had helped their trivia teammate Troy Meyer prepare for the 2024 Tournament of Champions, in which he reached the finals. As the JIT filmed the week after the ToC, both Groce and Blackwell were well prepared to compete even though neither had appeared on the show in over 15 years. [21]

"I compete in a huge number of quiz competitions around the world, and the piece of ‘’Jeopardy!’’ that is ‘know the things and remember them fast’’ I knew I was in good shape for,” Groce recalled. “But so much of the rest of it — the buzzer, gameplay strategy, lateral thinking, and wordplay skills — I knew would be tricky to train for over just a few weeks."[22]

In the JIT, Groce now listed her occupation as “writer and television personality.” She defeated Dhruv Gaur and Ben Ingram in her quarterfinal game, followed by Matt Jackson and Sam Buttrey in the semifinals. (David Madden, whom she defeated in Season 22, also took part in the JIT, but lost to Amy Schneider in the semifinals.)

The finals pitted Groce against Amy Schneider and Andrew He, with the first player to two wins declared the winner.

Schneider took the first game thanks to Groce’s low wager in Final Jeopardy!. Groce took the second and third games to win the JIT. She won $100,000 and a bid to the Masters. [23]

Between the JIT and the Masters Tournament, Groce’s daily routine included "... an hour-and-a-half doing crosswords and word puzzles like anagrams" in an effort to improve her skill at language and wordplay.[24]

2024 Jeopardy! Masters[edit]

In the second Jeopardy! Masters Tournament, Groce faced a six-person field including 2023 Masters finalists James Holzhauer, Matt Amodio, and Mattea Roach, as well as 2024 ToC winner Yogesh Raut. In addition, Groce faced Amy Schneider for the second time that year, as the producers selected Schneider as their pick following the JIT.

During the Masters Tournament, Groce quickly established herself as a dominant force. By Game 4, Groce was tied with Yogesh Raut with at 10 points, while James Holzhauer followed behind at 6 match points.[25] After Game 5, Groce led her next closest competitor, Raut, 13 to his 10. [26]As of Game 10 of the 2024 competition, Groce leads the competition.[27]

Personal life[edit]

Groce has lived in Pittsburgh since just after her initial appearance on Jeopardy![28][29] Her husband is a software engineer at Carnegie Mellon, where Groce has also held journal coordinator and research positions.[30] She also works as a freelance writer.[31]

She has one daughter, Nora, who was an infant during her initial appearance on Jeopardy! By the time Groce appeared on the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament and J! Masters in 2024, Nora was a student at a Pittsburgh-area university. Groce’s Final Jeopardy responses often included a “Hi Nora!”

References[edit]

  1. ^ Holmes, Martin (2024-04-05). "'Jeopardy!': 6 Things to Know About Victoria Groce". TV Insider. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  2. ^ "Victoria Groce Wins the First-Ever Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament | J!Buzz | Jeopardy.com". www.jeopardy.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  3. ^ a b "Lathikka Niriella Sri Lanka's top Quizzer for 2023 Ronny Swiggers wins the title Quiz Champion of the World!". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  4. ^ Owen, Rob (2024-03-25). "TV Talk: Pittsburgher 'The Chase' star back on 'Jeopardy!' 20 years later; 'PTL' turns 20". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  5. ^ a b "Victoria Groce: From Geek Bowl Champion to The Chase". Geeks Who Drink. 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  6. ^ Levey, Morgan. "What It Takes to Know Everything". Freakonomics. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  7. ^ Owen, Rob (2024-03-25). "TV Talk: Pittsburgher 'The Chase' star back on 'Jeopardy!' 20 years later; 'PTL' turns 20". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  8. ^ Levey, Morgan. "What It Takes to Know Everything". Freakonomics. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  9. ^ Owen, Rob (2024-03-25). "TV Talk: Pittsburgher 'The Chase' star back on 'Jeopardy!' 20 years later; 'PTL' turns 20". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  10. ^ Caldwell, Dave (2020-03-05). "Geek Bowl: behind the scenes of America's 15-year-old pub quiz empire". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  11. ^ "Ultimativno kvizaško prvenstvo - Berlin 2022". Hrvatski kviz savez (in Croatian). 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  12. ^ Short, Christopher (2023-11-05). "Team USA takes gold at International Quizzing Championships". Geeks Who Drink. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  13. ^ "Thomas Kolåsæter vinner parkonkurransen i IQC". Norges Quizforbund (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  14. ^ "Results – World Quizzing Championships". Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  15. ^ "'Jeopardy!' GOATs on becoming 'the final boss' for their new game show 'The Chase'". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  16. ^ Ivie, Devon (2024-04-10). "Jeopardy! Winner Victoria Groce Endorses the Rock Band Method". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  17. ^ Cordero, Rosy (2022-03-15). "ABC Sets Premiere Date For 'The Chase' With New Chasers, 'Holey Moley' & 'Who Do You Believe?'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  18. ^ "Breaking News - ABC Announces Summer 2023 Premiere Dates as the Network Leads the Season as No. 1 in Entertainment | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  19. ^ Narayanan, Varsha (May 18, 2022). "Who is Victoria Groce? Chaser "The Queen" is set to make her debut in The Chase Season 3 Episode". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Victoria Groce". www.j-archive.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  21. ^ "Brandon Blackwell". www.j-archive.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  22. ^ "Victoria Groce Reflects on Winning the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament: 'The Buzzer Was Fantastic to Me' | J!Buzz | Jeopardy.com". www.jeopardy.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  23. ^ "Victoria Groce". www.j-archive.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  24. ^ Owen, Rob (9 April 2024). ""TV Talk: Point Breeze's Victoria Groce Wins 'Jeopardy!' Invitational Tournament."". Pittsburgh Tribune Review (PA).
  25. ^ Florence, Russell (14 May 2024). "'Jeopardy! Masters' Episode 5: Amy Schneider Holding Steady after Topsy-Turvy Game". Springfield News-Sun (OH).
  26. ^ "'Jeopardy! Masters' Episode 5: Amy Schneider holding steady after topsy-turvy game". dayton-daily-news. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  27. ^ Holmes, Martin (2024-05-14). "'Jeopardy! Masters': James Holzhauer Crushed as Mattea Roach & Victoria Groce Win Big". TV Insider. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  28. ^ Insider, Martin Holmes, TV (2024-04-05). "'Jeopardy!': 6 Things to Know About Victoria Groce". News-Graphic.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "Victoria Groce". ABC.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  30. ^ Owen, Rob (2024-03-25). "TV Talk: Pittsburgher 'The Chase' star back on 'Jeopardy!' 20 years later; 'PTL' turns 20". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  31. ^ Ashley Vega (2023-07-04). "Everything we know about quiz expert Victoria Groce". The US Sun. Retrieved 2024-05-19.

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