DANGER! Masters 2024 champion Victoria Groce has revealed her biggest fear now that she has won the special, and it wasn’t the prospect of losing.
Victoria, 43, told all in a new post-win interview with the game show’s producers.
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Victoria defeated Yogesh Raut and James Holzhauer in a fierce one-night finale last week.
She took home the grand prize of $500,000, a flashy Alex Trebek trophy and the title of Jeopardy! Master Champion.
2023 champion James received $250,000 for second place, and Yogesh received $150,000 for third.
All three were also guaranteed places at next year’s Masters – which was a huge relief for the Queen.
‘I DIDN’T WANT TO GO BACK’
Victoria joined executive producer Michael Davies and producer Sarah Foss for an interview on Inside Jeopardy! podcast on Monday.
She explained that although she was over the moon with the win, she really just wanted to be in the top three.
If she hadn’t, she would have been relegated back to next year’s Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (which she has already won, putting her in the Masters).
That would mean going through the trenches again and likely facing even tougher competition next year.
“I really wanted to make it to the finals,” Victoria shared. “Because I know next year’s JIT will be packed.”
JIT sees the all-time Jeopardy! Big names are competing for a shot at the Masters, and Victoria hinted that it’s likely 2024 ToCers like Troy Meyer, Ben Chan and Juveria Zaheer will be in attendance.
“I’m sure some of the people who played there last year will have Amy, Matt and Mattea,” she said.
Victoria hinted that it’s likely that intense players like her friend Troy will also be in the next JIT, and she’d rather not have to face him.
“Some of the people in the 2024 Tournament of Champions — it’s a completely packed field,” she said.
“I didn’t want to go back and try to fight my way through it again.”
Victoria’s intention to place in the top three was made abundantly clear in the last episode of the semi-finals, when she bet less on Final Jeopardy, missing out on winning but in doing so, securing her second place finish.
The move, which Buzzy called “extremely clever,” ensured she would be in the finale and knocked out Amy Schneider midway through the penultimate episode.
‘LIE DOWN IMMEDIATELY’
Meanwhile, Victoria made an Ask Me Anything on Reddit following her victory against James and Yogesh.
Fans asked Jeopardy! champions everything from fashion advice to what books they should read to questions about their game.
A Reddit user asked what the behind-the-scenes special was like and got quite the response.
They asked, “What’s one special or funny behind-the-scenes interaction between the Masters that hasn’t already been mentioned in an interview?”
Victoria responded with a hilarious tidbit about James and Mattea Roach (previously eliminated 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 is a parade. It’s brilliant.”
A confused Reddit user responded to Victoria asking to be more specific.
“What is a halt and why do they lie down?” they wanted to know.
Danger! Universe
Danger! it 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 are all:
Danger! – (syndicated) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7pm 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 previous season, where the prize is entry into the Champions Wildcard.
Champions Wildcard – 2023 to present, features all one-, two-, and three-day champions from the previous season that are eligible for entry into the Tournament of Champions.
Danger! Invitational Tournament (distribution) – from 2023 to the present, features big names from the past invited by producers to compete for a place in the Masters.
Danger! Masters (primetime) – from 2023 to present, features the six Jeopardy! champions competing against each other.
Celebrity Danger! (Primetime) – From 1992 to the present, celebrities compete against each other to raise money for charity.
Pop Culture Jeopardy (streaming) – from 2024 to present, will feature teams of three in charge of pop culture trivia on Amazon Prime, host and air date to be determined
Danger! eliminated specialized tournaments, such as University Tournaments, Children’s Week and Teacher’s Tournament, to move towards a more sporting model, with the Masters being the top of the Jeopardy pyramid.
Other versions of Jeopardy! have also failed over the years, such as Sports Jeopardy!.
Although Victoria did not respond, an interruption is a pause in recording for a new decision or a moment that needs to be recorded again.
While no details have been announced for the 2025 Masters, fans can look forward to it next spring, with three newcomers and the three 2024 finalists competing.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
