Jeopardy! Masters Recap – Monday, May 15, 2023 (Game 1)


Are you looking for today’s regular-game recap? Find it here!

Are you looking for the recap for tonight’s second Masters game? Find it here!

Warning: This page contains spoilers for the May 15, 2023, first game of Jeopardy! Masters — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. It will be updated alongside the Eastern Time airing of the show, beginning at about 8:00 PM Eastern.

This game’s Jeopardy! Masters contestants:

Amy Schneider, a writer from Oakland, California (3 points)
Amy Schneider on Jeopardy! Masters
Matt Amodio, a postdoctoral researcher from Cambridge, Massachusetts (3 points)
Matt Amodio on Jeopardy! Masters
Mattea Roach, a writer & podcaster from Toronto, Ontario, Canada (7 points)
Mattea Roach on Jeopardy! Masters

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Today’s first game features Mattea Roach, Matt Amodio, and Amy Schneider. Matt and Amy are on 3 points, 4 points behind Mattea in third; this is a must-win game for both Matt and Amy. We’re nearing the end of the quarterfinals, and it’s becoming more likely that only one of Matt and Amy will make it through. On the flip side, a victory for Mattea would mean they clinch a spot in the semifinals.


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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! Masters today? Here’s the Monday, May 15, 2023 Jeopardy! Masters (game 1) by the numbers, along with a recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: The Western Hemisphere; Tech Talk; Musical Theater; Nicknames; Art & Artists; Abbrev.)

Mattea got off to a hot start, finding the Daily Double, but Amy stormed back to take the lead later in the round, but all three players were off and running. Mattea held a slim lead after 30.

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Mattea 11 correct 1 incorrect
Amy 9 correct 0 incorrect
Matt 8 correct 1 incorrect

Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Mattea $6,000
Amy $5,800
Matt $3,800

Today’s interviews:

Amy prepared for this match by singing karaoke instead of studying.
Matt is even more proud of his double-digit Trivial Pursuit winning streak over his family.
Mattea was confused as Amy’s wife Genevieve in the Bay Area.

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: We’Ve Got History; And The Oscar Went To…; Let’s Go On A Safari; Not Your Everyday Words; Subtitled Literature; Chess, Masters)

Matt and Amy got to Daily Doubles; Amy missed hers, but Matt doubled up on his to shoot into the lead! Matt led going into Final, with Mattea in second.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Matt 17 correct 2 incorrect
Mattea 19 correct 1 incorrect
Amy 19 correct 2 incorrect

Scores going into Final:

Matt $24,800
Mattea $16,400
Amy $9,600

Final Jeopardy category: The U.S. Government

Final Jeopardy! clue: Not a department head but of cabinet rank, the person in this post has had an official residence in a 42nd floor Park Avenue penthouse


Correct response: What is Ambassador to the UN?


Amy was the only player to get Final…but she didn’t bet enough! Matt gets 3 points, 1 to Amy, 0 to Mattea!

Tonight’s results:

Amy $9,600 + $6,801 = $16,401 (What is Ambassador to the UN?)
Mattea $16,400 – $2,801 = $13,599 (What Chair of the Fed?)
Matt $24,800 – $8,001 = $16,799 (What surgeon general? postmaster attorney general)


Today's Jeopardy! Masters results for Game 1 on May 15, 2023.


Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:

Daily Double locations:

1) MUSICAL THEATER $800 (clue #2)
Mattea 1000 +1000 (Matt 0 Amy 0)
2) SUBTITLED LITERATURE $2000 (clue #10)
Amy 7800 -5000 (Mattea 12000 Matt 9000)
3) LET’S GO ON A SAFARI $2000 (clue #18, $9600 left on board)
Matt 11800 +11800 (Mattea 13600 Amy 7600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 136

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Mattea 5 4*
Matt
Amy

DJ! Round:
Mattea 3 4 5 2 5
Matt 4 4 3 5 2 5*
Amy 3 5* 2 3 4 3 4

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Matt 3.83
Amy 3.43
Mattea 4.00

Game Stats:

Matt $15,000 Coryat, 17 correct, 2 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Amy $14,600 Coryat, 19 correct, 2 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Mattea $16,200 Coryat, 19 correct, 1 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $45,800
Lach Trash: $3,000 (on 4 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $5,200

Player Statistics:

Mattea Roach, career statistics:

777 correct, 83 incorrect
38/46 on rebound attempts (on 126 rebound opportunities)
42.29% in first on buzzer (741/1752)
34/42 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $75,800)
21/31 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,297
To win: 20.2%
To make finals: 64.8%
To make semifinals: 89.0%

Matt Amodio, career statistics:

1422 correct, 154 incorrect
60/70 on rebound attempts (on 142 rebound opportunities)
52.42% in first on buzzer (1365/2604)
84/95 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $333,000)
32/45 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $25,204
To win: 18.7%
To make finals: 56.6%
To make semifinals: 74.1%

Amy Schneider, career statistics:

1583 correct, 109 incorrect
75/92 on rebound attempts (on 206 rebound opportunities)
47.62% in first on buzzer (1461/3068)
72/85 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $221,200)
36/54 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $23,711
To win: 7.9%
To make finals: 23.7%
To make semifinals: 31.3%

Andy’s Thoughts:

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Matt $24,800 Mattea $16,400 Amy $9,600)

Mattea: Standard cover bet over Amy is $2,801. (Actual bet: $2,801)

Matt: Cover bet over Mattea is $8,001. (Actual bet: $8,001)

Amy: You have to bet $7,201 to have any chance of winning, but you might as well go all in. (Actual bet: $6,801)


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15 Comments on "Jeopardy! Masters Recap – Monday, May 15, 2023 (Game 1)"

  1. Ouch. That’s all I have to say, is ouch.

  2. I didn’t understand the logic of Amy’s bet. Did she just miscalculate?

    • Most likely. Instead of subtracting 9600 from 16801 (= 7201), she must have subtracted 9800 from 16601 (= 6801).

    • She bet just to overtake Mattea’s current score by 1 point, which in most other scenarios is an acceptable wager from third.

      However, she forgot to take into account that Matt has a crushing lead over Mattea, meaning that if they (Mattea) were wrong, Matt wins no matter what he does so long as he doesn’t bet more than 8,399.

      Knowing that Matt was almost certainly going to bet 8,001, Amy should’ve elected for a bet of 7,200; that would have passed Matt’s score on a wrong answer as well.

  3. Michael Johnston | May 15, 2023 at 9:17 pm |

    I thought for a while about this on. I finally was able to dope out why the residence was in NYC, but I would not have made it in time :/

    Current FJ streak: 1L

  4. Didn’t get final, but I want to flex that I ran the Musical Theater category.

  5. I think Mattea loses the double stumper with Matt no matter what Mattea bets.

    You’ve got a small typo in the Final Jeopardy clue: the word “head” is missing.

    • Michael Johnston | May 16, 2023 at 8:49 am |

      Yeah. Because Mattea’s score going into FJ! is less than 2/3 Matt’s, his cover bet will leave him with more than her. She’d have to be right and him wrong in order to pass him.

  6. Bill Vollmer | May 16, 2023 at 1:22 am |

    I came up with the correct response, because of the NYC residence. The Ambassador to the UN was the only thing that made sense to me, although I would’ve thought that the Ambassador to the UN would be aprt of the State Department, not someone on the same level as the Secretary of State.

  7. Hillary Lief | May 16, 2023 at 2:18 am |

    In one of the clues/answers, it explicitly stated “…alliterative name…” Matt’s response of “What is Hawks?” should not have been accepted without Ken prompting for more information – hence, the use of the word “alliterative” implying both the first and last names required for a correct response. ➡ “Who is Howard Hawks?” 🤦/🤷

    • Considering the show accepted just “Shaq” for Shaquille O’Neal in a “rhyming names” category, the show’s recent judging precedent has been that the alliteration or rhyming is not required.

      • Hillary Lief | May 16, 2023 at 9:44 pm |

        I must have missed that one. If the writers are taking the time to intentionally include the word “rhyming” or “alliterative” into a clue, then two parts should be required for the player’s question/answer to be deemed correct (provided it is). Otherwise, what is the point of phrasing it in such a manner?

  8. Very balanced game. Crucial betting error by Amy at the end. I got FJ – the not a department head hint helped me.

  9. I read that the residence of the US Ambassador to the UN was moved away from the penthouse on the 42nd floor of the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue because of security concerns after the Waldorf was bought by a Chinese insurance company in 2015. That probably is why the clue said “has had an official residence.”

    • I took the intention of the clue to be “HAS and has had for some time” which is not true. I think it should have said “had had”, but I think if it’d said “has had official residences in NYC penthouses” that wouldn’t have made it any easier.

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