Victoria Groce's journey is a testament to her diverse talents and intellectual prowess. From her early aspirations as a concert pianist to her current status as a celebrated quizzer and television personality, Groce has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to excel in various fields. This article explores Groce's life, highlighting her achievements in the quizzing world, her appearances on Jeopardy! and The Chase, and her recent triumph in the Jeopardy! Masters Tournament.
Early Life and Education
Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Victoria Groce displayed a keen interest in academic pursuits from a young age. She skipped two grades in school and actively participated in various academic competitions offered by her schools. Groce's academic interests extended to music, where she studied piano for many years with the intention of becoming a concert pianist. Her musical training proved invaluable in reducing anxiety related to performing in front of an audience, a skill later utilized in her television appearances. She observed that "the idea of being in performance, sitting in front of people, is a very natural one for me." Additionally, accompanying choral music taught Groce “the necessity of just going on,” a skill that has helped her recover quickly after mistakes.
Quizzing Career
Groce's foray into the world of competitive quizzing began in high school with her participation in Academic Bowl. As an adult, she found early success in competitive team trivia at Geek Bowl, then the largest pub quiz competition in North America. Along with Jeopardy! heavyweights including Colby Burnett, Troy Meyer, and Ryan Chaffee, Groce was part of a “super team” called The Initiative.
Her passion for quizzing led her to compete in numerous international events, establishing herself as a prominent figure in the quizzing community since the mid-2010s. Groce is one of three Americans to make the podium at the World Quizzing Championship, finishing third in 2020. On June 1, 2024, Groce won the World Quizzing Championships for the first time, scoring 170 points to runners-up Daoud Jackson of England (166) and Ronny Swiggers of Belgium (159).
Jeopardy! Appearances
Groce first appeared on Jeopardy! in 2005, where she made a memorable impact by ending the 19-game winning streak of super-champion David Madden. Despite her brief stint on Jeopardy! in 2005, Groce continued to show off her quizzing prowess in competitions all over the globe.
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Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (JIT)
Returning to Jeopardy! after nearly 20 years, Groce competed in the inaugural Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (JIT) in April 2024. In March 2024, Groce was invited to compete among a field of 27 contestants from throughout the show’s history in the inaugural Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament. In the JIT, Groce now listed her occupation as "writer and television personality from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Groce defeated Dhruv Gaur and Ben Ingram in her quarterfinal game, followed by Matt Jackson and Sam Buttrey 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, but Groce took the second and third games to win the JIT. As she told TribLive, she took a break from quizzing after her first Jeopardy! In school, Groce skipped two grades and took part in “all kinds of academic competitions. . . . basically everything that my schools offered.”
Jeopardy! Masters Tournament
Groce continued her Jeopardy! journey by participating in the second Jeopardy! Masters Tournament. Between the JIT and the Masters Tournament, Groce’s daily routine included "… 2024 Jeopardy! 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. During the Masters Tournament, Groce quickly established herself as a dominant force. The Jeopardy! Masters final matches aired on May 22, 2024, and consisted of a two-game total point competition between the three remaining players. After the first game in the final's matches, Holzhauer led in points, with 28,309, while Groce was in second with 21,400 and Raut in third at 19,200 after a correct final jeopardy response. In Game 2, Raut's early Daily Double wager almost doubled his points. As the tournament winner, Groce received a $500,000 cash prize as well as the Trebek trophy. Raut took second place, earning $250,000 while Holzhauer took away $150,000 for third place.
The Chase
Groce's success in competitive quizzing and connections to the trivia community led to her being invited to serve as a "chaser" on the third season of the U.S version of the game show The Chase in 2022 alongside Jeopardy! Groce's increasing success in competitive trivia led to becoming a Chaser on the American version of The Chase in 2022.
Personal Life
Groce has lived in Pittsburgh since just after her initial appearance on Jeopardy! Groce has a daughter named Nora, who was an infant during her initial appearance on Jeopardy! in 2005. 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 initially intended to become a genetic counselor and wanted to do vaccine development for emerging viral diseases. But in 2015, her migraine prophylaxis basically completely failed. As she explained, this condition changed her career path. “I had started dipping my toes back into trivia a couple years prior to that,” she added. |I had time and I had space and I had not a lot of ability to do much of anything else. “I am very vigilant about not adding information that I already know,” she said. “So, if I add something, it’s something that I’ve deemed worth learning.
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