Victoria Groce Reveals the One Subject She Had to Study Before Returning to Jeopardy! Masters

Victoria Groce is heading back to the Jeopardy! Masters stage with a familiar challenge: facing some of the strongest players in the tournament while preparing for a field that she believes has “no weak link.”

The Season 2 champion, who finished third last season, revealed that pop culture was the area she focused on most heavily ahead of Season 4. More specifically, Groce spent time brushing up on movies and television — areas she felt needed extra attention before returning to the competition.

Her preparation came alongside another major project. Groce has been writing her book, Know It All: The Quiz Champ’s Essential Guide to Learning Anything, which went into production during the same week she filmed Masters.

Victoria Groce reveals her preparation routine

Groce, who is competing on Jeopardy! for the fifth time, also shared some of the routines she follows before filming.

She arrives in Los Angeles several days early, partly because she deals with migraines and wants time to recover after flying. She also gets a manicure with her nails painted Jeopardy! blue and traditionally goes out for dinner the night before filming with friends who have traveled to support her.

But even with her preparation, Groce knows the competition will be intense.

Season 4 features six players, including several competitors she already knows well.

Groce knows she has serious competition

Among the returning players is Yogesh Raut, the Season 3 champion.

Groce made it clear that she considers him a major threat, noting that he won the previous season and had already performed strongly in the competition before that.

She will also face Juveria Zaheer, who finished second last season. Groce described Zaheer as one of her best friends and said she knows how hard her friend has been preparing.

Andrew He is another familiar opponent, while Groce has known Long Nguyen for years.

Then there is Paolo Pasco, whose recent Tournament of Champions victory clearly caught Groce’s attention.

She praised Pasco’s performance and suggested that his potential may be even greater than what he has already shown. His combination of youth, intelligence, wordplay skills, mental flexibility and buzzer ability makes him particularly difficult to prepare for.

“It didn’t really feel like there was a weak link”

Despite the fierce competition, Groce doesn’t seem to view returning to Jeopardy! Masters as purely stressful.

Instead, she compared the experience to summer camp, explaining that the contestants have become familiar with one another over multiple appearances.

That familiarity has created genuine friendships among the competitors. Groce said she knows about their families and enjoys catching up with everyone when they return to the stage.

Still, there is one part of the experience that never becomes completely routine.

Groce admitted that she will probably always feel something in her stomach when the Jeopardy! music swells and she is standing on stage.

“That will never get old,” she said.

Season 4 of Jeopardy! Masters begins August 25 and runs through September 8, with new hour-long episodes airing Tuesday through Friday on ABC.