Amy Schneider’s Jeopardy! streak ended after 40 incredible, consecutive wins. She’s the woman who has won the highest number of consecutive games, second only to Ken Jennings’ 74 day game streak, and is the only woman to have ever surpassed the million dollar mark. Making more history, she is the only transgender contestant to make it to the Tournament of Champions, and there are only a handful of transgender competitors in the history of the show. Not only is she the most successful transgender person on Jeopardy!, she’s also the most successful woman in the show’s history.
Ms. Schneider was born on May 29, 1980, in Dayton, Ohio. After growing up there, she attended the University of Dayton, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in science. She currently resides in Oakland, California and works as an engineer manager. She transitioned in 2017.
Amy Schneider had an exceptional streak of 40 games, but was eventually defeated by Rhone Talsma, a librarian from Chicago. While she thoroughly enjoyed her experience as a contestant, she described it as “exhausting.” Amy Schneider commuted from Oakland, California, twice a week, to film 5 episodes a day. She had to make these trips in order to keep her job, and while she described her Jeopardy! experience as a lifelong dream, it was beginning to take a toll on her, both mentally and emotionally.
She said she knew from when her final game started that something was off. After enduring this for multiple weeks, Schneider had become too exhausted and overwhelmed. She said that after passing Matt Amodio’s streak of 38 consecutive wins, her motivation was somewhat lost. The only person left to beat was Ken Jennings, but with more than 30 victories left until that point, Amy Schneider didn’t have the same outlook on winning. She’d said she believed her time was coming to an end. Although, now, after all the episodes have aired, she is overjoyed to finally be able to celebrate all she has accomplished.
During interviews, Amy Schneider had said she was expecting, and had prepared for, harsh criticism of her transgender identity from fans of the show. After the shows had aired, she was pleasantly surprised, as the majority of the feedback from fans was positive. While she thinks this has nothing to do with her being on Jeopardy!, in late December, Ms. Schneider was robbed at gunpoint in the lobby of her apartment building. Fortunately, she was not physically hurt in any way.
After breaking down so many barriers, and making so much history, Amy Schneider will appear again in the Tournament of Champions. With nearly 1.4 million dollars won in her 40 day game streak, Amy Schneider is the most successful woman in the show’s history, and has won the second-most amount of games in the show’s history. What history will she continue to make when she reappears in the Tournament of Champions? We have yet to find out.
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