Jeopardy contestant Amy Schneider becomes first woman to win $1m
As an eighth-grader in Dayton, Ohio, the Californian was voted most likely to be a Jeopardy! contestant
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jeopardy! millionaire Amy Schneider says she was shocked after becoming the most successful woman in the show’s history.
Ms Schneider reached $1m winnings in her 28th game last week, becoming just the fourth Jeopardy! player to reach seven figures.
“It feels amazing, it feels strange,” Ms Schneider said in a statement after reaching the million-dollar-milestone.
“It’s not a sum of money I ever anticipated would be associated with my name.”
But the important thing was: the streak was alive! Time to change and head back out, I was potentially only a few hours from passing James! Thanks to Jenni and David, they both had their runs but tbh it was a tough board for all of us, for whatever reason. See you tonight!
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) January 11, 2022
Ms Schneider has since become a 30-day champion as she seeks to haul in the four contestants who sit above her in the all-time rankings.
The only other contestants to pass the $1m mark in regular-season games are Ken Jennings, who earned $2,520,700 in 2004; James Holzhauer, who earned $2,462,216 over the course of 32 victories in 2019; and Matt Amodio, who won $1,518,601 during his 38-game streak last year.
Ms Schneider, who is the first transgender contestant to qualify for the show’s Tournament of Champions, told the Associated Press she was proud to be a positive role model for the trans community.
“I have definitely heard from other trans people who have been sort of thrilled to see me out there. But one of the things that I’ve enjoyed the most is hearing from parents, and sometimes grandparents, of trans people, an older generation,” the engineering manager from Oakland, California, said.
🚨 Attention! 🚨
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) January 12, 2022
Amy Schneider is now a 30-day champ! pic.twitter.com/VjlNLokB93
“There’s a lot of fear for their loved ones who are trans, and worry that they might be limited in life. To be able to go out there and show that I can be successful in a very mainstream type of way has, I think, made a lot of them feel better about the people in their lives.”
In becoming a Jepoardy! champ, Ms Schenider fulfilled a a prediction by her 8th-grade classmates in Dayton, Ohio: she was voted most likely to be a Jeopardy! contestant, based on her geography and spelling bee prowess.
Ms Schneider was robbed at gunpoint over New Year’s weekend in her hometown of Oakland California.
The Oakland resident tweeted about the robbery to her 52,000 followers, saying she was shaken up but otherwise unhurt.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments