Schneider Wins Big on “Jeopardy!”

On Jan. 7, Amy Schneider made history as the first transgender person to win over $1 million on “Jeopardy!” and to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, which is a special competition featuring the top 15 players of the previous season. During the episode where she surpassed $1 million, her 28th episode, the winning question was about 20th century author Thor Heyerdahl. Schneider also currently holds the record for the third-longest winning streak in “Jeopardy!” history with 40 consecutive games won (Los Angeles Times).

Outside of competing on “Jeopardy!”, Schneider is a 42-year-old engineering manager from Oakland, California. In middle school, after winning several spelling bee awards, Schneider’s class voted her “Most Likely to Compete on Jeopardy.” This became a reality for Schneider when she first started competing on Nov. 17. In addition to being the highest-scoring transgender contestant, Schneider is also the first woman in the show’s history to achieve over 20 consecutive wins and win over $1 million (The New York Times). The previous record was set by Julia Collins, who won 20 consecutive games in 2014. In the “Jeopardy!” Hall of Fame, Schneider is one of only two women present, the other being Collins. Due to Schneider’s success, she has served as an inspiration to women across the U.S. Freshman June Zhang is excited that an older transgender woman is being represented on television, as media typically only shows transgender teenagers.

“[Having] an older woman living an intellectual life gives people something to look forward to,” Zhang said. “I am not personally a fan of “Jeopardy!”, but her accomplishments inspire me and make me hopeful [for the] future.” In an interview with Good Morning America, Schneider expressed that “the best part [of being on “Jeopardy!”] for me has been being on television as my true self, expressing myself and representing the entire community of transgender people.” While Schneider is not the first transgender contestant, her long winning streak and social media presence are quickly making her a household name. Schneider’s new “Jeopardy!” fame has garnered fans from all age groups, and for some older viewers, she is the first proper exposure to the transgender community. Junior Skye Smitham hopes that people being able to see a transgender woman represented in such a well-known American game show will help them to be more accepting of transgender people.

“People do not always have to understand [other] people to accept and love them, and I think that is what a lot of older fans are realizing,” Smitham said. “It is a really positive indicator of a coming shift in the way transgender people are represented in television that people from older generations are so supportive of Amy Schneider.”

During the Thanksgiving episode of “Jeopardy!”, Schneider wore a transgender pride pin, stating on her Twitter that “Thanksgiving is a holiday that is all about family, and that can be hard for anybody who has been ostracized or otherwise cut off from their family.” Previous transgender contestant Kate Freeman inspired Schneider to compete on “Jeopardy!”, and Schneider hopes to do the same for her audience (Consumer News and Business Channel). In addition to speaking about representation in interviews, Schneider also uses her platform to encourage her followers to donate to LGBTQ+ charities and recommend resources such as the Transgender Law Center and Trans Lifeline. Despite no longer competing, having completed her last episode on Jan. 26 after losing to Rhona Talsma in the final round, Schneider’s impact remains. Senior KC Menninger, the president of the Gender Sexuality Alliance club, is glad that Schneider was able to do so well on the show and hopes that she can continue to serve as a good representation for transgender viewers.“Schneider is an inspiration to many and an amazing role model for trans youth [everywhere],” Menninger said. “I am really glad that she has made it this far and that “Jeopardy!” as a show has been as respectful as they have of her and her gender identity.”