The Jeopardy! Category That Ended Amy Schneider's Historic Winning Streak
Amy Schneider shot into the public spotlight as a contestant on Season 38 of the hit game show "Jeopardy!." The software engineer traveled back and forth from her home in Oakland to Los Angeles to participate in the show in the fall 2021, according to The New York Times. As viewers tuned in to the episodes that began airing in January 2022, Schneider quickly became known for her impressive wealth of knowledge and her cat-like reflexes when it came to hitting the buzzer before anyone else. She also displayed an intelligent strategy — moving through one category at a time from the lowest to the highest score. She played 40 consecutive games, which broke the season's previous record of 38 consecutive games, set by Matt Amodio. The cat mom also became the winningest woman in the show's history.
Schneider will be remembered for more than just her record-breaking wins, though. She also represented the transgender community and was outspoken about her pride in doing so. During an interview with "Good Morning America" on January 24, she said, "I think that the best part for me has been being on TV as my true self, expressing myself and representing the entire community of trans people" (via NBC News). Schneider also earned special recognition from the LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD for her representation of the LGBTQ community. Although Schneider's final episode aired on January 26 after she lost to Rhone Talsma, this likely won't be the last we see of her.
Amy Schneider survived 40 consecutive games on Jeopardy!
On January 26, Amy Schneider lost her 40-day "Jeopardy!" winning streak, after earning more than $1,000,000 over the course of her participation, reported People. She was beat out by fellow contestant Rhone Talsma during the category, "Countries of the World." The clue given to the contestants was, "The only nation in the world whose name in English ends in an H, it's also one of the 10 most populous." While the correct answer was "Bangladesh," Schneider was not the one to hit the buzzer first, bumping her to second place.
In an interview with People, Schneider did not show any signs of being a sore loser. In fact, she was simply happy to have broken the record for the second-longest winning streak on the show. She added, "It's really been an honor. To know that I'm one of the most successful people at a game I've loved since I was a kid and to know that I'm a part of its history now, I just don't know how to process it."
Talsma has also given interviews of his own about what it was like to beat the record-breaking "Jeopardy!" player, including one with Vulture on January 26. He revealed that, when he found out who he was going up against, he was "briefly crestfallen," convinced that she would end up beating him, as well. Ultimately, he felt "humbled" to have played against Schneider and continues to think of her as a "legend."