There is nearly no doubt you’ve heard the name of the game show, Jeopardy!. Maybe you watch the show regularly, or maybe you’ve never seen it. Or, perhaps, you’re like me; I never really watched the show until Amy Schneider appeared. Born in Dayton, Ohio, Schneider is now one of the most well-known Jeopardy! contestants. Her winning streak is second only to the number one Jeopardy! champion, Ken Jennings, who is now one of the hosts of the show. Amy Schneider stayed in the game for a sum of 40 days, while Ken Jennings was in for 74. Both are crazy impressive, as anyone familiar with the show could guess because of how difficult the questions are.
As the second-longest running Jeopardy! contestant of all time, Amy Schneider has won $1.3 million in her victories, which makes her only the fourth contestant to win over $1 million.
As stated before, I started tuning into Jeopardy! just because of Amy Schneider’s run on the show. And apparently, it’s the same for quite a few people. According to an article by Tyler Aquilina for Entertainment Weekly as well as an article by Hollywood Reporter, Amy Schneider’s winning streak was a big victory for the show as well, with its viewing average securing its place as the most-watched show on broadcasted television this season.
The recently engaged Amy Schneider not only brought positivity to Jeopardy! with her kindness, she also delivered the show some much-needed representation. In an interview for the Associative Press (article by Lynn Elber), Schneider expressed her joy at being able to positively affect transgender viewers as well as their families. She explained as well her plan to veer away from the path of silence when it comes to standing up for her beliefs. This says so much about her character, and the things she has been open and expressive about have secured her a place on the correct side of history.
Furthermore, the fellow Californian was recently at the White House to celebrate the International Transgender Day of Visibility. She brought to attention the importance of transgender individuals being publicly seen, and how that can undermine our society’s ability to “sustain the myths that are kind of driving a lot of this hate and fear.” Her words at the White House were being spoken around the same time that many decisions were being made to assist the transgender community. In all her contributions to the transgender community and her courage to speak out about what is right, she has become not only a beloved game show contestant but also a beacon of hope and positivity in the world of activism.
Overall, Amy Schneider not only is an extremely admirable individual, she is very kind-spirited and was a very pleasant person to watch on Jeopardy! for all those days because of how genuine and humble she was. And (no offense to any of those who competed with her), every time she would answer a question correctly, the majority of Jeopardy! audiences would rejoice with her. And, as a side-note, hearing the news of her engagement to her girlfriend Genevieve Davis has definitely lifted the spirits of quite a few (myself included). We all wish her the best, and her historic run on Jeopardy! will not soon be forgotten.