All reigns eventually come to an end, and it’s a bittersweet truth even in the world of Jeopardy!, where streaks are known to extend. With current champ Amy Schneider nabbing an incredible winning total of 40 games, she has secured herself a spot among the biggest overall winners on Jeopardy to date. Sadly, her streak has come to an end, and Ms. Schneider wrapped her epic run with a sweet message for the fans who stuck with her on her journey.
The message was actually part of a larger Twitter thread that Amy laid out, after handing her crown to contender Rhone Talsma, a Chicago librarian, in Wednesday’s big defeat. Gracious every step of the way, and with great praise to Talsma for being a more than worthy opponent, Amy Schneider laid out her plans for the future in her thoughtful correspondence. Ending the thread with her sweet shout out to her loyal audience, here’s what Schneider had to say after the episode aired:
And finally: thank you all for coming along with me on this journey! I wish I'd had the time to interact more with all of you, but I've read as many of your comments and messages as I could, and the overwhelming support and love you all have given me has meant the world to me. I hope you keep following me through whatever is still to come, and I hope those of you that have come (or come back) to 'Jeopardy' because of me stick with it now that I'm gone. It's one of the best shows on TV, and I have no doubt that before too long you'll find another great champion to root for. If nothing else, watch Rhone get introduced tomorrow, they made a really great moment out of it! Once again, thanks, and I'll see you soon!
By the numbers, Amy Schneider’s Jeopardy winning spree puts her in two unique positions. In terms of games won, her streak is the second-longest in the show’s history, only sitting behind the 74 win record of top champion/current Jeopardy co-host Ken Jennings. Meanwhile, her total winnings of $1,382,800 seat her as the fourth-highest cash winnings to be earned during a regular season of play. Here’s where those particular standings are at after Amy’s amazing run, which will see her return for Jeopardy’s annual Tournament of Champions this fall:
- Ken Jennings - $2,520,700
- James Holzhauer - $2,462,216
- Matt Amodio - $1,518,601
- Amy Schneider - $1,382,800
Ms. Schneider’s epic journey is also noteworthy because of the fact that she is the first transgender contestant to qualify for Jeopardy's Tournament of Champions. Nick Adams, GLAAD's Director of Transgender Representation, issued a special statement to commemorate her success, as well as the visibility her recent historic triumph has given to transgender rights. Mr. Adams’ statement read as follows:
Amy Schneider has given Jeopardy!'s nine million plus nightly viewers a historic 40-game run full of masterful gameplay, while her media interviews and Twitter recaps of each game have given fans a glimpse into her life as a smart, charming transgender woman with a girlfriend and a rescue cat named Meep. Her visibility has been a bright spot, allowing millions of people to root for her success and start conversations about being transgender at a time when proposed bills in states like Arizona, Iowa, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Amy’s home state Ohio, are targeting transgender Americans for discrimination. Amy's achievement will be celebrated for years to come by Jeopardy! fans and LGBTQ people everywhere.
While Amy Schneider didn’t achieve her goal of beating James Holzhauer’s record, she did something great. Through inspirational and sporting conduct, and with the acumen that got her to a 40-game winning streak, she showed us that stepping off of such an epic ride can be as sweet as getting on in the first place. Here’s hoping that some of those meetings she’ll be taking in the future involve some guest hosting spots on Jeopardy, as Ms. Schneider has more than earned the distinction. But if there's anything we'd like to see her tackle next, it's the debate over whether or not the show's clues have gotten "easier".
For now, it's nice to know that she can go home to her girlfriend, with her trademark pearl necklace, and start to tell all of the stories she can stand about her historic trivia quest. We here at CinemaBlend would like to congratulate Rhone Talsma on his recent win, as well as send praise to Amy Schneider for a historic run that will be talked about for some time. Jeopardy airs every weeknight in syndication, so check your local listings for times and channels. To keep on top of the 2022 TV schedule, head over to our guide, where the dates are not laid out in the form of a question.
