Record-breaking Jeopardy! sensation Amy Schneider ‘robbed at gunpoint’
Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider. (Twitter/ Jeopardy!)
Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider was reportedly robbed at gunpoint in Oakland, California.
Schneider is the software engineer who has broken Jeopardy! records, so far winning the fourth-highest prize earnings in the game show’s history and becoming the first trans person to qualify for its Tournament of Champions.
On Monday (3 January), she announced on Twitter that she had been robbed the day before.
“Hi all! So, first off: I’m fine. But I got robbed yesterday, lost my ID, credit cards and phone,” she wrote.
“I then couldn’t really sleep last night and have been dragging myself around all day trying to replace everything.”
So, I doubt I'll even start writing tonight's game thread today, and if I keep winning, it may take a bit for me to get caught up. Thanks for your patience!
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) January 4, 2022
The Oakland Police Department confirmed to The Washington Times that officers are investigating an armed robbery. It took place Sunday afternoon, they said, and no arrests had been made at the time of writing.
Jeopardy! said in a statement to the outlet: “We were deeply saddened to hear about this incident and we reached out to Amy privately to offer our help in any capacity.”
Voted in eighth grade to be the most likely to appear on Jeopardy!, Schneider routinely writes up play-by-play accounts of her wins on Twitter.
After the attack, however, she said she is taking some time to replace her stolen belongings and thanked her nearly 56,000 followers for their “patience”.
“So, I doubt I’ll even start writing tonight’s game thread today,” she said, “and if I keep winning, it may take a bit for me to get caught up. Thanks for your patience!”
Amy Schneider is the first woman in the syndicated television show’s 37-year history to win more than 20 games. She is currently on a 25-game streak, and is six wins away from becoming the player with the third-most wins.
Ken Hennings, now a Jeopardy! co-host, holds the top spot with 74 straight wins.
Schneider is also currently the highest-earning female player, having won $918,000.
She has a while to go to take third-ranking from Matt Amodio, who won $1.5 million on the show. Jennings holds the record for highest-ever earnings with $2.5 million.
Only days before being robbed, Schneider acknowledged that “2021 wasn’t the best year for the world” but it ended up being the “best year I’ve ever had”.
“Not only have I had this Jeopardy! run, but I’ve heard from so many wonderful people,” Schneider tweeted. “I wish I could respond to all of you, but it’s very much appreciated!”
