Trans Jeopardy! star Amy Schneider declared one of the ‘greatest ever’ contestants by rival

Trans Jeopardy! legend Amy Schneider may not have won last night’s (24 February) Invitational Tournament Game, but she’ll always have the major respect of her fellow competitors.

During last night’s Invitational Tournament Game, which sees past champions and fan-favourite Jeopardy! players return for a blowout tournament, Schneider was praised by her rivals as “one of the greatest ever” competitors on the beloved game show.

Author Schneider made her great return to the game, competing against attorney and five-time Jeopardy! champ Luigi de Guzman and law student Avi Gupta in the quarterfinals.

After a tricky start, with Schneider failing to answer any questions in the first round, she swiftly found her feet, correctly answering three questions in a row before the first commercial break.

At one point, she looked set to take the win, after she managed to accelerate her total winnings to $12,300 early on in the Double Jeopardy! round, but by the time the round came to an end, Guzman had over aken her, taking his total to an impressive $23,600. 

By the end of the game, Guzman was way out in front, leaving Schneider trailing behind in second place after she answered a question on American authors incorrectly during the Final Jeopardy! round.

Despite Guzman taking the win and advancing to the semifinals, he still had some warm words to share of Schneider, who gave him a run for his money.

“Without a doubt, one of the greatest ever to play the game,” the player shared on Reddit after his win.

Amy Schneider made history during her initial Jeopardy! stint in 2021 and 2022, after she won a staggering 40 consecutive games – the second longest winning streak, behind only current Jeopardy! host, Ken Jennings.

However, Schneider’s streak is the longest by a transgender competitor, and the longest held by a woman in the show’s history. Throughout her time on the show, she’s banked roughly $1.6 million. In 2022, she was awarded a GLAAD Special Recognition honour for her incredible Jeopardy! success. 

At the end of 2022, she returned for Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, and won – taking home the $250,000 grand prize. She became the first ever trans contestant to compete in, and also win the tournament.

During her time on the show, Amy Schneider became a beacon of joy for trans fans, and she’s since used her platform to release a memoir, In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life.

A young readers version of the book, Who Is Amy Schneider?: Questions on Growing Up, Being Curious, and Winning It Big on Jeopardy! will be released in March.

She’s also served as inspiration for other trans quiz masters to apply for the show, with recent Jeopardy! contestant Hannah Wilson explaining that she felt compelled to compete on the US gameshow after Schneider’s historic win.

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