Amy Schneider Just Made Jeopardy! History Yet Again

Already a "Jeopardy!" legend, contestant Amy Schneider has been on a steady roll. In December, Schneider, who is an engineering manager from Oakland, California, became the first transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions (per NBC News), and after January 14's game, she broke the record for most consecutive wins by a female contestant as well as the first woman to earn $1 million in "Jeopardy!" winnings, per TMZ. At that time, she also became the new third-place record-holder, replacing another longtime "Jeopardy!" champ James Holzhauer, according to CBS News. 

However, Schneider divulged she isn't as confident as she may make it seem on TV, specifically referencing the January 4 episode. "Well, that one was a bit closer; George and Gregg kept me sweating about whether I'd manage the runaway down to the last Daily Double," she tweeted then, thanking her two fellow contestants for keeping it "a really competitive game." 

Schneider's streak was even hot enough to earn speculation as to whether she might replace Alex Trebek as the permanent show host (Schneider told the Los Angeles Times on January 17 of the rumors, "It's a lot harder than it looks... But yeah, I'd certainly consider it if somebody asked"). Time will tell, but before then, Schneider just smashed another show record!

Amy Schneider just broke another historical "Jeopardy!" record after winning January 21's game, as CBS News reported. With her 40th back-to-back victory, Schneider has beaten Matt Amodio for second-most consecutive wins on the show. Having taken home a total of $1,307,200 earnings from the game show so far, Schneider broke Amodio's record when she won the January 24 game, per the Jeopardy! Twitter account. 

In a January 24 "Good Morning America" interview, Schneider enthused about using her sudden fame as a way of representing the transgender community. "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," Schneider said (via NBC News). "And just kind of showing a different thing than maybe some people have seen, of just being a smart, confident woman and just doing something super normal like being on 'Jeopardy!'"

At "GMA"'s George Stephanopoulos' behest, Schneider also spilled some interesting tips to her success (for those of us taking notes at home). "The main secret is just being curious and spending my life learning a lot of stuff," she said, noting that she practiced the ultra-important buzzer quickness with a ballpoint pen. However, she's become fluid enough now that she relies solely on an "instinct and feel" technique. 

Alas, it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows for "Jeopardy!" champ Amy Schneider as she has been subjected to transphobic bullying online, but make no mistake — she's not one to back down.

"I'd like to thank all the people who have taken the time, during this busy holiday season, to reach out and explain to me that, actually, I'm a man," she tweeted back in response to the hate. "Every single one of you is the first person ever to make that very clever point, which had never once before crossed my mind."

Still, Schneider is quick to point out that she has many other layers, aside from being transgender. "Being trans is an important, huge foundational part of my identity and also, not," Schneider explained in an interview with The Daily Beast. "I'm not going on 'Jeopardy!' to be trans on 'Jeopardy!' I'm going on 'Jeopardy!' to try to win some money" — a goal she is no doubt excelling at.

While famous "Jeopardy!" contestant Amy Schneider may be well versed in putting online trolls in their place, she was perhaps not equally as ready to deal with the traumatic ordeal of being robbed following her 21st consecutive win on the popular game show, per NBC News.

"Hi all! So, first off: I'm fine. But I got robbed yesterday, lost my ID, credit cards, and phone. I then couldn't really sleep last night, and have been dragging myself around all day trying to replace everything," Schneider penned in a bombshell tweet on January 3. "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!" she continued in a second tweet.

Upon learning the news, a representative for "Jeopardy!" issued a statement that read, "We were deeply saddened to hear about this incident, and we reached out to Amy privately to offer our help in any capacity."