Jeopardy contestant Amy Schneider becomes first woman to win $1m

As an eighth-grader in Dayton, Ohio, the Californian was voted most likely to be a Jeopardy! contestant

Jeopardy! millionaire Amy Schneider says she was shocked after becoming the most successful woman in the show’s history.

Ms Schneider reached $1m winnings in her 28th game last week, becoming just the fourth Jeopardy! player to reach seven figures.

“It feels amazing, it feels strange,” Ms Schneider said in a statement after reaching the million-dollar-milestone.

“It’s not a sum of money I ever anticipated would be associated with my name.”

But the important thing was: the streak was alive! Time to change and head back out, I was potentially only a few hours from passing James! Thanks to Jenni and David, they both had their runs but tbh it was a tough board for all of us, for whatever reason. See you tonight!

— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) January 11, 2022

Ms Schneider has since become a 30-day champion as she seeks to haul in the four contestants who sit above her in the all-time rankings.

The only other contestants to pass the $1m mark in regular-season games are Ken Jennings, who earned $2,520,700 in 2004; James Holzhauer, who earned $2,462,216 over the course of 32 victories in 2019; and Matt Amodio, who won $1,518,601 during his 38-game streak last year.

Ms Schneider, who is the first transgender contestant to qualify for the show’s Tournament of Champions, told the Associated Press she was proud to be a positive role model for the trans community.

“I have definitely heard from other trans people who have been sort of thrilled to see me out there. But one of the things that I’ve enjoyed the most is hearing from parents, and sometimes grandparents, of trans people, an older generation,” the engineering manager from Oakland, California, said.

🚨 Attention! 🚨

Amy Schneider is now a 30-day champ! pic.twitter.com/VjlNLokB93

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) January 12, 2022

“There’s a lot of fear for their loved ones who are trans, and worry that they might be limited in life. To be able to go out there and show that I can be successful in a very mainstream type of way has, I think, made a lot of them feel better about the people in their lives.”

In becoming a Jepoardy! champ, Ms Schenider fulfilled a a prediction by her 8th-grade classmates in Dayton, Ohio: she was voted most likely to be a Jeopardy! contestant, based on her geography and spelling bee prowess.

Ms Schneider was robbed at gunpoint over New Year’s weekend in her hometown of Oakland California.

The Oakland resident tweeted about the robbery to her 52,000 followers, saying she was shaken up but otherwise unhurt.