Amy Schneider shares how Jeopardy! changed her self-image for the rest of her life

Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider, who is an openly trans woman, shared how being on the show helped change her perception of herself as well as be confident in her identity

Amy Schneider won forty games consecutively on Jeopardy! during her winning streak(Image: ABC)

Amy Schneider is sharing how Jeopardy! shifted the perception she had of herself.

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The Jeopardy! champion was highlighted on CBS News KPIX for Transgender History Month. During the segment, Amy talked to the local news station at an event where she was doing signings for her book, In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life. She shared how the ABC trivia game show made her feel secure in herself and not dwell on uncertainties.

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“It really sort of forced me to get over a lot of my doubts about my self-image and about my voice and everything else because I was on national television for a couple of months,” Amy said.

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“Ever since then, I have really not worried about my appearance or anything else. I dress for myself and I look how I want to look, not how I think I have to appeal to other people,” the former software engineer added.

Amy went on to mention the current issues surrounding the transgender community such as healthcare. She noted how healthcare is being taken away trans kids in certain part as well as the movement “that wants to take it away from all trans people everywhere.” She added that these attacks are being made possible due to have far trans people have come.

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“To know that I have been able to do something, even inadvertently, to make trans people happy, to help them, to give them some sort of comfort with the struggles they’re going through, it’s just incredibly meaningful and it’s something I never thought would happen in life,” Amy said further, speaking on her impact.

Amy was first introduced on Jeopardy! on the November 17, 2021 episode. She went on to win forty consecutive games during her winning streak from November 2021 and January 2022. According to Leaderboard of Legends, she is second place in the most consecutive games won following behind host Ken Jennings.

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Amy is also number four on the Highest Winnings in Regular Season Play list with $1,382,800. Another accomplishment on the leaderboard is that she ranks number five for All-Time Winnings (including tournaments) with $1,682,800.

Amy also became the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. The Ohio native has always been transparent about her identity and shared how Shakespeare played a role in her coming out.

In December 2021, Amy wrote on then-Twitter how playing Francis Flute in Midsummer Night’s Dream was part of the catalyst as the character is forced to play a woman and Amy said, “dressing up as a woman every night felt shockingly right to me.” She elaborated on Newsweek, that moment was “key” and had her going “this is interesting” whenever she was required to put on a dress for the show.

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Amy also shared with the outlet that she fully transitioned “kind of the end of 2016, the beginning of 2017” but observes June 30, 2017 as the day she began to openly live as her true self.