Trans Trivia Queen Amy Schneider Headed to ‘Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions’ Finals
Multiple queer contestants competed in the championship
And then there was one.
“Jeopardy!” super champion and all-around trans rockstar Amy Schneider has returned triumphantly to the show, battling in the franchise’s “Tournament of Champions” (TOC). Schneider (who won 40 games) was the only one of the three super champs, which included Matt Amodio (who won 38 games) and Mattea Roach (who won 23 games), to advance to the finals, which start on Monday.
Schneider has grown a little bolder since her first run on the show. She negotiated with the show’s producers to wear a sleeveless hot pink dress, allowing her to show off the Ozma of Oz tattoo on her bicep for the first time. She is now being introduced as a writer as opposed to an engineering manager, having recently announced she is working on her memoirs. She did so well on the show — earning $1.3 million — that she said she does not plan to return to regular work.
Schneider won her semi-finals match in a runaway game — something she was known for during her remarkable winning streak. But first she had to play an exhibition game with Amodio and Roach, where she came in second. On that episode, Jennings spoke to the super champs about what they’d experienced since their initial winning streak on the show. Schneider won that contest, talking about her trip to Washington, D.C.
“I couldn't not tell my White House anecdote, even though I knew it came off as one-upping them, as Ken pointed out,” she said in a tweet. “To be fair, I could also have pointed out that I had thrown out the first pitch at two MLB games if I'd really wanted to rub it in!”
I couldn't not tell my White House anecdote, even though I knew it came off as one-upping them, as Ken pointed out. To be fair, I could also have pointed out that I had thrown out the first pitch at two MLB games if I'd really wanted to rub it in!
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) November 9, 2022
Schneider aside, this year’s “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions” has been very queer. Roach, a lesbian, tweeted about her brief appearance on the TOC. In addition to winning an exhibition game with Schneider and Amodio, she lost a semifinals game to Andrew He, whose initial five day winning streak was ended by Schneider.
“Although I would have obviously preferred to go deeper in the ToC, it’s hard to feel too bad about things when I’ve gotten to play more games of Jeopardy than all but a handful of people,” she said in the tweet. “The ToC finals were also a treat to watch, and I can’t wait for the world to see them!!”
Although I would have obviously preferred to go deeper in the ToC, it’s hard to feel too bad about things when I’ve gotten to play more games of Jeopardy than all but a handful of people. The ToC finals were also a treat to watch, and I can’t wait for the world to see them!!
— Mattea Roach (@mattearoach) November 12, 2022
Roach, who previously identified herself on her Twitter account as a lesbian, was referred to by host Ken Jennings by the pronoun “they” this time. Semifinalist Rowan Ward identifies as non-binary and also uses they/them pronouns. While performing in the TOC, Ward mentioned that when they first appeared on the show last year, they were not yet out as non-binary and, in a move they actually now regret, still using their dead name.
“Now I'm back on ‘Jeopardy!’ with a second chance as my true self," they told host Ken Jennings.
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