Jeopardy Champion Smashes Another Historic Record
But that very masculine list of notable Jeopardy participants is about to change thanks to Amy Schneider.
ABC’s long-running trivia game show Jeopardy! has seen a slew of contestants come and go, but the camaraderie between them hasn’t changed. Of the players who’ve stood before Alex Trebek’s iconic podium, Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter have been the most successful. But that very masculine list of notable participants is about to change thanks to Amy Schneider. Amy Schneider made her Jeopardy! debut on November 17th and it doesn’t look like she’s leaving any time soon. She’s been breaking records and making history for weeks. Her first record-breaking victory came when she won five consecutive games, becoming the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the show’s annual Tournament of Champions. By December 28th she had racked up a total of $745,200 on the quiz show – the fourth-highest winnings ever.
Schneider’s latest Jeopardy! victory took place on Christmas Eve when she broke yet another record. The California resident overtook the previous winnings high from a female contestant with a cool $706,800. The previous record-holder was Larissa Kelly’s who earned $655,930 in regular play. The 42-year-old was ecstatic as she had dreamed of being on the popular game show since she was a child.
Reacting to the loss in the best way ever, Larissa Kelly, who last played in the show’s All Star games in 2019, said it was fun to hold a Jeopardy record for a few years. But it’s been even more fun to watch Amy set new standards for excellence, on the show and off. She also congratulated Schneider on becoming the woman with the highest overall earnings in the show’s history (via Yahoo Entertainment).
It’s been great to see Jeopardy! making headlines for positive reasons. Since the passing of longtime host Alex Trebek, the show has been in a state of instability regarding his replacement. At first, the series ran with various guest hosts like Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, and LeVar Burton. Eventually, ABC decided to name the show’s executive producer Mike Richards as the new permanent host. But this decision was met with backlash as old lawsuits called Mike Richards’ character into question.
While Richards tried to deny the allegations, he was unable to separate himself from the scandal. On August 20th Mike Richards stepped down from hosting duties, leaving the legendary series without a host once more. Fortunately, Jeopardy! soon revealed that The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik and previous winner Ken Jennings will co-host the series until the end of 2021. The network has not announced any new plans to replace them when the show returns in the New Year.
Mayim Bialik had a very good stint as the quiz show’s host. The actress received a very warm welcome from viewers on her debut, with ratings rising by 6%. Ken Jennings’ debut as Jeopardy! host was also a huge success. During the first week of his six-week run, Ken Jennings brought in an average of 10.3 million viewers, making him the host with the highest ratings for the show’s 37th season.
