‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Amy Schneider Reveals Her Pre-Show Rituals

Martin Holmes January 20, 2022, 9:25 am

Amy Schneider Jeopardy! — Jeopardy!/YouTube

Amy Schneider continues to set records as the reigning Jeopardy! champion and is now opening up about some of the pre-show rituals that have led to her success.

The engineering manager from Oakland, California, who surpassed $1 million in total winnings earlier this month, revealed that Eminem is what gets her into the right headspace before a game. On the January 19 episode, Schneider told host Ken Jennings that her inspiration comes from the rapper.

“Right before the taping starts when they’re doing the countdown, I will get the song ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem going in my head,” said Schneider in response to Jennings’ question of what gets her into “fighting shape” for the show. “It’s just a reminder that this is my one shot at Jeopardy! and it’s staying in the moment, and there’s no excuse for thinking about anything else. This is the only thing I need to think about right now.”

Jennings, himself the all-time winningest Jeopardy! contestant, said that Schneider’s strategy “appears to be working out” before offering advice to future players: “If you’re going to be on Jeopardy!, think about mom’s spaghetti, and you may win 35 times in a row.”

Schneider stood at 36 wins after Wednesday’s show, putting her just two wins shy of Matt Amodio in all-time consecutive wins, though still a ways off Jennings’ 74 straight victories. With earnings of $1,181,8000, Schneider is the most successful female contestant in Jeopardy! history and the most successful transgender contestant ever.

The current champ is aware of the history she’s making, both in terms of gameplay and representation. “To know that I’ve been able to provide that experience to people in the trans community is just the best thing I can hope for,” she told the Los Angeles Times, adding that it’s important to show people “being trans isn’t a limitation” and shouldn’t prevent anyone from “pursuing anything.”

'Jeopardy!' Champion Amy Schneider Robbed at Gunpoint in Oakland

Whether or not that includes pursuing the job of Jeopardy! host is still up in the air, but Schneider revealed she is open to the possibility. “It would certainly be a cool experience,” she said. “It’s a lot harder than it looks. Whether I’d actually even be good at it, I don’t know… but yeah, I‘d certainly consider it if somebody asked.”

Jeopardy!, Weeknights, Check your local listings