What’s Next for Amy? How 7 Other ‘Jeopardy’ Champs Moved On
Much to the heartbreak of Jeopardy! fans across the country—and perhaps the relief of future contestants—Amy Schneider’s time as a regular-season contestant on the syndicated game show is now over.
But we have a feeling we’ll hear more from Schneider. The Oakland native, who won more than $1.3 million across 40 Jeopardy! games, just signed with the talent agency CAA, and she told The New York Times that she’s considering a return to her podcasting career.
Plus, as some of the champs below can attest, there’s always the prospect of future game-show appearances. Here’s what other Jeopardy! Hall of Famers did after competing on the show, including Ken Jennings, who had a front-row seat to Schneider’s ascendancy.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, Check your local listings
Ken Jennings
Between the end of his 74-game streak in 2004 and the start of his temporary Jeopardy! hosting gig last year, Jennings competed on other game shows—like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?—and penned several books, including Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs and Ken Jennings’s Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions in 365 Days. These days, he’s one of the “chasers” on the ABC game show The Chase, alongside fellow Jeopardy! champs James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.
Matt Amodio
Amodio went back to being a PhD student at Yale University after his 38-game streak ended last year. “I had very much expected my Jeopardy! run to end and for life to go back to normal 24 hours later. That’s not been the case,” he wrote in a Newsweek essay in November. “I didn’t think anyone would still care what I have to say, but I’ve been getting various speaking and appearance requests and that has been fun because it reminds me that I’m still wanted out there.”
James Holzhauer
Alongside his job as one of the chasers of The Chase, this 32-game-winner also became a contributor to The Athletic, starting a column on sports betting for the website last June. “My writings alone can’t make anyone a winner—never mind a professional—but diligent readers can combine my advice with their own insights to make a long-term profit from wagering, or at least stretch their gambling budget much further,” Holzhauer wrote in his first column.
Julia Collins
After winning 20 consecutive games in 2014, Collins founded the nonprofit Girls Like You and Me. “The resulting media attention made [Collins] think about how we talk about smart women who are doing cool stuff,” the organization’s website says. “She was inspired to start Girls Like You and Me to learn how those smart women found careers they love. She’s delighted to have found a reason to ask people lots of questions about themselves.”
Jason Zuffranieri
Playing Since: 2019
Total Winnings: $542,496
Streak: 19 Games
Known for: After winning 19 games in 2019, Zuffranieri resumed work as a math teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He told the Albuquerque Journal that his students were excited about his Jeopardy! fame—at first. “They know about it, but my job is to teach them daily,” he said. “It worked itself out, as we didn’t skip a beat in the classroom.”
David Madden
Playing Since: 200
Total Winnings: $763,733
Streak: 19 Games
Known for: Madden racked up 19 games, earning his place in the Jeopardy! pantheon in 2005 when he was still a master’s degree student in Berlin. He later co-founded the International Academic Competitions organization with his wife, Nolwenn, and the couple is behind the International History Bee, the International Geography Bee, and the International History Olympiad, according to his bio.
Austin Rogers
Rogers went back to his bartending job in New York City after winning 12 games in 2017, per CNBC, but he also started the podcast A Lot to Learn With Austin Rogers and wrote the book The Ultimate Book of Pub Trivia by the Smartest Guy in the Bar: Over 300 Rounds and More Than 3,000 Questions.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services