‘Jeopardy!’ champion Amy Schneider gets personal

When she was in middle school, Amy Schneider was voted most likely to be on “Jeopardy!”

It would be a while before Schneider could get there, but when she did, she won 40 consecutive games and over a million dollars, making her the most successful woman to ever compete on the show.

“Winning a million bucks on ‘Jeopardy!’ is great! I highly recommend it,” Schneider told  a large crowd gathered to hear her open UB’s 2023-24 Distinguished Speakers Series on Thursday (Oct. 19) at the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

During her talk, Schneider candidly shared personal details of her life growing up in Ohio, her successful “Jeopardy!” run, and what it was like becoming a trans-woman and a first-time author.

“During her history-making run on America’s favorite quiz show, Amy Schneider became one of the show's most popular contestants,” UB President Satish K. Tripathi said in his opening remarks. “In addition to breaking records on ‘Jeopardy!’, the former software engineer has used her platform to break barriers as an advocate for trans rights. Today, she could also be the answer to a clue on ‘Jeopardy's’ contemporary authors category." 

When asked if it was always part of her life’s plan to be on the show, Schneider responded, “Yes, basically it was. I grew up watching it and my dad had tried out for the show way back when you had to wait until they came into town and send in a postcard and stuff. I was good at standardized tests and good at just the sort of things ‘Jeopardy!’ rewards.”

Schneider began the night talking about how her insatiable curiosity inspires her to research, learn and retain various facts about seemingly random items – like calendars, the Roman empire, and U.S. presidential running mates – all of which prepared her for the show.

“I enjoy learning facts because it makes me happy, but ultimately ‘Jeopardy!’ isn't about how much you know – it’s about how much you remember,” Schneider said.  

“No matter how good you are at trivia questions, it’s still a long shot. As the years would go on, I would take the test and I would get called to the next round, but I wouldn’t get the call to be on the show. It never really bothered me because I would tell myself, ‘Well, that just means that next year I’ll know more and do better, so I’m glad that I didn’t get on this time,’” Schneider recalled.   

Interspersed with questions about the game show were inquiries about Schneider’s personal story, and specifically about her transition to becoming a woman.

Schneider shared that she didn't have one particular moment in which she knew she was trans because, growing up in a fairly conservative Catholic home in Ohio, she didn't really know what that was.

She thought all little boys had the same thoughts she did as a child — that they were envious of girls and their hair, makeup, clothes and femininity. She thought that everyone lived with those thoughts like she did. Even upon realizing that most boys didn’t have those same thoughts, Schneider says it took a while to accept she was trans, often finding herself being dismissive of the thought. When asked what finally made her decide to come out as trans, Schneider shared that it was an intrusive thought that helped give her the perspective she needed.  

“I was just sitting at home and realized that if I were to die that day, I would be buried in a suit and tie and I found that horrifying and intolerable to imagine. The only way to prevent that from happening was to not have a suit and tie, and to spend full-time being who I really wanted to be, and the only way that made sense was to be trans. So, it really was like, ‘Wow, I guess I really am trans.’”

But the realization didn’t make the idea of transitioning any easier.

“It was still a while before I got the courage to do it. It was a frightening thing, but I had to do it because I couldn't stand not living that identity anymore, and I wanted to get rid of that pain. But so many other benefits came out from doing that — like I didn't know I was an extrovert. I thought I didn't like people, I didn't like strangers, but it turns out that I actually do as long as I don't have to pretend to be a boy around them! I’ve made so many friends and have had so many experiences I could have never have had because I realized I was suppressing so much more of myself besides just my gender.”

As much as she shared with the audience, Schneider puts even more of herself into her new book, “In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life.” During the question-and-answer session — moderated by Kyla Tompkins, professor and chair in the Department of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies — an audience member asked Schneider what gave her the strength to put everything she did in her book, and to be so honest with the public.

“I was definitely aware that I was putting some things out there that might complicate my brand, in a way, but it’s not something I had a lot of hesitation about. It felt like something I had to do. When I became famous as this nice ‘Jeopardy!’ lady on TV, there was a part of me that was worried about what people would do if they'd find out about all the sex and drugs I’ve done, and so just putting it all in a book meant I no longer had to worry about it coming out.

“Another aspect was that for the ‘Jeopardy!’ audience, I’m likely the first trans person they sort of got to know and I worried about creating this idealized version of me,” Schneider said. “I had this fear of that image being used to dismiss other trans people and that people will wonder why any other trans people they might encounter can't they be like that nice ‘Jeopardy!’ lady on tv. In writing the book, it shows that yeah, that nice lady on TV also did a bunch of things that might cause you to write them off, but they are not incompatible with being successful.”

The night ended with a question that combined the quiz show and Schneider’s personal journey: What would be the ideal “Jeopardy!” category for you?

“Perfect for me would be something about the TV show ‘Daria,’” Schneider said with a laugh, then added, “I'm not sure they've had a category specifically around trans people or trans history, so I would certainly love to see that.”