Culture

We Refuse to Accept the End of Amy Schneider’s Jeopardy! Run


Schneider won’t be leaving Jeopardy! empty-handed, though. She now holds the record for second longest winning streak in the long-running quiz show’s history, surpassed only  by 74-time champ Ken Jennings, who hosted throughout her run. She is also the winningest woman and trans person in the show’s history, having accumulated a total of $1,382,800 (much of which will go to 2021 taxes, but still…), and the first trans person to qualify for the annual Tournament of Champions. When you talk about all-time Jeopardy! greats, it’s now impossible to gloss over her name.

Still, the most valuable part of Schneider’s incredible run might simply be the trans visibility she brought to prime-time television. For countless elder Jeopardy! fans, Schneider became the only trans person they’d ever “met,” enabling them to put a human face to a community they didn’t know much about — and to understand that trans people are just people, one of whom happens to be incredibly good at trivia. 

“Trans people can do normal things quite successfully,” Schneider commented dryly during an interview with GLAAD last month. “There’s not an area in life in which we can’t succeed and excel … whatever it is you want to do, it can be done.”

While we still haven’t fully accepted that Schneider’s streak is over, she’ll be back soon for the Tournament of Champions this year, and says she has plans for a forthcoming book. She’s also receiving a special recognition trophy at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards. 

“Amy’s achievement will be celebrated for years to come by Jeopardy! fans and LGBTQ people everywhere,” said Nick Adams, GLAAD’s Director of Transgender Representation, in a statement.

In the meantime, we can take some succor in the fact that our new champ Rhone Talsma is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, published a paper in 2014 about queer anarchism, and — according to his Instagram — is adorably in love with his partner and got inspiration for his first Jeopardy! outfit from an unforgettable look by Katya Zamolodchikova.

Brava, Amy, and good luck, Rhone. One way or another, the gays simply cannot stop winning.

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