This trivia champ has made history.
Lifelong “Jeopardy!” fan Amy Schneider has now become the show’s first-ever transgender contestant to qualify for the elite “Tournament of Champions.”
While other transgender contestants have made it on the show before, Schneider is the first to make it to the annual competition, comprised of the past year’s best contestants.
“Once I got to episodes three and four, I knew the fifth one was in sight,” Schneider told ABC7 in a Tuesday interview of her fifth consecutive game win, which qualified her for the “Tournament.”
“Once I got it, it was a great feeling, mostly because I was having fun and I didn’t w ant to stop. By qualifying for the fifth one, I knew I would come back.”
She’s since won even more shows, bringing her streak up to nine. But the Oakland resident said it isn’t winning that matters to her as much as setting an example for other transgender viewers, “Jeopardy!” hopefuls and longtime fans like herself.
“My parents always had it on growing up,” she explained to the outlet. “There was never an extended period of time where I didn’t watch it.”
It took multiple attempts for her to make it on — “I did the interview three times, and the third one finally worked,” she said — and that she’s arrived she’s trying to make the most of the attention.
“I am from Ohio where the only trans people I thought of were drag queens or prostitutes,” she said. “Seeing other trans women in a good spotlight inspired me to not be afraid of trying to compete in the thing I have always loved.”
Of course, winning the whole competition would be nice, she admits, but more than looking for glory, she is “so incredibly grateful” and hopes to “send a positive message to the nerdy trans girl who wants to be on the show too.”
