Former “Jeopardy!” contestant Amy Schneider is changing career plans after becoming the quiz show’s second all-time winner.
Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, California, announced on Twitter Tuesday that she’s quit her job to focus on her newfound public figure status.
“Some of you may have heard, but I quit my day job yesterday!” she wrote. “It’s a bit nerve-wracking to pivot from software engineer to… public figure, I guess? But regardless of the outcome I’m so excited to spend the next couple years at least tackling this new challenge!”
Schneider’s 40-game winning streak came to an end after Rhone Talsma, a Chicago librarian, defeated her in an episode that aired in late January. During her streak, Schneider became the quiz show’s second all-time winner, trailing only Ken Jennings, winner of the game show’s 2020 Greatest of All Time tournament and current host of the syndicated quiz show. Jennings holds the record of most consecutive games with 74, which he set in 2004.
Schneider’s total winnings – $1,382,800 – put her in fourth place for regular season play, about $135,000 behind Amodio’s $1,518,601. James Holzhauer, a professional (and aggressive) bettor, netted $2,462,216 over 32 days and sits in second behind Jennings’ winnings of $2,520,700.
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Schneider is also the most successful woman in the show’s history as well as the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for a spot in the next tournament of top winners. She’s since opened up in interviews about the value of on-screen representation.
“This has been a show that has been part of my life as long as I can remember, that I’ve loved my whole life,” Schneider said in an interview with USA TODAY. “To know that I’m always going to be associated with it, always going to be part of ‘Jeopardy!’ history is just a really cool feeling.”
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Contributing: Erin Jensen
