Amy Schneider, the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions,†took the stage Friday morning (Mar. 25) during PLA’s Big Ideas session. Interviewed by Brendan Dowling, PLA, Schneider described her path to a 40-game winning streak.
“I had been trying to get on the show for years,†said Schneider. “When I did, I realized that I needed to focus on reducing distractions. I did the categories in order so I didn’t have to think about what to pick next, I ignored the cameras, and ignored how much I cared about winning.â€
In addition to listening to a preshow playlist which included “Lose Yourself†by Eminem (you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime), she would talk to herself. “I’d tell my anxiety that this is not the moment for you. Take a break for 30 minutes, then I can worry about whatever I need to.â€
“Jeopardy!†tapes shows on Monday and Tuesdays, five shows each day. “You stay until [taping is] done, then I’d go back to Oakland to my day job and try not to tell anyone what was going on.
“It was a strange thing that only a few people knew that I won before the shows aired. I was uncomfortable keeping a secret, and hard to not be open about what was going on because I was hidden for so long. But I knew there was an end date so that helped.â€
She said it was comforting that Ken Jennings knew what she was going through. “He would come over to the contestants before taping each show and try to set everyone at ease. He was a lot of fun.â€
Dowling asked her how she came up with so many interesting anecdotes about herself. Schneider replied, “Did you watch? They weren’t all that interesting. I was maybe a week away from making things up.â€
Using the buzzer to answer questions became a skill. To try and be the first to ring in, she noted that she attempted to time her responses to when she felt the crew member was about to enable the buzzer, quickly after the host ends the question.
Watching herself on TV was hard. “I wasn’t happy with my appearance, but after three or four weeks, it seemed that I was the only one bothered by it so I let it go. It helped to know that this was just a show; it’s entertainment, so treat it that way.â€
Since Schneider has watched the show for 37 years, she knew what she liked to see in a contestant, so she tried to emulate that for her audience. She kept her buzzer down and out of sight, as no one wants to see frantic clicking, and she tried not to hesitate when picking clues.
“What has your victory meant to the trans world?†asked Dowling. Schneider replied that people have sent her private messages about being able to talk to their own parents and grandparents more openly.
She gave advice to those who have “Jeopardy!†aspirations:
- Stick with it.
- Be mentally prepared. Get comfortable with knowing you may lose on your first show and be okay with that.
- Know how the “Jeopardy!†clues are written to get to the true question that’s being asked.
- Don’t make it homework, it’s not like studying for an exam! However, she did recommend reviewing the “Dummy†book series on a variety of topics, as she said “Jeopardy!†doesn’t go too deeply into topics and the overviews in the “Dummy†books are sufficient. â–
