Amy Schneider’s dazzling Jeopardy! streak is over, when the groundbreaking champion was finally defeated after 40 consecutive wins and about $1.4m in prize money.
Earlier this week, Schneider became the second-longest-running champion in the game’s history. Her success put her in the ranks of Ken Jennings, who is serving as guest host, and the quizshow’s other all-time greats. It also made Schneider, a trans woman, a visible symbol of achievement for often-marginalized people. “It’s still a little hard to believe,” she said of her impressive run. “It’s something that I’m going to be remembered for, and that’s pretty great.”
New champ Rhone Talsma, a Chicago librarian, had the correct response to the final Jeopardy! clue for a winning total of $29,600.
“I’m still in shock,” Talsma said in a statement. “I did not expect to be facing a 40-day champion and I was excited to maybe see someone else slay the giant. I just really didn’t think it was going to be me, so I’m thrilled.”
The answer that stumped Schneider was about countries of the world: The only nation whose name in English ends in an “h” and which is also one of the 10 most populous. (The answer: “What is Bangladesh?”)
Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, California, scored her 39th win on Monday night, giving her the second-longest winning streak of any contestant. Since November, she has won about $1.3m, making her the first woman and fourth person to win more than $1m on the show. She has also become the first transgender person to qualify for Jeopardy’s Tournament of Champions, an annual event with the game’s top players.