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Amy Schneider moves into 2nd place on all-time 'Jeopardy!' wins list, surpassing Matt Amodio

Suzy Byrne
·Editor, Yahoo Entertainment
·2 min read

Jeopardy! contestant Amy Schneider is breaking records.

Schneider surpassed Matt Amodio's 38-game winning streak on Monday's show, putting her in the No. 2 spot on the game show's all-time consecutive wins list. Her winnings now total $1,319,800.

Making it extra exciting, the engineering manager from Oakland, Calif., is now only behind megachamp Ken Jennings on the winners list — and he was hosting the show for her big win. (Jennings has been splitting hosting duties with Mayim Bialik.)

"It still feels unreal," Schneider said in a show press release. "Knowing that I had this chance, I was definitely thinking about it. Then Ken," who set the record for 74 consecutive wins in 2004, "said it, and I thought, 'Alright, I just accomplished this huge thing’ and it was pretty great."

(Screenshot: Jeopardy via Instagram)
Jeopardy! contestant Amy Schneider won her 39th consecutive game on Monday, bumping Matt Amodio from the No. 2 spot on the show's all-time consecutive wins list. Ken Jennings remains No. 1 with 74 straight wins. (Screenshot: Jeopardy via Instagram)

Amodio, who is now bumped to spot 3 on the list, just set his record for 38 consecutive wins in October. Schneider and Amodio will face off in the next edition of the Tournament of Champions, a yearly two-week Jeopardy! tournament featuring 15 players who've won the most games, later this year.

"It’s going to be an honor playing against you, and it’s going to be a tight competition," Amodio said in a message to Schneider.

Schneider previously set a record for being the first woman to surpass $1 million in winnings on the show.

Schneider talked about her big run in her first live interview with Good Morning America on Monday. While she discussed her buzzer technique and what Jeopardy! fame has been like, the game show star, who is transgender, said the greatest part of this experience has been representing the trans community on TV.

"The best part for me has been being on TV as my true self, expressing myself and representing the entire community of trans people," she said. "And just kind of showing a different thing than maybe some people have seen, of just being a smart, confident woman and just doing something super normal like being on Jeopardy!."