An outpouring of shock from Jeopardy! fans flooded the internet on Wednesday night, as reigning champion Amy Schneider's historic winning streak ended in a stunning upset in the game's final round.
"I wanted her to win forever so badly. Genuinely depressed," Rebecca Hirsch, a Jeopardy! super fan, wrote on Twitter.
I wanted her to win forever so badly. Genuinely depressed #jeopardy pic.twitter.com/Ffv9zGfDTJ
— Gamestonks 🏳️🌈🦀 (@RASHirsch) January 27, 2022
Hirsch said that while Schneider's incredible intellect and skill on the show was thrilling to watch, it was her personality that resonated with her most of all.
"I got really sad because she's a very good champion," Hirsch said. "She seems like a nice person. I liked watching her play the game and now she's just gone."
Over the course of her historic run on Jeopardy!, Schneider broke multiple records. With 40 consecutive wins, she became the second-longest winning Jeopardy! contestant, the highest-winning female contestant and the first trans contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions.
Danna Bodenheimer, a psychotherapist who works with the LGBTQ+ community in Philadelphia, said she and her family were "devastated" with the results of Wednesday's episode, but were thankful for the positive impact Schneider's appearance had for LGBTQ visibility.
"Amy was able to both center and de-center her transness in a way where we were aware of it, and it was completely secondary to the game itself," Bodenheimer said.
"It sort of like gave this feeling that you can enter spaces with the knowledge that you are trans and the people around can know it, and then two minutes later, it can become completely unimportant."
Bodenheimer said Schneider's appearance on the show especially resonated with her 11-year-old child, Lee, who identifies as trans and non-binary.
"She made me think this will help trans people have more impact on the world," Lee said.
Schneider's appearance on Jeopardy! has also helped change the view of trans people among some older Americans.
Claudia Loomis, a student at the University of California Merced, who identifies as non-binary, said watching Schneider had helped their parents become accepting of trans people.
"Somehow, after 2-3 years of conversation, you being on Jeopardy every night has taught my dad to be accepting of trans people," Loomis wrote on Twitter. "You're the first person he's used correct pronouns with, a 83 year old man, saying 'this isn't too hard.' Thanks for your message of love."
Although Schneider's streak has come to an end, this is not the last we will see of her. She announced on Twitter that she is currently in talks to write a book and is set to compete on this year's Tournament of Champions.
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