In Talks with ‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Amy Schneider
In honor of Pride Month, Nouveau Productions and PBS aired a special over the weekend entitled True Colors: LGBTQ+ Our Stories, Our Songs.
Offering a unique look at the history of the LGBTQ community in the United States and exploring the personal journeys of remarkable individuals, the program shared real-life stories of hope, resilience, and triumph, artistically represented through thematically relevant music. Accompanied by The American Pops Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Luke Frazier, True Colors included musical performances by the Indigo Girls, drag icons Peppermint and Jujubee, Glee sensation Chris Colfer, and Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winner André de Shields, among others.
Feature interviews with former NBA player Jason Collins, actress and activist Cynthia Nixon, and other individuals sharing their inspiring stories were also included.
True Colors was hosted by Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider, who OFM had the pleasure of connecting with. After winning more than $1.3 million during her historic 40-game winning streak on the beloved game show, which shattered numerous records and placed her among the “Top Five Highest-Earning Contestants,” Schneider reached audiences in a way no other transgender person has done before. Not only did she win the hearts of America but she became an icon for the LGBTQ community.
In addition to True Colors and Jeopardy!, she spoke about having Pride, living authentically, and what she has in store next.
Happy Pride, Amy! How excited were you to host PBS’s True Colors: LGBTQ+ Our Stories, Our Songs?
It was very exciting! They were one of the first people to reach out to me after the whole Jeopardy! thing, and it was such a cool event to be asked to be a part of with so many LGBTQ people in it.
What do you hope audiences take away from this special?
It’s just about telling our stories and giving more insight into the lives of LGBTQ people—what our challenges are, what our strengths are, and all those sorts of things. It’s nice that it shows us all in the positive light that we deserve.
What does Pride personally mean to you?
You know, that is something that I’ve struggled with for a bit. Being LGBTQ isn’t a thing you set out to do. It’s just something that happens to you, and it’s not something that you’re necessarily raised to be proud of. So, I think it’s such a powerful thing to be visibly, proudly owning your identity because it shows other people, those who might have outdated attitudes and people who may be LGBTQ themselves but worried about coming out or worried about knowing what they really are, it shows them that it’s a good thing to be. You can be proud of it, successful, happy, and everything else.
Do you remember the first Pride event you ever attended?
Yes, it was in San Francisco right before I had moved to the Bay Area a year or two before, and it was an amazing experience. It was one of the reasons why I ended up moving to the Bay Area, seeing that and seeing such a diversity of LGBTQ people. Every demographic has every stripe in the rainbow, and it’s fascinating to see what a diverse, complex, and interesting community it is.
Earlier this year, you were awarded a GLAAD “Special Recognition” honor for your Jeopardy! performance. How meaningful was that for you?
It meant a lot to me for a couple reasons. One, GLAAD has meant a lot to me during this process, and their support has been super helpful. Two, it’s just a confirmation of what I’ve heard from so many people about how meaningful it was to see me on television on Jeopardy!, specifically in that spot. I didn’t set out to do anything except try and win some money, but so many different people have told me that I’ve made a big impact in their lives and the lives of their families and loved one. I’m just so grateful to know that.
Are you surprised that competing on a game show practically catapulted you into stardom?
Sort of (laughs). I know that Jeopardy! is kind of a big deal, and I knew there would be some level of fame coming out of it once I started winning all those games, but the scale of it has definitely surprised me. Stardom is something I never saw in my future. This is not how I saw life going, but it’s been a lot of fun.
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I would like to talk a little bit more about your Jeopardy! run. Overall, what did you take away from the experience?
A few things. One, I don’t have to be anything but myself. I really focused on trying to just be myself on Jeopardy!, and people responded to it and liked it. I don’t need to worry about putting on a different kind of persona. The other thing was, I learned how much I can do when I really focus. It was one of the first times where I was completely single-mindedly focused on one thing like that, and not only did it bring me success, but it made me feel good. It’s good to have something that you’re that passionate about. Since then, I’ve been trying to cultivate that into my life with other things.
Is it true that you’ve auditioned for the show a couple times before?
Yes, probably eight or 10 times.
So, you’ve always had a love for the game.
Absolutely. I grew up watching it with my parents every night, and I always used it as a teaching opportunity to learn more information or more little tidbits about whatever we were seeing in the game.
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A good majority of the show’s fanbase is made up of older people. Being a trans woman, were you at all nervous about going on?
Yes, absolutely. It took me a few years after transitioning to even consider it, but I felt like, whatever. It won’t be anything I can’t handle. Then once my episodes started airing, I was really kind of bracing myself for backlash and things like that, but for the most part, it really didn’t happen. Certainly, there are some people out there who had some things to say, but it was so outweighed by the overwhelmingly positive response, even from this older demographic that I feared wouldn’t be that way.
What kind of message do you hope your appearance sent to viewers?
That you should bring your whole self to whatever you do. You shouldn’t hide in that sense and being yourself and owning your identity makes everything better. It brings you more success for everything, and there’s just no reason to hide.
Which categories did you feel strongest in, and which ones not so much?
Ironically, given that it’s what I ended up losing on, geography was something I always felt strong in, history as well. I think those are probably the two main ones. Then the ones not so much were categories like popular music in general, country music, things like that. I only listened to things that were popular when I was in high school.
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You shared a lot of your thought process and strategy during gameplay on your “Post-game Thoughts” Twitter threads. What inspired you to do that?
It originally wasn’t planned. I did it for my first game just because out of all the games you play, that’s the one you remember the best, and I had a lot to say about it. Then people responded to that, and I realized that was something that I would have loved to have seen. I would have been interested in reading that. There are only a few people that have the inside knowledge to give that information. I was one of them, so I decided to put it out there.
Do you have any specific plans for your prize money?
My wife and I are currently looking at houses, so that’s the main thing right now. I did already do one of my big-ticket things, and that was to get courtside tickets to a Golden State Warriors game.
Money well spent! If asked to return and compete again, would you?
Oh, definitely. There’s the Tournament of Champions, which I’ll be going to and will air sometime in November, but assuming that they have any other specials like they’ve done before, and I have the chance to do it, I absolutely would. This has been one of the most fun things I’ve ever done, so I’ll go as many times as they ask.
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Ken Jennings was hosting during your run. What did you think of his style and approach? Was it completely different from Alex Trebek?
I wouldn’t say it’s completely different, but I’d say there’s a bit of a different vibe to it. I’m not sure that I can put my finger on it, but I think the real difference, at least that I could kind of feel, was that he’s been in that position. He was a contestant, and he knows what that kind of pressure is like. Overall, I thought he did an amazing job. I was very impressed by him. I didn’t have particularly high expectations going in, but he blew them away. Not just what you see on camera, but when the cameras are off and he’s talking to the contestants a little bit before and after the show, he’s very genuine, relaxed, and calm. I think that helped put everybody at ease.
What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
You know, that’s something I’m still working on. I definitely want to figure out how to advocate more than I have been, but it’s a challenge because I don’t want to be a political figure. I don’t want my Twitter feed to be a place where people are yelling at each other and that sort of thing, but I certainly want to do some work in my local community, which I’ve done some. I think what I did on the show, I was just demonstrating that trans people are normal and not weird. I want to keep demonstrating that and keep representing my community.
Before we wrap up, what’s next? Any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
I’m working on writing a book, which is something I’m excited about, and then there are a couple other projects that are under discussion that might come out soon. None of them are finalized yet, so I can’t talk about them.
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What will the book be about?
It’s going to be partially a memoir. I don’t find my life that interesting, so it’s going to be kind of an essay collection talking about things that have interested me at different times in my life. Some about Jeopardy!, some about my transitioning, but also things about money, history, and different things that I’ve been fascinated by.
Stay up-to-date and connect with Schneider by following her on Twitter and Instagram @jeopardamy. True Colors: LGBTQ+ Our Stories, Our Songs is now streaming on pbs.org.
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