‘Jeopardy!’: Amy Schneider’s Reign Comes to an End After 40-Game Winning Streak

Meaghan Darwish
12 Comments
Jeopardy Amy Schneider
Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

Amy Schneider‘s Jeopardy! run has officially come to a close as the champ with the show’s second-most consecutive wins ever was defeated by competitor Rhone Talsma.

After a 40-game winning streak, Schneider’s record-breaking stint on the game show came to an end when Talsma, a librarian from Chicago, finished in first place with a score of $29,600 in comparison to her second-place finish of $19,600.

The Final Jeopardy! category was “Countries of the World” and the clue read, “The only nation in the world whose name in English ends in an H, it’s also one of the 10 most populous.” Schneider fell short when she didn’t provide the correct response which was “What is Bangladesh?”

Jeopardy Season 38 Amy Schneider

(Credit: Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

Before the Final Jeopardy! category, Schneider led with a score of $27,600 in comparison to Talsma’s $17,600. Fret not though, Schneider fans, because the impressive player will return for the Tournament of Champions in which she’ll face-off against fellow Season 38 player Matt Amodio.

“I had thought that Rhone was going to be tough going into it,” said Schneider. “I loved hanging out with him, we had great conversation before the taping, but I could tell that he was here to play and that he was going to be good. I still came very close to winning, but I did feel like maybe I was slipping a little bit. And once it was clear that he was fast on the buzzer, I knew it was going to be a battle all the way.”

Jeopardy Season 38 Rhone Talsma

(Credit: Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

Along with being the player with the second most consecutive wins behind current host Ken Jennings — who still reigns supreme with 74 consecutive wins — Schneider walked away with a total of $1,382,800 in winnings, putting her in fourth place for all-time regular season cash winnings. Her place in the lineup follows biggest winner Jennings ($2,520,700), followed by James Holzhauer ($2,462,216), and Amodio ($1,518,601).

“It’s really been an honor,” Schneider said. “To know that I’m one of the most successful people at a game I’ve loved since I was a kid and to know that I’m a part of its history now, I just don’t know how to process it.”

'Jeopardy!': Amy Schneider Earns Second-Most Consecutive Wins in Show's History
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'Jeopardy!': Amy Schneider Earns Second-Most Consecutive Wins in Show's History

Only time will tell if Schneider’s defeater Talsma will have as strong of a run as hers, but his win was clearly a shock to the system as he said in a statement, “I’m still in shock. This is my favorite show … I was so excited to be here and I just wanted to do my best. 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.”

Stay tuned to see how Talsma does in the next game, and keep an eye out for Schneider’s return in the Tournament of Champions.

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  1. P

    PurpleMustache

    YEA YEA YEA that was an easy answer. I knew it.... I really think she just 'quit' and decided that she would have to pay too much taxes so....... bye bye

    3 1

    1. A

      Antonio Montealegre

      Let me just say my sarcastic "Oh, really?!"

  2. C

    CyanRaindrop

    Does it really make you happy to call her a He?

    1

  3. G

    GreenButton

    I think she got tired.

  4. A

    Antonio Montealegre

    If what you're suggesting would be true, that would raise a scandal not unlike the '50s when such a thing actually did happen and that show was cancelled. I don't think that's happening to "Jeopardy'!"...

  5. O

    OrangeFish

    Am so sad. I wanted Amy S. to reach the very top. The question was so easy - she just got a mental block. Boohoo.

  6. G

    GoldTrumpet

    See above.

  7. J

    Jena

    Yeah, next time remember a little thing called TIME ZONES.

  8. P

    PurplePizza

    Thank you for spoiling this. I live on the east coast and he show doesn’t start in New England until 730pm. Ant you wait until later on to post these.

  9. A

    Antonio Montealegre

    It was a good run, Amy!

    1

  10. P

    PurpleMustache

    Yeh I think the 'show' had a chat with her to lay off....

    1

  11. J

    Jena

    Could I? You don't sound too sure.

    3