‘Jeopardy!’: Amy Schneider Wins Dramatic Second Game of TOC Finals
This… Is… Jeopardy!
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Jeopardy‘s Tournament of Champions will run for at least four games, as super-champ Amy Schneider got her first win on the board on Tuesday, November 15.
Schneider and Andrew He, who won Monday’s game, now stand at one win each; Professors’ Tournament winner Sam Buttrey has yet to get off the mark. The ultimate Tournament of Champions victor is the first player to reach three wins, which means the competition will last until at least Thursday, November 17.
The three California natives faced off in an intense battle on Tuesday, where, once again, He bet big after landing on Daily Doubles. In one instance, the software developer from San Francisco wagered a huge $10,000, raising his total to $20,000 and putting him firmly in the lead halfway through the game.
If Schneider wanted to stop He from winning his second game in a row, she needed to mount an impressive comeback. And that’s exactly what she did. Proving her quick speed on the buzzer, Schneider blasted through clue after clue, clawing her way back into the game. Heading into Final Jeopardy, she stood at $22,200, while He had a slight lead at $23,200, and Buttrey trailed at $9,400.
The Final Jeopardy! clue stumped all three players, with none of them answering correctly. However, He continued his bold strategy, wagering almost his entire amount, $21,201. Schneider, meanwhile, played it safe, betting just $1,100, giving her a winning total of $21,100 and keeping her hopes alive of becoming the TOC victor.
“Amy Schneider strikes back with her first win in the Tournament of Champions finals!” said host Ken Jennings.
Schneider’s victory probably gave He horrible flashbacks, as the former engineer from Oakland was the one who ended his five-game winning streak back in November 2021. While He got a measure of revenge on Monday, Schneider proved that she would not roll over easily.
“So happy Amy won, if for nothing else than keeping the game interesting. These are such nailbiters,” wrote a user on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
“Andrew deserved the win but Final Jeopardy is a cruel beast. I knew he was going to bet big. I still think he’ll pull it out,” added another commenter.
“I was going to be so angry if Amy didn’t win that game. She outplayed them both and if not for Andrew and those pesky daily doubles she really controlled that game,” said another fan.
“Wow I’m so happy Amy clenched this at the last second. Sam and Amy seriously need to start hunting for DDs, it’s going to cost them the tourney if not,” wrote one viewer. “They both have a wider range of knowledge than Andrew, but Andrew is determined to find them.”
Schneider did not have time to celebrate her win, though, as she revealed on Twitter that she will be flying to Columbus on Wednesday to testify in the Ohio state legislature against a bill that would ban gender-affirming health care for minors in Ohio.
I’d rather be writing about Jeopardy! But if this bill passes, trans children in Ohio will be denied gender affirming medical care, and that is terrifying. So please, if you want more Jeopardy content from me, ask your elected officials to just leave trans people alone
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) November 15, 2022
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