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The last two years have been a whirlwind for Amy Schneider. In late 2021, the trivia fanatic became a household name when she appeared on “Jeopardy!” and recorded a remarkable 40-game winning streak – the second-highest in the show’s history.
Her success had an added significance: she was the most successful transgender contestant ever on the show.
“I’ve heard from so many people that I’m the first transgender person they’ve ever seen on TV,” Schneider said from her sunny apartment in Oakland, California, where she lives with her wife and two cats. “I became increasingly aware of the responsibility I had as an unintentional representative of the trans community.”
After winning more than $1.6 million in prize money, Schneider decided to quit her job as a software engineer (“an easy decision,” she laughed) and pursue her new role as a public figure. This month, she will add “author” to her resume with the release of her memoir, “In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life.”
During her time on “Jeopardy!”, although the game show plays into the book in many ways, it never dominates the action. In fact, Schneider spends most of the book exploring her gender transition, her upbringing in Ohio, and even her reflections on pop culture.
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“I love trivia, but it’s not what I’m most interested in or passionate about,” Schneider explained. “It’s exactly what I became famous for.”
The Washington Post sat down with Schneider to talk about her writing process, what she hopes readers will take away from her story and the future of “Jeopardy!”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity:
Q: The act of writing is a theme that comes up frequently in your book – it’s something you both loved and hated as you grew up with different teachers. After writing this memoir, how would you describe your relationship with writing?
A: One thing I learned: it’s hard! When I did it for my own pleasure, it was fun. If I got bogged down in something, I would just stop working on it. But when you actually have to finish things, it’s a different pressure and a different challenge.
That being said, when I pitched this book I said that my goal in about five years was to be able to call myself a writer without being ashamed of it, and that really could be what I do. And it stays that way – even more so. I found it very rewarding, and despite the fact that I can see all the flaws in my book and the things I’m disappointed with, I’m proud of it and feel like I’ve shown that I have some skills and have things to say.
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Q: You describe the detour you took until you finally realized that you were a woman. What do you hope readers take away from your story of transition?
A: One thing I wanted to share is simply the fact that we are full human beings with a range of experiences, including some that are not as socially accepted. Of course, not all transsexuals, but a disproportionate number have experimented with sex, drugs and similar things, and I wanted to show that it is okay and not incompatible with success – to tell a transsexual’s story as she really is, and not just the kind of simplified version I showed on TV.
And for the other audience: What would I have wanted to know about trans people and the experience earlier in my life? Especially the fact that you can go through this period of uncertainty and have doubts.
Some trans people are clear about their gender identity before they can even speak – but not all of us are clear about it, and I wasn’t either. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t true, it’s just a different experience. I wish I had known that sooner than I did.
Q: You mention that you have unintentionally become a representative of transsexuals. Is it difficult to carry this burden on your shoulders or is it more exciting?
A: Certain aspects of both. Nowadays I feel more of the difficult side of it. And most of all, I feel guilty for not doing better. For me not to become more active, more vocal, and more vocal about what’s going on in our community. It’s a scary thing – and I’ve admitted that fear a little more than I would have liked.
At the same time, the most gratifying thing about it was knowing that I made a difference – in parts of the country that I’m honestly afraid to go to.
Q: In the introduction you say that you hope one day to be able to disagree with or even disavow some of the statements in your book. Is there something you want readers to take away from keeping an open mind?
A: In the original conception of this book, that was an even larger part of it. That’s one of the most important lessons: If more people were willing to make mistakes in certain things, we would be a healthier society, and I know this personally because I’ve just made mistakes in so many things.
In a way, the introduction was also a way to let me say what I really thought without panicking that it would be misunderstood. I say something like this about drug use and its normalization. Ten years from now, or when I have children one day, will I still feel like this was the right attitude? At the moment I think so, but I could certainly imagine believing otherwise. So I wanted to be upfront and say that this reflects my current status.
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Q: You recently said you would boycott your appearance on “Jeopardy!” during the WGA strike. Did you boycott watching it too?
A: I’m not boycotting watching it, I just don’t watch it much anymore! Partly because I don’t train the same way to be on the show. And besides, I lived “Jeopardy!” About six months straight and I burned out.
Q: The show has really changed in the last few years, thanks in part to your efforts to usher in an era of super champions. How would you describe the development of the show and what do you hope for the future?
A: A big part of this development was the run of James Holzhauer. I sat on my couch for years and asked myself, “Why does everyone bet so conservatively?” Then when I was on the show, I realized why: because it’s scary! But James got people thinking about optimal gameplay. As time went on, enough people started getting involved with “Jeopardy!” Subreddit and diving into gameplay theories.
That’s been part of the evolution, people are taking it more seriously – which I know not everyone likes. There are definitely people who appreciated it more when people just took a little vacation from their jobs and did their best. But I definitely think it’s great. It worked out for me, but as a fan I also want to see people competing at the highest level.
As for the future of the game, I would really like to see not only the participant pool, but also the champion pool continue to diversify and look more like America.
Q: From what you say in your book, it seems like you can’t really warm to Ken Jennings considering he’s the host of the show.
A: The laws they passed after the old quiz show scandals are pretty serious. So there are some restrictions on the type of contact Ken can have with potential future candidates. But I really felt like we got along as well as we could under the circumstances, and I hope to retire from “Jeopardy!” Sometime so we can hang out.
Q: Maybe even play some bar trivia with him?
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