Jeopardy! super-champ Amy Schneider is ready to respond head-on to criticism about her inclusion in the current Masters tournament.
Season 2 of Jeopardy! Masters kicked off last week with six of the game’s most elite players battling it out for the coveted title and $500,000 grand prize. Those competing include reigning Masters champ James Holzhauer, last year’s runners-up Matt Amodio & Mattea Roach, 2024 Tournament of Champions winner Yogesh Raut, and Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament winner Victoria Groce.
The sixth and final spot went to Schneider as a Producers’ Pick, despite placing fifth in Masters Season 1 and losing the JIT! to Groce. Some fans felt the spot should have gone to someone else who hasn’t had as many opportunities as Schneider.
“We just saw her in JIT, whats the point if she can lose that and just move on anyways,” said one commenter on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum when the line-up was first announced. “The ‘sport’ of Jeopardy: You can lose two opportunities to get into the Masters and be invited anyway! Mind-boggling decision.”
On Monday (May 7), Schneider took to social media to address the criticism and share her thoughts on being selected as the Producers’ Pick.
“I wanted to start by sharing my thoughts on being the “producer’s pick,”” she wrote on X. “Look, I’m not naive. I am aware that the producers at Jeopardy see me as marketable, and that they think (rightly or wrongly) that it’s good for business to have me on their show.”
Look, I’m not naive. I am aware that the producers at Jeopardy see me as marketable, and that they think (rightly or wrongly) that it’s good for business to have me on their show
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) May 6, 2024
“And I’m not ashamed of that in itself; I worked hard to show that a trans person *could* be marketable, and I’m proud to have had some success at that,” she continued.
“But that said, I certainly don’t want my marketability to undercut the meritocratic spirit of Jeopardy,” she added. “If I had been the Producer’s Pick without being clearly qualified for it, it would have felt wrong, disrespectful to the game I love. Thankfully, however, that situation did not arise.”
But that said: The JIT was arguably (only arguably!) the toughest tournament played in the last year, and I came in second in it (and while I’m not a neutral observer, I think it was a deserved second)
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) May 6, 2024
Schneider’s track record speaks for itself. With 40 straight wins, she holds the second-longest consecutive win streak after Ken Jennings and the fourth all-time winnings record behind Brad Rutter, Jennings, and Holzhauer. She also won the 2022 Tournament of Champions and finished as runner-up in the JIT!
She went on to mention some other candidates who would have made great Producers’ Picks, including Rutter, Ben Chan, and Troy Meyer.
But, she argued, her second-place finish in the JIT! more than qualified her for the position.
“The JIT was arguably (only arguably!) the toughest tournament played in the last year, and I came in second in it (and while I’m not a neutral observer, I think it was a deserved second),” she wrote. “So I feel I was perfectly qualified to be in consideration.”
Disney/Eric McCandless
She added, “At that point, did marketability concerns give me the edge over other worthy options? Maybe! I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. But we all knew the paths to auto-qualify. If I didn’t want to feel like my choice was dictated by marketability, then I should have just won the JIT, and I didn’t.”
While Schneider said she felt her spot on Masters was earned, she did note how she also felt “like I had to *prove* that I belonged. I knew that my choice would face some justifiable criticism, and the only way for me to answer it was “on the court,” if you will.”
“I was ready to go down there and test myself against the best in the world, and I intended to show everyone that “the best in the world” included Amy Schneider!” she concluded.
Which would be tough, but my confidence was riding high after JIT. I was ready to go down there and test myself against the best in the world, and I intended to show everyone that “the best in the world” included Amy Schneider!
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) May 6, 2024
“The best in the world absolutely includes Amy Schneider!” one fan responded to Schneider’s message.
“Personally, I was EXTREMELY HAPPY you were chosen,” added another. “You’re a great player, you’ve won the TOC, and did wonderfully in JIT. You’re very watchable and have a lot of personality. The Producer’s Pick was a good one!!”
Another wrote, “A thoughtful and realistic take on the real world. You do rock.”
“I had never even thought about your marketability as a reason why you would be a Producer’s Pick, I assumed it was cause you’re one of the best!” said another.
After two games, Schneider currently sits at the bottom of the leaderboard with zero points. Groce leads the charge with six points, while Holzhaur and Raut sit in second and third with four points each. Amodio and Roach take up spots four and five with one point apiece.
Jeopardy! Masters, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC