The upside of finally losing after her record-breaking, 40-game winning streak on “Jeopardy!” is that now Amy Schneider can lean back, bask in the glory of her triumphs, and do some press interviews.
She just had a fun one with Anderson Cooper on CNN, where he asked her in depth about her buzzer clicking technique.
She also claimed that, as they were taping the episodes, she hid her appearances on “Jeopardy!” from her employer until she kept winning so much, she had to ‘fess up to why she was missing so much work.
Before that, as Yahoo Entertainment reported, she guested on another CNN show, “Reliable Sources,” where, when pressed by host Brian Stelter, Schneider made no bones about who she thinks should be the permanent host of the famed game show.
"I think Ken Jennings should be the host," stated Schneider. "I can't say enough about him. I didn't necessarily think that before going into this, you know, because, like, yes, he was a great champion, but this is a different skill set. But you could see the work that he put into it, and I just thought he did a really great job. So as far as I'm concerned, that's my endorsement."
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Aside from being an all-time “Jeopardy!” champ, Schneider is a life-long fan of the show, and does not take her stance on the topic lightly. After the sad death of long time host Alex Trebek in November 2020, the show went into a protracted, and sometimes fumbling audition process for a new host. Schneider admitted it wasn’t easy to watch.
The nadir came when the show’s executive producer Mike Richards won the job, to the consternation of most fans who saw many celebrities (LeVar Burton, Aaron Rodgers, among others) and previous champ Ken Jennings – the only "Jeopardy!" player with more consecutive wins than Schneider – perform well.
That bad taste was soon washed out when offensive comments Richards had made on his former podcast resurfaced, as did a lawsuit lodged against a show he'd previously overseen, “The Price Is Right.”
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Schneider’s rise seems to have come at a perfect time, as the hosting conundrum put a dent into the stellar rep of “Jeopardy!” Schneider’s story and historic run reminded fans why they love the show so much.
"I've loved this show,” said Schneider, “and I've hated to see it, you know, all the kind of negative headlines about it for the last year or so. And so to see everybody talk about it for the reasons it ought to be talked about was really nice."
Eventually, Jennings and actress Mayim Bialik ("Call Me Kat") were given co-hosting duties, trading stands at the podium through the rest of the current TV season, which is expected to run through August. Then one true permanent host will be named.
Schneider did mention to the Los Angeles Times earlier this month that she would consider the job if asked. "It would certainly be a cool experience," she said. "It's a lot harder than it looks. Whether I'd actually even be good at it, I don't know ... But yeah, I'd certainly consider it if somebody asked."
It seems now with a few weeks of reflection, Schneider is on Team Jennings.
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