LOS ANGELES — "Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider is adding to her list of bragging rights and admirers.
Already the highest-earning female contestant in the quiz show's history and the woman with the longest winning streak, she is now one of only four "Jeopardy!" players to reach seven figures in regular-season winnings.
She's collected $1.02 million in 28 victories, solidifying her fourth-place position on the list that includes Ken Jennings with $2.5 million; James Holzhauer, $2.46 million; and Matt Amodio, $1.52 million.
Schneider is tickled by the fact that she's fulfilled a prediction made by her eighth-grade classmates in Dayton, Ohio: She was voted most likely to be a "Jeopardy!" contestant, based on her geography and spelling bee prowess.
As the first transgender person to qualify for the show's tournament of champions, her achievements have made her both an inspiration and a target for transphobic insults online — which she battles away with the same aplomb she displays on TV.
The engineering manager who lives in Oakland, Calif., talked about her newfound fame and being a voice for the trans community.
Q: Are you having pinch-me moments over how well you've done on "Jeopardy!"?
A: Absolutely. Just seeing myself on TV still is almost a shock, even though I was there when it all happened. I thought I could win some games but I didn't think I would do this well. The other day, my girlfriend mentioned some famous people that had gone to her high school, and I was thinking, "I know there was somebody who went to mine." I looked it up on Wikipedia and there I was, listed under notable alumni. That was a very weird moment to see that.
