Jeopardy champ Amy Schneider would 'certainly consider' hosting the show

The long list of Jeopardy host hopefuls has grown once more.

With 32 victories in her wake, Amy Schneider told the LA Times that taking on the role of host isn't off the table.

"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."

The 42-year-old engineering manager is the only woman and one of only four contestants in the show's history to secure over $1 million. On Friday, she bumped James Holzhauer out of his third place spot for most consecutive games won.

While Schneider said Ken Jennings, the interim host and all-time leading champion with 74 consecutive wins, is doing a "fantastic" job, she originally planned to stand on the lauded stage alongside Alex Trebek. Her scheduled taping was delayed due to COVID-19.

"It was really tough to know that I'd come so close to getting to meet somebody who was, in a way, a hero of mine and came up just short," Schneider said. "In retrospect, while I'm certainly sorry not to have gotten the chance to meet Alex, I also am glad that ... it happened now instead of when it was supposed to, because I had not yet started dating my girlfriend, Genevieve, and just in general, I didn't have sort of the support system I have."

Schneider isn't keeping her Jeopardy tricks and experiences a secret. She recently penned an essay answering the question, "How are you so smart?" and takes to Twitter explaining her processes after each episode.

"I find Jeopardy so fascinating, and this is the sort of content that I would like to read," Schneider said. "There's only a few people in a position to produce it, and I'm one of them. So I'll go ahead and put it out there."

Schneider also told the LA Times about her experiences as the first transgender contestant to qualify for the show's Tournament of Champions.

"Specifically around the previous trans contestants that have been on — that meant a lot to me to see them and be able to envision myself where they were," Schneider said. "To know that I've been able to provide that experience to people in the trans community is just the best thing I can hope for."

After Trebek's 2020 death, Jeopardy tested several temporary hosts in his place, including CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik, and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. When the show finally settled on a permanent replacement, executive producer Mike Richards, he promptly stepped away due to past offensive comments coming to light. Trebek's 36-year shoe print on the Jeopardy stage remained difficult to fill, and in the meantime, Jennings and Bialik split hosting duties.

Schneider's streak has boosted the show's viewership recently, making it the highest-rated non-sports program on broadcast and cable for the week of Dec. 27. As another week starting with Schneider's reign prepares to air, she's only six games away from taking second place from 2021 champion Matt Amodio.

"I hope it makes it seem possible," Schneider said. "A place that women belong is on that champion's podium."

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