Participating in two highly competitive games, the Oakland, California writer and winner of the 2022 Tournament of Champions faced off against reigning “Masters” winner James Holzhauer, 2024 Tournament of Champions winner Yogesh Raut, and 2024 Invitational Tournament winner Victoria Groce.
In Game 1, Schneider never found her footing opposite the dynamic, dominating Holzhauer and Groce. At the end of the Jeopardy! round, Groce led with 5,600 points with Holzhauer close behind with 5,200 and Schneider at 0.
Schneider had a stronger showing in Double Jeopardy! but couldn’t overtake her competitors who had better luck finding Daily Doubles. She finished the round in third with 1,200 points. Holzhauer led with 21,400 followed by Groce with 10,800.
The Final Jeopardy! clue in the category Metallic Elements:
“As it’s rarely found in pure form, one explanation of its name is that it comes from Greek for ‘not alone’ or ‘not one.’'
Correct response: antimony. Schneider, wagering nothing, responded astatine and remained at 1,200 points. Groce correctly responded but didn’t wager, keeping her score 10,800. Holzhauer, wagering 1,222, responded bismuth yet won the round with 20,278 and, most importantly, three game-winning match points.
Credit: Disney
Credit: Disney
In Game 2, Schneider, more assured but resigned to her fourth-place fate, appeared opposite Holzhauer and Raut.
In the Jeopardy! round, Holzhauer maintained his momentum from Game 1 leading with 8,400 points followed by Raut with 6,400 and Schneider with 3,000. Double Jeopardy! also featured Holzhauer out front with 32,000 points followed by Raut with 24,800 and Schneider with 8,200.
The Final Jeopardy! clue in the category 21st Century Literary Characters:
“The last name adopted by Damon Fields, the title character of this novel, refers to his red hair.”
The trio correctly responded “Demon Copperhead.” Holzhauer, wagering 17,601, raised his score to 49,601 and three game-winning match points. Raut, wagering 7,201, saw his score climb to 32,001. Schneider, wagering 8,000, had a final score of 16,200.
The leaderboard at the end of the semifinals: First: Holzhauer (7); Second: Raut: (5); Third: Groce (4); and Fourth: Schneider: (0).
During the interview portion, Schneider said she was grateful for her mother’s legacy and support.
“I wouldn’t be here for a lot of reasons — not just that she taught me to learn and everything like that, but just the courage she showed in her life, pursuing a career in mathematics at a time when that was even less welcoming to women than it is now, and just really being herself,” Schneider said.
“This is going to air in May,” host Ken Jennings said. “It’s the perfect month to thank your mom.”
For her fourth-place finish, Schneider received a cash prize of $100,000.
“One of the all-time ‘Jeopardy!’ greats — Amy Schneider,” Jennings said at the end of the episode.
Groce, Holzhauer and Raut will compete Wednesday in the finals. The winner will receive a $500,000 grand prize and the “Jeopardy! Masters” title.
“Jeopardy! Masters” airs at 8 p.m. on ABC. The show also streams on Hulu.
About the Author
