‘Jeopardy!’ Notebook: Smooth sailing for Dayton native on Day 17

Amy Schnieder, an Oakland, California engineering manager with roots in Dayton, is the reigning nine-time “Jeopardy” champion. Her current winnings total $342,200.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Amy Schnieder, an Oakland, California engineering manager with roots in Dayton, is the reigning nine-time “Jeopardy” champion. Her current winnings total $342,200.

Amy Schneider continued her “Jeopardy!” winning streak Dec. 23. Her 17-day total is $687,400.

At the outset, host Ken Jennings didn’t hesitate to share how surprising it was that Schneider came up short on Day 16.

“Yesterday was a rare Final Jeopardy for our returning champion, Amy, who was unable to come up with the correct response for only the second time in her 16 games, giving us a glimpse that maybe she’s vulnerable. Maybe on the right day, she can even be defeated. Who knows?”

During the interview segment, the Dayton native gave a shout-out to her cat, Meep, her shelter name. Schneider and her girlfriend had hoped to find a better name for her, but ultimately realized it was perfect.

“The first month we had her she basically never came out from under the bed and all we heard was her going ‘meep, meep’ under the bed,” Schneider said. “So, I guess that really was her name.”

Going into Final Jeopardy, Schneider led the pack with a whopping $38,000, a $29,000 lead in particular over her nearest competitor, Kelly Hartman, a retired children’s librarian from Powell, Ohio.

“Three strong players today, but Amy, you put on a clinic,” Jennings remarked.

Schneider is the fourth highest-earning champion in regular-season play. If you want to hear her discuss her favorite amount to wager on the Daily Doubles, visit jeopardy.com/overheard.

She can be seen on “Jeopardy!” weeknights at 7:30 on WDTN Channel 2.

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