'Jeopardy! Masters' Episode 4: Amy Schneider wins first Masters game bolstered by Daily Doubles

May 13—Dayton native Amy Schneider bolstered her historic "Jeopardy!" resume by winning her first "Jeopardy!" Masters" game in Episode 4 of the second annual "Jeopardy! Masters" tournament which aired Friday, May 10.

The Oakland, California writer and winner of the 2022 Tournament of Champions is among the super champs vying for trivia glory: reigning "Masters" winner James Holzhauer; Season 1 "Masters" finalists Matt Amodio and Mattea Roach; 2024 Tournament of Champions winner Yogesh Raut; and 2024 Invitational Tournament winner Victoria Groce. Schneider, the runner-up in the Invitational Tournament, was specifically chosen as a Producers Pick.

Over the course of three weeks, nine one-hour episodes will feature two games among different combinations of the contestants, resulting in a champion who will win a $500,000 grand prize and the "Jeopardy! Masters" title.

Friday's episode featured Schneider against Amodio, a quantitative researcher from New York City, and Roach, a writer and podcast host from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Entering the game in fifth place, Schneider had to capitalize on her momentum. Delivering her best and smoothest performance thus far in the tournament, her big win, greatly benefitted by Daily Doubles, came at a crucial time as the quarterfinals reaches its climax.

In the middle of the Jeopardy! round, Schneider, who felt heat from Amodio in the lead, found the Daily Double and wagered her entire 3,000 points. The clue in the category Coming to America:

"From 1960 to 1962 a covert program called Operation Pedro Pan brought thousands of children to the U.S. from this country."

Schneider correctly responded Cuba and ultimately ended the round on top with 7,400 points. Amodio was second with 3,600 followed by Roach with 1,600.

Near the outset of Double Jeopardy!, Schneider, leading with 10,600 points, found her second Daily Double and wagered everything again due to the high stakes. The clue in the category 12 or More Letters:

"Regarding his firing of Douglas MacArthur, who defied orders, President Truman later wrote 'I could no longer tolerate his' this."

Schneider correctly spelled insubordination, raising her total to 21,200 and ending the round with 26,400. Roach, who correctly answered the other Daily Double and remained on Schneider's heels, finished second with 18,000 followed by Amodio with 8,000.

The Final Jeopardy! clue in the category The 20th Century:

"Hearing about the speech that launched this eponymous process, the head of the CIA wondered if Nikita Khrushchev had been drunk."

Everyone correctly responded De-Stalinization. Amodio wagered everything leaving him with 16,000. Roach opted not to wager, leaving her at 18,000. Schneider wagered 9,601, raising her score to 36,001 and winning the three match points necessary to move up the leaderboard.

During the interview portion, Schneider mentioned having a chance to meet tennis legend Billie Jean King at the U.S. Open and also shared her dream of being a reality TV guest judge.

"My ranking on my current 'Top Chef' Fantasy League — I'm leading it," Schneider said. "I'm saying this just because I want to achieve my other dream of being a guest judge on a Quickfire. I'm so ready to be like, 'There are so many ideas on this plate but it just didn't come together.'"

The leaderboard at the end of the fourth episode: First: Groce (10); Second: Raut (10); Third: Holzhauer: (5); Fourth: Schneider: (4); Fifth: Roach (2); and Sixth: Amodio (1). The ranking takes into account the number of correct responses.

"Jeopardy! Masters" returns tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC. The show also streams on Hulu.