'Jeopardy! Masters' Episode 5: Amy Schneider holding steady after topsy-turvy game

May 14—Episode 5 of the second annual "Jeopardy! Masters" tournament, which aired Monday, May 13, showcased Dayton native Amy Schneider holding steady after Game 2 to remain in fourth place in a suspenseful finish.

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.

Monday's episode featured Schneider against Raut, a cognitive and behavioral scientist from Vancouver, Washington, and Roach, a writer and podcast host from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

At the beginning of the Jeopardy! round, Raut, formidable throughout the tournament, came out swinging, but Schneider changed the trajectory by finding the Daily Double and wagering her entire 1,600 points. The clue in the category Having An In-Of-Body Experience:

"Alphabetically, the brain's main lobes are frontal, occipital, parietal, and this one responsible for hearing and memory."

Schneider correctly responded temporal and raised her total to 3,200. She ultimately finished the round on top with 6,600 followed by Raut with 5,200 and Roach with 2,600.

However situations changed drastically during Double Jeopardy! as Roach gained considerable momentum after finding both Daily Doubles, wagering everything and correctly responding. It was clear that Roach, finishing the round with 20,400 points, was on the brink of victory, leaving Schneider in serious trouble having placed third with 9,800 behind Raut with 17,200.

The Final Jeopardy! clue in the category Anagrams:

"One is a procedure foundational to computer science; the other was made in large part obsolete by computers."

The correct response: algorithm and logarithm. Surprisingly the question stumped the trio. Schneider, wagering 7,401, offered an incomplete response, dropping her score to 2,399 points. Raut also offered an incomplete response but wagered everything, a decision that visibly shocked Schneider and Roach. Roach failed to respond but wagered 14,001 points, dropping to 6,399 but enough to claim three winning match points. Placing second, Schneider received one match point.

During the interview portion, host Ken Jennings and Schneider discussed their admiration for spelling:

The leaderboard at the end of the fifth episode: First: Groce (13); Second: Raut (10); Third: Holzhauer: (6); Fourth: Schneider: (5); Fifth: Roach (5); and Sixth: Amodio (1). The ranking takes into account the number of correct responses, a significant factor as Schneider is ahead of Roach although they are tied.

"Jeopardy! Masters" returns Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ABC. The show also streams on Hulu. The last quarterfinal episode will feature Schneider in a crucial, make or break Game 2 opposite Groce and Roach.