Amy Schneider Dishes On Her 'Weird Introduction' To The City Of Oakland!

Former “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneiderisn’t out of the spotlight yet!

Although she ended her 40-game win streak in January 2022, Amy has decided to quit her job as a software engineer and become a full-time public figure!

She recently sat down with The Oaklandside to talk about her favorite things about living in Oakland.

Amy originally hails from Dayton, Ohio. However, she decided to make the move to California when her wife at the time wanted to pursue a career in comedy. Unfortunately, she arrived in Oakland on January 1, 2009, which was the same day that Oscar Grant was killed by a BART police officer.

“It was a weird introduction to the city,” Amy admitted.

Although she fell in love with the Bay Area, Amy admitted that she knew “shockingly little” about Oakland before she arrived. After her “Jeopardy!” run, the Great Lake resident is recognized by just about everyone in town!

Amy told a story when she was approached by “a whole bunch” of people while she was trying to get a booster shot at Kaiser! She said that most people wanted to get a photo with her to show off to their mothers.

“It was such a cross-section of people and one person was trans, which was particularly meaningful to me,” she recalled.

Amy Schneider has come to appreciate the diversity of the Oakland area. Although she made her transition about five years ago, Amy admitted that “I probably came out sooner than I would if I had stayed in Ohio.”

Amy has become an important role model in the trans community. She is the first openly gay trans champion to qualify for any Tournament of Champions in the show’s decades-long history. She has also scored a GLAAD Media Award nomination and is in the running to win a Queerty Award!

Amy has some steep competition in the “Bada—” category She is up against “Spencer” actress Kristen Stewart, “House of Gucci” actress Lady Gaga, “Taxi” actress Queen Latifah, “Dance Moms” star JoJo Siwa, and “Old Town Road” singer Lil Nas X. Also nominated are Leyna Bloom, Bowen Yang, Tom Daley, and Carl Nassib.

One of the highlights of living in Oakland is it’s where she met her current girlfriend, Genevieve, an Oakland native who works as a nanny. The pair met during the COVID-19 lockdown and like to spend time around Lake Merritt.

Amy mentioned that she also likes to visit the Grand Lake and New Parkway theaters. She’s also fond of hiking in Joaquin Miller Park and at Mountain View Cemetery. She likes to dine at Mua and Burma Superstar. She is also a big fan of visiting Walden Pond Books, where she confessed “I can’t tell you how much money I’ve spent there.” The avid reader is also known to frequent Oakland’s main public library.

Before COVID-19, Amy used to frequent the Heart & Dagger Saloon. Some of her favorite activities, like pinball, have been suspended due to pandemic precautions.

“Yeah, everybody there was super-excited for me,” she said. “I was definitely given the star treatment, which wasn’t bad.”

Although she was recently robbed at gunpoint in Oakland, she says, “I’ve been here 13 years, and have never felt less safe here than I have in Dayton or Cincinnati.”

Amy has agreed to work with the Visit Oakland campaign to promote local tourism. As part of the promotion, Mayor Libby Schaaf is preparing to create an “Amy Schneider Day” in her honor.

In addition to that, Amy recently signed with CAA and is planning on writing a nonfiction book.

“I have a million ideas,” she said, but mentioned that Oakland will definitely be included. “It’s central to who I am, and my life here has been a key part of my journey.”

At the end of the interview, she was asked, “The answer is Oakland. What’s the ‘Jeopardy!’ question?”

“One of the most underrated cities in the country,” Amy replied. “And one of the most beautiful.”