Why Was Amy Schneider Sitting During the 'Jeopardy! Masters' Semifinals?

Fans who have been following the Jeopardy! Masters tournament noticed something different about fierce competitor and past champion Amy Schneider on the May 20, 2024, show: She was sitting.

Why was Amy sitting during the semifinals? And did the fact that she wasn't standing have anything to do with the quiz whiz ending her Jeopardy! Masters run? Well, Amy took to Twitter to explain her situation and discuss how she felt after leaving the tournament.

Amy wanted to set a few things straight fresh off her last appearance on Jeopardy! Masters.

"First off: James, Victoria, and Yogesh are incredible Jeopardy! players (Jeopardy! Masters if you will). Competing against them was a) an honor, and b) a real wakeup call about the work I need to do if I want to reach their level," the fan-favorite explained on Twitter in the early morning hours of May 21.

Amy then went on to address the elephant in the room, or more specifically, why she was sitting during the taping of the show. As she explained she wasn't feeling well. "I was experiencing some dizziness, and wasn't sure I could stand for a whole episode," she tweeted, going on to clarify, "That's not why I lost."

"I do think that my indisposition impacted my performance and that by not being at my peak, I didn't have a chance against those three," Amy then admitted. "But that's kind of the point: they didn't need to be at their absolute peak to have a chance against me. And most likely they weren't!"

Amy also made a really good point, that we would all do well to keep in mind when we're singularly focused on our own challenges in life. "Each of the other three contestants, I'm sure, had some kind of outside circumstance going on that they were having to fight against," Amy said in a subsequent tweet. "Whether or not my outside circumstance was the 'most' damaging is both unknowable and irrelevant. I just lost, and that's okay."

Finally, Amy discussed her thoughts about her performance in the tournament and hinted she may be back in the future to try and take the top honors.

Meanwhile, it may surprise fans to learn that anyone can sit instead of stand while competing on Jeopardy! which is good to know.

As producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss said about sitting during a Jeopardy! podcast, “This is something that we always offer to contestants."

"We don’t ask why; it’s not our business," she also said. “If you want a chair, we’ll give it to you."

So there you have it! If you are ever a contestant on Jeopardy! and need a seat for any reason, they'll supply one, no questions asked.

As for Amy, we hope she's feeling better, and that we see her again in future shows.