‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Reveals Amy Schneider Link: But Did They Win?

[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Thursday, December 11, episode of Jeopardy!]

While Will Riley tried to qualify for the Tournament of Champions during his fourth Jeopardy! game, his opponent, Francis Boyle, stole the spotlight after revealing that he has a link to Amy Schneider and another Jeopardy! contestant.

Riley, from Houston, Texas, racked up a three-day total of $54,403. On Thursday, he played against Boyle, from Liberty Township, Ohio, and Jennifer Foote, from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Riley, an engineer, took a quick lead after only a few questions. When he found the Daily Double on clue five, he had $1,800. He made it a true Daily Double in “Victorian England.” The clue read, “The Match Girls Strike of 1888 involved young women & their toxic exposure to this white element they put on match tips.” “What is phosphorus?” he answered correctly, bringing him to $3,600.

By the first commercial break, Riley kept his lead with $5,800. Both Boyle, a playwright, and Foote, a lawyer, were tied with $1,600. But when the game show returned, and host Ken Jennings engaged in the anecdotes section of the show, Boyle stole Riley’s spotlight for a minute.

Jennings confirmed with him that he was a teacher, playwright, and actor. “I have a strange connection to both Shakespeare and Jeopardy!,” Boyle said. “In 2008, my wife and I were in a production of, I’ll say, The Scottish Play, to appease the purists, with two future contestants. They were Amy Schneider, the great, of course, and Kelly Anneken.”

“This was before Amy Schneider was a Jeopardy! legend,” Ken Jennings said.

“That’s correct,” Boyle said.

“So, you didn’t know to ask her for tips?” the host asked.

“No. But, oh, I would have,” the contestant laughed.

“Maybe she’ll reach out after she sees this,” Jennings said.

Schneider won 40 consecutive games from November 2021 to January 2022, winning more than $1.6 million. Kelly Anneken is Schneider’s ex-wife, with whom he was married from 2004 to 2016. Anneken also competed on Jeopardy! on September 18, 2025, and lost against Paolo Pasco.

The connection to Schneider didn’t bring him much luck, though, as he ended the round with $1,400. Foote had $2,600. Riley kept the lead with $11,200.

In Double Jeopardy, Boyle moved to second place by answering most of the clues correctly in the beginning. He had $7,400 when he found the first DD. He made it a true Daily Double in “Notes & Queries.” The clue read, “At the start of this Y.A. novel, the title character asks a higher power not to let ‘New Jersey be too horrible.’”

“What is Percy Jackson and the Olympians?” he answered. The correct response was Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. He dropped down to $0.

Riley found the second DD with $16,800 in his bank. In “Capital City Mayors,” he wagered $3,000. The clue was “Mark Sutcliffe, who studied Political Science at Carleton University there.”

“What is Chicago?” Riley guessed. The correct response was Ottawa. He dropped down to $13,800, but still kept a big lead.

By the end of the round, Riley had $17,000. Boyle moved to second place with $5,200. Foote had $3,800.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “The Supreme Court.” The clue was “Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, ‘a law repugnant to the Constitution is void’ in his landmark decision on this case.” All of the contestants answered correctly with “What is Marbury vs. Madison?”

Foote wagered $2,000, ending with $5,800. Boyle wagered $1,200, giving him a final total of $6,400. Riley’s wager of $6,000 put him at $23,000.

This meant that Riley qualified for an upcoming Tournament of Champions with four wins under his belt. His four-day total equaled $77,403. He will return on Friday for game five.