Amy Schneider, one of the winningest "Jeopardy!" champs, was also one of the nicest

Sometimes, nice people do finish first.

Amy Schneider, "Jeopardy!" champion, will be remembered for many things. For the astounding breadth of her knowledge. For being the second longest-running champion in "Jeopardy!" history, and the most successful female contestant ever. For being a trans woman without her, or anyone else on the show, making an issue of it.

Above all, for an astounding 40-game winning streak that had much of America glued to its sectional sofas since Nov. 17 and only ended Wednesday when she lost to Rhone Talsma, a Chicago librarian.

When Leon Spinks defeated Muhammad Ali in 1978, the witty Quentin Crisp remarked, "it will be remembered, not as the fight that unknown gentleman won, but the fight Muhammad Ali lost." So it will be here — unless Talsma proves to be the next one-in-a-million champ.

Many in the LGBTQ+ community have been looking on Schneider as a role model. But she also modeled something else for America — something that, perhaps, we need to see even more. She modeled niceness.

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Remember niceness? Of course you don't. When was the last time you saw it? Not on an airline flight. Not on a supermarket line. Not on social media. Not, certainly, in Washington, D.C.

The spate of bad behavior — of passengers tussling with flight attendants, customers flipping off waiters, media trolls harassing their opponents — has been blamed on the pandemic, on anxieties about the economy, the environment, the political polarization.

But it's also a style choice. Somehow, being snide and selfish and mean seems cooler than being mild, courteous and considerate of others.

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Likely, this has a lot to do with the belief that niceness is a mug's game — a trait of losers. "Nice guys finish last" is an American axiom. Nowadays, it's practically the national motto. "Loser," you will recall, was the favorite epithet of a recent president of the United States. Niceness was definitely not his brand.

But Amy Schneider is nice. She is also — to put it mildly — not a loser.

She's walking away from "Jeopardy!" a millionaire: $1,382,800 richer, behind only Matt Amodio ($1,518,601), James Holzhauer ($2,462,216) and the champ of champs, Ken Jennings ($2,520,700) who is now the de facto host of the show.

She is one of a handful of game show contestants who have become media stars in their own right: a phenomenon that goes back to Charles Van Doren on "Twenty-One" (he was eventually brought down by the 1959 Quiz Show scandals) and in more recent years, Jennings himself, a 74-day super-champ.

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Perhaps Schneider has a lesson for us: about how strength doesn't have to mean bullying and bluster. Strength is generous.

Throughout her 40-day run, Schneider was friendly, gracious, low-key. She competed, without being "competitive." She neither peacocked, nor assumed a false modesty about her abilities. She was pleasant toward her opponents. Above all, she seemed focused. Which is probably why she kept winning.

"Right before the taping starts when they’re doing the countdown, I will get the song 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem going in my head," Schneider said on the Jan. 19 show. "It’s just a reminder that this is my one shot at 'Jeopardy!' and it’s staying in the moment, and there’s no excuse for thinking about anything else. This is the only thing I need to think about right now."

In an America where people seem caught up with playing roles and striking attitudes, Schneider seemed authentic. "I think the best part for me has been being on TV as my true self," she told one interviewer.

Perhaps Schneider will give encouragement to others in the Nice community. Let's hope so.

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Amy Schneider: 'Jeopardy' champion one of the nicest, despite loss