During her Schmoedown career, Jeannine the Machine competed in the singles, teams, and Innergeekdom divisions. Drafted by Samm Levine in the 2020 Schmoedown draft, she was a member of The Usual Suspects during Season 7: The New Era, a member of The Stars during Season 8: War, and a member of The Dungeon during Season 9: Reboot. Here are her reflections on the show that we all love, in her own words.
Looking back on the Schmoedown, what is the most memorable moment that you were personally involved in?
Brooklyn Live event where I played Chance. The reception from the crowd was such a shock. I never thought I’d ever get to do anything like that. I played amazing and it was hard to even remember I lost bc of the crowd response. The fact that everyone was behind me was so insane and special.
What is the most memorable moment that you were not involved in?
Spectacular 2. [Part 1, Part 2, Part 3] Particularly the Star Wars iron man between Witwer and Ken and the Ghai tackle of Rocha. The surprises and intensity of that match and that moment were such a shock and validated my fandom. I was invited to that as a fan, I was totally geeking out. I remember I brought a 13-pack of beer and homemade Rice Krispie treats. I felt incredibly special just being there at that taping. I remember when it was all done I walked out of the curtains pretending I was competing.
Which of your matches would you say is the best you played?
Me v. Marisol. I got my one and only perfect round 1 and only missed one question. It was my best bc that loss hurt the most.
Which match that didn’t involve you would you say is the best you ever saw?
So many but there’s one that stands out. At a certain point in my fandom, Innergeekdom became my favorite division to watch so I’d say the Throwdown championship IG match between Mike and Rachel. She actually commissioned me to make the shirt she wears in the match. Was a very intense match considering Rachel had a decent lead but mike coming in to tie it up was insane, taking it to sudden death, only to miss it on an incorrect vowel! No KO v Ninka!! A proud moment for women of the league when Rachel won that IG belt!!
How would you describe the Schmoedown’s impact on you?
Important. I was way more shy and had a voice I was scared and intimidated to use. But feeling like I had a platform representing ppl who looked like me, gave me the confidence to portray strength and be me with the volume turned all the way up. I felt powerful and beautiful and smart when I walked up to that desk. It’s something I now know I’m capable of feeling outside of schmoedown now.
What will you miss most about the Schmoedown?
The people. I met so many wonderful, kind, passionate people. People I hope to know for the rest of my life. The sharing of this special thing, a common love of something you felt isolated you, now made you a cool kid. The community of the show was on another level of special and I was so honored I got to be a part of that.
Jeannine the Machine can be found on Twitter @Jeanninedabean_.
