'Jeopardy' player impresses Ken Jennings but fans can’t stop comparing him to famous TV character
Ryan Seacrest may have a 74-game winning streak during his stint as a player on “Jeopardy!” and other players may have earned more than him, but Liam Starnes has become a six-day champion and a fan-favorite, all by the age of 20. Thanks to his gameplay in the past week, fans have grown to love the University of Chicago student, who believes that he is in his prime to play the popular trivia game show.
After he became a six-day champion, Starnes spoke about his background in such trivia games and which former champion of the show he supported in his younger years. It turns out that the 20-year-old has an extensive wealth of experience when it comes to participating in trivia games. He has been doing that since he was in school, and even claimed to have captained his high school trivia team at a national championship.
“I’m really serious about Quiz Bowl. It’s something that I have enjoyed and been playing for the past 10 years,” he said after he became the six-game champion on the show, according to a report in Primetimer. This means that he has been participating in quizzes since he was a 10-year-old. Fans hailed Starnes for his immense knowledge of sports, which has helped him win $123,584 so far on the show.
On his sixth day, he went up against Simon Liebling and Jenn Gardner with $103,002 in the bank. He proved his knowledge of sports and history on the day and never seemed to be under any threat of losing his championship crown. He has played scholastic bowls in the past and had to take several tests before he was chosen to be a part of “Jeopardy!” back in 2023. Being on the show was like a dream come true for the young man. Like most other fans of the show, he too was excited about meeting the 74-day champion Ken Jennings. “Meeting Ken Jennings is really cool,” he said when asked about what he has enjoyed so far in his “Jeopardy!” journey. Being a part of the quiz community, Starnes was asked whether he knew anyone from that circle who considered being a champion on the show a goal.
“Actually, a cool story is one of my former teammates last year was really successful on Jeopardy! and won a whole bunch of games: Matt Jackson,” he said. “We had a watch party for him.” The interviewer called Jackson a legend and said that maybe Starnes was following in his footsteps, as he had won 13 consecutive games during his time on the show.
“Liam is awesome, I hope he continues his streak for a long time,” one user wrote in the comments section of YouTube. “Way to go, Liam - good luck next week, as well as in next year's TOC!” added another. “Go Liam! My mom and I have been rooting for you this past week when we watch together,” another fan commented.
