‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Have Fallen in Love With Liam Starnes
Jeopardy! viewers have a new favorite player in Liam Starnes, and the 20-year-old trivia sensation shows no signs of slowing down after winning his fifth straight game on Thursday (April 24) and securing a spot in the next Tournament of Champions.
Starnes, an undergraduate student from Barrington, Illinois, secured his fifth victory on Thursday, bringing his total earnings so far to $103,002 and guaranteeing a spot in the TOC. But fans had become obsessed with Starnes even before his monumental fifth win due to his impressive trivia knowledge and uncanny resemblance to Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons).
Funnily enough, there was a Big Bang Theory-related question on Thursday’s episode, though Starnes didn’t buzz in. Despite his wide range of knowledge, pop culture appears to be the college student’s weak spot.
The 20-year-old contestant, who some fans have dubbed “Baby Shark” for his deadly gameplay, is thought to be the youngest regular Jeopardy! champion in history (not counting teen/college tournaments). He is even younger than Brad Rutter, who was 22during his five-game streak in 2000, and Mattea Roach, 23 during their 23-game streak in 2022.
DON’T👏SAY👏YOU’RE👏A👏JEOPARDY!👏FAN👏IF👏YOU👏DON’T👏KNOW👏WHO👏THIS👏GUY👏IS👏 pic.twitter.com/hw4G25SDEz
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) April 25, 2025
Starnes has also surpassed Rutter’s five-day total; Rutter ended his five-day run with $55,102 in winnings, while Starnes has almost doubled that with $103,002. Back in Rutter’s day, there was a five-appearance limit, meaning he had to step down after his fifth win. Starnes, however, will continue to return to the Alex Trebek Stage until he’s defeated.
Even host Ken Jennings, who was in the middle of his own record-breaking run on the show when Starnes was born, has seemed awe-struck by the young champion. He’s also enjoyed having fun with him, like when Starnes correctly answered a Jack Daniels’ question on Thursday’s game, to which Jennings quipped, “Not that you would know!”
Fans can’t get enough of Starnes and have taken to social media to share their reactions to his excellent run on the show.
“I just think he’s a really nice kid I just keep rooting for him!” wrote one fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
“Doing so well while knowing no pop culture whatsoever is admirable, he’s awesome and I love watching him,” said another.
Another quipped, “I know he is 20, but he looks so young I just imagine his mom combing his hair before each game.”
“I can’t believe he didn’t get the Sheldon Cooper question. He’s his doppelgänger! I’m also rooting for him!” one commenter wrote.
“I would go to war for him,” joked another.
“He’s my favorite Jeopardy contestant ever,” said one user.
A Facebook commenter added, “I’m a Liam Starnes fan! He’s smart and a terrific contestant. He’s in ToC now and I hope he has a long run!”
“Liam is so fun to watch. Rooting for him!!” said one X user.
“The young man has been impressive,” wrote another.
“Go Liam! He is charming..and brilliant!!” another added.
“Liam replaces Ken when Ken retires. You heard it here first,” said another, suggesting Starnes has a future as Jeopardy! host.
What do you think of Starnes’ performance so far? Are you rooting for him? Let us know your thoughts below.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings
This… Is… Jeopardy!
Get absolutely everything about Jeopardy! in your inbox!
Conversation40 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Comments are closed on this story.
-
R
I’m 84 and I just want to hug him🤗
18 1
-
G
I love Liam, rooting for him
16 1
-
C
Love Liam , he’s great. I hope he continues to win for a long time..⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
16 2
-
O
Love Liam! Love his quiet sense of humor!
11
-
G
I like his voice inflections when he is choosing a category.
12 1
-
G
Love Liam, so sweet and innocent but yet extremely smart. Go shark baby!!!
10 1
-
R
He is so darling and sooooo smart, and a very good player going for the big $$$ questions first! I hope he has a very long run. How can you be that smart that young?
9 1
-
R
I love the nick name baby shark, because he's so young. He's an impeccable young man. He has some of Sheldon'scharacter in him too and I hope he has a very long run. I'm sure Jim Parsons is flattered! I'll be cheering for him up in Canada 🇨🇦
8 1
-
C
Is it just me or does Liam look like a young Jim Parsons from Big Bang Theory
3
-
R
I love this guy!!
2
-
C
If he looked 20 (as he is) he wouldn't get half of this publicity. It's because he looks 14.
1
-
R
I think he was awesome. So sorry that he lost today. But for a 20-year-old kid, he's amazing.
1
-
B
He reminds me of Sheldon on the Big Bang theory!!
1
-
O
I think he is doing great to be Austic.
Never gets upset or nervous. Really proud of him...
1
-
O
Austic?????
-
-
B
Why does Liam look down when he answers a question?
-
G
Im obsessed with this young man. Haven't been so excited to watch Jeopardy in a long time.
-
O
I thought he was great!!! Way to go kid!!!
-
B
Absolutely love him! Can't wait to see him in one of the Jeopardy champion matches.. several of the Jeopardy champion matches! 😊
-
B
Good Job ! He is wonderful. This grandmother would hug him like one of my own grandchildren. Look forward to seeing him play again. Hope this t.v. exposure will open more doors of opportunities. Go Liam !
-
C
Love Liam my nephew looks like him and he reminds me of him !! Im bummed he lost today but cant wait to see him on the tournament 🩵 team Liam 💙
-
O
Good for him, but something is "off' with him.....he's slow to pick a category, he talks really slow, never moves his head, zero personality during the interview segment, and never changes his expression. Could he have functioning autism?
1 1
-
B
It’s not off - it’s just autism and it’s widely common and accepted these days. No need to refer to it as “functioning” - it’s a spectrum.
1
-
-
G
I love this little guy! He is full of charm and charisma, and there isn't a soul I know that isn't rooting for him.
-
O
He is so much fun to watch. I call him Sheldon Cooper
-
G
Liam is fun to watch and wishing him all the best. Have fun!!!!
-
C
Love Liam, some quirky mannerisms, but hoping he goes on to win more games.
-
R
Love this kid
-
O
He’s doing great but Brad Rutter was not only limited to five appearances, the clue values then were half what they are today, so $55,102 is the equivalent of $110,204 so Liam hasn’t quite surpassed that. Still very impressive though!
-
O
When did Jeopardy have the first Jeopardy worth $50 and double Jeopardy starting at $100?
-
-
O
We love him and want to see more of him!
-
L
Yeh, yeh he's cute as a button, a prodigy to behold! But let us not pretend to ignore the somewhat cringey, android-like look and mannerisms he has...the way he blinks his eyes, the way he routinely looks downward before answering a clue, all akin to robotic movements. It's all actually endearing, cringe endearing.🤭 IMO, Liam is still more loveable than Young Sheldon.🤭
11 11
-
O
Your comment is cringey! Why go there? He’s amazing!!! Stay positive!
5 2
-
L
OK!🤷🏽♀️
-
R
Nothing wrong with the comment. Take your censorship elsewhere.
1
-
-
-
B
DOESHE HAVE Asper BERGERS?
1 1
-
C
He definitely seems to be somewhere on the spectrum.
-
-
R
. By far Liam is my favorite contestant ever. I'm delighted he has made the TOC. My fingers were actually aching after having them crossed for his win on his fifth game!!!!
-
A
So we'll see if he makes it past this afternoon's show...
1 1
-
C
Sorry - not a fan.
6 20
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services