Barrington High alum is racking up wins on ‘Jeopardy!’ and gaining fans online
A 20-year-old Barrington High School alum has been ringing up victories on “Jeopardy!” and is headed to a showdown with other top players.
Liam Starnes’ fifth consecutive win in Thursday’s episode advanced him to next season’s Tournament of Champions, in which the best players from the previous season compete for a $250,000 prize. He also won the episode that aired Friday.
The episodes were filmed in March, Starnes told the Daily Herald by phone Friday.
As of his victory in the episode that aired Friday, Starnes’ “Jeopardy!” winnings totaled about $123,000.
“I had so much fun,” Starnes said. He isn’t allowed to talk about how he performed on future yet-to-air episodes of the show but would say that his favorite categories concerned sports, geography and history.
“Those are things I’m really interested in,” said Starnes, a member of Barrington High’s Class of 2021 who in June will graduate from the University of Chicago with a degree in data science and statistics.
At Barrington High, Starnes captained a school Scholastic Bowl team that won the High School National Championship Tournament in 2021. Scholastic Bowl coach Jeffrey Price is among the people rooting for Starnes on “Jeopardy!”
“I'm incredibly gratified to see Liam perform so well,” Price said in an email. “You have to have a bit of luck to win sometimes, but you won’t go far without skill and knowledge. That said, I absolutely knew he was capable of performing as he has.”
Starnes’ mom and dad, Stevie and James, have been enjoying their son’s success, too.
“Liam had a dream to compete on Jeopardy!’” his mom said in an email. “James and I are so proud of him for chasing that dream and accomplishing all that he has.”
Some “Jeopardy!” fans discussing the show online have said Starnes resembles actor Jim Parsons, who played scientist and comic book enthusiast Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory.” Others have given him the nickname “Baby Shark” for his youthful appearance and skill at the game.
Starnes said he’s glad to have the support.