CHICAGO (WLS) — Liam Starnes of Barrington has been enjoying a winning streak on “Jeopardy!”
If you don’t want to know how he did on Friday, look away and turn down the volume.
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Starnes managed to beat out his competition.
“It’s been a dream ever since I was much younger than I am now,” Starnes said.
Starnes is living his dream. The University of Chicago student has made good after becoming a contestant on “Jeopardy!” and winning a sixth match this week.
Starnes cannot say if he has won any more rounds or added to his $123,000 in prize winnings.
“I didn’t think I’d make it on, but one day, I got the call. It was such a great experience, being up there on the stage and getting to meet Ken Jennings and everything,” Starnes said.
The college senior studying biostatistics returned to school with a chance to participate in the TV quiz show’s tournament of champions.
Despite the chance at competing for $250,000 in prize money, Starnes says being on the show has been something he has always wanted to do since grade school.
“When I was in middle school, I started playing scholastic bowl in sixth grade, and it’s something I knew I loved,” Starnes said.
Since then, Starnes has participated in scholastic bowls at Barrington High School in Chicago’s suburbs and at U of C.
His most cherished accomplishment is being team captain of a winning team during his senior year in high school, when they clinched the national championship.
He says it was those competitions that prepared him for “Jeopardy!”
Starnes says he auditioned, taking a teen test, then a college test, then a regular test to get on “Jeopardy!” before finally getting the call in 2023 to be on the show.
He got a text message, but really didn’t think much of it, at first.
“Producers told me, ‘How would you like to fly out to Los Angeles?’ And that was a great feeling,” Starnes said.
His strongest subject is sports. Pop culture, not so much.
He prepared the old-fashioned way, by studying old questions and watching the show.
And while the thrill of the experience is still fresh, Starnes says after he graduates in June, he would like to work as a researcher and use some of his winning to travel. He hopes his journey to “Jeopardy!” can be an inspiration.
“Keep trying to learn new things. You’ll never know what you’ll find,” Starnes said.
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