Jeopardy! is among the greatest TV sport exhibits of all time for mixing mind and suspense, seeing geniuses compete in opposition to each other. With Season 41 enjoying out on the 2025 TV schedule simply forward of Jeopardy! Masters‘ latest season, audiences have been launched to 20-year-old College of Chicago scholar Liam Starnes, at present a four-time Jeopardy! champion who simply so occurs to resemble one other younger genius, Sheldon Cooper. You higher consider that The Massive Bang Principle fan in me can’t unsee that now.
Liam Starnes, who’s pursuing a B.A. in Knowledge Science and Statistics, is a four-time reigning champion on Jeopardy! His fast recall and strategic gameplay have introduced his four-day complete to $81,801, with tonight’s episode having him compete in opposition to two new contestants vying for a five-game streak.
Nonetheless, viewers have been fast to take to social media that Starnes seems to be identical to a younger genius all of us love- Sheldon Cooper from The Massive Bang Principle! As an enormous fan of the long-running TV collection, now I can’t unsee it once I put the 2 faces collectively:
I actually do see the resemblance. Sheldon and Liam Starnes each have a barely reserved persona. Their shared refined expressions and hair swoop to the aspect are very Sheldon-esque. Now, all Starnes has to do is say the theoretical physicist’s traditional TV catchphrase, “Bazinga,” and we’re offered. Social media customers are all seeing the similarities, corresponding to @SchmanthonyP:
Watching JEOPARDY, the champion is twenty years outdated and is nearly actually doing a Sheldon from Massive Bang Principle cosplay.
It’s like we’re watching a real-life Sheldon Cooper proper earlier than our eyes. Identical to Liam Starnes, we realized within the spinoff collection Younger Sheldon that Sheldon Cooper achieved rather a lot academically at a younger age. The Texas native began faculty on the age of 11 and graduated at 14.
Starnes is already carrying out a lot at 20, exhibiting the world his mind all whereas pursuing his Bachelor’s diploma. @dfwheat is considering the identical factor all of us are:
Liam seems to be like an actual life Sheldon Cooper #jeopardy
Sure, you’d suppose that Liam Starnes got here straight out of the CBS collection. Now, that is making me surprise what Sheldon Cooper would have been like competing on Jeopardy! Then once more, if it have been just like the time when Sheldon was means too controlling competing in The Physics Bowl, he’d in all probability attempt to buzz in earlier than host Ken Jennings finishes studying the cardboard. @UCNote is actually feeling the Sheldon vibes from this yr’s sport present contestant:
Massive time Sheldon Cooper vibes from Liam #jeopardy
You understand it! The pure genius of Liam Starnes delivering every reply with earnest seriousness exhibits his confidence within the depth of his data with out being cocky. Nonetheless, one factor about Starnes that’s in contrast to Sheldon is the awestruck nodding he does every time he wins a sport. Sheldon would in all probability mutter “after all” after which calculate the likelihood of his future success. @RealLBMJ nonetheless felt like they noticed a “teenage Sheldon” take the stage:
I by no means doubted teenage Sheldon for a minute! Congrats Liam #jeopardy
The best way that Liam Starnes calmly tackles questions like he’s fixing a Rubik’s Dice in his sleep is completely Sheldon. I can’t wait to see how far he goes.
Jeopardy! Really Featured A Clue About Sheldon Cooper
With viewers consistently commenting on Liam Starnes trying a lot like Sheldon Cooper, one thing ironic occurred in final night time’s episode. There was truly a Massive Bang Principle query that turned out to be a triple stumper underneath the class of “Troublesome However Humorous TV Characters.” The clue was acknowledged:
Talking To Grad College students, He Says He Was One At 14, & Had Already Accomplished Extra Than Most May Have Hoped To ‘Regardless of My 9 O’Clock Bedtime’
The reply, as any Massive Bang Principle fan like myself is aware of, was Sheldon Cooper. Nonetheless, everybody was stumped on that query, together with the Sheldon Cooper lookalike contestant! Fellow participant Eric Cordova guessed, “Who’s Doogie Howser?” who, sure, was additionally child genius prodigy performed by Neil Patrick Harris. However, I don’t suppose he had a strict 9 o’clock bedtime like a younger Sheldon did.
It proves that somebody can appear to be Sheldon, however it doesn’t imply they know all the things about our favourite sarcastic TV character. @heatherreneef thought that Liam Starnes, of all folks, would have gotten that query proper:
Wait Liam didn’t get the Sheldon reply proper on #Jeopardy like how ??? And the way was it even a query whereas he was there 😂
Really ironic, proper? Perhaps the creators of the televised sport present noticed what we noticed within the four-time champ and positioned that answer-question there for curiosity’s sake.
The resemblance between Liam Starnes and Sheldon Cooper actually is uncanny. As a Massive Bang Principle fan, now I in all probability received’t be capable of watch tonight’s episode with out considering I’m seeing the CalTech physicist competing. We are able to all want Starnes one of the best of luck tonight watching Jeopardy!’s latest episodes on weeknights.