After his shocking and disappointing loss, six-dayJeopardy!champion Liam Starnes shared a shocking secret about his interaction with his fellow competitors in his final game. Liam, a 20-year-old undergraduate student from Barrington, Illinois,became aJeopardy!fan-favoriteduring his seven appearances on the show, winning a total of $126,584, and a spot in the Tournament of Champions. However,in his final game, Erin Morin bested him when she answered the Final Jeopardy! question correctly, and Liam got it wrong.
Liam revealed that, in his seventh and final game, his fellow competitors gave him"a somewhat frostier reception"when they heard about his winning streak.
In a post on theJeopardy!Reddit (created byJaysjep2), Liam revealed that, in his seventh and final game, his fellow competitors gave him"a somewhat frostier reception"when they heard about his winning streak.Liam detailed the events leading up to his seventh and final game. He wrote,“Despite fighting fatigue, I won game 6 in a runaway and headed back to the hotel with my winning streak still intact.”
Liam went on to say,“That night, I had my best night of sleep in who knows how long, and came to the studio in by far the best shape of my three taping days. My spot in the TOC was sealed,the nerves had gone away, and I could just go out there and have fun.”
Liam also described how his new competitors treated him, revealing,“Despite a somewhat frostier reception from that day’s fellow contestants when they learned how many games I had won, I felt as confident as I ever had, and I started the day with what had to have been my best game out of the seven I had played.”
Liam shared,“Hearing the crowd gasp after you make a big True Daily Double wager is an incredible feeling, and that correct answer on the Shenandoah Valley was one of my top three favorite moments in my entire run. I guess that’s the irony of Jeopardy: you can be completely outplayed and still pull out a win, but you can also play amazingly and lose. And that’s exactly what happened: I got the questions that mattered the most wrong, and Erin got them right.”
Liam then described his trip home after hisJeopardy!loss, stating,“Before long, I was on a miserable red-eye flight back to Chicago with winter final exams approaching, unsure whether to feel happy about my six-game run or sad that it didn’t go on longer. As time passed, however, my time on Jeopardy started to fade from my memory, and my two trips out to LA felt like some sort of strange dream that never actually happened.”
Liam added,“Obviously, those strong positive feelings came back after my episodes began to air, and I realized there was hardly any reason to feel disappointed about a six-day winning streak.It’s been amazing seeing all the support over the past ten days from family, friends, and fellow Jeopardy fans. I’m being recognized more and more around Hyde Park, which still feels a bit odd but makes my heart warm every time someone congratulates me on my success.”
Liam then went on to thank everyone who made hisJeopardy!run special, including the contestants and crew.He also shared that he ate the same food the night before every tapingfrom"El Torito in Marina Del Rey, which was my night-before meal for both taping weeks and will be again when I come back for the TOC. Maybe I shouldn’t hurt my competitive advantage by revealing this secret, but the Mexican food there is amazing."
Despite fighting fatigue, I won game 6 in a runaway and headed back to the hotel with my winning streak still intact. That night, I had my best night of sleep in who knows how long, and came to the studio in by far the best shape of my three taping days. My spot in the TOC was sealed, the nerves had gone away, and I could just go out there and have fun. Despite a somewhat frostier reception from that day’s fellow contestants when they learned how many games I had won, I felt as confident as I ever had, and I started the day with what had to have been my best game out of the seven I had played. Hearing the crowd gasp after you make a big True Daily Double wager is an incredible feeling, and that correct answer on the Shenandoah Valley was one of my top three favorite moments in my entire run. I guess that’s the irony of Jeopardy: you can be completely outplayed and still pull out a win, but you can also play amazingly and lose. And that’s exactly what happened: I got the questions that mattered the most wrong, and Erin got them right. Before long, I was on a miserable red-eye flight back to Chicago with winter final exams approaching, unsure whether to feel happy about my six-game run or sad that it didn’t go on longer. As time passed, however, my time on Jeopardy started to fade from my memory, and my two trips out to LA felt like some sort of strange dream that never actually happened.
Obviously, those strong positive feelings came back after my episodes began to air, and I realized there was hardly any reason to feel disappointed about a six-day winning streak. It’s been amazing seeing all the support over the past ten days from family, friends, and fellow Jeopardy fans. I’m being recognized more and more around Hyde Park, which still feels a bit odd but makes my heart warm every time someone congratulates me on my success. I’d like to end this very long message with three shoutouts; first, to all 14 of the great contestants and amazing people I got to share the stage with and get to know in the green room and the cafeteria; second, to the entire Jeopardy crew and especially to Mitch, the audio technician who was able to calm me down before each game (especially when I was about to come out for the first time and wondering whether or not anyone had ever gone through all 60 questions without a single correct answer); and third, to El Torito in Marina Del Rey, which was my night-before meal for both taping weeks and will be again when I come back for the TOC. Maybe I shouldn’t hurt my competitive advantage by revealing this secret, but the Mexican food there is amazing.
What Frosty Behavior By Liam’s Opponents Means For Jeopardy!
Liam’s Fellow Competitors Were Probably Threatened By Him
It must’ve been very easy for Liam’sJeopardy!opponents to underestimate himat first. After all, he’s very young, and, with his sweet demeanor, he doesn’t appear to be threatening. However, they must’ve been shocked when they heard that he had a six-game winning streak. Their frosty reception probably meant that they were intimidated by Liam, and, most likely, very impressed by him as well. Liam noticed their behavior, but he didn’t let it shake his confidence as he playedhis seventhJeopardy!game.
Our Take On Liam’s Surprising Jeopardy! Secrets
Liam Shared Some Interesting Tidbits
I always love hearing about people’sJeopardy!experiences, and Liam didn’t disappoint. I found it very interesting that he picked up on the fact that his opponents gave him a frosty reception due to his winning streak. They must’ve realized thatthey were going to have to fight even harder to beat him, and so they had to put on their game faces. I also really loved seeing how happy Liam is to be recognized by his fans. In addition, his tidbit about eating Mexican food from the same restaurant the night before each taping was fun to hear.
Liam was one of themost belovedJeopardy!championsin a while. It was impossible not to root for him. I can’t wait to see how he fares in the Tournament of Champions.Liam has the potential to become a newJeopardy!legendnow.
Jeopardy!
Cast
Jeopardy! (1984) is a long-running quiz show where contestants are presented with general knowledge clues in the form of answers and must phrase their responses in the form of questions.
