Liam Starnes Wins Third Game of Jeopardy! with $19,400 Wager

Barrington, Illinois – Liam Starnes returned for his third game of Jeopardy! on April 22, 2025, boasting a two-day total of $52,802. The undergraduate student, who studies data science and statistics at the University of Chicago, is poised to qualify for an upcoming Tournament of Champions if his winning streak persists.

In the episode, Starnes faced competitors Kyle Dunn from New York City and Sara Grady from Nashville, Tennessee. He quickly established a lead, aided by selecting high-value questions early in the first round. Host Ken Jennings remarked on Starnes’ excitement to continue, to which Starnes exclaimed, “Of course, this is amazing!”

Starnes’s strategy paid off when he found the first Daily Double, wagering $3,000 with a total of $5,800. The clue, “Most of the $100 million in loot stolen from this Belgian city’s diamond center in 2003 is still missing,” was correctly answered with “What is Antwerp?” His score climbed to $8,800 by the end of the first round, outperforming Grady and Dunn, who had -$600 and -$800 respectively.

During the contestant interviews, Dunn shared his plans to use his winnings to pay off therapy bills, while Grady discussed life with her cat, who has lived on three continents. Starnes, a sports enthusiast, has attended 17 major sporting events, reinforcing his success in that category.

Starnes ended the first round with $11,600. Moving into Double Jeopardy, Dunn found the first Daily Double and wagered his entire $2,000. He answered correctly for a total of $4,000, moving him to second place.

Starnes later encountered another Daily Double, but his wager of $2,000 on the clue about a 2024 memoir led to an incorrect guess, bringing his total down to $16,400. Nevertheless, he maintained a significant lead with an eventual score of $24,400 by the end of Double Jeopardy.

In Final Jeopardy, with the category “Images of 2024,” Starnes wagered $5,000 but answered incorrectly, leaving him with $19,400. Grady answered correctly, raising her total to $4,500, while Dunn finished at $0 after not answering.

As the night’s winner and a three-time Jeopardy! champion, Starnes now has a total of $72,202 and will compete against two new challengers on April 23. Fans enthusiastically support him, with many noting his impressive game performance on social media.