‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Sparks Internet Frenzy Over Uncanny Sheldon Cooper Resemblance

Liam Starnes, an undergraduate from Barrington, Illinois, has unintentionally become the internet’s latest sensation after making his debut on "Jeopardy!"—and not just for his trivia skills. Fans across social media were quick to point out that Starnes is basically the real-life doppelgänger of Sheldon Cooper, the iconic genius physicist from "The Big Bang Theory."

Appearing on the April 18 episode, Starnes went head-to-head with Rachel Gray and reigning champ Steven Hoying. But as the game heated up, so did the online chatter. Viewers couldn’t help posting comparisons, with one person exclaiming, "Seriously, that's Sheldon!!!!!!!" and another declaring, "Liam looks like a real life Sheldon Cooper." The flood of comments only got more creative—one fan said he looked like Sheldon’s little brother, and yet another dubbed him Jim Parsons’ much younger sibling.

Starnes didn’t just bring the look; he brought the brains, too. Heading into Final Jeopardy with $19,600, he made a bold wager, answered correctly, and walked away with $32,401—enough to make even Sheldon proud. In a nod to the sitcom’s legacy, a fan even congratulated him with, "I never doubted teenage Sheldon for a minute!"

On his return for Monday night’s episode, the Sheldon parade continued. "SHELDON IS LEGIT ON #JEOPARDY RIGHT NOW... LOL," wrote another fan, while others rooted for Starnes as the show’s resident theoretical physicist look-alike. By the end of his second night, Starnes had racked up $52,802 and earned the title of two-day champion. He’ll be back to defend his streak against fresh competition.

For context, "The Big Bang Theory" was a TV juggernaut, running from 2007 to 2019 and scooping up 10 Emmy Awards. Jim Parsons, who famously played Sheldon, won four Emmys and a Golden Globe for the role. The legacy lived on with the spin-off "Young Sheldon," which wrapped up its seven-season run in 2024.

And here’s a fun twist: Mayim Bialik, who played Sheldon’s love interest Amy Farrah Fowler, actually co-hosted "Jeopardy!" from 2021 to 2023 alongside Ken Jennings. So maybe there’s just something about the show that attracts scientific minds—or at least people who look like them.