It’s not often that Jeopardy brings viewers, let alone host Alex Trebek, to tears.
But one contestant’s surprise Final Jeopardy answer left the moderator visibly choked up this week.
Trebek shocked the world in March when he announced he’d been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.
The disease—the fourth most common cause of death in the US due to cancer—emerges when cells in the digestive organ begin to grow out of control.
The American Cancer Society estimates an average survival rate of about five years.
“With the love and support of my family and friends—and with the help of your prayers, also—I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease,” Trebek said earlier this year.
“Truth told, I have to. Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy for three more years,” he explained, with signature drollery.
Following an initial outpouring of encouragement from folks like Pat Sajak and contestants Ken Jennings and Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, Trebek’s disease took a backseat to the show, which he’s continued hosting well into his 35th year.
So it came as a bit of a shock when Tournament of Champions contestant Dhruv Gaur chose to honor the emcee with a costly message.
Instead of attempting to solve the Final Jeopardy puzzle, Gaur wrote “We [love] you, Alex!”
Trebek read the answer as usual, barely pausing to swallow the lump in his throat.
“That’s very kind of you, thank you,” he said, taking a breath. “Cost you $1,995. You’re left with five bucks. OK.”
In a series of tweets, Gaur, a Brown University student, explained his decision:
“I’m really glad I got the opportunity to say to Alex what everybody at the tournament was thinking,” he wrote, apologizing for “west coast spoilers.”
“Alex had just shared with us that he was reentering treatment for pancreatic cancer. We were all hurting for him so badly,” Gaur continued. “When Final Jeopardy came up, I could’ve tried to puzzle it together, but really, just kept thinking about Alex, and thought he should know.
“I’m just very grateful I got the opportunity to say that I know everyone was thinking,” he added. “Sending all the love. #weloveyoualex”
After the show aired on Monday, the hashtag began trending on social media as fans praised Gaur’s love letter and Trebek’s professionalism.
Contestants are organizing a charitable play-along Thursday and Friday to help fight pancreatic cancer, encouraging viewers to donate $1 to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research for every correct answer they get at home.
Created by Merv Griffin and presented by Art Fleming, the quiz competition debuted in 1964 and ran for 11 years. A weekly nighttime syndicated edition aired from 1974-75, and a revival (The All-New Jeopardy!) lasted five months in 1978/79.
It wasn’t until Trebek stepped up to the podium in 1984, though, that the show really took off. With more than 7,000 episodes and a record 33 Daytime Emmy Awards (not to mention a Peabody Award), the program—and its host—is an American treasure.
If all goes well, Trebek will continue entertaining through at least 2023.
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