Alex Trebek tears up after Jeopardy! contestant throws away $1,995 by using his answer to honor the cancer-stricken host by writing ‘what is we love you Alex?’
Alex Trebek teared up during the final round of Jeopardy! on Monday night after a contestant used his answer to honor the beloved game show host.
The 79-year-old host, who is battling pancreatic cancer, got emotional during the Final Jeopardy round when contestant Dhruv Gaur conveyed his heartfelt message.
Instead of writing in his question, the Tournament of Champions contestant wrote: ‘We love you, Alex!’
Gaur had bet $1,995 of his $2,000 on the answer – meaning he threw away his shot at a win in favor of honoring Trebek.
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Alex Trebek, who is battling pancreatic cancer, got emotional during the Final Jeopardy round when contestant Dhruv Gaur conveyed his heartfelt message
The host was clearly caught off guard when he saw the message.
‘Oh, that’s very kind of you,’ Trebek said as he choked up. ‘Thank you.
‘(That) cost you $1,995, you’re left with $5.’
The contestant later took to Twitter to say he had no regrets and was just saying what everyone else was thinking.
‘Sorry for west coast spoilers, but I’m really glad I got the opportunity to say to Alex what everybody at the tournament was thinking,’ said Gaur, who is studying at Brown University.
‘For context, Alex had just shared with us that he was reentering treatment for pancreatic cancer. We were all hurting for him so badly.
‘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 what I know everyone was thinking. Sending all the love. #weloveyoualex’.
Instead of writing in his question, the Tournament of Champions contestant wrote: ‘We love you, Alex!’. Gaur had bet $1,995 of his $2,000 on the answer – meaning he threw away his shot at a win in favor of honoring Trebek
The contestant later took to Twitter to say he had no regrets and was just saying what everyone else was thinking
It comes after 18-year-old Jeopardy! winner, Ari Gupta, donated $10,000 of his winning to an Oregon cancer research institute in honor of Trebek.
Gupta, of Portland, Oregon, made the donation of $10,314 to the Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute.
He was the 2019 Teen Tournament Champion and took home $100,000 in winnings.
Trebek, who has hosted the show for 35 years, has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment in between taping episodes ever since revealing back in March that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
He hasn’t missed a day on the show, which tapes in advance, since his diagnosis.
Trebek revealed in September that his doctor had ordered him to have chemotherapy against after taking a short break from treatment.
It comes after 18-year-old Jeopardy! winner, Ari Gupta, donated $10,000 of his winning to an Oregon cancer research institute in honor of Trebek. He was the 2019 Teen Tournament Champion and took home $100,000 in winnings.
He told Good Morning America that after a short period of optimism when he stopped chemotherapy, his ‘numbers shot up’ and doctors ordered him back on the treatment.
Trebek said his goals for the summer were to get his strength and hair back but his progress on both fronts was dismal.
He said he didn’t feel terrible, although he had fatigue and occasional pain in his back.
‘There are moments when, for no reason at all, I feel this surge of sadness, depression,’ he said.
‘It doesn’t last for very long, but it takes over your whole being for a period of time.’
While he’s concerned about what his passing would mean for his loved ones, Trebek said he’s not afraid of what lies ahead.
‘I’m 79 years old,’ he said. ‘I’ve had one hell of a good life.’
