Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek choked back tears after he read aloud a “Tournament of Champions” contestant’s answer to Final Jeopardy.
Trebek, who had announced that he is battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer earlier this year, was visibly moved by contestant Dhruv Gaur’s four-word answer, “We Love You Alex!”
“That’s very kind of you,” Trebek said in response.
The episode aired in most locations on Monday, November 11, 2019.
Damn 😢 #jeopardy #weloveyoualex pic.twitter.com/by8YufhgzF
— scott moffat (@scottmoffat30) November 12, 2019
Gaur, who was in last place during the Final Jeopardy round and had little chance of winning, took to Twitter to explain his answer:
“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 … 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“
Following the episode’s airing, the hashtag #weloveyoualex began trending on Twitter.
Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy! since 1984.
Over 8,000 episodes have aired during the game show’s 36-year syndicated run.