I’ll Take Things That Make Us Cry for $200, Alex

All of Twitter is crying over our favorite game show host, Jeopardy!’s Alex Trebek, and that’s just fine. During the tournament of champions Final Jeopardy!, contestant Dhruv Gaur, who had so little money left he couldn’t win, used his answer to communicate how much he, and the audience and contestants he spoke for, cared about the long-time host.

This moment is beautiful, but it’s even more moving when you know that context. Moments before this final Jeopardy round, Trebek announced that he was re-entering treatment for pancreatic cancer, which he was diagnosed with in March. Ghar shared on Twitter that he wanted to share how much the contestants were feeling for him in the moment.

You’ll notice that the contestants in the clip are wearing purple ribbons, which all champions in the tournament did to show their support for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month, as Trebek has encouraged folks to do. Going even further, champions are organizing a charitable play-along to raise money for pancreatic cancer research.

The contestant and Trebek are working with the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Pancreatic Cancer in the ninth most common cancer in women and the tenth most common cancer in men, but the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths. As is the case with many cancers, survival is a matter of early detection and quality treatment, which is where awareness and research come in.

We here at The Mary Sue teared up majorly watching this moment, and we are sending all our love and support to Trebek. Alex Trebek has been a constant icon of gentle kindness and knowledge for decades and we sincerely hope that his treatment goes well and that he will be reminding us to give our answers in the form of a question for years to come.

(via CNN, Image: Merv Griffin Productions)

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Jessica Mason

Jessica Mason (she/her) is a writer based in Portland, Oregon with a focus on fandom, queer representation, and amazing women in film and television. She's a trained lawyer and opera singer as well as a mom and author.

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