'Jeopardy' Champ Normalizes Cancer Recovery In Viral Clip

On Monday night’s Jeopardy! episode, reigning champion Christine Whelchel showed up looking a little differently than she had during her previous appearances on the show. Whelchel, a piano teacher from Tennessee, is also a breast cancer survivor.

During last night’s appearance, she decided to forgo the wig she’d been wearing last week. In an uplifting and emotional moment, Whelchel told host Ken Jennings there was a very special reason she decided to ditch the wig. The powerful clip has been going viral on social media, and it’s easy to see why.

“After the winnings, I decided that I didn’t need to hide behind a wig anymore and I wanted to normalize what cancer recovery looks like,” Whelchel said.

A strong Jeopardy! player and an even stronger person. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NQqJS2uAs1
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 1, 2022

Whelchel has already amassed $73,602 during her multi-day winnings, but the best news isn’t that she’s excellent at trivia. It’s that she’s cancer-free. She was actually undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer when she auditioned for the show—one of the side effects of chemo is alopecia, or hair loss.

“I was diagnosed in March of 2021, and one of the first things I did a couple of weeks after being diagnosed was take the Jeopardy! test,” Whelchel said. “And I ended up getting my audition the night before my surgery in May.”

When Jennings expressed his good wishes, she confirmed that all went well with her surgery and beyond: “Everything else went well and I’m cancer-free as of right now,” she said.

Many fellow cancer warriors and fans of the show commented on the viral moment, shared by Jeopardy!‘s official account.

Normalizing recovery 🤍
OT has taught me how important visibility is. Keep up this amazing work https://t.co/YQ19IlV1PI
— maddy (@maddyfrankovic) March 1, 2022

I had been pulling for Christine las week already but when I saw this yesterday I became a HUGE fan! She can go on a super streak and I will keep pulling for her. She deserves every bit of her success 💪🏼 https://t.co/K6X6dlGTsr
— Scott Clark (@FatherOfKane) March 1, 2022

I'm so proud of her and grateful for her. Although I am not a cancer survivor, I do have trichotillomania; I know this will help little girls all over the world with alopecia and trich to realize they are beautiful just the way they are. Thank you, Christine ❤ https://t.co/OHl6UDKyI5
— The Amanda Show (@mandakatherinex) March 1, 2022

Good on Christine, current @Jeopardy champ, to pull off the wig and show the collateral damage of common breast cancer treatments. She absolutely rocks the post chemo stubble! #bcsm https://t.co/0iRkFp2OFN
— Dr. Kelly Shanahan (@stage4kelly) March 1, 2022

Whelchel’s viral moment was featured on Good Morning America Tuesday, where co-anchor Robin Roberts, who is a cancer survivor as well, made the point that cancer patients don’t always wear wigs for themselves.

“Sometimes we wear the wig to put others at ease,” she said. “[Whelchel] showed a lot of strength, a lot of courage. And I’m telling you, people were watching. It makes such a big, big difference.”