A Jeopardy champion has gone viral, after she takes off her wig on her fourth night of the show to destigmatize what cancer recovery looks like.
Who is Jeopardy Champion, Christine Whelchel?
Christine Whelchel, of Spring Hill, Tennessee first appeared on Jeopardy! on Wednesday, February 23, where she shared that she was a breast cancer survivor.
That evening host Ken Jennings introduced her as a piano teacher, a church organist, and a breast cancer survivor, inviting her to share more about that.
Watch her explanation here:
Cancer-free and now on Jeopardy! Congratulations, Christine. 😊 pic.twitter.com/6GcY866Zrc
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) February 23, 2022
“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,” the future Jeopardy champion had explained. “And I ended up getting my audition the night before my surgery in May,” she explains.
Finally, in February of 2022, the big day for the cancer-free contestant came. Whelchel went on to win that night, and the following two nights, which lead to her fourth night on Jeopardy! on February 28.
Only, she came to the Monday night competition with a different look.
Whelchel Takes Off Her Wig
On the fourth night the Jeopardy champion comes without her wig as a statement. According to Whelchel, she wanted to show her hair regrowth after chemotherapy, in order to destigmatize cancer recovery, and it seems that her previous wins the week before had brought her the courage to do that.
Host Ken Jennings interviewed Whelchel in a video Jeopardy! posted to Twitter, and the video went viral with more than 162,000 views as of today.
As is customary at the beginning of each show, Jennings introduces all the contestants, and when he comes to the then three-time Jeopardy champion, he invites her to share why she takes off her wig for the Monday night show.
“Christine Whelchel, we remember as a piano teacher, church organist from Spring Hill, Tennessee,” Jennings begins, “But if you watched last week, you might notice that Christine looks a little different today. Tell us about your look.”
The Jeopardy champion responds, “Um, after the winnings, I decided that I didn’t need to hide behind the wig anymore, and I wanted to normalize what cancer recovery looks like.”
Encouraging Whelchel in her effort to destigmatize cancer recover, Jennings responds, “You look fabulous! Congratulations on your recovery and on your success on Jeopardy!”
Watch Jeopardy’s video posted here:
A strong Jeopardy! player and an even stronger person. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NQqJS2uAs1
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 1, 2022
It appears that many have been inspired by the Jeopardy champion who takes of her wig, and her courage, too, as responses included all kinds of encouragement from those who saw her story…