'Jeopardy!' Champion Ditches Her Wig on Show Amid Cancer Recovery

By Daniel S. Levine

Jeopardy! champion Christine Whelchel returned on Monday without her wig to normalize what cancer recovery looks like. Last week, the Tennessee native revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer while auditioning for the show in March 2021 and is now cancer-free. Whelchel's first win on Wednesday night was also unique in that it ended with a tie.

During Wednesday's episode, Whelchel, a piano teacher and church organist from Spring Hill, Tennessee, told host Ken Jennings she was diagnosed in March 2021. "One of the first things I did a couple of weeks after being diagnosed was take the Jeopardy! test," she explained. "And I ended up getting my audition the night before my surgery in May." Whelchel's surgery went well and she is "cancer-free as of right now."

Whelchel also won Thursday and Friday's episode. When the show returned Monday night, Whelchel was no longer wearing a blonde wig. "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 told Jennings, who said she looked "fabulous." Jennings also congratulated Whelchel on her recovery and success on Jeopardy!.

'Rock on, girl'

After Monday's episode aired, the Jeopardy! team shared the clip on Twitter, which inspired many other cancer survivors to share their stores. Scroll on to see the responses from fans.

'My hair looks like hers too'

Whelchel's run on Jeopardy! started in a strange way. On Wednesday, Whelchel and two-day champion Henry Rozycki tied at the end of the game, notes USA Today. They both answered the Final Jeopardy! clue correctly and ended the game with $34,000. There was a tie-breaker clue, that read, "After its inclusion in a 1915 poem, this red flower became a symbol of fallen World War I Soldiers." Whelchel correctly responded, "What is poppy?" By the end of Monday's episode, Whelchel's winnings reached $73,602.

'This was a great moment'

"This was a great moment. Kudos to her," one fan wrote.

'Thank you... for showing what survivorship looks like'

"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," one viewer wrote.

'What a champ all across the board!'

"What a champ all across the board! Miss Christine, you are clever, talented, and today in particular you were absolutely glowing," one viewer wrote. "Stunning in every way! Congratulations!"

Robin Roberts congratulated Christine Whelchel

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts congratulated Whelchel on her Jeopardy! appearance. Roberts is a breast cancer survivor. She recently announced that her longtime partner, Amber Laign, was diagnosed as well.

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