New ‘Jeopardy!’ champ Christine Whelchel reveals cancer battle

What is … very inspiring?

“Jeopardy!” winner Christine Whelchel has a lot to celebrate! The Spring Hill, Tennessee, native revealed on Wednesday’s episode that she battled breast cancer during her game show auditions.

Host Ken Jennings introduced Whelchel to the audience last night and her health battles came up in the discussion.

“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. And I ended up getting my audition the night before my surgery in May,” she said.

“Well, evidently the audition went well!” Jennings responded. “You’re here. And I hope the surgery [went well] too.”

The piano teacher joyfully divulged that she is now in remission. “Everything else went well and I’m cancer-free as of right now,” Whelchel said.

The official “Jeopardy!” Twitter account shared a clip of the exchange with the caption: “Cancer-free and now on ‘Jeopardy!’ Congratulations, Christine.”

Whelchel made it to the final round when she found herself stuck in a tiebreaker with two-day winner Henry Rozycki. The category in Final Jeopardy was “Play Characters” and the contestants were given the clue: “A 1949 review noted the ‘wrong formulas for success’ of this character & ‘fatal misconceptions about his place in the scheme of things.'”

Whelchel, Rozycki and the third contestant, Patrick Byrnett, all correctly guessed “Willy Loman.” Byrnett ended up with $17,600 while Rozycki and Whelchel each scored $34,000.

The two were then forced to compete in a rare tiebreaker. Jennings said that the first competitor to buzz the correct answer would win the game.

The next category was “Flowers,” with the clue reading: “After its inclusion in a 1915 poem, this red flower became a symbol of fallen World War I soldiers.”

Whelchel quickly chimed in with answer: “Poppy.” This prompted her to crush Rozycki and Jennings announced her as the victor. “Christine, you are our new ‘Jeopardy!’ champion! Cancer-free and $34,000 richer. Congratulations to you. What a victory!” he exclaimed.

She will return to the “Jeopardy!” stage tonight to defend her win.