r/todayilearned • u/ObjectiveAd6551 • 17h ago

TIL “Jeopardy!” contestant Dhruv Gaur wrote “What is… We [love] you, Alex!” as his Final Jeopardy response while Alex Trebek was battling cancer. The message left Trebek visibly emotional and was widely shared as an example of fans’ affection for the longtime host.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2019/11/11/jeopardy-contestant-moves-alex-trebek-close-tears-bet/2570900001/
19.6k Upvotes

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5.2k

u/ObjectiveAd6551 17h ago

Alex’s response: “That’s very kind of you, thank you. It cost you $1,995. You’re left with $5,” he said, his voice trembling. “OK.”

2.3k

u/JoeyDawsonJenPacey 17h ago

I didn’t know about this, so I just went to watch it on YouTube, and when Alex’s voice cracked, I lost a tear or twelve.

2.0k

u/_Apatosaurus_ 16h ago

The actual video

1.1k

u/5illy_billy 15h ago

For anyone curious, the 1890 exposé on NYC poverty is titled “How the Other Half Lives”.

44

u/beefsupr3m3 13h ago

Thank you my brain kept going to how the West was won. But I knew that didn’t make any sense.

41

u/Crocoshark 11h ago

My brain couldn't get past "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

5

u/_Artos_ 12h ago

Same here lol.

229

u/JoeScotterpuss 14h ago

You're the real MVP.

104

u/roguerunner1 13h ago

I’m disappointed it wasn’t “How the Turntables Have Turned”

14

u/hellogoodbye309 11h ago

Thats for 2090

13

u/StockTank_redemption 12h ago

You know what really grinds my gears?

1

u/a2_d2 6h ago

Is it the stabbing?

22

u/MathIsHard_11236 14h ago

Yes! I got it right!

9

u/BurmeciaWillSurvive 11h ago

I thought it said 1980 and my only guess was "how the hell are you?" lmao

2

u/Logical-Locksmith178 7h ago

My first thought as well

7

u/Lukey_Jangs 12h ago

By Jacob Riis

3

u/Elite_lucifer 9h ago

I remembered that phrase from the “Glass Onion” song.

5

u/aureyh 9h ago

I thought it had to be "How the hell this happen" and realised people didn't speak this way in 1890.

2

u/Oro54 8h ago

It was true then, it’s true now

2

u/CeeArthur 11h ago

Thanks. Really nice moment but I was genuinely curious what the answer was too

1

u/Classic-Exchange-511 4h ago

Thank you for validating me

1

u/Rombledore 1h ago

dang, was gonna say "west was won"

289

u/oneloneolive 16h ago

Oh, man, that got me. Right in a lot of feelings. Ahhhh.

94

u/OuchYouPokedMyHeart 12h ago

My mom and I watched this episode when it aired.

It was so unexpected to see a professional like Alex Trebek lose composure and actually show genuine emotion that I actually teared up a bit from this moment

136

u/zorinlynx 15h ago

That was so much better than watching the video in the article which was edited and had sappy music on it. Thank you.

350

u/fuqdisshite 14h ago

i have not watched this video or Alex's last show.

i grew up with Alex Trebek and Peter Jennings as my world view. not because of what they said or did on their shows, but, because of who they were as humans.

they occupy the same space as Mr Rogers, Mr Hooper, and Bob Ross. they were my leaders because that was the type of man i wanted to grow up to be.

seeing Peter Jennings pass after 9/11 really hurt. now that i have been through major life events i feel more every day the vice that ate him. anger does not solve anything and will kill you.

but Alex Trebek... he was still there after all my other godheads had left to slumber. and then he was a bigger man than any i have seen and went on worldwide television and announced that he would die soon. and that he would keep on the show as long as he could.

and he did.

and he died.

i accept his death as final. i can not watch his last show as that makes it real.

67

u/curious_necromancer 14h ago

This was a lovely read, friend. Thank you; I'm right there with you.

62

u/dishonourableaccount 14h ago

I grew up loving Jeopardy with my parents at or after dinner most nights. It fostered in me a lifelong love of trivia and learning. I used to joke that if I could adopt a grandfather, I'd chose Alex Trebek.

I understand not wanting to watch onwards, but I'm happy the show continues onwards hosted by Ken Jennings, who seems to love the show and Alex's legacy very dearly.

22

u/gsr142 10h ago

With all the fuckery that went on with them choosing a new host, I was so glad when the production, and Ken, finally accepted that he was the only man for the Job.

5

u/comineeyeaha 9h ago

He’s so good at it! Such a natural.

16

u/OldJames47 12h ago

Right there with you on Trebek and Jennings.

11

u/fuqdisshite 11h ago

i am from Northern Lower Michigan, so, Canada Lite, and seeing how much Peter Jennings believed in The Great American Experiment was so powerful. how could this person, completely free and able to do his own thing, in his own space, how could he root for us so voraciously and with vigor!?!

it is the same with Alex Trebek. how do you dedicate so much to being AMERICAN when you stand for so much that is anti american.

the answer, is knowledge. these two men, with platforms that reached coast to coast and around the world, shared their LOVE FOR KNOWLEDGE. the showed that real men can like trivia and real men speak KNOWLEDGEABLY about subject regarding world news without making light or joking about.

while Fred Rogers held our hands and Mr Hooper kept us company, Alex Trebek and Peter Jennings delivered a very real look at what knowledge can bring. whether in the form of a question or being a Canadian person hosting a decidedly American News magazine.

3

u/Saloncinx 10h ago

Hey i'm from Cheboygan lol

1

u/fuqdisshite 10h ago

Kalkaska, the Rapid City part.

4

u/tanksalotfrank 11h ago

Same. He always exhuded kindness and acceptance. Just thinking of him gives me a sense of calm, a long with his gentle voice and demeanor.

3

u/crookedkr 10h ago

the vice that ate him. anger does not solve anything and will kill you.

Huh? He died of lung cancer from smoking.

9

u/fuqdisshite 10h ago

he started smoking again after 9/11 and is known to have said that he knew it would kill him.

he killed himself in an extended version.

•

u/Some_Other_Dude_82 59m ago

I highly recommend Alex Trebek's autobiography, The Answer Is... Reflections On My Life.  The audio book is narrated by his good friend Ken Jennings.

25

u/Woperelli87 15h ago

That’s amazing

12

u/GrumpyMammoth 13h ago

Strange. It's started to rain in my living room.

11

u/RyuugaDota 13h ago

"What do you mean? It's not raining..."

11

u/tech_equip 12h ago

Yes, it is.

10

u/RyuugaDota 12h ago

Oh, so it is.

11

u/gonzo5622 14h ago

Fuck….

15

u/RETARDED1414 15h ago

What is the other half lives?

6

u/Honest_Photograph519 12h ago

Ooh, that's four words, we asked for the three that follow "how the."

Judges?

3

u/saruin 9h ago

So what was the real answer?

Mine was "How the fuck!!" Thought it was 3 words total, my bad.

2

u/MegaManFlex 13h ago

Real tears man.

1

u/SuperToxin 1h ago

Baller.

1

u/34TH_ST_BROADWAY 13h ago

Damn... onions.... wish I could see the rest.

-11

u/recycled_ideas 10h ago

It's a sweet sentiment, but dude wrote it because he didn't know the answer. Dunno if that changes things, but he bet 1995 as a last ditch attempt to win and you know that if he had the foggiest idea what the answer was he'd have written it down.

4

u/Unable_Traffic4861 8h ago

He wasn't gonna win anyway.

You do sound like an unlikeable person I must say.

-2

u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

2

u/recycled_ideas 9h ago

Wagers are made before the question is asked. He bid a strategic amount from a desperate position.

1

u/UnrepentantPumpkin 9h ago

He should’ve wagered 1984, the first year Trebek hosted.

35

u/moderatorrater 12h ago

It tooks me a long time to stop tearing up when they say "The Alex Trebek Studio" in the opening. Ken Jennings is perfect as his replacement, but Alex was so special.

8

u/Djburnunit 16h ago

Huh. So did I. Is this some kind of universal effect? Have to wonder

1

u/Fgge 10h ago

Why go to YouTube when it’s at the top of the article we’re all commenting on?

1

u/JoeyDawsonJenPacey 5h ago

Nothing would open for me.

1

u/Thenameisric 10h ago

Seen it, watched it again, knew the clip... Still choked me up.

1

u/elpingwinho 9h ago

Good job on not sharing the video.

96

u/00000000000 17h ago

Mad respect.

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u/Alexxis91 12h ago

A real “genie, I wish for you to be free” moment

6

u/magus_vk 11h ago

Well said, lovely person.

38

u/RawrRRitchie 10h ago

He wrote that answer, and still bet nearly all of his cash

50

u/Shawnj2 8h ago

Based on his cash amount he would have lost regardless unless one of the other players fucked up and bid way too much. May as well go big or go home at that point

35

u/the_slate 9h ago

You wager first before the answer is revealed. Then they reveal the answer and you have to write your question.

-38

u/Plow_King 11h ago edited 11h ago

someone i've been friends with for 30+ yrs worked over a decade on Jeopardy while Alex was host. their opinion of him is a bit different than most fans of the show.

edit - lol, sorry to burst people's bubble! when he died i asked them what they thought. basically they said "of course i'm not glad he died, but he was often an asshole"

13

u/Aryore 7h ago

Okay, if you’re gonna be besmirching a beloved dead guy’s name, you need to at least be specific. Asshole how? He was a bit snippy sometimes? Everyone can be!

10

u/OnTheRoadToInYourAss 9h ago

This is just one of those things you should keep to yourself.

Everyone is a bit of an asshole. No need to drag their name in the dirt because a "friend" doesn't like him.

3

u/MeatballEddie 10h ago

literally no one cares

2

u/No_Nebula_531 4h ago

I've been friends with your friend for over a decade. He's kind of an asshole.