A ‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Took Off Her Wig To ‘Normalize’ What Cancer Recovery ‘Really Looks Like’

Jeopardy‘s run of inspiring contestants has continued with Christine Whelchel, a cancer survivor who’s on a four-game winning streak. During her first three appearances, the piano teacher and church organist from Spring Hill, Tennessee sported mid-length blonde hair, but during Monday’s episode, she had a shorter haircut. “After winning, I decided I didn’t need to hide behind the wig anymore,” she told host Ken Jennings, “and I want to normalize what going through cancer recovery really looks like.”

The official Jeopardy! account shared the clip on Twitter, tweeting, “A strong Jeopardy! player and an even stronger person.” (She’s also a “really generous trivia teammate,” as someone in the replies wrote.) You can watch the video below.

In her first episode last week, Whelchel shared how her cancer battle and Jeopardy! journey are closely tied together in her mind. “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. Whelchel, who added that everything “went well” and that she’s “cancer-free as of right now,” is up to $73,602 in total earnings on the game show. She’ll compete again during Tuesday’s episode.

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 1, 2022