Dhruv Gaur, a sophomore student at Brown University, brought host Alex Trebek close to tears on last night’s episode of Jeopardy!.
During the final round, Gaur, instead of answering a question, bet $1,995 of his $2,000 on conveying a heartfelt message to Trebek. The presenter, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer, was visibly moved by Dhruv’s simple message of “we love you, Alex!”
The message honoring Trebek meant that Dhruv threw away his chance at winning in the final round.
Dhruv posted on Twitter that Trebek had just shared with everyone in the studio that he was commencing new treatment in his battle against the disease.
He told how everyone in the room was “hurting for him [Trebek] so badly”, which is why — rather than try to figure out the correct answer — he opted to post his message.
Sorry for west coast spoilers, but I’m really glad I got the opportunity to say to Alex what everybody at the tournament was thinking … 1/n
— dhruv (@dhruvg_) November 12, 2019
…for context, Alex had just shared with us that he was reentering treatment for pancreatic cancer. We were all hurting for him so badly. 2/n
— dhruv (@dhruvg_) November 12, 2019
When Final Jeopardy came up, I could’ve tried to puzzle it together, but really, just kept thinking about Alex, and thought he should know. 3/n
— dhruv (@dhruvg_) November 12, 2019
I’m just very grateful I got the opportunity to say what I know everyone was thinking. Sending all the love. #weloveyoualex
— dhruv (@dhruvg_) November 12, 2019
Gaur was widely praised on Twitter, and his tweets describing his actions received thousands of retweets and likes. Others echoed his sentiments with the #WeLoveYouAlex hashtag becoming popular.
Dhruv has now used his hightened profile on Twitter to promote a charity working on Pancreatic cancer.
With all the attention coming my way, I want to also re-up this play-along for Pancreatic Cancer on Thursday and Friday. Many of us are donating $1 for every question we get right when playing along at home to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Join along! https://t.co/0BzrvDo3RC
— dhruv (@dhruvg_) November 12, 2019
After Gaur’s message, Trebek was clearly caught off guard and became choked up. He thanked Gaur by saying “Oh that’s very kind of you”. You can watch the emotional moment below.
Who is Dhruv Ghaur?
Dhruv is a sophomore student at Brown University, as well as Jeopardy! College Champion. He is currently also finance chair and an outreach team leader for Rhode Island homelessness organisation HOPE, which stands for Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere.
On Twitter, he regularly tweets about housing, homelessness, and harm reduction. His Linkedin profile reveals he previously worked and volunteered in various roles in Georgia, mainly in the Atlanta area — including as a tutor, a Hindi teaching assistant, a medical scribe and an administrative intern.
At Brown, he is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health and Economics, and he is set to graduate in 2021. Prior to that he attended Lakeview Academy in Gainesville, Georgia. At Brown, he has regularly contributed to the Brown Political Review, a student-run magazine.
Last year, Dhruv won the Jeopardy! College Championship claiming the top prize of £100,000, in the process securing himself a spot in the Tournament of Champions.