One Of Alex Trebek's Last Jeopardy! Moments Will Bring You To Tears

As Jeopardy! fans around the world learn of the heartbreaking death of legendary host Alex Trebek, many are taking to social media to share their favorite moments from the show. After manning the helm for a mind-blowing 37 seasons and 8,200 episodes, Trebek gave us plenty of memories and moments to choose from. But it's one of the last Jeopardy! episodes to air that has us tearing up.

On Nov. 5, 2020, the iconic gameshow aired as usual. But the postgame chat is when things got emotional (via Twitter). Winner Burt Thakur, who earned $20,400 to become the newest champion, was asked by Trebek, "Any family members back home cheering you on?" Thakur responded, "You know, here's a true story, man. I grew up... I learned English because of you. My grandfather who raised me, I'm gonna get tears right now..." he said as he wiped at his eyes. "I used to sit on his lap and watch you every day. So it's a pretty special moment. Thank you very much," Thakur finished. As the camera panned back to Trebek, he looked almost stunned at the admission, and his impact on his audience young and old was evident. 

As many touching moments as Alex Trebek left us with, there are also plenty of hilarious moments to remember, too. The Jeopardy! host was known for his dry and witty humor, and in one episode he really brought it out. The clip (via Twitter) shows a contestant explaining her love of a unique musical genre, "nerdcore hip hop." Trebek admits he's never heard of it and that it "doesn't sound like fun," but the contestant is undeterred. She continues undaunted, "...it's people who identify as nerdy, rapping about the things they love: video games, science fiction, having a hard time meeting romantic partners..."

Trebek, taking it all in, finally responds, "Losers, in other words..." with a wry smile. The contestant laughed, and so did the rest of us. We'll miss that dry humor, but episodes of Jeopardy! hosted by Trebek will continue airing through December. 

Alex Trebek's didn't just use his sense of humor for laughs. He also knew how to use a joke to support the show's contestants. In 2005, as the show was taping its Tournament of Champions, tensions were reportedly high (via Esquire). Competitors Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, and Jerome Vered joked that they all compete pantsless behind their podiums. Trebek was amused and decided to join in on the fun.

As the Tournament of Champions began, Trebek strode out in his usual jacket, tie, dress shirt, and pocket square, with just boxers, shoes, and dress socks on. "I was informed back stage a few minutes ago that our three contestants Ken, Brad, and Jerome wanted to relieve some of the tension and said we must do the program without trousers," Trebek told the audience.

Unfortunately for Trebek, the contestants ended up chickening out on their agreement. Trebek demanded the camera reveal all three men wearing pants. Then, ever the good host, he simply strode back offstage while the contestants doubled over with laughter and the audience applauded.

Despite how much Trebek enjoyed gently joking with contestants, he still shared plenty of tender moments with them too. One of the most heart-wrenching Jeopardy! moments happened during a 2019 Tournament of Champions episode, which was shot after Trebek shared his cancer diagnosis (via Entertainment Weekly).

Normally during Final Jeopardy, contestants are hunched over their podiums, focusing as they write down their answers. However, as the camera panned over contestant Dhruv Gaur, he just grinned at the audience. Assuming Guar just felt confident in his answer, Trebek called on him first. What Guar had actually written was, "What is we love you, Alex!" Trebek's voice wavered as he said, "That's very kind, thank you." Of course, the incorrect answer lost Guar the remainder of his money, but he earned a place in Jeopardy! lore.

Soon, #weloveyoualex started trending on Twitter as fans shared their affection for the beloved host. Guar explained the reasoning behind his answer on Twitter, writing, "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. I'm just very grateful I got the opportunity to say what I know everyone was thinking. Sending all the love."

Based on the outpouring of love from fans after Trebek's passing, we all shared Guar's sentiments.