Jeopardy! champion Christine Whelchel has a lot to celebrate. And winning the February 2022 finale comes second. Ahead of the finale, the pro revealed that she has finally beaten the cancer she battled while auditioning for the ABC game show.
Read on Christine Whelchel Biography to learn more about her.
Christine Whelchel on Jepoardy
Christine Whelchel found herself locked in a tie-breaker with Henry Rozycki in the final round after the top three were given the hint—the 1949 review noted the character’s “false formula for success” & “fatally mistaken notions of his place in the whole scheme of things”—from the “Character Acting” category.
Since they all answered correctly, for example “Willy Loman”, Christine and Henry each won $34,000, while Patrick Byrnett received $17,600, eliminating him from the competition.
So forced to compete in a rare knockout, host Ken Jennings then revealed that the first player to get the answer right would win. Their next question was “Flowers”, with the clue being “After being featured in a 1915 poem, the red flower became a symbol of fallen soldiers in World War I”.
Christine quickly joined in! — “Poppy,” she said. And that was the moment she was announced as the new Jeopardy! Champion.
But while the tie-breaker seems simple to many, some people have questions like if Christine is wrong, does the other person win? Also, if the show thinks the correct answer will continue and doesn’t want to delay any longer, will they try to make it a slightly easier question?
Well, here’s the answer — if the first person answers incorrectly, the other person has to ring in and answer as well. If no one answers correctly, they edit the clue and replace it with a new one.
However, many still felt it was a bad decision to go into a tie-break.
“Why not change the rules to split the money and invite both contestants back?” one user wrote.
“Stupid not to bet the $1.00 spread. Lucky to win it all,” another commented.
Christine Whelchel Cancer
Christine Whelchel was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2021. However, one of the first things she did after her diagnosis was — take a Jeopardy! quiz. She finally got her audition the night before her surgery in May.
Fortunately, everything is fine. She is now in remission, or simply put, she is temporarily cancer-free.
Additionally, the champion’s revelation about her battle with cancer was posted on Jeopardy!’s official Twitter post with the caption: “Cancer-free and now on Jeopardy! Congratulations, Christine.”
In the shared video, we can see Ken introducing Christine as a breast cancer survivor and asking him to share more about it.
Christine Whelchel’s age
Christine Whelchel was 37 years old when she became the Jeopardy! champion in February 2022.
She celebrates her birthday on September 14, under the zodiac sign of Virgo.
Is Christine Whelchel married?
Yes, Christine Whelchel is reportedly married. Her alleged husband’s name is Andrew Ward Whelchel. He is a native Tennessean and is 46 years old as of 2022.
Before her alleged marriage to Andrew, Christine was known as Christine Goodman Grace.
Christine Whelchel’s work
Christine Whelchel is a piano teacher and church organist who is quite good at what she does. Most of her students have gone on to perform classics on major stages.
In addition to teaching music, Christine herself often performs on stage. The last time we saw her, Christine was playing some classical music at an event hosted by the Lyceum Committee of Columbia State Community College.
Also, here is her LinkedIn account (now deleted).
For those curious, the average piano teacher in Tennessee makes about $30 an hour.
Academically, Christine attended Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) School of Music.
Prior to Christine’s Jeopardy! win, MTSU took to its official FB page to cheer on the alumna. Guess what, Christine had a lot of people congratulating her even before she went on the game show.
Christine Whelchel Family
Christine Whelchel doesn’t share much about her family. However, we do have a few names of her relatives/family members — Daniel Grace (married to Andrea Urei), Donna Grace, Dewanna Grace, and Michelle Grace Ray (married to Mitchell Ray).
Additionally, Don Grace (a former performer at the Historic Zodiac Theatre) is Christine’s cousin, and Sharon W Grace is said to be her mother.
“My cousin Christine Whelchel will be appearing on Jeopardy this Wednesday, the 23rd. This is probably the most important news you will see here today,” Don posted on his FB on February 20, 2022.
Related FAQs
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Where is Christine Whelchel from?
Christine is from Spring Hill, Tennessee.
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How tall is Christine Whelchel?
The Jeopardy! champion is under 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm) tall.
Talking about her distinctive features, Christine has blonde hair and she usually wears prescription glasses.
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Is Christine Whelchel on IG and Facebook?
Yes, find her on Facebook @christine.grace1975.
Sadly we can’t find her on Instagram.