When it comes to game show etiquette, “Jeopardy” contestants are used to following certain standards. For Drew Basile, the first “Survivor” contestant to compete on the game show, his excitement was quick to overshadow the what-should-have-been “poised” celebration. During an episode of “Rob Has a Podcast,” the Michigan-based graduate student — who admitted to never really watching “Jeopardy” before appearing on the show — revealed that he had been forced to re-record a winning moment due to his “huge reaction.”
“Obviously, I had a big reaction at the end of the tiebreak because, you know, it’s like a Western standoff,” he said, referencing his game against opponent Josh Heit. “I had such a big reaction that I think we had to re-record it.”
“I was like, ‘Let’s go!'” he said, while he pumped his fists in the air. “They were like, ‘We’re not doing that?'” a podcast co-host asked of the producers’ reaction. “Well, ‘Jeopardy!’ is so classy. I had a huge reaction,” Basile responded. “It was kind of a little bit muted, compared to some of the hate you get from ‘Survivor,’” he added of the retake.
Basile got mixed reactions to his behavior on set. “I was kind of a polarizing figure on ‘Jeopardy!’” he said. “They have so much poise, and they’re all dressed up to encourage those best qualities of politeness and rectitude, and people don’t really showboat.”
“I had no issue with either of those things, I love showboating,” he added. “I think [because I have] a little bit more personality than your average winning contestant, [it] could have been a little unnerving for [some] viewers,” he speculated. “Everyone loves to root against the winner … you don’t want the winner to be some kind person who you would invite into your home, that’s boring. I’ll gladly take being the heel … I’ll lean into it,” he concluded.
The 23-year-old won a total of $129,601. Basile finished with a seven-day winning streak, behind 15-day winner Adriana Harmeyer. He earned $129,601 before he was defeated on June 28.
In contrast to Basile, “Jeopardy” contestant Erin Buker made a game show record this season after earning the second-lowest score in the competition’s history. After an episode in June, the stay-at-home mom walked away with -$7,200. The low score followed former contestant Patrick Pearce’s -$7,400 in July 2021. Buker told Fox News Digital that while she had a “pretty cool” time taping the episode, she would describe it as an “out-of-body experience.”
“You’re looking, you see the clues, but you don’t remember what category it is,” she explained. “You’re reminding yourself to not, you know, make weird faces, because you’re on live television. … The way they tape it is like it’s the live show. They really try to keep it really tight.”
She continued, “So you just, like, don’t make weird faces, don’t … do anything odd, which is always kind of just running through your head. And then, so you’ll see the answer in front of you … it’s all very blurry, I can’t explain it.” “This is all happening,” she said, “and it’s just, it’s all happening at once, and there’s just a lot of noise in the head, and it’s kind of an out-of-body experience, too.”
Drew Basile, the first “Survivor” contestant to compete on “Jeopardy!,” made waves in his seven-day winning streak. Basile, 23, amassed $129,601 in winnings before he was defeated on June 28. He discussed his experience on the show on the July 3 episode of “Rob Has a Podcast.”
The reality star is known for his controversial reactions onstage, as he would often speak between clues and cheer, which irritated many “Jeopardy!” viewers. Basile revealed that after his third win, which came off a rare tiebreaker clue, his reaction was so large that the producers needed to redo the shot.
“Obviously, I had a big reaction at the end of the tiebreak because, you know, it’s like a Western standoff,” he said. “I had such a big reaction that I think we had to rerecord it.” “I was like, ‘Let’s go!’” he shared, as he pumped his fists and yelled in celebration. Basile and his opponent Josh Heit finished with $20,000 after Final Jeopardy, giving them a bonus clue. Basile buzzed in before Heit with the correct answer and won. However, his energy prompted producers to request a retake to maintain the show’s decorum.
“Well, ‘Jeopardy!’ is so classy. I had a huge reaction,” Basile noted. In the second take, he had a more composed reaction, which is what was aired on television. The hate from his manners on “Jeopardy!” didn’t affect the experienced reality show star, however. After all, he was used to it from his experience on “Survivor.”
“It was kind of a little bit muted compared to some of the hate you get from ‘Survivor,’” he said. Basile additionally claimed the negative comments about him were “incoherent.” “The negative people… they’re retired, they’re a little bit older, you know? They’re still grappling with technology, they haven’t figured out spellcheck, for example… It’s hard to be that outraged when it’s a completely incoherent message,” he said.
Despite his spirited demeanor, Basile did acknowledge that he was a “polarizing figure” among viewers of the game show. He said the other contestants had “so much poise” and were “dressed up to encourage those best qualities of politeness and rectitude.” “I had no issue with either of those things, I love showboating,” Basile said. “I think [because I have] a little bit more personality than your average winning contestant, [it] could have been a little unnerving for [some] viewers,” he added.
“Everyone loves to root against the winner… you don’t want the winner to be some kind person who you would invite into your home, that’s boring. I’ll gladly take being the heel… I’ll lean into it.” Basile explained that he started playing more casually once he hit his fifth win, which also qualified him for the next Tournament of Champions. “You’re really playing with house money after that… which probably hurt me,” he admitted.
The graduate student finished with the second-longest streak of the season, behind only 15-day winner Adriana Harmeyer, whom he defeated last month. The other qualifiers for the next Tournament of Champions are Harmeyer, five-day winners Alison Betts and Dr. Amy Hummel, and “Celebrity Jeopardy!” contestant Lisa Ann Walter. With four wins, contestants Grant DeYoung and Amar Kakirde are likely to compete as well.
Source: Fox News, The US Sun
