Drew Basile’s impressive run on Jeopardy has come to an end. The former Survivor 45 contestant, who had been on a seven-game winning streak, saw his journey halted on Friday. His total winnings on the show amounted to $129,601, making him the first Survivor player to compete on Jeopardy and proving his claim of being one of the most intelligent contestants to ever appear on the island.
Basile was ultimately defeated by Cat Pisacano, who outscored his $1,201 with her final tally of $11,500. The former Survivor star had a rough start in the first Jeopardy round but managed to rally back with a total of $9,600 after Double Jeopardy. However, he missed the Final Jeopardy question, wagering $8,399 on the category “Notable American Women.” The question was: “In her autobiography, she tells of a rather ‘singular coincidence,’ that one of her Swiss ancestors was a teacher of the deaf.” Basile failed to respond with Helen Keller, but Pisacano did, successfully wagering $5,700 of her $5,800 to win the episode.
Despite his loss, Basile’s Jeopardy journey isn’t entirely over. Having won five games in a row, he is now eligible to compete in the Tournament of Champions after the conclusion of season 40. This could give him the opportunity to face off against Adriana Harmeyer, whom he eliminated after her impressive 15-day winning streak.
Reflecting on his first victory, Basile shared his thoughts with the show’s producer, Sarah Whitcomb Foss. “It didn’t feel real at all,” he said in a Winners Circle interview. “That I had taken a game off of one of the most elite players who’s come through here in quite a while — it was kind of like a reality check that, ‘Woah, you could beat anybody. It might matter based on the question set, but anything is possible.’ So that’s exciting, but that’s also quite stressful, because it’s like, I better keep it up.”
Basile also mentioned his plans to prepare for the Tournament of Champions to improve his performance in certain categories. “There’s a conception that studying for Jeopardy is impossible — that you just have to pay attention, you have to watch the show,” he said. “I’ve found that in every game that I played, my month of study, probably $2,000–3,000 came my way because of that last-second cramming. So Jeopardy is very studyable, and I think I’m gonna really systematically hit some weak points. Pop culture, music, television, things like that. And then we might see a stronger, little bit more hip Drew when it comes time for my return.”
Basile admitted he didn’t expect to make it as far as he did on Jeopardy. “I came here to the Alex Trebek Stage with very low expectations,” he said. “It’s been years since I played trivia, and I was just faced with competitor after competitor. And so that I’d be able to pull through for five games to punch my ticket for the Tournament of Champions — it’s really a dream come true.”
Basile’s journey on Jeopardy began with a significant victory over Adriana Harmeyer, who had been on a 15-game winning streak. Basile, a Michigan-based graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in English Literature at the University of Oxford, introduced himself to host Ken Jennings by mentioning his Survivor past. “It’s not my first rodeo, Ken. I had the privilege of being on ‘Survivor’ recently,” he said. “I lasted 23 days of 26 with no shelter or food, which affected the noggin a little bit, but I’m hoping to be back on course for ‘Jeopardy!’”
Basile’s performance on Jeopardy was notable. He answered 21 questions correctly and took home $23,482 in his first game, missing only five questions, including Final Jeopardy. “As Alex Trebek used to say, we have a Giant Killer on our hands, rarely as giant as this!” Jennings told Basile. “Congrats Drew on the big win!”
Harmeyer, who had won nearly $350,000 before being knocked off the show by Basile, had the 11th-longest winning streak in Jeopardy history. She will also compete in the next Tournament of Champions.
Fans were shocked by the upset and shared their reactions on social media. Some expressed sadness over Harmeyer’s departure, while others had mixed feelings about Basile. “I’m actually a little sad we’re losing Adriana Harmeyer from @Jeopardy after so many days,” one fan tweeted. Another wrote, “Adriana Harmeyer is ALWAYS a champion to me.”
Basile’s performance in his final game saw him face significant challenges. His Jeopardy opponents, Andrew Fox and Cat Pisacano, gave him a run for his money. With only $200, Basile bet $1,000 on the first Daily Double but lost. By the end of the first round, he had -$1,400, while Andrew had $200 and Cat led with $3,400. During the Double Jeopardy segment, Basile got both Daily Doubles but lost $5,000 on incorrect answers. By the end of the round, he was in the lead with $9,600, but Cat wasn’t far behind with $5,800.
In the Final Jeopardy round, Andrew finished with $1,200 after getting the question correct. Cat also guessed correctly and added an extra $5,700 to her score, bringing her to $11,500. Basile got the final question wrong and bet $8,399, dropping him to $1,201. Cat won her first game of Jeopardy and will continue on Monday’s episode.
After the episode, fans shared their theories on why Basile lost his streak on a Jeopardy-themed Reddit forum. Some speculated that he was fatigued, while others were shocked by his performance. “I suspect Drew was just fatigued,” one fan said. Another added, “It just felt like the long filming day got to him.”
Despite his loss, Basile’s seven-game run was impressive, and he will be a contestant in the next Tournament of Champions segment. Fans expressed their admiration for his performance, with one writing, “Congrats to Drew on his impressive seven-game run, and for being so much fun to watch!”
Source: Entertainment Weekly, ABC, Reddit
