DANGER! champion Drew Basile was caught off guard by a sweet gesture from Ken Jennings during his crucial fifth victory on Tuesday.
Drew, 22, the first contestant to also appear on Survivor, has been told that Jeff Probst has heard about his winning streak and is making him proud.
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The Michigan-born graduate student returned tonight for more, after a season-high 33 correct answers in the previous episode.
He faced Alan Elverum, a senior quality assurance administrator from Henderson, Nevada, and Staci Garner, a teacher from Chicago, Illinois.
During the interview, Ken, 50, told Drew that he had contacted another host: Jeff from Survivor.
“Now, by the way, speaking of Jeopardy!, Jeff Probst is a great friend of the show,” Ken shared.
“He hosted Rock & Roll Jeopardy back in the day,” Ken added, referring to the Jeopardy! spinoff show. from 1998-2001 (before Survivor).
“And he heard about your success on the show and was really excited, Drew.”
‘WOW!’
Drew wiped his forehead and gasped in surprise at the unexpected news.
“He said, ‘What an amazing kid, he was amazing, he was amazing on our show,’” Ken added in his conversation with Probst.
“He was really happy to hear you’re doing well here.”
Drew paused for a moment and was visibly moved: “Wow. I don’t know what to say,” he replied.
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PUMPED
In terms of gameplay, this was decisive for Drew, as a fifth victory guaranteed a place in the next Tournament of Champions.
In danger! round, Staci started well with the lead at the first break. A missed $3,000 Daily Double from Alan left her in the lead with $5,800, Drew $3,600, Alan $1,000.
In Double Jeopardy!, Alan got the second Daily Double, but Drew got the third as “Naples” for a win of $3,000 with 21 total correct answers.
This gave him the advantage, but not the escape, going into Final Jeopardy! with $11,800, Alan had $7,800 and Staci had $7,400.
The NATIONAL MONUMENTS clue read: “From its walls you can see the mouth of the Patapsco River as it flows into the Chesapeake Bay.”
Drew and Alan matched with “Fort McHenry”, and Drew added $3,801 to win with $15,601, for a five-day total of $91,283.
He raised his fists as he was declared the winner and clapped his hands while patting his chest.
“We’ll see him at the ToC, but we’ll also see him tomorrow,” declared Ken.
‘JUST VERY EXCITED…’
Fans were thrilled for Drew, but were divided over his overreaction to the win, even though the milestone moment was important – and meant he could now have a rematch with Adriana Harmeyer in a ToC.
“I’m not a big fan of punching in sports, but especially in game shows. I’m sure he’s a really nice kid and very smart, but his social immaturity shows,” wrote one Facebook user.
“I love the exuberance of youth and I’m impressed when someone so young has so much knowledge. Maturity comes with age”, argued another.
“Poor sportsmanship,” wrote a third, to which a fourth responded, “just too excited. Not bad sportsmanship.”
One more wrote: “Congratulations to Drew on his fifth game and spot in the TOC. Now the rematch negotiations between Adriana and Drew begin,” with an eyeball emoji.
Drew will now be in the next Tournament of Champions and is the first man to buy an official ticket.
The other qualifiers for the next Tournament of Champions (all female) are 15-day champion Adriana, five-day winners Alison Betts and Dr. Amy Hummel and Lisa Ann Walter from Celebrity Jeopardy!
That said, with four wins, Grant DeYoung and Amar Kakirde will likely participate as well.
SURVIVING IN DANGER!
Drew competed on Survivor Season 45 last year and is the first person to appear on both shows.
His utterly shocking opening victory last week saw him overtake 15-day winner Adriana, who had the 11th longest streak in history.
However, he has since proven that his surprise victory was no fluke as he has continued to win ever since.
He is one of the rare “giant killers” – or players who defeat a long-time champion so as not to immediately lose the next game.
The Birmingham, Michigan graduate student’s subsequent victories made TV news, with his third victory coming in an ultra-rare shootout
Some fans criticized Drew for “showing off” during his victories, raising his fists or writing joke responses, as he did when he defeated Adriana.
That said, his fourth win netted him 33 correct answers, a season high for any contestant.
When Drew won surprise of all surprises, Ken declared that he was a “giant, giant killer”, referring to the show’s term and his towering height of six feet.
“It’s a funny joke. Because I gotta tell you, I’m really tall. I’m 6 feet tall, so I really stand out,” Drew told People.
“So he is giant in physical stature, but I hope to continue with great games to qualify for the Tournament of Champions.
“And they call me a giant on the stature of Jeopardy!, a giant of trivia killing Adriana [Harmeyer]obviously an extremely competent player with 15 wins — that’s a good start.
“I see great things in my Jeopardy! future. I hope I become a giant, I hope I don’t get killed.”
Drew also admitted that he plans to “stock up” on his winnings from the show and take his “girlfriend on vacation, but nothing too fancy.”
Drew and his girlfriend Mary Grace met while he was pursuing his bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania.
He is now studying for a master’s degree in English Literature at the University of Oxford, in England – they have been together for three years.
‘HATERS CALLED ME A KNOW IT ALL’
Drew was announced as Jeopardy! competitor last month, and the decision immediately drew attention.
After his season of Survivor aired, he immediately gained enemies, who dubbed him a “know-it-all.”
Drew, the youngest of his season, was kicked out of the top six but held on.
Drew would use history, philosophy, and other random topics to turn his experiences on the island and his mentality in the game into long soliloquies at Tribal Council.
“Haters called me a know-it-all,” Drew wrote on Instagram, announcing his Jeopardy! appearance. “It’s time to prove them right.”
Drew isn’t the only Jeopardy! champion with Survivor connection.
Juveria Zaheer is the older sister of Omar Zaheer, who competed on Survivor 42 in 2022.
Juveria won the Second Chance and Champions Wildcard tournament, earning $100,000.
He will be looking for his sixth victory in Wednesday’s episode as he continues to outsmart, win and outlast.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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