Reigning JEOPARDY! champion Drew Basile clearly came to play, but his behavior when he wins is turning fans off.
Drew, 23, the first contestant to also appear on Survivor, now boasts a six-day total of $111,601 as of Wednesday’s episode.
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The Michigan-born graduate student drew the ire of fans, particularly when he claimed a coveted fifth win on Tuesday, June 25.
He defeated Alan Elverum and Staci Garner by a narrow margin, guaranteeing his participation in the next Tournament of Champions.
Going into Final Jeopardy!, Drew held the lead, but didn’t run away, 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 lowered his head and held on to the podium, seeming to know he was about to lose.
Ken Jennings revealed that he was right with “Fort McHenry”, giving him $15,601 and the win.
Drew began to lift the facade and began a remarkable celebration.
He raised his fists, beat his chest and clapped his hands as his total winnings were displayed.
‘OBNOXIOUS WHEN YOU WIN’
Fans on social media shared their thoughts on Drew’s victory lap move and weren’t shy about saying they thought it was overblown.
“Man – learn some humility and grace. Ugh,” one Instagram user wrote when the show shared a clip from the episode.
“I agree he’s nasty when he wins,” wrote another.
“Ok this guy is getting nastier by the day,” accused a third.
“The Daily Double’s prolonged ‘Gee, I’m not sure’ act as well as the ‘Oh no, I didn’t get FJ’s answer’ face are obnoxious,” wrote another. “Sore winner.”
Other comments read: “Glad Drew won and made it to TOC, and I loved his ‘fake’ of FJ. But it would have been nice if he had recognized his opponents after self-celebrating.
“Ah, young man. He has no sense of decorum. He even applauded himself. I rarely root against anyone, but in his case… I noticed it.”
“Congratulating yourself and not recognizing your opponents. Is not a graceful winner.”
Drew will now participate in the upcoming Tournament of Champions and is the first man to get an official ticket.
The game show made Drew’s ToC spot official on Instagram with a poster of him flexing (seen below).
Many of the comments were also negative as someone read (with 100 likes): “Couldn’t be a nastier guy, I can’t stand him, he’s such a smart guy, he definitely gives off frat boy vibes.”
However, others came to his defense, as a fifth win is especially crucial for any competitor.
“Jeopardy fans would rather their contestants be stiff as a stick and robotic than show any kind of happiness in victory,” wrote one supporter.
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.
OVERCOME, OVERCOME, OVERCOME
Drew competed on Survivor Season 45 last year and is the first person to appear on both shows.
However, he’s doing much better on the game show than he did on Survivor, where he was kicked out of the top six and went home empty-handed.
He now boasts the second-longest streak of the season – behind only the champion he knocked out.
His utterly shocking opening victory last week saw him overtake 15-day winner Adriana Harmeyer, who had the 11th longest streak in history.
In fact, Drew is one of the rare “giant killers” – or players who beat a long-time champion so as not to immediately lose the next game.
Drew’s subsequent victories made TV news, with his third victory coming via an ultra-rare shootout
His fourth win earned him 33 correct answers, a season high for any player.
Some fans criticized Drew for “showing off” during these victories and for writing a joke as a final response when he knocked Adriana down.
One reason the criticism can be so intense is that Drew is the opposite of the reserved – perhaps too reserved – Adriana.
“Good tense game. After seeing the extremely modest Adriana, Allison and others on my screen for so long, I’m still trying to get used to Drew’s exhibitionism and pranks,” a fan recently posted on X.
GIANT, GIANT KILLER
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.
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‘THE HATERS CALLED ME A KNOW-IT-ALL’
Drew was announced as Jeopardy! competitor last month, and the decision was immediately commented on.
That’s because on his season of Survivor, he immediately attracted Internet haters, who dubbed him a “know-it-all.”
Drew, the youngest on his season, praised his intellect on Survivor, saying he was the smartest player in the show’s history.
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’ll look for victory seven in Thursday’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
