Drew Basile
Drew Basile, the first game show contestant to compete on both the iconic“Survivor” and “Jeopardy!” game shows, said his recent wins on Jeopardy was “all about the buzzer.”
“Buzzing in with the fastest response time is a talent, along with having the correct answer obviously,” said the 23-year-old graduate student, currently pursuing his masters degree at Oxford University on a scholarship. He took away $129,601 in winnings before he was defeated after a seven-day winning streak – the second longest of the season.
Nicknamed “Giant Killer” by Jeopardy host Ken Jennings for both his height of 6”6’ and his Jeopardy show prowess, the Birmingham resident now has a permanent spot in Jeopardy history as he will go on to compete in the top winners' Tournament of Champions later this year.
“Even though the shows are completely different, and Survivor Season 45 was 23 days with no food, clothing or shelter, it prepared me for all I faced on Jeopardy,” said the lanky, bookish Basile. “But I have to admit the snacks were much better in the green room of Jeopardy. I ate my favorite Sour Patch candy to pump myself up”.
His plan worked, because he continued to win and had such an animated reaction at the end of a tie-breaking game producers decided to re-record it. “It was exciting, like a standoff in a Western, and I guess I really celebrated,” said the spirited Basile, who fist-pumped and cheered during his win.
How has the more than 15 minutes of fame affected the college student and graduate of University of Detroit Jesuit High School, now that he has been interviewed extensively and written up in national publications such as People Magazine, New York Post and Entertainment Weekly? “Well I don’t think it’s bad for business to be well-known, in whatever I pursue,” he said. “The world feels uncertain now but I am planning to get my PhD, and then maybe a career in technology or upcoming AI opportunities that are exploding.”
Next up in the near future is a vacation with his long-time girlfriend to spend a bit of his earnings that aren’t earmarked for tuition, and preparing for the Tournament of Champions, coming at the end of the year.
Prep time for the tournament is more generous than the four weeks contestants get to prepare for regular Jeopardy, and Basile isn’t worried.”Learning has been my passion since I was a kid and I have a system with spread sheets and note cards that I use to study, and I have pretty much a photographic memory with great recall, thankfully.”
You’d think with his past accomplishments, Basile would be considered a bona fide adrenalin junkie, but not so, he said. “In my daily life I don’t take a lot of risks, but then I save all of my sense of adventure for a big goal and get my fix.”
When in town, the lover of cinema likes to go to the Birmingham 8 Theatre for the latest flick, and stop by Luxe for dinner. Family and friends have all been supportive of the game show star’s road to success, holding watch parties during Jeopardy show times at restaurants like Sidecar in Birmingham, and home gatherings to cheer him on.
After the Tournament of Champions is crossed off Basile’s bucket list is there any other dream that might bring him back to the Alex Trebek Stage in the future? “It would be a lot of fun to host the show way down the line, but those are really big shoes to fill, so we’ll see what direction my life takes – there will be many more adventures I’m sure.”
Story: Susan Peck
Photo: Laurie Tennent
