Survivor star Drew Basile eliminated from Jeopardy after 7-game winning streak

Drew Basile’s time on an iconic competition show has come to an end — again.

The former Survivor 45 contestant ended his seven-game winning streak on Jeopardy Friday, bringing his career total winnings on the show to $129,601. Basile was the first Survivor player to compete on Jeopardy, backing up his assertion that he’s one of the most intelligent people to ever appear on the island.

Basile was ultimately defeated by Cat Pisacano, who bested his $1,201 with her final score of $11,500. The former Survivor star struggled in the first Jeopardy round, then came back with a total of $9,600 after Double Jeopardy. However, he missed the Final Jeopardy question, risking $8,399 on the category "Notable American Women." In response to the question — “In her autobiography she tells of a rather ‘singular coincidence,’ that one of her Swiss ancestors was a teacher of the deaf" — Basile did not correctly respond with Helen Keller, but Pisacano did, successfully wagering $5,700 of her $5,800 to win the episode.

Basile’s Jeopardy tenure isn’t completely finished, however. Since he successfully won five games in a row, he is now eligible to compete in the Tournament of Champions after the conclusion of season 40. There, he may have the opportunity to play against Adriana Harmeyer, whom he eliminated after her impressive 15-day winning streak.

Basile discussed his first victory 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.”

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Basile also said that he plans to prepare for the Tournament of Champions so that he can improve his performance in some 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.”

The former Survivor contestant said he didn’t think he’d 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.”