Jeopardy! fans threaten to boycott show after ‘sore winner’ Drew Basile receives honor for winning streak

MOST Jeopardy! viewers tune in to the show to test their general knowledge, but some have also started to turn on the show’s current ongoing champ.

Survivor 45 alum Drew Basile may have racked up over $100,000 in winnings from his days-long Jeopardy! streak, but he’s also garnered a handful of online haters along the way.

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Jeopardy! fans and viewers have called out Drew Basile, the show’s reigning champ, for his ‘obnoxious’ behavior like pumping his fists when he’s declared the winner each nightCredit: Jeopardy

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Some fans have labeled Drew Basile’s behavior as ‘disrespectful’ and have asked him to tone down his ‘bro-ish’ attitude on the showCredit: Jeopardy

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Jeopardy! isn’t Drew Basile’s first foray onto reality television, as he previously appeared in the 45th season of Survivor, which aired from September to December 2023Credit: Jeopardy
On Wednesday, June 27, 2024, the official Jeopardy! Instagram account formerly announced Basile was the newest addition to the game show’s Tournament of Champions.

“Watch out, there’s a new ToCer on the block and it’s @SurvivorCBS alum Drew Basile! #Jeopardy!” the show captioned the post.

Jeopardy! also announced the news simultaneously on X.

Reigning champ Drew Basile flexes his muscles and flashes a grin as he poses for his Tournament of Champions announcement, revealed one day after his fifth consecutive winCredit: Instagram/Jeopardy
Basile had already tweeted a message thanking his fans and viewers for their support on his journey to the Tournament of Champions.

“Honored to make the ToC, thanks for all the support from Jeopardy fans as well as the Survivor community,” he tweeted.

“They’re not kidding when they say it’s a family. And special shoutout to @anthonyd46 for all the content, screengrabs, etc,” he added.

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Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings was previously scolded by fans for throwing Drew Basile off his game after letting him know Survivor host Jeff Probst was watching, and rooting for him on the showCredit: ABC

DREW NOT DISTURB

Even before the announcement, Jeopardy! viewers had already shared their thoughts on Basile, and they weren’t pretty.

“Drew doesn’t know what being a humble winner is. Instead he’s an obnoxious winner,” commented one Instagram user.

“Someone please break his streak… Please. I was really hoping he wouldn’t make it to the ToC,” commented another user.

“Can anyone see through the fake humility of him? Waiting for a new winner,” wrote another user.

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings leaves Drew Basile speechless with Survivor news before alum’s ‘over-excited’ 5th win-
“If obnoxious bragging winning was a person,” tweeted one user.

“I could do without his “bro” posturing, but maybe he’ll outgrow it by winter,” added another user.

Some Jeopardy! fans even vowed to boycott the show until a new champion takes Drew’s place.

“I’m a regular viewer, but I’m done until Drew is gone,” one user tweeted.

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On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, Drew Basile managed to beat then-reigning-champ Adriana Harmeyer, who won a total of $351,600 during her 15-game winning streakCredit: Jeopardy
“He’s arrogant and full of himself. So unpleasant. Hopefully his run will be short and his defeat will be glorious.”

Still, Basile has managed to turn a few viewers into die-hard supporters, or at the very least, lukewarm believers.

DREW CREW

“Go Drew. Hated you in Survivor but I like you in Jeopardy!” wrote one X user.

“Shocking to see a Twitter post about drew and not seeing all the comments hating on him,” tweeted one user.

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Drew has acknowledged the haters on his social media, saying it was time to “prove them right,” regarding those who called him a “know-it-all”Credit: Jeopardy
“Our Survivor legend and Jeopardy kingggg,” commented one user, alongside a crown emoji.

“I think he’s just very competitive and can’t hold it in,” wrote another user.

“How else could you survive Survivor for that long?”

“Listening to his interview about all sorts of students skipping 7th period to watch Jeopardy with him, the Class Officer, he seems well liked and respected by those who know him,” they added.

“Think about that before you lay into such a great player.”

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Drew Basile has drawn some criticism from Jeopardy! viewers for fist-pumping, clapping, and outwardly celebrating his wins, big and small, on the showCredit: Jeopardy
“Drew is one of my personal top 5 favorite Jeopardy! contestants!” exclaimed another user.

Even Survivor got in on the action, commenting three clapping hands emojis from their official Instagram, @survivorcbs.

BASILE THE DEAL

Any Jeopardy! contestant who wins at least five games in the show’s current season are eligible to compete in the Tournament of Champions.

Basile, who was featured on Survivor’s 45th season, has won six consecutive games as of Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

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Drew Basile was last seen on Survivor’s 45th season, pictured here in an episode titled Brought a Bazooka to a Tea Party, but ended up leaving the island just 3 days before the finalsCredit: Getty
“It’s not my first rodeo, Ken,” Basile told host Ken Jennings during his first Jeopardy! interview.

“I had the privilege of being on Survivor recently,” he continued.

“So I lasted out there for 23 days of 26 with no clothes, no shelter, no food.”

“[It] affected the noggin a little bit, but I’m hoping to, you know, be back on the horse for Jeopardy.”

“Survivor’s pretty hard on the body, but Jeopardy’s tough on the mind,” he added.

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Drew Basile has now won over $100,000 during his six-game winning streak, and secured his place in the show’s spin-off, Tournament of ChampionsCredit: Jeopardy!
Tournament of Champions typically airs after the show’s regular season has wrapped.

The game show’s 40th season set to finish on July 26, 2024, though fans shouldn’t expect TOC to air immediately in August.

The majority of the show’s past tournaments have aired in November, with the last TOC running from February 23 to March 19, 2024.

The Survivor alum is faring slightly better on the trivia game show than he did on the survival competition show, though time will tell if he can beat his 23-day streak on the island.

Jeopardy! Universe

Jeopardy! first aired in 1964 until 1975. Then the nighttime version began in 1974. Since then, many spinoffs of the game show have emerged. Here they all are:

Jeopardy! – (syndicated) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7 pm ET.

Tournament of Champions – 1984 to present, features the top champions who have appeared on the show since the last tournament.

Second Chance Tournament – 2022 to present features hand-selected non-winners from the season prior, where the prize is entry into Champions Wildcard.

Champions Wildcard – 2023 to present, features all one, two and three-day champions from the season prior worth entry into the Tournament of Champions.

Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (syndication) – 2023 to present, features past greats invited by producers to vie for a slot in Masters.

Jeopardy! Masters (primetime) – 2023 to present, features the six highest-ranked Jeopardy! champions competing against each other.

Celebrity Jeopardy! (primetime) – 1992 to present, has celebrities compete against each other to raise money for charity.

Pop Culture Jeopardy (streaming) – 2024 to present, will feature teams of three tasked with pop culture trivia on Amazon Prime, host and airdate TBD

Jeopardy! has done away with specialized tournaments like its College Tournaments, Kids Week, and Professor’s Tournament to gear towards a more sports-like model, with Masters being the top of the Jeopardy pyramid.

Other versions of Jeopardy! have fizzled out throughout the years as well, like Sports Jeopardy!.