Jeopardy!’s Drew Basile calls his critics ‘incoherent’ and ‘retired’ while embracing ‘polarizing’ status on show
JEOPARDY! alum Drew Basile is clapping back at his critics after being branded arrogant on the show.
The Survivor star, 23, was knocked out of Jeopardy! late last month after enjoying a seven-day winning streak.
Critics claimed the Michigan-born graduate student was unlikeable during his stint on the show and called out the "obnoxious" contestant for celebrating triumphantly when he won games.
He would pump his fists, clap for himself, and pound his chest when he was announced the winner.
Drew responded to the negative comments during an appearance on Rob Cesternino's Rob Has A Podcast on Thursday.
"The negative people… they’re retired, they’re a little bit older, you know?" he said.
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"They’re still grappling with technology, they haven’t figured out about spellcheck, for example.
"It’s hard to be that outraged when it’s a completely incoherent message.”
Still, he admitted, “I was kind of a polarizing figure on Jeopardy!”
The reality star said the other contestants had "so much poise" and were "dressed up to encourage those best qualities of politeness and rectitude."
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"I love showboating. I think [because I have] a little bit more personality than your average winning contestant, [it] could have been a little unnerving for [some] viewers,” he said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Drew admitted that producers forced him to reshoot a scene in which he celebrated his win too enthusiastically.
He confessed that after his third win following a rare tiebreaker clue, he got so hyped up that they had to retape the ending.
"Obviously, I had a big reaction at the end of the tiebreak because, you know, it's like a Western standoff," he recalled.
"I had such a big reaction that I think we had to re-record it. I was like, 'Let's go!'" he said, shouting and pumping his fists.
He added that Jeopardy is "so classy" and he'd had a "huge reaction."
Drew left fans devastated when he defeated 15-day winner Adriana Harmeyer last month.
Jeopardy! Host Timeline
Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show's inception in 1964.
Art Fleming - 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.
Alex Trebek - 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!'s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.
Guest hosts - 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.
Mike Richards - 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show's executive producer at the time.
Mayim Bialik - 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.
Mayim and Ken Jennings - 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.
Ken Jennings - 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would "no longer" host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer's strike, and Ken was named sole host.
Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.
He was kicked out of the competition himself on June 28, having earned $129,601.
Last week, it was announced that he will compete on the game show's Tournament of Champions.
Some viewers threatened to boycott the show if Drew were to appear on it.
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"I'm a regular viewer, but I'm done until Drew is gone," one furious fan posted on Instagram.
They added that he was, "full of himself," and, "so unpleasant," and shared their hopes that he would be knocked out early.
