JEOPARDY! fans think that Drew Basile’s game has been messed up after host Ken Jennings paid him a compliment.
Many fans believe the moment should have happened off-screen because it seemed to throw Drew off.
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Ken Jennings is believed to have thrown off Drew Basile’s game on Jeopardy!Credit: ABC
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The host told Drew that Survivor host Jeff Probst was watching him and was proud of himCredit: ABC
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Drew seemed flustered by Ken’s compliment and fans think it threw off the rest of his gameCredit: ABC
Alan Elverum, a senior quality assurance administrator from Henderson, Nevada, Staci Garner, a teacher from Chicago, Illinois, and returning champion, Drew Basile, a graduate student from Birmingham, Michigan, all faced off on June 25.
While Ken, 50, was giving the introductions on the game show, he told Drew about a special person who was watching him compete.
Before Jeopardy!, Drew was a competitor on Season 45 of Survivor.
“Speaking of Jeopardy!, Jeff Probst is a big fan of the show. He hosted the Rock ‘n Roll Jeopardy! back in the day,” Ken said.
Jeff has also been the host of Survivor since Season 1.
“And he has heard about your success on the show, and he is so excited, Drew,” Ken continued.
Drew wiped the sweat from his forhead and let out a “phew.”
“He was like, ‘What a great kid. He’s amazing. He was amazing on our show.’ He was so delighted to hear you were doing well here,” Ken said.
“I don’t even know what to say,” a stunned Drew replied.
“Your reputation follows you to the Jeopardy! set,” Ken said.
Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings ‘puts Drew Basile in his place’ with ‘sly’ move fans almost missed at end of the show
‘SHOULD HAVE WAITED!’
Although Drew seemed like he appreciated the compliment, fans thought that Ken should have waited until after the show to tell him Jeff’s comments.
“I thought Drew handled the Jeff Probst compliment, delivered by Ken, really well,” one Reddit user said.
“There he was on the spot and had to react. He was humble and honest, just said he didn’t know what to say, but at same time showed he was happy about it. He’s got a lot of poise for someone so young.”
However, one fan disagreed.
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.
“I thought Ken should’ve waited until after the taping to tell him that. It seemed like it really flustered Drew and threw him off his game for a bit,” they wrote.
“I think his comment threw Drew off a little bit,” said another fan.
DREW ON SURVIVOR
Drew was on Survivor during Season 45.
He was in the Reba Four alliance, which consisted of him, Julie Alley, Austin Li Coon, and Dee Valladares.
Sadly, the alliance decided to turn on each other.
Drew was blindsided by his alliance and was voted out during the final six.
