JEOPARDY! champ Drew Basile was blindsided by a sweet gesture from Ken Jennings during his crucial fifth victory on Tuesday.

Drew, 22, the first contestant to have also been on Survivor, was told Jeff Probst got word of his winning streak and is doing him proud.

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Ken Jennings told the Jeopardy! champ and Survivor alum that he was making Jeff Probst proudCredit: Jeopardy

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‘Wow,’ Drew Basile responded, ‘I don’t know what to say’Credit: Jeopardy

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Drew Basile placed seventh on Survivor Season 45 before winning big on JeopardyCredit: Getty
The Michigan-born graduate student returned tonight for more after a season-high of 33 correct responses in the previous episode.

He faced Alan Elverum, a senior quality assurance administrator from Henderson, Nevada, and Staci Garner, a teacher from Chicago, Illinois.

During the interview segment, Ken, 50, told Drew he had contacted another host: Survivor’s Jeff.

“Now, incidentally, speaking of Jeopardy!, Jeff Probst is a big friend of the show,” Ken shared.

“He hosted Rock & Roll Jeopardy back in the day,” Ken added, referring to Jeopardy!’s 1998-2001 spinoff show (before Survivor).

“And he has heard about your success on the show and was so excited, Drew.”

‘WOW!’

Drew wiped his brow and gasped in surprise at the unexpected news.

“He was like, ‘what a great kid he was amazing he was amazing on our show,’” Ken added on his convo with Probst.

“He was so delighted to hear you’re doing well here.”

Drew took a moment and was visibly moved, “Wow. I don’t know what to say,” he replied.

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Jeff Probst hosted Rock & Roll Jeopardy! from 1999 until 2001Credit: Jeopardy!

PUMPED UP

Gameplay-wise, this was make-or-break for Drew, as a fifth win guaranteed a slot in the next Tournament of Champions.

In the Jeopardy! round, Staci got off to a hot start with the lead by the first break. A missed $3,000 Daily Double from Alan left her in the lead with $5,800, Drew, $3600, Alan $1,000.

In Double Jeopardy!, Alan snagged the second Daily Double, but Drew aced the third one as “Naples” in a $3000 gain with 21 correct responses overall.

This gave him the advantage, but not a runaway, going into Final Jeopardy! with $11,800, Alan had $7,800 and Staci $7,400.

The NATIONAL MONUMENTS clue read, “From its ramparts, you can see the mouth of the Patapsco River as it flows into Chesapeake Bay.”

Drew and Alan were correct with “Fort McHenry,” and Drew added $3,801 to win with $15,601 for a five-day total of $91,283.

He pumped his fists as he was declared the winner and clapped while patting his chest.

“We’ll be seeing him in the ToC, but we’ll also be seeing him tomorrow,” Ken declared.

‘JUST OVER-EXCITED…’

Fans were thrilled for Drew but were divided over his over-the-top reaction to winning, even if the milestone moment was major- and meant he may now have a rematch with Adriana Harmeyer in a ToC.

“I’m not a big fan of fist-pumping in sports, but especially not on game shows. I’m sure he’s a perfectly nice kid and very bright, but his social immaturity shows,” one Facebook user wrote.

“I love the exuberance of youth, and I’m amazed when someone that young is so knowledgeable. Maturity comes with age,” defended another.

“Poor sportsmanship,” wrote a third, to which a fourth replied, “just over-excited. Not poor sportsmanship.”

One more wrote, “Congrats to Drew for his fifth game and TOC berth. Now commences the Adriana and Drew rematch talks,” with an eyeball emoji.

Drew will now be in the next Tournament of Champions, and is the first male to puch an official ticket.

The other qualifiers for the next Tournament of Champions (all female) are 15-day champ Adriana, five-day winners Alison Betts and Dr. Amy Hummel and Celebrity Jeopardy!’s Lisa Ann Walter.

That said, with four wins, Grant DeYoung and Amar Kakirde will likely join in as well.

SURVIVING ON JEOPARDY!

Drew competed on Survivor Season 45 last year and is the first person to be on both shows.

His utterly shocking initial win last week saw him outplay 15-day winner Adriana, who had the 11th-longest streak in history.

However, he’s since proven his upset win was no fluke, as he has kept winning since.

He’s one of the rare “giant killers”- or players to beat a long-running champ to not immediately lose the next game.

The graduate student from Birmingham, Michigan’s subsequent wins have made for splashy TV, with his third victory coming from an ultra-rare tiebreaker

Some fans have called out Drew for “showboating” during his wins, pumping his fists or writing joke answers as he did when he beat Adriana.

That said, his fourth win saw him nab 33 correct responses, a season record for any contestant.

When Drew won the upsets of all upsets, Ken declared he was a “giant, giant killer” referring to the show term and his towering height of six-foot-six.

“It’s a funny joke. ’cause I gotta tell you, I am very tall. I’m 6’6”, so I really stand out,” Drew told People.

“So it’s giant in physical stature, but I hope to continue on with some great games to qualify for the Tournament of Champions.

“And they call me a giant in Jeopardy! stature, a trivia giant taking out Adriana [Harmeyer], obviously an extremely competent player with 15 wins — it’s a good start.

“I see big things in my Jeopardy! future. I hope to become a giant myself, hopefully one that does not get slayed.”

Drew also admitted that he plans to “stockpile” his winnings from the show and take his “girlfriend on vacation, but nothing too fancy.”

Drew and his girlfriend Mary Grace met while he was pursuing his Bachelor’s at the University of Pennsylvania.

He is now pursuing his Master’s in English Literature at Oxford University in England – they’ve been together for three years.

‘HATERS HAVE CALLED ME A KNOW IT ALL’

Drew was announced as a Jeopardy! contestant last month, and the decision instantly turned heads.

After his Survivor season aired, he immediately got haters, who dubbed him a “know-it-all.”

Drew, the youngest of his season, was booted from the top six but held his own.

Drew would use history, philosophy, and other random topics to weave his experiences on the island and his mindset in the game into long soliloquies in Tribal Council.

“The haters have called me a know-it-all,” Drew wrote on Instagram, announcing his Jeopardy! appearance. “It’s time to prove them right.”

Drew isn’t the only Jeopardy! champ with a Survivor connection.

Juveria Zaheer is the older sister of Omar Zaheer, who competed on Survivor 42 in 2022.

Juveria won the Second Chance tournament and Champions Wildcard, winning $100,000.

He will go for win six on Wednesday’s episode as he continues to outwit, outplay and outlast.

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Drew Basile and Alan both aced final as ‘Fort McHenry’Credit: Jeopardy

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Drew Basile divided fans with an over-the-top reaction to his fifth winCredit: Jeopardy

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Drew Basile will now officially be in the next Tournament of Champions with a rematch against Adriana Harmeyer on the boardCredit: Jeopardy