‘Jeopardy!’s Drew Basile Shoots His Shot at ‘Survivor’ 50: ‘I Would Be a Great Pick’

Having returned to the Alex Trebek Stage for the latest Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, Drew Basile feels ready for a Survivor reprise.

Basile previously competed in Survivor Season 45, in which he came in sixth place, and now he wants to join the returning castaways on the CBS reality show’s milestone 50th season.

“Yeah, my opinion has definitely changed on Survivor 50,” the trivia champ told Entertainment Weekly. “I haven’t gotten the call, I don’t have any concrete information, but I think I would be a great pick. I think CBS would really benefit from picking me.”

Returning to Jeopardy! has made Basile more confident about his Survivor chances, he explained to the magazine.

“I’ve got a little bit of a different perspective than some of the other contestants — I’m not afraid to get mean,” he added. “You’ve got a lot of good talkers on the show these days, but for me, words are a weapon. I say the right word on Jeopardy! every time, and I win $100,000. I can definitely say the right words to win a million on Survivor.”

Basile became the first Survivor alum to play Jeopardy! last June, when he started an eight-game streak that earned him $129,601 in winnings. He returned for the 2025 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions but got eliminated in the semifinals.

The 24-year-old master’s student told EW he considers Jeopardy! and Survivor “pretty much at the top” of all TV competitions, and he wouldn’t mind another shot on the former.

“Some people treat Jeopardy! like a job. They study, they practice, they get their own buzzer system at home, they prep,” he observed. “If I were going to take things to the next level, like, say, [the] Jeopardy! Invitational, that would be the kind of system I would want to implement. I’ve already been looking at some things like that, some flashcards, getting people to help me. And I’m confident that if we come back, we’ll come back invincible. I didn’t beat anybody this time, but next time I’ll be swinging.”

Survivor, Season 48 Premiere, Wednesday, February 26, 8/7c, CBS

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