“Survivor 45”'s Drew Basile competes on “Jeopardy”: Here's why he's probably going to dominate

After finishing in sixth place on the CBS competition series, Basile is taking his knowledge — and analogies — to a different game show suited to his talents.

Survivor 45's Drew Basile is returning to reality TV on another competition show, and this one is even more suited to his talents.

Basile is competing on Jeopardy beginning Wednesday, June 19, making him the first-ever Survivor alum to be a contestant on that show.

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After his performance on season 45 of CBS' long-running competition series, it's clear that he's got what it takes to dominate a new game show. If you didn't see Basile's first foray into reality competition shows, allow us to explain what you need to know before watching him take on Jeopardy.

At 22 years old at the time of filming, the Ivy League grad student was the youngest person on his season's cast, and he immediately described himself as one of the smartest people to ever play Survivor. His ego and increasingly grumpy attitude didn't endear him to his tribe mates (although they were amused by his sleep-talking), but he went on to help build and lead the dominant alliance of the season, nicknamed the Reba Four.

Basile thought of himself as the strategic mind of that group, working tightly with his island BFF Austin Li Coon and their other two allies, winner Dee Valladares and Julie Alley, until the women blindsided the men and voted out Basile right before the final five.

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What actually makes Basile a potential threat on Jeopardy is — and hear us out — his constant analogies during the show. In every single Tribal Council and confessional, Basile would use his extensive knowledge of history, philosophy, and other random subjects to compare his experiences on the island and mindset in the game to a weirdly specific example, which will definitely serve him well in a trivia competition. And no, his infamous analogies were not scripted or prepared in advance — they all came from his memory, on the spot.

"This was the only bit of criticism that really rankled me," Basile previously told Entertainment Weekly. "People were like, 'It's so rehearsed, it's so rehearsed.' That's just how I talk. It was not rehearsed."

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Plus, Basile is currently getting his masters in English Literature at the University of Oxford in England. He is also a self-described nerd, and previously won a trivia national championship in 2019 as the captain of his team, as he noted in his cast reveal interview ahead of the season. So it's safe to say that he has the knowledge, skills, and experience to go far on Jeopardy — and it definitely helps that he won't be starving and sleeping on a beach while competing on this show.

"The haters have called me a know-it-all," Basile wrote on Instagram, announcing his appearance. "It’s time to prove them right."

Basile competes on Jeopardy tonight. Check your local listings for tune-in information, or watch live at 7 p.m. local time on ABC.com or the ABC app with a cable login.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.