Former “Survivor” contestant from Michigan defeats 15-time “Jeopardy” champion

He just defeated the 13th highest-paying winner and the contestant with the 11th longest winning streak in Jeopardy history. And it’s not his first appearance on a televised competition. Former Survivor contestant Drew Basile just became the new Jeopardy champion.

Basile competed against 15-time champion Adriana Harmeyer of Indiana, who won nearly $350,000 in the question-and-answer game, and Tekla Sauter of Chicago in the episode, which airs Wednesday, June 19. Basile, 23, is currently a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania.

“It’s not my first rodeo,” Basile told “Jeopardy” host Ken Jennings. “I recently had the privilege of being on ‘Survivor,’ so I went 23 days out of 26 with no clothes, no shelter and no food. That took a bit of a toll on me, but I hope to get back on the horse on ‘Jeopardy.'”

How does “Jeopardy” compare to “Survivor,” Jennings asked. “Survivor” is pretty hard on the body, but “Jeopardy is hard on the mind,” Basile replied.

Basile came up short in the Jeopardy round, but didn’t take control of the game until the Double Jeopardy round, trailing the champion $8,100 to $5,600 before taking control of the game.

Before Final Jeopardy, Basile was comfortably in the lead with $23,600. Sauter came in second with $10,600, followed by long-time champion Harmeyer with $9,300.

The category was brands. The clue: In 1978, a new men’s perfume was launched that was called that, which plays a role in the company’s iconic logo. The question: Polo.

Harmeyer got the clue wrong and lost $1,400. Sauter got the clue right and won $8,001. Basile was stumped, but he only bet $118, making him the new champion with $23,482.

He will face Bob Longstreth of San Diego and Jonquil Garrick-Reynolds of Ottawa, Canada, as one-day champion tonight.