S45: Drew Basile

[Whimsy]

From Entertainment Weekly: 

 

 

Name: Drew Basile
Age: 23 
Hometown: Birmingham, MI 
Current Residence: Philadelphia, PA 
Occupation: Grad Student 

3 Words to Describe You: Smart, witty, dynamic. 

Why do you want to be part of Survivor? Survivor is the ultimate test of character. I've worked hard building myself up into who I am today, and my growth was in considerable part motivated by watching Survivor. I want the chance to play the game and see how far I've come.  

What's one life experience you feel has prepared you for the game? During the pandemic, I moved to Philadelphia on my own and worked at a cell center. This gave me practical sales experience that I think a lot of people my age don't have. You had to make a connection in the first 10 seconds or you were out of luck.  

Which previous player do you identify with the most? Who do you think you will play most like? People will make the comparison to Cochran, but I identify the most with Penner. Very authentic, leaning into my quirks. In terms of game play, I think it will remind of Ryan Ulrich in season 35. 

What will you value in an alliance partner? Loyalty and experience.

Favorite Hobbies: Playing scrabble, writing, trivia. 

Pet Peeves: The "oh my god!" autocorrect.

What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Winning a trivia national championship in 2019. I captained my team, and it was a culmination of years of hard work. 

What is something we would never know from looking at you? I am a pretty open book, in the sense that all my nerdy accomplishments are very predictable based on my appearance. In high school, though, I was elected secretary of the student body by my peers. 

Who in your life is your biggest inspiration and why? My mom. She is a pillar of strength and has always pushed me to go beyond my limits. I would not have accomplished half as much without her.  

Why will you be the Sole Survivor? I am very personable and authentic. I'm also a good strategist and a potent speaker. My hope is these attributes counterbalance for a weak physical game and help me clinch the title. 

[LadyChatts]

Drew's exit interview. 

https://ew.com/survivor-45-drew-basile-humiliated-mortified-interview-8415564

-he wasn't so much angry at his ouster but embarrassed by it.  He was starting to pick things up from people's answers at TC that something might not be right.  He'd been confident up until that point.

-Austin didn't know about the plan to blindside him.  Also said that Dee fooled them on the Julie vote, too (they thought the vote accidentally got leaked out to Julie when she stumbled upon Dee and Austin talking).  

-He's not a fan of splitting the vote, but says in hindsight they should have split it at the Julie vote.  Drew says he knew Julie would vote for Emily but Emily staying would have been better for his game, even though Emily was a threat.  But Emily could reel Jake in, and she was close to him and Austin.

-At the time he would have wanted to go to the end with Dee and Austin, and he thought he'd get all the credit for the strategic moves.  He did feel comfortable going to the end with any combo

-He thinks Austin would have wanted to go to the end with him and Dee but doesn't know what Dee's plan was (as in he doesn't know if she would have brought him and Austin)

-when he got to Ponderosa he said Survivor was something he wanted to forget about for the rest of his life

-he said the analogies he came up with at TC were not rehearsed, yet says his advice is to answer every question at TC that anyone gets, because it can prepare you for future questions at TC since they are often similar

Edited December 15, 2023 by LadyChatts