JEOPARDY! viewers are still in shock over Survivor alum Drew Basile's win over 15-day champ Adriana Harmeyer- but realized a mind-boggling extra layer. The third contestant in the upset of all upsets on Wednesday would have won instead if she had only wagered a bit smarter. Adriana faced Drew and Tekla Sauter to try for her 16th straight win on June 19, having amassed $349,600 so far.
The archivist from West Lafayette, Indiana, was the shoo-in favorite to win and would have been tied for the 10th-longest streak in Jeopardy! history. So it was quite a shock when Drew, the first Survivor contestant to compete on the game show - dominated the game. In Double Jeopardy!, the torch-snuffing moment came when Drew found the second Daily Double and fearlessly wagered $10,000.
He wound up winning in a runway fashion where FInal Jeopardy didn't matter. However, Tekla could have won the game- and nearly did. She found the last Daily Double, and at the time, she had $6400 to his $23,600 and Adriana's $9300.
She opted to bet $3000 instead of going all-in. If she had, she would still be in contention for Final Jeopardy, which only she got correct as "Polo." In other words, Tekla's Daily Double wager was the only reason she wasn't the giant killer instead of Drew.
Fans on Reddit realized that Tekla was actually quite close to winning the game- barring her wagering mistake. “I know the headline is the giantslayer, and yet I can't stop thinking about that last Daily Double wager," one fan be.