TV Jeopardy contestant speaks out after earning game show’s second-lowest score ever: 'I was my own worst enemy' Erin Buker was bested by "Survivor" alum Drew Basile. By Jessica Wang Jessica Wang Jessica is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog. EW's editorial guidelines Published on June 27, 2024 02:19PM EDT Erin Buker still had a great experience on Jeopardy despite earning the second-lowest score in the game show's history. The stay-at-home mother from San Pedro, Calif., ended Monday's episode with -$7,200, a low that follows former contestant Patrick Pearce's historical low of -$7,400 in 2021 — but she's taking it all in stride. On the show's Reddit forum, Buker acknowledged that that she was her "own worst enemy" that episode. Survivor 45's Drew Basile ends Jeopardy run: See his stats for every game "It was a day to forget for Erin indeed! Unfortunately, they taped what little I was able to forget about it," Buker wrote. "When it came to the buzzer, I was my own worst enemy, frequently buzzing in midway through the clue as if my thumb had a mind of its own. There's something uniquely frustrating about knowing answers, but not having the wherewithal to ring in at the appropriate time to answer them — that was my deficit and I own it entirely." Erin Buker on 'Jeopardy'. ABC Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. All in all, though, "it was still a great experience," she said. "As the alternate for the week before, I got to know all of the contestants who aired last week really well, and they were truly salt of the earth. I especially found an appreciation for the denizens of the capital to our north, from which two contestants (Kelsey and Jonquil) hailed. It was no surprise then that my fellow contestant, Graham, was another shining example of exceptional wit and character from Ottawa." The clue: This longtime Jeopardy host is being memorialized in a USPS Forever stamp. Answer: Who is Alex Trebek? "Thanks to my experiences with these three beautiful souls," Buker concluded, "Ottawa is now officially on my list of places to travel." Buker squared off against Graham Hicks and returning champ (and Survivor alum!) Drew Basile in the episode, often buzzing in too quickly and guessing the wrong answers. She did not progress to Final Jeopardy. Basile once again emerged victorious by the end of the game.