Domenick Abbate

Domenick Abbate is a contestant from .
An aggressive player, Domenick found himself a target on the Naviti tribe. After forming a close bond with Wendell Holland, one that would last the entirety of the game, and later expanding their alliance with the addition of Malolo outsiders Donathan Hurley and Laurel Johnson, Domenick quickly took control over the game. After the merge, Domenick made swift work of taking out his biggest threat in Chris Noble, and after winning the Final Immunity Challenge, he would finally attempt to take out Wendell. This plan would ultimately fail, leading to a historic Final Tribal Council where both he and Wendell would tie with five votes, forcing second runner-up Laurel to cast the deciding vote. In the end, Laurel chose to award Wendell the title of Sole Survivor over Domenick, making him the runner-up.
==Profile==
Retrieved from CBS.com
Age: 38
Hometown: Nesconset, New York
Current residence: Nesconset, New York
Occupation: Construction Supervisor
Hobbies: Crossfit, poker, and skiing.
Pet peeves: Fake people, small talk at parties, and judgmental people who are convinced they are better than me.
Three words to describe you: Calculated, intuitive, and empathetic.
What's your personal claim to fame? My greatest personal accomplishment came when my first daughter was born in 2008. Before her birth I was very overweight, smoked cigarettes, dabbled quite a bit at the craps table and would most likely be sitting down at the poker table on any given day. I recall a specific moment when my daughter was about a year old and she wanted me to take her outside on the swings. It was chilly that day so I had to dress warm. While putting on my shoes, I recall panting from being out of breath from the simple act of tying my own shoes. It was at that moment that I knew I had to make a change so that I would be around a long time for her and my other children that were soon to come. In the last seven years, I quit smoking, dropped 65 pounds and even though I can still occasionally be found in a poker room, I have dramatically prioritized where my income goes and where most of my money is spent, which is primarily bills and workout clothes for my wife.
Who or what is your inspiration in life? My father. He raised nine kids on a construction salary, taught his boys to be men and his daughters to be ladies.
If you could have three things on the island, what would they be and why? A photo of my wife, a picture of my rugrats because they're awesome, and an antihistamine, which I will spike in somebody's drinking water if they are relentlessly annoying me and/or the group on the island.
Which Survivor contestant are you most like? I know you are looking for one, but I am going to split this in three. Mostly Cirie, because I think she is masterfully empathetic with other players. She has an amazing ability to disable people. I hope I can do what she has done in the game. Second is Cochran. He wins in the emotional intelligence category that allows him to morph into whatever he needs to at the time. He also understands the importance of stroking other people's egos when he needs to. This is something I hope I am capable of doing. And finally Rob Mariano, for the simple fact that we both come from Italian families with a background in construction. But more importantly, he sees the game big picture which is critical and I hope I can maintain.
What's your reason for being on Survivor? Obviously this is the opportunity of a lifetime to play this game, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take a forced break from real life. And I don't mean that I am happy to leave my family or my job, but this game will force me to be away from my life for a set period of time which I hope will open my eyes to what's important when I get home. Oh yeah, and that money is mine!
Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor? I grew up in a house with eight siblings. Lack of food, clothes, and showers are something I'm accustomed to. This game should be a walk in the park.http://web.archive.org/web/20230204052411/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/215829/
==Survivor==
Domenick started on the Naviti tribe. After Naviti lost the opening challenge, Domenick stated that the tribe's leader Chris Noble had made a mistake, upsetting the latter. At camp, Wendell Holland notified him that Sebastian Noel said he wanted him out, to which Domenick said Chris was the ringleader. Naviti however won immunity. On Night 3, Domenick searched for a Hidden Immunity Idol and found it. The following morning, Domenick attempted to build trust with Chris by giving him a fake idol while claiming it was real, though Chris thought Domenick was lying about the idol. Naviti won immunity again on Day 6.
When the tribe switch occurred, Domenick remained on Naviti with Chris, Wendell, Angela Perkins, and Morgan Ricke. Domenick still targeted Chris, but after losing the next Immunity Challenge, Chris was sent to , which foiled his plan. At camp, Domenick showed the original Malolos his fake idol to build trust, but this just made former Malolo James Lim distrust him. At Tribal Council, Domenick, Wendell, and Morgan targeted Angela for being Chris's right-hand man, but Morgan was blindsided by the original Malolos. After her elimination, Morgan decided to give her Legacy Advantage to Domenick, who found it in his bag the following morning. Despite appearing on the bottom, both Domenick and Wendell saw hope when original Malolos Donathan Hurley and Laurel Johnson talked to them about forming an alliance. Naviti won the next two Immunity Challenges
When the second tribe switch occurred, Domenick stayed on Naviti. During that time, he was getting irritated by his original Naviti tribemate Bradley Kleihege for his arrogance. When Malolo lost immunity on Day 19, Domenick was torn over targeting Bradley or former Malolo Libby Vincek. At Tribal Council, Domenick orchestrated Bradley's elimination.
After reaching the merge, Domenick and Wendell approached Chris about the three working together, but their attempt wasn't successful. At Tribal Council, Domenick played his Legacy Advantage, but received no votes and Chris was voted out. The following morning, Domenick and Wendell reaffirmed their alliance with Donathan and Laurel. The four then quickly took control of the game and orchestrated the next eliminations. At the final seven however, Donathan turned on Domenick and Wendell, as he knew he was on the bottom and that he couldn't beat either of them in the end.
At Tribal Council on Night 36, Domenick aggressively went after Donathan for trying to betray him and Wendell, and pulled off a huge move by handing his fake idol to Jeff Probst before voting and claiming it was real, which caused Sebastian not to play his Extra Vote, resulting in his elimination. On Day 38, Domenick won the Final Immunity Challenge. Laurel tried to convince Domenick that she wouldn't beat Wendell in the fire-making challenge, while Angela tried to convince Domenick that Laurel was a bigger threat in the end. A note told Domenick to choose one of three voting urns to be used at the Final Tribal Council, all of which were cursed due to a contestant taking the wrong person to the end; the urns were from , , and . He chose the Cagayan urn. He also privately considered giving his Immunity Necklace to Angela and taking on Wendell himself in the fire-making challenge. However, he chose to keep immunity and brought Laurel to the end; Wendell won the fire-making challenge, making Angela the 10th member of the jury.
At the Final Tribal Council, Domenick was commended for his strategic and social games, but came under fire for his aggressive and bully-like behavior towards Sebastian at the final six Tribal Council. Domenick tried to defend his actions by saying he had to act aggressive to pull off his move, but did not intend to hurt anyone. Following the jury voting, Jeff Probst read the votes, making this the first time Jeff read the votes at Final Tribal Council since . The result ended in a 5-5 tie between Domenick and Wendell. As the third-place finalist, Laurel became the 11th and final juror and had to cast the winning vote. On the finale, it was revealed that Laurel voted for Wendell, making Domenick the runner-up.
<tabber>Challenge History=
Episode 	TribeAffiliation 	Challenge 	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1 	rowspan=11 	Open 	Reward 	Yes 	
1 	Sled Zeppelin 	Immunity 	No 	 	
1 	Coming Up for Air 	Reward/Immunity	No 	 	
2 	Along the Watch Tower	Reward/Immunity	No 	 	
3 	Water Slaughter 	Reward 	No 	 	
3 	Cell Block Sea 	Immunity 	No 	 	
4 	Rod Screw-It 	Reward 	No 	 	
4 	Hitch A Ride 	Immunity 	No 	 	
5 	Sir Duke 	Immunity 	No 	 	
6 	Discy Business 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
6 	Cruel Sea 	Immunity 	No 	 	
colspan="6"	 	 	 	 	
7 	rowspan=13 	Audio Slave 	Immunity 	 	
8 	Gone Shootin' 	Reward 	 	 	
8 	Fijian Feast 	Immunity 	 	 	
9 	Caged Tigers 	Reward 	 	 	
9 	Take the Reins 	Immunity 	 	 	
10 	Crocodile Rock 	Immunity 	 	 	
11 	A Quick Affair 	Reward 	 	 	
11 	The Ball Drop 	Immunity 	 	 	
12 	Always on the Run 	Reward 	No 	 	
12 	Seven Bridges Road 	Immunity 	 	 	
13 	Vin Skully 	Reward/Immunity	 	 	
13 	Pyramid Scheme 	Immunity 	 	 	
13 	Stacked Up 	Immunity 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
|-|Voting History=
Episode 	Domenick'sVotes	Voted AgainstDomenick
1 	 	
1 	 	
2 	 	
3 	 	
4 	 	
5 	 	
6 	 	
7 	 	
8 	 	
9 	 	
10 	 	
11 	 	
12 	 	
13 	 	
13 	 	
Jury Votesfor Domenick	colspan="2" 	
 	 	
 In , Domenick used the Legacy Advantage, but did not negate any votes against him. In , Michael used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Domenick's vote against him. In , the vote ended with a 2-2 tie between Laurel and Michael, forcing a revote. Domenick did not change his vote on the revote. In , the vote ended with a 3-3 tie between Donathan and Kellyn, forcing a revote. Domenick did not change his vote on the revote. In , Domenick used a Hidden Immunity Idol, but did not negate any votes against him.</tabber>
==Post-Survivor==
* In the spring of 2022, Domenick competed on the first season of CBS's The Challenge: USA.https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/the-challenge-usa-cast-revealed-photos/ He finished in 3rd place out of the 14 male Challengers after quitting in the final challenge. 
==Trivia==
* Domenick previously competed on the Nickelodeon game show .https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x12bufv
* Domenick is the oldest man of the original Naviti tribe.
* Domenick and Michael Yerger are the only players on to reach the merge without switching tribes.
** Domenick is the only member of Naviti to make the merge without switching tribes.
* Domenick is the first person to simultaneously hold the Legacy Advantage and a Hidden Immunity Idol.
* Domenick is the first person to use the Legacy Advantage before the final six.
* Domenick is the only player from Ghost Island whose loved one was not a blood relative.
* Domenick was the last person to receive their first vote on Ghost Island.
* Domenick received the most jury votes of any runner-up, with 5.
* Domenick considered giving up his Immunity Necklace at the final four and participating in the fire-making challenge with Wendell Holland.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX-RMIs_HeE
** This strategy would later be used successfully by winner Chris Underwood. Ironically, Ghost Island was the last season Chris would have been able to see before filming Edge of Extinction.
==References==
Category:Contestants
Category:Male Contestants
Category:Ghost Island Contestants
Category:Finalists
Category:Naviti Tribe
Category:Lavita Tribe
Category:2nd Place
Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Survivor (U.S.) Contestants
Category:Survivor: Ghost Island
Category:1978 births
Category:Living people