David E.

* The Elysian Fields
* Norway

## *Survivor* Career

**David E.** is a contestant on *Survivor: Norway*. They returned for the next season, *Survivor: The Elysian Fields*.

In the latter season, David E. became the second person ejected for using an alt account in Natvivor history. They immediately owned up to the accusations and have since left the ORG community. It has also been proven that David E. did **not** alt during their first time playing.

## Profile

* Norway
* The Elysian Fields

*Full interview can be found here.*

**Name:** Name

**Between Mind and Heart, which group do you personally think you fit into better?** Definitely Mind! I think my background in debate is a testament to this, every 2 hour round I have to sift through evidence that was read at me at 350-450 words per minute, and argument match w my prepped arguments to come out victorious. I think it’s also helped me work with people in a logical capacity fairly well, as it is a partnered activity, and I’ve had about 7 partners throughout my 6 year career, diverse individuals from all backgrounds that I’ve had to learn to communicate with and work effectively. Sort of like a two person alliance taking on another head to head, in a game of out logic, in front of a judge.

**Tell us about yourself. What makes you, *YOU*?** I'm a policy debater from the great state of California! Currently attending UC Berkeley, double major in English and Ethnic studies w/ minors in creative writing and comparative literature. I spend a lot of my time reviewing movies with friends or playing ridiculous board games. Policy debate takes up most of my time, I'm a member of the Berkeley team and have done it for 6 years now (since high school) its a very analytic activity and considered to be the most challenging brain sport possible in college, it’s like chess but with critical theory and political analysis! I grew up after 11 with no parental figures so I’ve had to mature a lot earlier than usual, I think that put a chip on my shoulder that I had to work hard to remove, and to further myself and prove doubters wrong. I grew up in Compton, CA, a city known for its violence and gang activity, and despite this i lit a fire under my own ass and worked hard. Ended up ivy league bound until I realized how much it would cost, so I’m living my brainy life at UC Berkeley. A lot of my time is dedicated to social justice projects and grassroots organizing, mostly teaching inner city kids like myself about their own agency and how to develop their argumentation skills. I think the embrace that I’ve taken to life is very mind over matter. I think my background in debate makes me a clever persuader and manipulator, skills that id hope to base my game around.

**What do you wish to get out of this season more than anything else?** Well as it’ll be my first online survivor game, it’ll be a widely new experience. This summer I’ve found myself with a lot of free time and the ability to explore who I am as a person, I think that playing Survivor in real life always requires an immense amount of soul searching, so an ORG would help me embrace the same. I return back to school in late august and I need to get into a better headspace in understanding myself before then, I think this is largely because I was knocked down significantly when my dad passed last November. Since then I’ve been lost, filled with conflicting emotions as he wasn’t in my life for so long but he was still my dad. I think that playing the greatest game invented and navigation social channels, will widely help me come to terms w/ my individuality, and be ready to head back to school.

**What is your proudest characteristic of yourself, and what do you wish you could improve upon?** The characteristic which i take the most pride in is my drive, I'm committed to bettering myself and forwarding my success. I think this manifests in a will to work that is something special. The biggest improvement I’ve wanted to make in life is a needed sense of self love, I've found myself riddled with insecurities despite my front of confidence.

**How would you describe the game you play in ORG’s?** While I haven’t played in an org before, I'd say that my game would widely be democratic, at least on the surface. I'd like to be the person that doesn’t rub anyone the wrong way but isn’t very apparently social, while making intelligent strategic moves behind the scene, never loud and in charge but definitely a necessary component in the moves that my alliance makes. I've always loved survivors that have a lowkey finesse to their strategic and social moves, the Wendell Holland’s of the world. I think my game would fall into that category, but we’ll have to see if I get the opportunity! Survivors always want to play a certain way, but in the moment is when we see the reality of the situation. Thanks for the opportunity!

*Full interview can be found here.*

**Tribe Designation:** Deucalion

**Previous Seasons & Finishes:** *Norway*: 12th

**Tell us a bit about yourself:** I’m a total fuckin dweeb. I read novels and philosophy, watch really bad (or really good depending on how ya see it) reality TV, coach promising high school debaters, play board games! Running is also something I tend to do on a daily basis. I’m pretty boring when it comes to my hobbies on paper, but I think that the way they shape my personality turns me into more of a character! I’m one to dedicate myself to activist work > playing video games (tbh talking to other contestants about video games was so hard in Norway bc IDK SHIT about video games! I had to bs my way thru it). My biggest pet peeves are when people cancel plans on me for no good reason, when couples stop in the middle of a narrow or crowded hallway to fuckin hug when people are tryna just get to their classes and stuff, people who go back to toxic relationships over and over despite knowing they’re toxic.

**How would you describe your gameplay in your original season(s)?** I’d say I certainly tried my best to make a bit of a splash, my main goals were to make the merge, and to make an imprint on the season I’d play on. I accomplished the first goal on my first time out and I’d like to think I accomplished the second as well. I played a very socially consistent game, and tried my best to leverage my strategy closer to the dark. I got called a “mastermind” after my boot by a few of my competitors, but I wouldn’t use that word myself. I think that I definitely went out for my threat level, so i’d be conscious of that on a second time around. My social connections allowed me to be more flexible strategically, and pave my own path definitely.

**How do you plan on improving on your game?** As I touched on, I definitely aimed to make a name for myself in my first org out, in my second time I’d play a more lowkey game but still rely on my social strengths to get me to a later point in the game. If I get to the merge, then I can switch on the strategic side of myself and begin to pave my way a little more steadily and in secrecy. I definitely learned a lot from my first time out and pending I don’t become an early target or some rough circumstances, I think I could use those skills to make it a bit further this time.

**Why do you want to come back and play again?** Natalie. Enough said. Amazing person. Also I love Abi so we got the dream team together. Tbh I kinda wanted to not play ORG's again but this community is so 💛. Might as well try and get a bit further and make some friends along the way.

**If you were any Greek god, who would you be and why?** I’m a creative writer by trade, so Athena jumps out to me as a wise goddess, I believe she’s also the goddess of poetry which is my most dominant medium of expression. I’d also say Dionysus because i’m a total fuckin party animal (yeehaw). I’m a lover of exuberance and eroticism (not in a sexual sense you pervs! but the innate pleasure that comes from pursuits of joy) and I think Dionysus is a prime representation of that.

**How will you become the Sole Survivor of The Elysian Fields?** In the words of survivor extraordinaire, Michelle Fitzgerald, “I’m a strong independent woman, and when it comes time to make a move, then I will. I don’t need to be carried, bro.” Nuff said? We’ll see.

## Trivia

* David received 1 vote in the *Fan Favorite Poll* in *Norway*.
* David has won both individual immunity challenges that have occurred during the pre-merge portions in both of their seasons played.
* David is the first and only contestant to make the merge on multiple occasions and never be apart of the jury.
* David ranked #142 in the *Natvivor Character Rankings*.