S37: Davie Rickenbacker

[Netta Leven]

Hi.  I'm a "social media manager."  Whatever that is.

On the one hand, it's good that he idolizes Jeremy from San Juan Del Sur.  On the other hand, posting all of the "likes" that he has is his real claim to fame?  I really don't know what to think about him.

[LadyChatts]

On 9/6/2018 at 7:16 PM, Netta Leven said:

Hi.  I'm a "social media manager."  Whatever that is.

On the one hand, it's good that he idolizes Jeremy from San Juan Del Sur.  On the other hand, posting all of the "likes" that he has is his real claim to fame?  I really don't know what to think about him.

He also likens himself to Adam, so there's an automatic strike for me.  Someone whose better versed in SM might know better, but my first thought was him essentially managing other SM personalities to make them popular.  But I'm probably way off, because I also don't know what "slide into your DMs" means, either.  I see everyone use it though!  

This guy had me until he started talking about his online media presence.  Definitely a very long winded bio to read through.  I had a vision of what I thought a guy named Davie Rickenbacker would look and sound like, and this was not it.  The more I read his bio, though, the more intrigued I got.  Especially with this part:

Quote

My Davy Crockett hat. It's my lucky hat. I have worn it to tests and passed and I have worn it on dates and gotten lucky. When I wear this hat, I channel my best self.

I do think he might think a tad too highly of himself and end up on the wrong side of his tribemates if he cops an attitude.

I love that he's an animal lover, but I wonder if he's aware there are insurance policies for pets?  I have one that's quite affordable and covers a lot. 

Again, this guy has me intrigued. 

Edited September 10, 2018 by LadyChatts

[Eolivet]

He might know "slide into DMs," but I think I'm more appalled that he doesn't know what "family man" means. (hint: it's not a single person who's close to his family)

I also think it's funny that he's a social media manager (of the "top agency in the world for public health?" So ... the CDC?), but his Instagram bio only has the slightest, most obscure reference to the fact that he's on Survivor at all. Maybe it's not good for his social media brand?

[Hanahope]

I heard he was supposed to be on next season, but someone had to leave the game last minute and he got the call with 2 days before filming began, so he had to fly out immediately.

[Nashville]

On 9/11/2018 at 4:27 PM, Eolivet said:

I also think it's funny that he's a social media manager (of the "top agency in the world for public health?" So ... the CDC?),

Kinda.  He works for the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC&PH), which is Georgia’s version of the CDC - and by ‘Georgia’ I mean the country on the Black Sea, not the Peach State.  

So far as “top agency in the world” goes... well, he is in PR, right?  :)

[marys1000]

Georgia?  So he speaks and reads Georgian?  And probably Russian?  

[simplyme]

On 9/16/2018 at 1:18 AM, Nashville said:

Kinda.  He works for the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC&PH), which is Georgia’s version of the CDC - and by ‘Georgia’ I mean the country on the Black Sea, not the Peach State.  

Ok. This guy just got WAY more interesting, and it wasn't tge Davy Crockett hat.

[ratgirlagogo]

On 9/16/2018 at 1:18 AM, Nashville said:

Kinda.  He works for the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC&PH),

According to his LInkedIn profile it's located in the Greater Atlanta area, so I think it might be a stateside job.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davie-rickenbacker-9164142a

On 9/10/2018 at 5:00 AM, LadyChatts said:

I love that he's an animal lover, but I wonder if he's aware there are insurance policies for pets?  I have one that's quite affordable and covers a lot. 

I was wondering the same thing, especially since he's a dog breeder and is professionally and personally online enough to have discovered this for himself.  Hell I'm just a pet owner and I knew it.

That he considers Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead to be the most inspirational figure in his life - makes me hate him so much that I hope that was just a subtle Survivoresque joke.

Edited October 1, 2018 by ratgirlagogo

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, ratgirlagogo said:

According to his LInkedIn profile it's located in the Greater Atlanta area, so I think it might be a stateside job.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davie-rickenbacker-9164142a

Wouldn’t surprise me in the least; Davie’s probably a contractor, or working for one.

[LadyChatts]

For the most part, I am loving the cast this year, especially this self-proclaimed black nerd.  He's nothing like I was picturing.  I loved him going along with Elizabeth on a pointless idol hunt, but not even letting on he had the idol, his face at TC when everyone was whispering in each other's ears and he was being left out, and just his overall personality.  He's a lot of fun, but also seems very smart and strategic about what's going on.  I do hope he sticks together with Carl and Elizabeth and picks off Alec/Kara (or at least Kara-the old Goliaths might not have much use for Alec now).

[marys1000]

I really liked him till I heard dog breeder.  I'll try to ignore that.  Siberian Husky's in Atlanta, poor things. 

He lost his job when he filled in short notice as an alternate.  

He lives in Atlanta but that isn't where he is from, I wonder where he is from?

Edited October 20, 2018 by marys1000

[RescueMom]

4 minutes ago, marys1000 said:

I really liked him till I heard dog breeder.  I'll try.  

Yep, me too. I’ve done rescue for so many years that I just can’t root for a breeder.  You’re a better person than me, because I’m not even going to try.

[peachmangosteen]

Dammit!

[marys1000]

13 minutes ago, RescueMom said:

Yep, me too. I’ve done rescue for so many years that I just can’t root for a breeder.  You’re a better person than me, because I’m not even going to try.

There is a lot to like there, unlike Jane who I game hated intensely but I'm same as you and honestly, I think the breeder thing will haunt me.  

 

(Wonder if the Davy Crockett hat is real racoon?)

Edited October 20, 2018 by marys1000

[ProfCrash]

Is he an ethical breeder or a puppy mill owner? There are people who breed dogs in an ethical and humane manner. I get that there are a ton of rescue dogs out there, we adopted two, but I know folks who prefer a specific breed. My Father-in-Law had allergies but loved dogs so they used a breeder to get a laberdoodle. The breeder was careful, ethical and made sure the dogs went to good homes. 

I like how he is playing but found the comment about not hanging around caucasions a bit off putting, mainly because if a white person said the same thing we would be jumping up and down on the person. Overall, he seems to get on fine with everyone, he reacted well to the Jessica blindside, and he played the recent tribal council perfectly. He was willing to sacrifice Elizabeth, he didn’t even think about using theidol to save her, to save his game but still worked to find a way to vote out Natalia. He is using the idol well and has an ally joining his tribe. He is in a good place. 

Good idol play, ie not telling everyone about it and being a bit selfish, always makes me smile. 

[LadyChatts]

I like him as a Survivor player and personality.  Which I didn't really expect from his bio, even if it was one of the more interesting ones this season.

I volunteered at animal shelters through the years, and have adopted all of my fur babies from there.  So I have a soft spot for shelter pets, especially those in kill shelters, and can not begin to fathom why anyone would spends hundreds to thousands of dollars for a puppy from a breeder.  Even ethical, humane breeders I kind of side eye because that's the sole purpose of their dog.  So I do see what you're saying @ProfCrash, and I've had people in similar circumstances that needed hypoallergenic dogs.  I guess it would really just depend.  I do know that while there's the general consensus that shelters are filled with pit bulls or pit bull mixes (dog breeds I feel get a bad rap just because), but sometimes all it takes is research.  There are rescues devoted strictly to certain breeds.  It might take some driving to get to them, and again, some research, but if people can, I hope they consider the adoption route first if they have that alternative.

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I like how he is playing but found the comment about not hanging around caucasions a bit off putting, mainly because if a white person said the same thing we would be jumping up and down on the person. 

I agree that if a white person said something like that (or I'll go as far as saying if Davie said it about another race), it likely would have caused more a stink.  However, I think I know what he was saying-just that he was never exposed to a lot of white people growing up.  I grew up in a predominately white area, and in my whole high school (which wasn't very large), there were 4 black kids total.  Funny thing is, I ended up becoming best friends with a girl that lived in a small city about 20 minutes from my hometown, and their demographics were the opposite of ours-it was many more black/Latino families where she lived.  Needless to say both of us grew up with stereotypes about the other's towns.

Edited October 20, 2018 by LadyChatts

[fishcakes]

6 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I like how he is playing but found the comment about not hanging around caucasions a bit off putting, mainly because if a white person said the same thing we would be jumping up and down on the person.

Last season, Donathan made similar comments about how he didn't know anyone but white people back home and being around and being friends with POC (I think he mentioned Laurel and James specifically) was a new experience for him. No one here seemed to take offense, and I don't see why anyone should be offended by what Davie said.

[ProfCrash]

1 hour ago, fishcakes said:

Last season, Donathan made similar comments about how he didn't know anyone but white people back home and being around and being friends with POC (I think he mentioned Laurel and James specifically) was a new experience for him. No one here seemed to take offense, and I don't see why anyone should be offended by what Davie said.

I actually posted that I found his whole “oh an Asian person and a Black person” thing off putting and there were a decent number who agreed. Some folks gave him a pass because of were he lived while others, myself included, were a bit willing to let it slide based on the fact that he didn’t say it in a totally offensive manner. He sounded like a hick but not an asshole. Davie came off kind of the same way but I think he would get more crap if he was, well, Caucasian. 

More of a, I am not thrilled with that type of thing but I am not writing someone off because of it. I guess I simply did not find it as funny as other people do. He said it in a manner that was more of an observation then asshole but it caused me to raise an ear.

[kikaha]

I like Davie, and think he's playing quite well.  It would have been real easy in his vulnerable position to burn the idol (which no one suspects he has).  Instead it still sits in his pocket because of a) his good strategic/social game, and b) his good read of what was going down at tribal. 

Now Carl joins his tribe.  Considering what Davie said about white folks (which doesn't bother me, a white person, at all), this might play to his favor as well.    

In short, Davie seems adaptable, flexible, smart, social and strategic -- plus he has an idol that no one has an inkling of.  Hope he goes real far.   Right now he's in my dream F3, along with Christian and Elizabeth.  Nerds of the world unite!

[LadyChatts]

7 minutes ago, kikaha said:

I like Davie, and think he's playing quite well.  It would have been real easy in his vulnerable position to burn the idol (which no one suspects he has).  Instead it still sits in his pocket because of a) his good strategic/social game, and b) his good read of what was going down at tribal. 

Now Carl joins his tribe.  Considering what Davie said about white folks (which doesn't bother me, a white person, at all), this might play to his favor as well.    

In short, Davie seems adaptable, flexible, smart, social and strategic -- plus he has an idol that no one has an inkling of.  Hope he goes real far.   Right now he's in my dream F3, along with Christian and Elizabeth.  Nerds of the world unite!

I'd love that final 3, because so far, all of them are playing the game.  I worry Elizabeth and Christian are playing maybe too hard, but no one seems to be picking up on that.  I think Christian is trying to come across as a super intelligent nerd that subliminally suggests things to people in hopes they'll decide on their own to vote his way.  Similarly, I don't think anyone has really realized just how well Elizabeth is at getting into people's heads and ears without them realizing what she's doing.  Davie seems to be laying low right now but definitely is observant and seems to be a few steps ahead of where he needs to be.  I hope no one ever finds out about his idol, and that Carl doesn't tell anyone about his advantage (though if he tells Davie then he would be crazy to tell Carl he has an idol).  I'd love to have a season where at least one idol and advantage are finally a surprise!

Edited October 21, 2018 by LadyChatts

[marys1000]

Yea, I mean its not as if Elizabeth comes across as a person who is, or even capable of, being manipulative or super smooth or whatever and that is really working for her.   I think its her delivery.  It makes me think things (not saying its true, but wondering) about southern accents not coming across as sharp or someone who plays down, or just doesn't sound as smart as they are because of their vocabulary or what they choose to say vs. not.  I know there are cast members who have said I'm not going tell people I'm xyz because - but have any actually played dumber than they are? (Elizabeth is not, she seems very genuine, just easily underestimated, gender probably plays a role too).   How did that work for them?  

At some point, if there continue to be puzzles that Christian is good at etc.  people are going to start talking about him being a threat.  

I wonder if Davie has shared that he practiced swimming and fire starting and all that?  It has to be hard to be with people 24/7 with so much down time and everyong trying to figure out everyone else and not share too much or share what you don't want people to know. 

His comment about caucasians didn't bother me, I thought it was funny.  I guess I don't expect other groups or people with certain experiences to get each other and they get to say things other groups don't.  Shrug.  Mostly.   Equal is the objective but not always completely appropriate.  I've never had a kid.  I can't completely understand it.  So I get told.  

The bit about the PT Cruiser was even funnier.  

Edited October 21, 2018 by marys1000

[Jextella]

I'm with all those who are DOWN with dog breeding.   Although I talked about this once with someone who laid out a somewhat reasonable argument for the practice.  I can't remember the details and it was far too light of an argument to persuade me, but there are people who do breed humanely and there are a lot of people who want specific breeds.  I don't agree with any of it, but I suppose as long as the dogs are being treated well, I can look past it for now to support Davie.  

There must be a subtle difference between dog lover and dog advocate. 

A dog advocate wouldn't put more out into the universe when there are so many who suffer and need homes.  A dog lover would.  Something like that???

Edited October 21, 2018 by Jextella

[fishcakes]

15 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I actually posted that I found his whole “oh an Asian person and a Black person” thing off putting and there were a decent number who agreed. Some folks gave him a pass because of were he lived while others, myself included, were a bit willing to let it slide based on the fact that he didn’t say it in a totally offensive manner. He sounded like a hick but not an asshole. Davie came off kind of the same way but I think he would get more crap if he was, well, Caucasian.

That's the point I was making. People noted Donathan's comments, but didn't find them offensive for the same reasons that people are noting Davie's comment and not finding it offensive. I don't agree that Davie would get more crap if he were white because we've already seen the almost identical comments from and reaction to Donathan.

[Special K]

On 10/21/2018 at 9:56 AM, Jextella said:

A dog advocate wouldn't put more out into the universe when there are so many who suffer and need homes. 

Or the hundreds of thousands that are euthanized every year.

[Nashville]

On 10/21/2018 at 8:56 AM, Jextella said:

I'm with all those who are DOWN with dog breeding.   Although I talked about this once with someone who laid out a somewhat reasonable argument for the practice.  I can't remember the details and it was far too light of an argument to persuade me, but there are people who do breed humanely and there are a lot of people who want specific breeds.  I don't agree with any of it, but I suppose as long as the dogs are being treated well, I can look past it for now to support Davie.  

There must be a subtle difference between dog lover and dog advocate. 

A dog advocate wouldn't put more out into the universe when there are so many who suffer and need homes.  A dog lover would.  Something like that???

IMHO the issues can’t quite be simplified that much.  Oftentimes there are conflicting circumstances which aren’t amenable to a cookie-cutter approach - potential socialization issues or potential for conflict, for example, when bringing a rescue dog into a home with existing pets.  Rescue dogs can react unexpectedly or aggressively to trigger behaviors unknown to their new owner - and, perhaps more significantly, to the other pets.  This is certainly understandable due to the rescue’s possible previous abandonment and/or abuse history; if there is a significant disparity in age or size or territoriality between the existing pet and the new one, though, serious consequences could result.

[RescueMom]

Since others are sharing views on breeding, I’ll add my thoughts. 

I hope people who want a specific breed of dog realize that there are many purebred and “designer dogs” like labradoodles in rescue. It may take a little longer to find the right puppy or dog, but they are out there. I personally love Pomeranians, yippy little monsters that they are, and I just adopted my second Pom through rescue (the new guy may be mixed; still hard to tell as he has no hair from severe neglect. But he sure looks and acts like a Pom.)  

As for integrating rescue dogs into homes with resident dogs, I agree that it must be done with care and rescue dogs can come with baggage. But breeders sell puppies, not adult dogs - so the correct comparison would be, say, an 8-week-old breeder puppy with an 8-week-old rescue puppy.  There would be no difference in integrating them, as the vast majority of rescue puppies that age will not be traumatized or come with baggage.

Ethical breeding. That’s a tough one. Personally, I find all breeding unethical as long as there are so many adoptable dogs being euthanized every year. I understand others disagree with that. Should the euthanasia rate for adoptable dogs drop to zero, the only breeding I would personally consider ethical would be people whose breeding dogs are indoor pets and treasured members of the family first and foremost. I suspect that is such a small minority of breeders as to be a drop on the bucket. I went to Davie’s bio and read what he had to say about his dog breeding, and he talks about building dog houses and kennels for his pack. Not a scenario I will personally ever consider ethical or acceptable.

I know I have strong opinions on this - I actually started a non-profit dog rescue 12 years ago, and spent the majority of my free time re-homing dogs until I retired from it this year (if you can “retire” from a volunteer endeavor).  I understand people have differing viewpoints and one thing I love about this site is how well people disagree without being disagreeable. I hope I’ve managed to do that. 

[ProfCrash]

We went through rescues to adopt our dogs and are comfortable with that choice, not everyone goes that route. As long as the people who are breeding dogs do so in a humane manner, not continually breeding the mom and raising the pups in an ethical manner, I am not worried about the breeding. The bigger issue is people not spaying and neutering their dogs, followed by people getting a dog without understanding the responsibilities a dog entails and abandoning the dog. I did look for rescues that specialize in laberdoodles and there were none where my In Laws live, they are in a pretty out of the way area. What matters to me is that the dogs are treated with love and respect by the people who are there at their birth and who adopt them.

Then again, I tend not to focus on any contestants back story as a reason for disliking them. What matters to me is how they play the game. Davie is playing the game well. He is doing a good job of getting to know the people in his tribe, he found the idol, he didn't tell anyone that he had the idol, and he played the last tribal perfectly so that a Goliath was voted out and Davie kept his idol. More importantly, he seems to get along well with his tribe mates and to treat people with respect. He didn't over react and get too worked up about the Jessica blindside. He made one comment that made me raise an eye brow but doesn't change how he is playing.

I can't wait to see what he does when Carl joins him. I hope that he continues to keep his idol quiet, especially since Carl has a nullifier.

Overall, I think he is playing well and tends to be the type of player that I like to watch. He is engaged, strategizing, good enough at challenges and not over playing. A smooth operator.

[Nashville]

I’m liking Davie more (both personally and in terms of gameplay) than I expected to at the start of this season.

[LadyChatts]

Quote

Then again, I tend not to focus on any contestants back story as a reason for disliking them. What matters to me is how they play the game. Davie is playing the game well. He is doing a good job of getting to know the people in his tribe, he found the idol, he didn't tell anyone that he had the idol, and he played the last tribal perfectly so that a Goliath was voted out and Davie kept his idol. More importantly, he seems to get along well with his tribe mates and to treat people with respect. He didn't over react and get too worked up about the Jessica blindside. He made one comment that made me raise an eye brow but doesn't change how he is playing.

Me too.  And the thing about the last TC, is that Natalia was so sure that Elizabeth had the idol.  And that might have been because Davie said she was off looking for it, so if that planted a seed, then good on him.  And he was quite convincing on his idol hunt with Elizabeth, without remotely letting on that he knew she wasn't going to find anything.  I'm quite impressed with how he's playing so far.  I hope he makes the merge so we can really get a glimpse of what he's capable of.