“Survivor” is a game of endurance.
Sure, players hit the ground running – especially now that the actual game is shorter in current seasons. Ultimately, it’s a show predicated on how long the show’s cast can sustain hit after hit while managing to outlast their opponents.
Many players are looking to leave a mark on the show’s legacy. Others want to continue in the world of reality TV. Some really need the money that comes from winning the show.
That’s the case of “Survivor 48’s” David Kinne.
David Hides Inside Goliath
Kinne is a physically intimidating contestant with a big heart. His initial edit portrayed him as a showboat but, over the course of nine episodes, he was shown to be a caring individual. In fact, his goals in the show were laid out almost immediately:
1). He wanted to win the money so that he could propose to his girlfriend and provide the life she wanted. (Which is to be a stay at home mom to four kids).
2). He wanted to move out of the trailer in front of his dad’s house.
The stunt performer spoke about his struggles early in the season’s third episode “Committing to the Bit.”
“I think that’s pretty pathetic. It’s a very humbling experience,” Kinne told a fellow contestant. He also wants to start a family and is feeling the pressure.
“She’s 32, I’m 38. She wants four kids. She wants to be a stay-at-home mom,” Kinne continues. “I know she loves me. I know she wants to be with me but she just has a huge doubt. She doesn’t know if we can make it work financially.”
Current Relationship Status
Unfortunately, it looks like Kinne lost his one connection to the mainland upon his loss.
During the ninth episode “Welcome to the Party,” Kinne had the right suspicions that fellow player Shauhin Davari was aiming to form an alliance with Kamilla Karthigesu, who also has an alliance with Kyle Fraser. Sadly, he was too late and ultimately blindsided at Tribal Council.
To make things worse, in exit interviews with Entertainment Weekly and Parade, Kinne said his girlfriend did leave him as a result of losing the show.
“A few weeks after she found out I didn’t win, she was out the door. So as many people probably laughed at that whole thing, it was unfortunately true,” Kinne told Entertainment Weekly.
In a sense, Kinne knew a breakup would be the case. He hinted as much back in “Committing to the Bit.”
“I only have a girlfriend if I win a million dollars,” Kinne said in episode three of the season. “Because she’s going to leave me if I don’t. She wants to be a stay-at-home mom. She’s 32 years old so she knows she’s running out of time. That’s a heavy subject for me, knowing that.”
It seems, though, Kinne told Parade he wasn’t a fan of how the producers painted him as a sad sack.
“That was kind of weird that the edit did that to me. Basically we had broken up at one point in time. And so I think they showed me talking about, ‘Okay, we broke up,” he tells the outlet. “But we got back together. We were dating again prior to me going out to the show. And unfortunately, everything I said on the island was 100% true. And as you can imagine, me sitting here having not won the million dollars, it didn’t take long for her to hit the road again.”
However, there’s a brightside to the whole situation.
“Things are going now. I’m dating the most incredible woman,” Kinne adds during his Entertainment Weekly interview. “She’s phenomenal. I’m truly feeling blessed right now. So yeah, I’m almost glad I didn’t win a million dollars on that.”
Plus, he’s in a new home with a new job.
“It was a blessing in disguise,” Kinne tells Parade. “I’m living my dream. I’m out here in Ohio, actually, right now. I’m working as a jump pilot. And they’re putting me in this house for pretty much free. They’ve been incredible.”
“So even though I didn’t win the million dollars,” he adds. “Everything has come of this so far has just been incredible. Like, I truly feel humbled at this moment. So I’m feeling good about myself.”
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‘Survivor’ Player Reveals His Relationship Status, Life Update After Elimination