Meet the 'Survivor 46' Cast! Tevin Davis Hopes His Positivity Will Make Him Underestimated
Tevin Davis
"This island's mine." Those are some of the first words spoken by Caliban in The Tempest, a role that actor Tevin Davis recently played before speaking with me. The 24-year-old is bringing that attitude from page to the Survivor stage, making his first trip out of the United States a memorable one. He's used to making wins out of losses, discovering his passion for acting after the death of his idol Whitney Houston. More recently, Tevin lost his father, then was told shortly after he would be on Survivor. So he aims again to turn devastation into motivation, and with his exuberance and zeal, it's curtains for the competition.
Read on for my interview with Tevin, and check in with Parade.com daily for interviews with this season's contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 46 premieres on February 28 with a two-hour premiere on CBS.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 46
Interview with Tevin from Survivor 46
To start, give me your name, age, and occupation.
My name is Tevin. I'm 24 years old, and I'm an actor.
How long ago did you get bit by the acting bug?
I never wanted to be an actor before. I actually have always sang in church. Since I was four years old, I've been singing in church. And I never thought acting was a place for me. Because I watched High School Musical, and I said, "Well, that's it. I don't want to do that. If that's what it is, hell, no! I ain't doing it, girl." I never saw somebody that looked like me do it. I never saw someone that represented me necessarily do it. So, I didn't think I could hold space doing it.
I'm Whitney Houston's biggest fan. That's a little caveat I got to put in there. And so when she died, I was in eighth grade. That was 2012. I decided to sing "The Greatest Love of All" at our Black History Month assembly, which was a few days after her death. And so I got nervous on the day I was supposed to sing, because I had never sung in front of my peers before. I'd sing in church, but I had never sung in front of my peers. And the principal was like, "Tevin Davis, what are you going to do? Are you singing? We haven't heard from you." And normally, when she called my name, I thought I was in trouble. But this wasn't it. And I had a hard time telling people no at the time. So I was like, "Yes, I'll do it. I'll sing."
And they were like, "Well, how are you gonna do it? Do you have an auxiliary cord? Do you have a CD? How are you going to play the music? What are you going to do? What song you gonna do ?" I was like, "Listen, I just wanted to sing! I don't know. Just put a mic in front of me. I don't know how to do the rest." So this man came in. He was like, "I'm gonna buy the music for you. I'll do everything for you." I sang the song. The man called me to his classroom the next day. His name was Neil. And he said, "Your voice is beautiful. And I've already cast Beauty and the Beast, but I was wondering if you would be in the ensemble." And I went, and I was like, "I don't know what this is. But it's everything that is me and true." And then I fell in love with it after all 24 productions through high school. Then I went to school, first in my family to graduate. I got my BFA in theatre performance. I just recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. Go Rams, baby!
What are some of your favorite roles you've gotten to play?
The first one's Caliban from William Shakespeare's The Tempest, which I played just before I came out here. And that character, people always play him as brutish, gibberish, talking, hunched over. It describes him as a half animal, half man. And I said, "Hmm, what if he's not half animal, half man? What if that's just what people say about him? What if he's a dignified Black man–imagine that–that people are naming something else?" And so I decided to play him upright instead of hunched over; he spoke well. And people normally play him, when he meets the two drunks on the island, that he gets drunk with them. And I said, "What if he is smart enough to know that these two are drunks to then have the wherewithal to pretend to be drunk so that they think that he's drunk, so he can then manipulate them into going to kill Prospero for him?"
So you made the least powerful character in The Tempest arguably the most powerful by the end of it.
Exactly. And then I found out I was coming out here to do this, and I went, "Huh." And then I thought back. Claban, one of the first lines he says when he comes out is, "This island's mine." And I said, "Ah, it is fate. It must be fate". So Caliban is absolutely my top role that I've played. Other than that, I've always said that whatever role I was playing at the time was my favorite because I put so much energy into that one moment truthfully. So, other than Caliban, nothing else really stands out to me. Maybe being in the ensemble in Beauty and the Beast because that was my first thing I'd ever done. I was like, "This is it."
What's your dream role?
Oh, God. I don't even know. I have this strange fantasy. But I just love doing "Broadway Backwards," and I love people playing roles that you wouldn't expect them to normally play. So, I have this dream of me playing Heather Chandler. [expletive] me gently with a chainsaw! Can you see it? So, I have this image of me playing Heather Chandler. But I mean, the roles that they write for women are just so powerful. I mean, every role is powerful. But I mean, sometimes these roles are definitely written for women, but they just…[Snaps.] They are so strong. And I just want to do it.
So then, let's talk about a very different stage you're debuting on. What made you decide your next role would be Survivor player?
I have been watching Survivor with my aunt Go-Go. Her name is Gloria, but we all call her Go-Go. I've been watching with her since I was really, really young. And to this day, we still watch it. I mean, we sit in the same spot we sat in all those years ago, and we watch it. And I always said, "I'm going to do that one day. I'm going to I'm going to do it." And I never applied. But I always said, "I'm going to do it."
And I don't know if God spoke to me or–I'm an actor, so my impulse said, "Tevin, apply." But Jeff came on the screen, his muscles all out. "If you want to be on the next Survivor, you can sign up at CBSsurvivor.com. Apply now." And I was like, "I hear you, Jeff! I'll apply, baby!" And so I had the impulse, and I applied. And then I was like, "Tevin, are you going to do this? Are you really, really, really going to do this?" Because I'm from the country. I'm from Goochland, a little small town. But this is a real jungle. We don't have these in Goochland. I'm from the country, but this is a jungle. So I have no experience in that. So, I was thinking about all the things that could go wrong with me coming out here.
And then, about ten months ago, on July 5, I surprisingly, out of nowhere, lost my dad, which was very, very difficult. And until you lose a parent, there is nothing that can be said or done on your part to prepare you for it. It is a devastating blow. I always have a song in my heart. I'm really enthusiastic. But when that happened, I was completely silent. I wasn't singing any music. I was gone for a long time. But I think it's a beautiful thing–well, it's not beautiful, but it's kind of beautiful–when people pass on. Because I feel like they pass on things to you to carry on, to say, "You're strong enough. You can withstand, you can endure. Because there's more for you to do. I may have to go, but you're still here."
Whitney passed on and I felt like she gave me this moment to become an actor. I never thought I was going to be that. But because I sang "The Greatest Love of All" that day, that opened up a door for me that I didn't know needed to be open. My dad passed away, and this happened immediately after that happened. And he was like, "You're okay, here's something else. There's more for you to do. So go do it."
That's a beautiful sentiment. So, let's look back on the past in a different way. Give me a Survivor winner and a non-winner you identify with the most.
Winner, Maryanne. Because Maryanne was authentic. She was herself. She cried, and she laughed, and she screamed, and yelled, and was frantic. And I'm like, "That's me." We are not the same person. But we have similarities in the way in which we choose to express ourselves honestly. So that's us, and we can't deny that. The non-winner is Cirie. Cirie, to me, just felt like home. She got up off the couch. And she–I just saw the strangest looking bird cross that path over there. I was like, "Is that a chicken? Is it a penguin?" It was like a mix, a hybrid of all kinds of birds.
Are you already seeing food in your head? Are you ready to hunt it down?
Oh yes. I'm like, "Oh, are you without a home? I'll give you a home." [Laughs.] So Cirie just felt like home. She got up off the couch. And to watch her push all those seasons that she's come back. And, in season 34, Jeff's like, "Cirie, if you want to get across this balance beam, we'll wait here for you." And I'm like, "Cirie, go!" But the way that she communicated to everyone and to the camera is exactly how my family communicates with each other.
There's a way in which Black people can talk to each other that is maybe coded to people who are not within that culture. And so when Cirie was talking, or when she made a face, or when she turned her head, or someone said something to her, she had this slight grin on her face. I was having a whole conversation with Cirie from my living room, because I knew what she was saying! Maybe no one else did. But I knew what that face meant. Because I've seen so many Black people in my life use that face in many different ways to tell different stories and say different things. So I can have a whole conversation with someone without saying anything. Like, [Makes a series of faces.] And we know exactly what we just said.
Well, let's talk about that non-verbal communication. Because you've been here a few days, I'm sure you're picking up certain vibes from people in the preseason. Anyone stick out in particular?
I honestly am picking up good vibes from almost everyone. I think everyone is excited to be here. I think everyone is enthusiastic. And I think everyone is ready to play this game authentically as themselves. Naturally, my eye kind of gravitates towards people that look like me. And I'm like, "Do we share something?" We clearly do. But do we share more past that? And that is curiosity spiking in me to be like, "Huh, I wonder." I just get good vibes.
There's one girl here. I call her "Little Shambo." She has this headband wrapped around her head. And that's the only reason she reminds me of Shambo. And I get really good vibes from her. And I don't know what it is. Sometimes, it is just a feeling you have. I get good vibes from Shambo. And then I get many other vibes from others, and I'm like, "Ooh, you might be sneaky."
Talk to me more about that. Who fits that category here? Who's getting typed out from your perceptions?
One of them, I call him Mr. Suave. He has this big, luscious black beard. And his hair is all curled up in "coiffety," so well groomed and manicured. And he has this energy about himself that feels like, "I'm good. I am confident." And I think that that might teeter-totter on a little bit of cockiness, I think. And I think that he has this beautiful smile, that he might be a little bit of a snake charmer. But lucky for him, I'm not a snake. So he can't charm me. And I see it before he even begins doing what he's doing. But I think he's gonna have a good time manipulating and connecting with people genuinely.
[Author's note: The contestant Tevin was describing was an alternate cast member for 46 and ultimately did not make the season's final cast.]
Well, let's reverse the perceptions here. Because you come from a business where it's very much about your brand and getting judged on an 8x10 headshot. So, how do you think you'll be perceived in this game?
I love me some Carolyn. Can I just insert that? I can't wait to meet that woman and wrap my arms around her. I love Carolyn to death. And what was so great about Carolyn was that everyone thought she was all over the place. She was crazy, she was spastic, she was all these things. And she fooled almost all of you with a red X. She's playing the game. She has an idol. She's told none of y'all about it until she used it for Carson. Y'all had no idea.
And I think that people are perceiving me the way that I am, which is energetic, enthusiastic. I sing to myself all the time. I am praying, I'm thanking Lord every second. And that's just me. But I think that they're gonna write me off. And I'm skinny too, so I know that that's a perception I have coming in. So you combine flamboyancy, you combine energy, you combine the sing-songy, and you combined being slender, and people write you off immediately. They go, "He's weak. He is bubbly and in his own little world. He's not real competition." And I hope that they do that.
How much are you going to reveal about your occupation? Because, to your point, there is something to authenticity and showing yourself to people. But also, there's a lot of stigma around actors and performers when it comes to games like these.
I'm absolutely not telling them that I'm an actor. I'll let them know I'm a singer. I'll let them know I'm a musician. They will never know that I'm an actor. It's not hard to believe that I'm a singer. I am. I am a singer. I am a musician. I am all of those things. But it was this way before I was an actor. I've always been this. Tevin has always been energetic. Tevin has always been theatrical before theatre was the thing that I even stepped into.
So, for me, it's not crazy to believe that someone can exist without being an actor and have exuberance. And so it really just depends on, believe it or not, committing to the bit, which I will be doing. And I am a singer; that's what it is. That is the truth. Because if they think that I'm an actor, they will vote me off immediately. "Oh, he can lie." And people always say that actors are good liars. I actually think actors live so truthfully in the moment that you believe it.
I totally get that. Yes, you are ultimately not being yourself. But you are trying to live that character's truth in the moment. It's not like you're actively lying. I want to bring up your bio, where you wrote, "I have taken many risks being an advocate for Black bodies, minorities, and the oppressed." Talk to me more about that. Is that more through your art or a social lens?
This is being looked at through both. I am an artist. And so I think the two kind of overlap. But as an artist, it is my job to tell stories of underprivileged communities, which happens to be the one I exist in, which is being a Black man. Caliban is a great example. I could have played that character how he always is played. But in this moment, during this show, during this time in history, I am a Black man playing this role. And what would it be like for this white person who was playing Prospero to say these lines and call me a monster and "moon-calf" and say these horrific things to me, and for me to play into what this person is saying? So me choosing to level this character up and to say, "No, this is a dignified Black man, and he's fighting for his liberation. He is fighting for his freedom. He is fighting for his peace and his independence," that's a more powerful story to tell. And I think that resonated with the many people who came through the doors of that theatre to watch that.
And I'm a music director as well. And so when I'm music directing, I'm always trying to infuse Blackness into the music in which I'm creating. And so when they come into the theatre, I try not to do Motown music, because I believe Motown is palatable. People listen to Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson; that is what everyone listens to. But when a Black person comes into the theatre, and they hear Mary J Blige, they hear Next, or they hear New Edition, and they sit back and they go, "This is being played? They're singing this in this theatre today?!" And you feel seen in a way you never felt seen. So, as an artist, I'm always trying to find ways to make avenues to reach my people. So I can say, "You belong in this big circle called Earth, too. I see you and you see me and we see each other."
And socially, I mean, especially during the Black Lives Matter movement, I was on the streets. I was out there. Because I think it's easy for people to talk about it and to have discussions about it. Which are very important, you should. But I think it's also about action. It's about going out there. It's about seeing the people. It is about helping, lending a helping hand. It's about engaging your entire body and mind and spirit into rectifying the problem. Because unless we all put energy into it, it's not going away. So I think that artistically, I'm doing it. Socially. I'm doing it. And I think they conflate.
I mean, how could they not? Considering that it's part of your day-to-day existence.
I love Ts Madison. Oh my god, I love Ts Madison so much. Another person I just want to wrap my arms around. But she always says, "My presence is my advocacy." Her being a Black trans woman is her advocacy. Every movie she does, every song she makes, is giving Black trans women the opportunity to step into those spaces. I am a Black man, I am on Survivor hopefully opening up doors for another person who wants to do Survivor that acts like me, that looks like me, that has the this energy that I have, that isn't maybe comfortable being them, whatever. I hope that I'm opening up doors by existing.
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 46
Let's say a boat shows up at your camp on Day 2, asking one person to go on a journey. How would you approach the situation?
Oh, this is a good question. Because, ever since I knew I was coming out here, I've had a dream about Survivor. Every single night, I have dreamt about it, something has happened, or I'm in the challenge. I've dreamt about all of it. And this has come up so many times. And in some dreams, I get on. Some dreams, I don't get on. And I just feel like you have to play this game–and Jeff says it all the time–like it's your second time, and you may not get another chance to come back out here.
And so a part of me wants to get on that boat because you just don't know what's going to happen, and you want that experience, and you want the power. Because if I can get whatever this advantage probably is, then you don't have it. And I'd rather control my fate by me knowing what it is and you not knowing what it is. But the other part of me says, "Leaving camp is always dangerous. And so when I leave, what's happening back here? Are they assuming that I have something? What am I going to get? Am I going to be able to spin it convincingly enough so that, when I get back, they don't think that I'm making something up and then vote me off because they think I have some type of game-changing advantage?" Like rewinding the hands of time and changing tribes around and who's safe and who's not. So I don't know. I think I'd have to like an actor. Impulsive. I might just get on that boat.
How do you typically make decisions in your life? Do you go more with your impulses? Or are you, a la Stanislavski, mapping it out beat by beat?
I think I do a little bit of both, and in different moments. But I think most of the time, I live my life impulsively, a little spontaneously. And being an actor has taught me how to live in the moment, how to let this moment inspire what the next moment is going to be. And that is absolutely how I live and how I act. And it's improv. It's saying yes to the water, because the water will always win. So sometimes you need to follow the current and stop trying to fight against it, because you might just drown.
So it's saying yes to the water, seeing where the water takes you. It is trusting all of the impulses that you have, and believing that whatever happens, whatever scenario comes out of that, that you can figure out what happens next. You just have to be truthful in every moment that you're in. But then sometimes I'm battling myself, and I'm like, "But what if I do [this]? Oh, but what if this doesn't happen? What if this happens? What about this?" I overanalyze every little detail. Yeah. But then I go, "Tevin, you get one life to live. And tomorrow is not promised to you." So, as my grandma would say, "Such as it is." So just make a decision and go.
In terms of preparation, what steps have you taken before coming out here?
I've already done a hell of a lot to get out here. When I was about four years old, I almost drowned, actually. I had never stepped in the water again until I knew I was coming here.
I mean, talk about letting the water win. You found out that out the hard way.
Yes, I went to Water Country USA in Williamsburg, and I was on this big shark floaty. And all of the kids were horse-playing. And I was in five feet of water, and I was not five feet. And the whole floaty flipped over, and I went under. And all I can remember, it's really kind of poetic. But I went under the water, and all I remember was seeing the light of the sun bouncing across the water. All the laughter that I was hearing was muffled by me being underwater, and me looking up at the sun and saying, "I'm gonna die," and then letting go. Because I said, "Well, this is it. And I let go." And I floated up to the top. And when I floated up, I got out and never got back in until I was getting ready to come out here. I got back in that water. And I was in nine feet. And I was diving, and I was in it, and I was swimming, and I was so proud of myself. So that was a big step.
I don't like flying. I'm a tourist. I like to be on the ground. I like to be on the Earth. And I had also never really left the East Coast. The furthest I had been was L.A., and that was for this. And then I'm over here, way across the seas. I had never left the country before I got my passport for this. And so I have flown all this distance, which was a little scary for me, but I did it. I'm an arachnophobic person. And I have been thinking spiders and just being like, "Shoo!" I have crippling arachnophobia. And I see them, and I'm just like, "Okay, Survivor." I literally in my head go, "Survivor." And then I push them out the way, and I go.
I was at the gym. I learned how to make a spear out of bamboo. I practiced how to make fire. I built some puzzles out of cardboard, and did slide puzzles and was moving stuff around. I tried to recreate all the old challenges and make slingshots and try to hit little small targets and throw the beanbags on toothpicks or whatever. Little kids things. I had done all of this preparation in the event that I was gonna come out here. I got that call, and I was like, "Tevin, prepare yourself."
What's your hottest Survivor take?
Maryanne actually just talked about this on a podcast. And I was so glad that she brought it up because it's something that's been digging at me for so long. I'm not gonna call them idiots. Remind yourself, Tevin. But when you win final immunity. You're in the Final Four, you just won Simmotion. And you decide, like Heidi did, I'm gonna give this immunity necklace up, because I want a chance to go at fire. "I don't want to win second or third. I want first," is what she said, and you gave up your immunity necklace to try to prove a point to the jury that you belong.
And I think that because fire happens in that moment, we have devalued the final Immunity Challenge. You just won the final Immunity Challenge. You don't need to give that up to prove that you can beat this person playing fire and risk your million dollars possibly losing in a fire competition. This game is very much what have you done for me lately. And I think people feel like, "Oh, all of the work that you've done, the 25 days leading up to this moment is null and void. So you need to make fire in front of us now." No! I won the final Immunity Challenge. I earned this. Y'all go to fire. I'll see y'all in Final Three.
What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit?
I'm bringing Whitney Houston! I Oh, yes. I love TS and everybody else. But I'm bringing Whitney Houston. I am bringing Whitney Houston. [Sings.] Oh, yes. She's coming.
And then you can come back to camp, and someone will say they're going to play their idol. And you can reply, "How Will I Know?"
How will I know? [Laughs.] I want to run to you. I want to be in an alliance with you. Yeah, and I will always love you. And I will always love you. Even though you're about to be V-O-T-E-D-O-U-T, I will always love you.
You can approach your number one ally and say, "I wanna dance with somebody."
You better run these titles!
[Laughs.] Well, let me bring one last quote in. "We are such stuff as dreams are made of." What's your emotional cocktail right now? How are you feeling as your Survivor dreams are soon to become a reality?
I have screamed so much. And I feel like there's so much more energy in me. And I've been containing. I'm just trying to keep it all within right now just a little bit. But I am so ecstatic. I am so excited. I feel like I'm always on the brink of tears. Because it is a mind [expletive] to be out here. And to have watched the show for so long and to now be on this side of it, and the people making the show saying they want you out here. I mean, it is unbelievable. And I didn't say this. But I mean, I grew up very poor, very desolate and poor. I had never left the country before. I had never been to L.A. before. I've never had a lot of opportunity to do this type of thing. And to be here is surreal. So I believe it and I don't believe that the same time. So I think I'm just feeling a litany of emotions.
Next, check out our interview with Survivor 46 contestant Soda Thompson.
