Shauhin Davari, one of the contestants on the upcoming season of Survivor, has unexpectedly found himself connected to infamous kidnapping hoaxer Sherri Papini. This surprising link has once again thrust Papini's controversial past back to the forefront, as Davari reveals how they once dated.
Davari, 38, is celebrating his spot on Survivor 48, which premieres on February 26, 2025, on CBS. Viewers will soon see how he navigates the challenges of the show, but his past with Papini adds another layer to his story. Papini became widely known after she faked her kidnapping, claiming she was abducted by two masked women for 22 days starting from November 2, 2016. Her shocking return on Thanksgiving Day, 2016, unveiled claims of abuse and captivity, which later proved to be fabrications.
After nearly six years, Davari decided to speak out about their past relationship. He stated, "She’s a compulsive liar," emphasizing how he experienced her deceptive behavior firsthand. He elaborated on this during his 2022 interview with Inside Edition, where he noted, “I was like, there’s no way. She’s fine. I promise you she’s fine. There’s just no chance she got kidnapped.” Davari claims he was skeptical of the situation from the very start, recognizing it as not being true.
The couple dated when Davari was just 15, and Papini, then 20, was working as a youth counselor. "That she was a counselor going out with a 15-year-old, sure, tons of red flags," he remarked, sharing his feelings of confusion surrounding their age gap. The dynamic between them had its complications, as he recalls many fabricated narratives from their time together. Davari detailed how she lied about being passionate about surfing, claiming they could never go together because of lack of opportunity and excuses.
Davari recalled, "There was always an excuse as to why she couldn’t go surf. She had to have her surfboard at her house," but he noted, "she didn’t have any pictures." This pervasive deception extended beyond shared activities. He also asserted she lied about having serious medical conditions, saying, "She was faking a heart condition at one point" — “and eventually, not only me, but a bunch of people figured out it was not true.”
When the news of her disappearance broke, Davari wasn’t left blindsided like many others. "I knew she was fine," he insisted, reflecting on how he didn’t buy Papini’s story. This skepticism stemmed from their past experience; he noted she would often disappear for days before concocting fantastical accounts of what had transpired during her absence, raising serious doubt about her credibility.
The story of Papini’s kidnapping took devastating turns, leading to her eventual arrest. She received jail time for making false statements to federal agents and committing mail fraud, having collected over $30,000 from the California Victim Compensation Board under her phony narrative. Davari clarified he was not involved with the alleged ex-boyfriend who helped Papini during her hoax, James Reyes, and sought to separate himself from the scandal entirely. “I want to stop people from thinking I am the guy who hid her or helped or had any contact with her,” he stated firmly.
Papini’s actions have spurred widespread discussion, reflected through various media outlets. Recently, her case featured heavily within the getting released documentary Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, which delves deep not only with her husband Keith’s perspective post-scandal but also the broader consequences of her deception. Following her release from prison in August 2023, she expressed, "I am deeply ashamed of my actions," illustrating her recognition of the pain caused to her loved ones.
While Davari’s future on Survivor remains uncertain, his connection to Papini continues to spark curiosity about the impact of past relationships and societal perceptions around crime and deception. Whether his experiences inform his gameplay remains to be seen, but the shadows of Papini’s scandal will surely follow him as he steps onto the reality television stage.