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Two-time Tuskegee grad among this season’s ‘Survivor’ castaways

September 11, 2018

Contact: Lori DelliColli, CBS Entertainment, 603.824.6300

Davie Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker

Davie Armstrong Rickenbacker of Atlanta, a two-time ϲͼ graduate, is among the 20 castaways who will compete against one another during the CBS Television Network’s upcoming season of “Survivor.”

The show returns to the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, with the same ultimate goal: to outwit, outplay and outlast each other in an attempt to become the “sole survivor.”

Rickenbacker, a 30-year-old native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences in 2010, and a master’s of public health in 2016 — both from Tuskegee. For the past two years, he has served as a health communications specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. While attending Tuskegee, Rickenbacker was a member the Gamma Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., founder and president of the university’s Carolina Club, president of the Public Health Club, a new-student orientation leader, and a member of the Marching Crimson Pipers.

Now in its 37th season, this year’s edition of “Survivor” — themed “David vs. Goliath” — pits the classic “underdogs” against the obvious “favorites.” Rickenbacker and other “David” tribe members, who have overcome some form of adversity in their lives, will face off against members of the “Goliath” tribe, who tend to capitalize on their individual advantages and use them against their opponents.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I can do this,” Rickenbacker said about his motivation to be on the show. “I was always teased for not playing popular sports like my friends, so this would be my ultimate competition. I'm the middle child — so almost the black sheep of the family. Both of my brothers are so accomplished, so I want to have my own unique medal of self-accomplishment.”

“Survivor” host Jeff Probst described Rickenbacker as “a really likeable guy. I think he’s a guy that is actually so likeable that he might be the guy that can float through without getting in anybody’s way — because he is the guy you kinda want around.”

The fall season of “Survivor” will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 26 (8:00 to 9:30 p.m., ET/PT) on CBS. Find Rickenbacker’s cast-member profile and read more the show at . Follow Rickenbacker throughout the season on Twitter at and on Instagram at .

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