Welcome to Road to Reality, a limited series where I, Kellen Bechteld, go on a conversational

journey with fellow survivor contestants about their real lives.

In this 10-part series, we invite you to listen in on unscripted conversations that, crazy

enough, aren't really about playing Survivor, but about being a person who was on Survivor.

These are deep dive conversations, not into post-game strategy, but into the lives of contestants

before and after survivor, and the experiences that shaped them into who they are today.

So sit back, relax, and join me as we take a ride down the road to reality.

Hello, everybody.

Welcome back to Road to Reality.

Today, we are talking with another David versus Goliath David, David Rickenbacher.

We talk with David about how he ended up as a public health professional, working at

the CDC during the pandemic.

How being an extrovert means something different once you enter the world of reality TV, growing

up as a middle child of three boys in South Carolina, and bringing his childhood dreams

to life and adulthood.

How he's navigating being an influencer online and in Atlanta, and of course, his experience

of being on Survivor and his specific reasons for wanting to play again in the new era.

David lets us into his world in a way that feels like going on an adventure with him.

My face hurt throughout the interview from smiling through so much of it.

He mentioned at Ponderosa that Gabby Pascusi gave him one of his favorite compliments of

all time, which was, I've never met anyone like you, and I cannot agree more.

There is no one else like David Rickenbacher on this planet, and we are so lucky to spend

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