If you are anything like me, a self-proclaimed Survivor superfan, you likely found yourself shocked yesterday (May 14) when a rumored relationship between Survivor 46 castaways Hunter McKnight and Tevin Davis began circulating via X.
Eliminated from the beloved competition series in episodes 8 and 9, respectively, Hunter and Tevin had a strong bond with one another during their relatively short-lived time on Survivor 46, forming the “Andy Griffith Alliance” while serving as members of the Nami tribe together. Naturally, the pair continued their connection into the merge portion of the game, joining the “Plus One Alliance” with Q Burdette, Tiffany Nicole Ervin, Tim Spicer and Maria Shrime Gonzalez to hopefully further their position in the game.
As one can assume, the “Plus One Alliance” was unsuccessful. After both individuals were blindsided, getting their torches snuffed by host Jeff Probst, Hunter and Tevin spent the rest of the game sequestered at Ponderosa — a resort where the ousted castaways reside until filming comes to a close, as they are serving as members of the jury — where it is rumored that their relationship progressed to a much more intimate level.
While it is unclear where exactly this rumored relationship stemmed from, after a great deal of internet sleuthing, I determined that Survivor superfans jumped to conclusions when the pair were spotted together at a gas station late last night, combining this evidence of Hunter and Tevin hanging out one-on-one with some wishful thinking. Taking a photo with a fan, individuals assumed that Hunter and Tevin were spending time with one another romantically once the photo began to circulate via X, as opposed to a harmless friend outing.
Given the absurdity of this rumor — as there was little to no proof of a romantic relationship — both Hunter and Tevin took to X in a joking manner to shut down the speculation, seemingly being good sports about the situation.
Nonetheless, some Survivor superfans were furious that such a rumor was even brought up, deeming it to be both “homophobic as s**t” and disrespectful to Hunter, Tevin and members of the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
“Woah, a straight man and gay man can be close friends and it not mean anything? Shocker! In all seriousness, the rumor itself is homophobic as s**t and disrespectful to both Hunter and Tevin. How in the balls it became a thing is beyond me.”
“This Hunter/Tevin allegation is really gross. Whether it’s true or not, trying to out Hunter as something he has not made public is not ok. S**t like this is why me and so many others around the world have been cornered into coming out #Survivor #Survivor46“
“The blatant lies you are spreading about Tevin and Hunter are exactly why closeted and down low men will never be comfortable coming out. What a nasty Survivor community we have on here”
While they are not in a romantic relationship with one another, we love to see Hunter and Tevin continuing their friendship outside of the game. Here’s to the “Andy Griffith Alliance” staying friends forever!
