Man Who Claimed He Dated 'Compulsive Liar' Sherri Papini Now a Cast Member onSurvivor 48

Mar. 15, 2025

Shauhin Davari (left); and Sherri Papini.Photo:Robert Voets/CBS; Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

Robert Voets/CBS; Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

A man who says he datedSherri Papini, describing her in a 2022 interview as a “compulsive liar,” is now on the cast ofSurvivor 48.

Shauhin Davari, 38, was announced as one of the contestants on the show set to premiere next month,EntertainmentWeeklyreported.

Davari, a debate professor from East Bay, Calif., toldInsideEditionin 2022 that he previously dated Papini. In 2016, Papini became a household name after shedisappeared for 22 days during a jogin Redding, Calif. She was found on the street withbruises on her faceandhad been “branded,“her husband Keith Papini said at the time.

Keith and Sherri Papini with their children.Courtesy Keith Papini

Courtesy Keith Papini

However, a years-long investigation found that she hadfaked her own kidnappingand was hiding in an ex-boyfriend’s house; that man later told police that she had asked him to hit her. When he refused, she bruised herself.

While this revelation shocked many, including her own husband, Davari was not surprised, he toldInside Editionafter her 2022 arrest.

“I was like, there’s no way. She’s fine. I promise you she’s fine. There’s just no chance that she got kidnapped,” he said.

He claimed Papini was a “compulsive liar” — and he had his suspicions when he first heard about her kidnapping that later turned out to be a hoax.

“She would not talk to you for three or four days, and then all of a sudden there’d be some fantastical story about what happened,” Davari claimed.

At the time, Davari said he was speaking out to dispel rumors that he was the ex-boyfriend and Papini had colluded with him.

Shauhin Davari.Robert Voets/CBS

Robert Voets/CBS

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Now, on the set ofSurvivor 48, Davari is sharing that his whole life has been “weirdly prep” for the show.

“Running a speech and debate team requires working with all different people. Motivating them toward a common goal, while working socially to put your team in position to succeed,” he said, perEW.

He also said one of his pet peeves is being interrupted: “I love the sound of my voice.”

He listed his inspirations as his students, his mother and brother.

Survivor 48is set to premiere on Feb. 26, on CBS.

source: people.com