Wardog DaSilva

Daniel "Dan" DaSilva (also known as The Wardog) is a contestant from Survivor: Edge of Extinction.

Despite his erratic gameplay and sometimes aggravating demeanor, Wardog managed to play a heavy strategic game which involved joining a tight-knit trio and the blindside of the eventual winner Chris Underwood and two of his season's retur nees. He became a target following that, and an emotional outburst at Gavin Whitson cost him crucial social capital within the game. He was then blindsided himself at the final eight and failed to return to the game.

Profile

Retrieved from CBS.com

Age: 38
Hometown: Ossining, New York
Current residence: Los Angeles
Occupation: Law Student/Former Military
Hobbies: Gym, basketball, and Netflix binging.
Pet peeves: Weakness for sure, but most of all negative energy, that person who just complains constantly that the world never breaks their way.
Three words to describe you: Confident, self-amused, and passionate.
What is your personal claim to fame? Bronze Star Medal in Afghanistan, close second was being the youngest in my Basic Training company and making it through in a time when 20 percent or so were sent home. It was 1997 pre-war standards.
Who or what is your inspiration in life? The young men and women who joined the Army after the war began, I fought alongside these 19, 20, and 21-year-olds, and they certainly were my heroes.
If you could have three things on the island, what would they be and why?
Nail clippers: I don't know why, dirty long nails just strike a chord.
Football: it would be nice to have something to toss around.
Chess Board or deck of cards: sometimes it would be nice to remove your brain from the game but I don't know if that's even possible.
Which Survivor contestant are you the most like? The Wardog is his own blend—I'm not Tony, I'm not the Specialist, I'm not Boston Rob. Whose game did I respect the most? That's a better question. I thought Yul played great, I thought Mike was a great winner, I loved Parvati's game, Earl dominated, the third version of Tyson, the first version of Country Bumpkin (J.T).
What's your reason for being on Survivor? Win the game of games! Also, to go on an adventure that few will ever partake in, and to challenge myself physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor? I bring a certain sex appeal that men my age haven't had for over a decade or most have never had. But I digress; I also bring a sharp mind, likable joyful personality, one that can be both subservient when I need to be and a leader when there is a vacuum of leadership. I bring a strong set of physical skills, and I won't be the one whining and complaining. In the end, I'll make them laugh when we are all having a miserable moment.^[2]

Survivor

Wardog was the strategic powerhouse on the struggling Manu tribe that went to each of the Tribal Councils before the Tribe Switch. Wardog started the game as part of the majority Manu Alliance as outsiders Reem, Keith, and Wendy isolated themselves, with Kelley and Lauren as his closest allies. When Manu lost the first Immunity Challenge on Day 3, most of the tribe targeted Reem as they were frustrated by her micromanaging. However, Wardog wanted to split the vote between Reem and Wendy after the former refused to turn on the latter. At Tribal Council, Wardog joined the rest of the tribe in the Reem/Wendy split vote plan, with the former being voted out first. When Manu lost immunity again on Day 6, Wardog wanted to target Keith for being a liability in challenges. However, Chris entertained the possibility of voting with David, Rick, and Wendy in voting out Kelley, who was perceived as the bigger threat of the tribe's two returning players. But Wardog tried to convince Chris to get rid of Keith to keep the tribe strong and keep Kelley around as a shield. At Tribal Council, Wardog got his way when Kelley was spared and Keith was voted out. Following Manu's third Immunity loss in a row, Kelley, Lauren, and Wardog decided to target Wendy as she hid the tribe's flint to prevent them from cooking the chickens they won in the Day 7 Reward Challenge. However, Chris approached Wardog about considering targeting Kelley again. But Chris' decision caused Wardog to turn the vote on him for being seen as untrustworthy. At Tribal Council, David and Rick sided with Kelley, Lauren, and Wardog in blindsiding Chris.

When the Tribe Switch occurred on Day 9, almost the entire Manu tribe except Wendy were switched to the new Lesu tribe. When Lesu lost the Immunity Challenge on Day 11, Wardog became the swing vote between two pairs. Kelley and Lauren, who targeted Rick for being the most likely to integrate with the rival Kama tribe at the merge and David and Rick who targeted Lauren for her illness she suffered and caused her to not eat. At Tribal Council, Wardog joined Kelley and Lauren in blindsiding Rick. Following a Reward Challenge loss on Day 12, despite David being the obvious target, Wardog tried to convince Kelley to turn on Lauren, to which the former took into consideration. However, their plan was halted when Lesu won Immunity on Day 13 and David, Kelley, Lauren and Wardog finally abstained from Tribal Council. Following another loss at the Day 14 Immunity Challenge, Wardog continued to campaign against Lauren, but Kelley was frustrated by his constant scheming. However, Wardog's plan was once again put on hold when Lesu lost the Day 16 Immunity Challenge, sending them to a Joint Tribal Council along with Manu. Back at camp, Wardog suggested targeting Wendy in hopes that her tribemates would not risk a rock draw tiebreaker to save her, though Kelley and Lauren were again frustrated by his refusal to listen to anyone else's ideas. At Tribal Council, Lesu and Manu voted Wendy and Lauren respectively, resulting in a tie. In the revote, Lesu and Manu banded together in unanimously voting out Wendy.

Wardog was one of only five original Manu members to make the merge on Day 17, as Rick reentered the game by winning the Edge of Extinction challenge. However, Kelley, Lauren, and Wardog tried to permeate the Kama majority to target Rick again. While the Kama minority alliance of Aurora and Joe were open to the plan, Julie was appalled by their cruelty of sending Rick back to the Edge right after he returned. At Tribal Council, the Manu's, Joe, and Aurora were blindsided when the Kama Six voted Joe out. After being left out of Joe's blindside, the Manu's tried to regroup and bring in Aurora to force a tie, but David and Rick had aligned with Kama Six leaders Eric and Ron for long-term safety. After the Day 22 Immunity Challenge, Wardog spoke with Gavin and Julia about Eric and Ron's deal with David and Rick, claiming that Eric and Ron were keeping around David and Rick as allies for when the Kama Six had to turn on each other. At Tribal Council, Wardog's scramble worked as Aurora, Gavin, Julia, and Victoria flipped and voted with the Manu Alliance plus David in blindsiding Eric. At the next Tribal Council, Wardog joined the rest of the tribe minus Aurora in blindsiding Julia for trying to bring the Kama Six back together and also attempting to throw the Manu's under the bus. Following Julia's elimination, Wardog created a new majority alliance with Gavin, Julie, Kelley, Lauren and Ron, targeting Aurora who they felt had cost Julia her game with her sarcastic demeanor. But Aurora was spared when she won the Day 25 Immunity Challenge, forcing the alliance to target David instead for his persuasiveness. At Tribal Council, Wardog joined his new alliance in voting David out. After the Day 27 Immunity Challenge, Wardog's alliance had initially planned to go through on their earlier plan to target Aurora. But Wardog wanted to shake up the game by betraying Kelley for being the last returning player remaining, recruiting Aurora, Rick, Ron and Victoria. At Tribal Council, Wardog's plan worked when he blindsided Kelley and betrayed his closest allies.

However, after Tribal Council, Wardog's betrayal on Kelley caused the Manu Alliance to effectively end. Wardog's betrayal combined with an argument he had with Gavin after he was excluded from Kelley's blindside caused Gavin to target him. The next morning, Wardog and Ron were approached by Rick in proposing an alliance as the biggest remaining threats to take out lesser targets by targeting Aurora first. While Rick was the primary target to the tribe's majority, their plan was thwarted when Rick won Immunity on Day 29, forcing them to target Wardog instead as the second biggest threat. At Tribal Council, Rick and Wardog voted Aurora, but Ron reneged on their alliance and joined the rest of the tribe in voting Wardog out. Wardog then took the torch and headed to the Edge of Extinction.

Wardog stayed on the Edge of Extinction until Day 35, where he competed in the second reentry duel along with Reem, Chris, Aubry, Joe, Eric, Julia, David, Kelley, Ron and Aurora. He eventually lost the challenge to Chris, eliminating him and nine others.

At Final Tribal Council, he joined the rest of the Edge of Extinction Inhabitants on the jury plus Victoria in voting Chris to be the Sole Survivor, which he did beating out Gavin and Julie in a 9-4-0 vote.

Voting History

Wardog's Voting History
Episode	Wardog's Votes	Voted Against Wardog
1	Wendy	-
2	Keith	-
3	Chris	-
4	Rick	-
5	Lesu Tribe Immune
5	Wendy; Wendy¹	-
6	David	-
7	Eric	-
8	Julia	-
9	David	David, Rick
9	Kelley	-
10	Aurora	Aurora, Gavin, Julie, Lauren, Ron, Victoria
Voted Out, Day 29
11	On Edge of Extinction
12
13
Eliminated, Day 35
Voted for Sole Survivor	Chris

^1 In It's Like the Worst Cocktail Party Ever, the vote ended with a 4-4 tie between Lauren and Wendy, forcing a revote. Wardog did not change his vote on the revote.

Post-Survivor

Wardog graduated from the Pepperdine University School of Law in May 2019.^[3]

Trivia

Wardog lost 31 lbs. during his time on Edge of Extinction.^[4]
Wardog revealed in a Reddit thread that his parents were both born in Portugal, thus making him the first Survivor castaway of Portuguese descent.