Parvati Shallow is reality television royalty. After competing on Survivor four times, and winning once, Parvati is back on TV on season 2 of Peacock’s The Traitors. Parvati was named one of the three Traitors at the beginning of the season alongside Dan Gheesling and Phaedra Parks at the start of the season. Most of the Faithfuls have caught on to Parvati, and she appears to be in danger of being eliminated soon. But as we know from her stints on Survivor, Parvati should never be counted out.
Here’s everything you need to know about Parvati Shallow.
She was on Survivor four times.
Parvati made her first Survivor appearance on Cook Islands (season 13) in 2006, when she was just 23 years old. She was in a majority alliance, but they fell short after the four players in the minority alliance dominated the second half of the game. She finished in sixth place, then returned for season 16, Survivor: Micronesia (the first Fans vs. Favorites season), in 2008. Parvati quickly emerged as a strategic and physical threat. She formed a powerful all-girl alliance with Cirie Fields and Amanda Kimmel, and helped spearhead one of the most legendary moves in Survivor history — getting Erik Reichenbach to give up his immunity necklace at the final five, then voting him out. Parvati wound up winning the game.
She came back for Heroes vs. Villians (season 20, in 2010), and aligned with one of the most controversial players in Survivor history, Russell Hantz. She made gutsy moves all season long, including giving up TWO of her hidden immunity idols to save other members of her alliance. She made it to the final three with Russell and Sandra Diaz-Twine, but fell short of a second win when Sandra beat her in a 6-3 vote.
Parvati competed on her fourth season, Winners at War (season 40, in 2020). She and the rest of the “Old School” players were huge targets from the start of the game. Parvati made it to episode six where she was voted out. She failed to win her way back into the game on Edge of Extinction and finished the season in 15th place.
She was supposed to be on a different reality show first.
Parvati actually auditioned for a different show before she went on Survivor — The Amazing Race! She didn’t make the cast for the show, but when producers reached out to her about appearing on Survivor instead, she happily accepted.
She was married to another ‘Survivor’ alum.
Parvati was married to John Fincher, who was on season 19, Survivor: Samoa. They started dating in 2014, and were engaged by the beginning of 2017. They tied the knot that July, and Parvati gave birth to their daughter, Ama, in July 2018, less than one year before filming Winners at War.
Parvati filed for divorce from John in August 2021. She later obtained a temporary restraining order against her ex and accused him of abuse, according to PEOPLE.
She came out as queer.
Parvati came out as queer and revealed she’s dating comedian Mae Martin, 36, in January 2024. She posted a series of polaroid pictures of them together and captioned the post, “We’re here. We’re queer. Happy New Year.”
The reality star opened up about her relationship with Mae in an interview with Advocate. “My journey is very different than most people who are out. We’ve been dating since March and our relationship has moved forward really beautifully. I’m super happy,” she said. “I’m just really happy and this relationship has a healthy emotional, physical, and spiritual connection. It’s healthier than any relationship I’ve ever been in in my life,” Parvati added. “I tell all my friends to be queer!”
She works as a life coach.
Since 2012, Parvati has worked as a Professional Life & Business Coach. She uses her platform to help people “tap into and expand their inner power to transform their lives,” according to her LinkedIn. She’s also a certified yoga instructor.