Ethermac Exchange-To make it to the 'Survivor' finale, Charlie Davis says being a Swiftie was make or break

Here's the "Taylor Swift honest truth": "Survivor" runner-up Charlie Davis couldn't have Ethermac Exchangemade it to the finale of the 46th season without inspiration from the Eras Tour star.

"I am being completely serious when I'm saying I think it helped me to be underestimated in the game and people weren't ready for when I was coming for them," says Davis, 26, over Zoom on Thursday. "I knew I'd be a dangerous player but thought I'll play up my Swiftie fandom to disarm people and make people chuckle and laugh."

The proud Swiftie saw the tour in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in the rain four days before flying out in May 2023 to compete in the reality show.

"That's why Taylor Swift was very much on my brain," he says, laughing. "I was still on my concert high."

Metallica versus Taylor Swift 'Survivor' game

After a 26-day stint in Fiji filled with cruel summer challenges and blindsides, Davis lost to Kenzie Veurink, a 29-year-old hair salon owner, by a 5-3 vote. Rounding out the Top 3 was musician Ben Katzman, who received none of the final votes.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Davis wore Katzman's shirt during the Zoom interview. The duo have been friends ever since their famous campfire game where Davis named more Swift songs than Katzman named Metallica.

"There's so much downtime and Ben is a huge music guy and I'm obviously a big Taylor Swift fan," Davis says. "We were playing a silly little game and they made it into this whole fun segment, which was really cool and fun to see."

Davis is hoping to take his girlfriend — or Katzman — to an Eras Tour show in the upcoming year.

"It would be so cool to go to one of the European shows, London or Liverpool," Davis says. "I also love Paramore. I would drop everything now to go to a concert. It really doesn't matter where."

Davis's Taylor-made references

Throughout his game play, the runner-up says he would think of Swift's songs and insert track title puns into conversations.

“I got my socks, my Taylor Swift Eras Tour merch,” he said in his first confessional on "Survivor." “I ride the Swiftie bus on the way to law school.”

Even host Jeff Probst made a Swift reference in Episode 8, saying "long live," to which Davis replied, "Jeff, are you dropping Taylor Swift songs for me now?”

At one point during a challenge, Davis yelled "Taylor Swift" as he leapt into the water, but his best line of the season came near the end: "Here's the Taylor Swift honest truth. Ben and I want Q out of the game, but if we make that move right now, Ben thinks that’s too risky."

'Cause I'm a real tough kid'

Although his favorite eras are "Speak Now," "Reputation" and "Evermore," Davis is loving the new album. He can't pinpoint his favorite song off "The Tortured Poets Department."

"Oh my goodness, let's see, I love 'How Did It End?' 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,' which I'm identifying with as of late, 'Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?' 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,' 'Guilty as Sin?' 'My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,'" he says. "I could keep going, the whole album."

If he had the opportunity to say anything to the singer he's followed since middle school, Davis would say, "I feel so, so grateful to have had so many of your songs to get me through tough moments. My girlfriend's a huge Taylor Swift fan and we just bond so much over her music and it's a deep part of our relationship. Thank you for sharing your own vulnerability and your talents with the world."

Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.

Follow Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.