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Survivor’s Parvati Shallow Requests Domestic Violence Protection Amid Divorce From John Fincher (Exclusive)

Survivor alum Parvati Shallow is requesting a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband, John Fincher, for domestic violence protection.

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The 38-year-old Florida native filed for divorce on August 24 after nearly four years of marriage. Additional court documents filed on Friday, August 27, and obtained by Us Weekly state that Fincher, 38, is asking a judge to deny Shallow’s request for protection.

Survivor Parvati Shallow Files Domestic Violence Protection Amid Divorce
Parvati Shallow Courtesy of Parvati Shallow/Instagram

 

Shallow’s request asks that Fincher not “harass, attack, strike, threaten, assault (sexually or otherwise)” her or “contact, either directly or indirectly, [her] in any way.” She also wants Fincher to stay at least 100 yards from her and her home, workplace and vehicle. The Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains alum requested supervised visitation for the couple’s 3-year-old daughter, Ama.

In his response, Fincher outlined an incident that occurred on August 20 during which he and Shallow allegedly disagreed on whether Ama should sleep at a friend’s home.

“During the argument, which lasted a few minutes, Parvati and I both raised our voices,” the California native recalled. “Parvati was sitting on a couch during the argument. I was standing. At the end of the argument, I walked over to the couch where Parvati was sitting. I reached forward and grabbed Parvati’s phone which was on the couch. Parvati swung her arms and hands at me when I picked up her phone. Parvati hands touched my arm and my torso. I grabbed the phone and walked away, toward the front door of the house.”

Fincher claimed that he “did not ‘unlock’ Parvati’s phone” and that he “began to walk away” as the Om the Otter author called authorities to their friend’s house. When police arrived, they “interviewed the adults at the house” and “made no arrests,” per the docs.

“I did not hit, kick, push or in any other way have any physical contact with Parvati at any time [that night],” Fincher stated.

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Shallow, however, claimed Fincher “got in my face” and was “verbally and physically aggressive” during the disagreement, allegedly not for the first time. “It made me feel really scared, like he’s crossed a line and his rage has overcome him and that he can’t stop himself,” she wrote in her request.

The yoga instructor “didn’t feel safe going anywhere with [John]” that night, she added, claiming that at one point, he told her, “I don’t care about you. I hope you kill yourself. You can walk into traffic. You can jump off a cliff. I hope you put a gun in your mouth and blow your brains out.”

Survivor Parvati Shallow Files Domestic Violence Protection Amid Divorce
John Fincher and Parvati Shallow Courtesy Parvati Shallow/Instagram

During the “intense and scary” exchange, Shallow claimed Alma “was less than one foot away” from her before Fincher “lunged at me, grabbed my arm and wrestled my phone out of my hands and made a dash to the door.”

The Survivor: Samoa alum argued in his response that he should “be given the opportunity to have a hearing regarding the custody and visitation orders” requested by his estranged wife before any final decisions are made by the court.

The reality stars tied the knot in July 2017. Upon filing for divorce, Shallow noted the date of separation as May 15 and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.

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As the drama continues to unfold, the season 16 Survivor winner opened up about tackling “hard things” in a vulnerable Instagram post.

“I’m going through a very hard time right now. In times of great challenge, I’ve learned to slow way down and take things moment by moment,” she wrote on Monday, August 30. “My priority now is to create a brave, loving & safe space for me and my daughter so that I can show up with calm presence, strength of heart and resilience as we walk through this difficult time. #wecandohardthings.”

If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.

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