| “ | I'm not one of them. | ” |
| Don Tabak | |
| |
| Age: | 62 |
| Occupation: | Ex-Homicide Detective |
| Hometown: | Santa Clarita, CA |
| Season: | 1 |
| Placing: | 10 |
| Result: | Murdered |
| Role: | Contestant |
| Spared: | 1 time(s) |
| Scared: | 2 time(s) |
| Ep. of Death: | Kaboom |
| COD: | Poisoned by Cyanide |
| TOD: | After 7:13 AM on day 4 |
Don is an ex-cop and retired homicide detective/investigator. Despite his skills, he was "scared" in the premiere. He tells everyone he is a football coach at a local high school, but no one believes him. A few players, like Melina and Cris, try to use his skills to their advantage.
Storyline
High Voltage
As the first impression, he lied about being the ex-cop, but soon he'd get his cover blown away. While witnessing Sheri being electrocuted, he told people to stay out, for the wires were naked. The investigation of Sheri's "death" scene furthered the others' suspicion on him. He got his theories that somehow Sheri had got her head bashed, thus bled to death. At lunch, he sat with Sasha, Dana and Cris, discussing the information they'd gathered. The riddle time proved to be "Don's kryptonite". He followed the group as they headed to the East window as the passage suggested. But he's too late for the slingshot and the crowbar. He got his information while chatting with Geno, Kam and Lindsey anyway. Still, he stuck to his initial theory that Sheri got hit, then with the presence of a crowbar, he's further convinced. He added some details like the cut cord would have basically "fried" Sheri. Those theories are miles away from the fact that Sheri got hit with a musket ball, thus Don received a "scared" card for his terrible detective skill. But in the end, Dontae got much further from the right track, so he's the one to to go, saving Don another day at the mansion.
Fire Starter
At 4:38 a.m. the next morning, everybody in the mansion was awoken by the fire alarm The Killer set up. Most of the "mortals" had gathered outside, excluding Don, who was a few minute late, and Dontae, who was set ablaze. This time, Don teamed up with Cris, Dana and Ulysses for a trip to the morgue, where a severely burnt Dontae was lying. Together, they found out that Dontae was wearing a different set of pajamas and his right hand was the ignition point. Don accompanied Ronnie in the riddle part, where they interpreted "fire in liquid form" as "lava in the barbecue" and definitely, the cycles are there too, so this should hold the next clue, but it didn't. They tried another way, tearing the flag, but there was nothing inside. So he missed the riddle entirely. In fact, only Kam, Cris and Ulysses were at the right place to witness how benzene could have set off the "Dontae's inferno". However, he's saved by Adrianna about the benzene part. Though missing the important piece, the igniter, he still managed to get past the test.
Kaboom
Be careful, Adrianna can hear us.
On the morning of day 3, people were awoken by the sound of a blow coming from the front yard, signifying Adrianna's "death". Along with Melina and Ulysses, Don went on a field trip to a tree branch, where her body lay. A close-up encounter showed that her legs were severely burnt, which suggested that was where the explosion begin. Another clue was held in her hand, a remote control, which was initially thought to have detonated the bomb under her seat. Don was a little prudent this time, keeping Ulysses out of the game he's playing. But again, his detective failed him dramatically when it came to the riddle part. He's relying too much on his team that he literally chased a wild goose. Only until Ronnie found out the third riddle inside a tape, he'd keep up with his teammates. While Ronnie shared information with his team, Ronnie got caught in the question whether The Killer planted the bomb on the ground or he hid it in the golf cart's seat, which ultimately led him to his faulty statement of the case. But maybe, he had done the test much worse than what he'd stated so he's got a "Scared" card, for the second time, which would mean that his colleague should re-open some cases thought to be closed. However, as a surprise, neither he nor Dana was "killed" on the next day, or so they thought. With a formal breakfast already displayed, he and Dana found out that their steaks were very much undercooked, more precisely, kept raw. While Dana was comfortable with sharing Ulysses' portion, Don voluntarily (as he'd already known it) walked into the kitchen to cook his steak. Although Why kill yourself?
"Death"
The cyanide causes Don to slowly asphyxiate.
Don's corpse after a little visit from the mountain lion.
Mountain Lyin
While attempting to cook a raw steak, Don is "killed" when cyanide escapes from the stove when he turns it on. The mat he steps on also activates the dumbwaiter that allows a mountain lion to get in. A suffocating Don looks at the mountain lion in the eye, falls to his knees, and finally keels over, "dead". However, the mountain lion is not interested in Don's corpse; he gets up to the stove, walking across Don in the process, to claim his steak. Though a close examine of his body would enable the contestants to solve the case, the presence of a mountain lion named "Kona" finally managed to fool team Kam around.
Accusations
Accusations made by him
On the first day at the mansion, he accused Dana. But on the rest 2 days stay at the mansion, he set his sight on Cris, like most of team Geno would do.
| Don Tabak's Accusations | ||
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
|
|
|
| Dana: 33.33% | Cris:66.67% |
Being an ex-cop who is terrible at keeping his secret and playing low key, he succeeded in earning others' trust, as such, no one ever suspected him, ever. In fact, Melina confessed that he's the only one she trusted.
Strategy
Advantages
As a 62-year-old cop, he easily earned others' trust, thus making him much easier gathering information from the others. Sometimes, he's savvy enough to understand how to play the right card.
Disadvantages
However, being a terrible liar, he can't fool others into believing that he's a football coach. It was later revealed in an interview with Kam that he'd already worn his identity on his sleeves, literally. [1]
Plus, his detective seriously wears out after all those years off duty, or maybe, his theories are much too conventional to match with the creators', who wrote a hundred scripts on how an impossible crime may happen. But most notably, he succeeded in failing every single riddle encountered. The first time, it was "Dontae's inferno" that got his back. The second time, he was saved by Adrianna's information on the benzene bottle. Although he was given enough opportunity to pass all the riddles in "Kaboom" by listening to Ronnie, he just couldn't make it.
Trivia
- Don was anxious that "death" might come for him. He ended up with a mountain lion coming for a little flesh on his neck, as well as his steak.
- His notable accessory is a football, with which he plays when anxious. He also claims to keep a journal.
Gallery
The image gallery for Don may be viewed here.
Questionnaire [2]
The producers of Whodunnit gave a questionnaire to all of the Guests of the Rue Manor and this is how they replied [3].
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What mystery-solving skills do you have, if any? |
I have a great deal of common sense and patience. Both are needed to solve mysteries. |
| Tell us about the last time you were tricked. | It was during a PI investigation, interviewing a witness that lied about who they were. Only time I didn't ask for ID before an interview. |
| Give us an example that shows us how competitive you are. | I finished playing a football game with broken bone in my foot as I don't want to come out. |
| List any special talents/interesting hobbies? | Coaching high school football. |
| Describe yourself in one sentence. | I am very astute, calm, common sensical guy. |
External Links/References
Contestants Navigation
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