Survivor is one of the most dangerous reality competition shows on television. The series features castaways stranded on an island exposed to the elements with limited resources. So, over the show’s 43 seasons, there have been 16 instances when producers had to pull contestants from the game due to injury, infection, or some other medical issue. And we’ve compiled the five most frightening medical evacuations in Survivor on CBS.
Michael Skupin in ‘Survivor: The Australian Outback’ was the first of 16 medical evacuations
The first season of Survivor featured no medical evacuations. However, the CBS reality competition show’s second installment included the first medevac in the series’ history.
Michael Skupin was the (self-proclaimed) leader of the Kucha tribe in Survivor: The Australian Outback. He fished and provided food for his tribemates. Michael even hunted down a wild pig, one of the most disturbing scenes in Survivor. He constantly rubbed his fellow castaways the wrong way, but they were all by Michael’s side when he fell into the fire he was tending on Day 17.
Michael had inhaled smoke from the campfire, which caused him to pass out and fall into the pit. He severely burned his hands, which he tried to cool off in the nearby river. The Survivor medical team soon arrived and quickly deemed that Michael had to be pulled from the game. They airlifted Michael out and took him to a hospital, where he recovered from his wounds.
Survivor later featured a twist in season 25 that brought back three medical evacuations, including Michael.
Joe Dowdle in ‘Survivor: Tocantins’
While no one has ever died on Survivor, a handful of the medical evacuations could have resulted in death had they not been treated, including Joe Dowdle in Survivor: Tocantins.
Joe started on the Jalapao tribe, and despite visiting Tribal Council four times, Joe survived until the merge. However, Joe nicked his knee during a Reward Challenge a few days before the merge. It initially didn’t seem like a significant problem, but it soon got infected.
At the first individual Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst noticed how awful Joe’s knee looked, and he told Joe to stick around after the challenge while the rest of the castaways returned to camp. The medical team examined Joe and determined that the infection could spread to his bones or blood, resulting in amputation or even death. So they pulled him from the game on Day 20.
Doctors diagnosed Joe with a staph infection at the hospital, requiring surgery. He fully recovered, but his exit from Survivor is undoubtedly one of the most daunting medical evacuations in the show.
Russell Swan in ‘Survivor: Samoa’
Survivor fans couldn’t look away from their screens during Russell Swan’s medical evacuation from Survivor: Samoa. It was a bone-chilling moment that made viewers fear for his life.
Russell began on the Galu tribe, and his fellow castaways immediately deemed him the leader. He led his tribe to multiple challenge wins and provided for the camp. But Russell’s workload quickly caught up to him when he became dehydrated during the Reward Challenge on Day 15.
The challenge included four blinded castaways solving a table maze. And during this part of the challenge, Russell collapsed onto his side of the table. His fellow tribemates couldn’t see him struggling and yelled at him to help them solve the maze. But host Jeff Probst noted Russell’s slumped figure over the table and called for everyone to stop. The medical team came in and assessed his condition, and Probst called off the challenge.
The doctors discovered that Russell’s blood pressure had severely plummeted. When he tried to sit up, Russell passed out again, and his heart rate went from 97 to 68. Ultimately, the medical team pulled Russell from Survivor: Samoa, and he recovered at a local hospital. Later, Russell was one of three medical evacuations to return to the game in Survivor: Philippines.
Caleb Reynolds was one of many medical evacuations in ‘Survivor: Kaôh Rōng’
Survivor: Kaôh Rōng was the first season to feature three medical evacuations, and to this day, it holds the record for more medevacs in one season. And the first castaway to be evacuated was Caleb Reynolds.
Caleb, who previously starred in Big Brother 16, joined the Beauty tribe in Survivor: Kaôh Rōng. He led his tribe to numerous victories and formed good relationships with his fellow castaways. However, during one grueling Reward Challenge on Day 9, exhaustion caught up to Caleb.
The three tribes had to run through an obstacle course, and one part of the challenge included digging up three bags of balls. After gathering all of them, the contestants had to roll their balls into six holes on a board. However, it took the tribes more than 45 minutes to find the bags, which led to extreme exhaustion under the hot sun.
Ultimately, Caleb was able to secure second place for his tribe. But after completing the challenge, he passed out. He wasn’t the only one who required medical attention — Debbie Wanner and Cydney Gillon also suffered heat strokes, but they recovered. Caleb wasn’t so lucky. The medical team decided to pull Caleb from the game when his heart rate continuously dropped and his temperature spiked.
The Survivor medical team brought him to a hospital, where he stayed for five days and fully recuperated. Caleb later returned to the show in Survivor: Game Changers.
Pat Cusack in ‘Survivor: David vs. Goliath’
Pat Cusack and two other Survivor castaways hold the title of earliest medical evacuation in the show’s history. And his injury was a scary moment for his fellow tribemates and those watching at home.
Pat joined the David tribe in Survivor: David vs. Goliath, and like many other evacuations that came before him, he was a leader. Pat took charge of building the shelter and rubbed some of the contestants the wrong way. Nevertheless, Pat’s time on the island ended abruptly after his tribe lost their first Immunity Challenge on Day 3.
On their way back to their camp, the David’s boat encountered some choppy waters. And one particular jolt resulted in Pat hurting his back. The medical team examined him on the closest beach and decided to evacuate Pat from Survivor: David vs. Goliath. At the hospital, doctors discovered Pat had compressed his spine, but they treated him.
Survivor is available to stream on Paramount+. Survivor 44 premieres on Wednesday, March 1, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
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