Survivor’s premise is simple: a group of castaways living in a harsh environment while trying to survive the elements and each other. Every few days, one contestant is voted off until only one remains to claim the million dollar grand prize. It is this premise that helped spawn the household phrase ‘The tribe has spoken.’ But in ten years of Survivor, eight contestants have left the game without their tribes speaking; they were removed from the game due to medical reasons.
Interestingly, while most of the game’s quitters have been women, all of those who have been evacuated for medical reasons have been men. Who are these eight Survivors, and what were the circumstances that led to them being removed from the game? Find out below:
Michael Skupin, The Australian Outback
Back in 2001, 38 year-old father and software developer Michael Skupin became the first contestant to ever leave the game without being voted out. On Day 18, Skupin had been tending to the Kucha Tribe’s campfire when he inhaled smoke and passed out in the fire, severely burning his hands.
Bruce Kanegai, Panama – Exile Island
Kanegai, who had already survived several near-death experiences, called the pain he endured on Survivor “the most excruciating pain in [his] life.” The 58 year-old art teacher suffered from a blocked colon, which left him unable to use the restroom for several days. Eventually, he had to be evacuated because the toxins building up in his body could have been fatal if they were not removed.
Gary Stritesky, Fiji
This 55=year-old Minnesota bus driver took a hard fall during a physical challenge, but that wasn’t the real cause of the weakened state that eventually caused doctors to remove him from the game. A little known fact is that Stritesky’s condition had been caused by literally thousands of bug bites that he accumulated from sleeping on the beach instead of in the Moto Tribe’s shelter.
Jonathan Penner and James Clement, Micronesia
The Hollywood screenwriter and Louisiana gravedigger, both stars from previous seasons, were evacuated after developing infections from minor injuries that had occurred early on in the game. Jonathan Penner’s knee had been injured during a physical challenge and James Clement had cut his finger. Without proper medical supplies, they could not clean out their wounds. The doctors removed them from the game so that they could get medical treatment in a hospital.
Joe Dowdle, Tocantins
Like Jonathan Penner, Joe Dowdle suffered a knee injury that took him out of the game. During the third Immunity Challenge, he had scraped it, and later, he fell on the same knee, which aggravated the injury. He was pulled from the game by doctors just after the two tribes merged into one.
Mike Borassi and Russell Swan, Samoa
The oldest contestant on Samoa, this 62 year-old chef had taken several hard hits during a physical challenge. In the aftermath, he suffered from low blood pressure. Doctors, fearing that he could have a heart attack if he wasn’t stabilized, removed him from the game.
Later that season, 42 year-old attorney Russell Swan, after suffering from severe dehydration, passed out during a challenge and was removed from the game for the same reasons as Mike. Survivor host Jeff Probst called the incident the scariest moment in 19 seasons of the show, saying it was the closest they ever came to losing one of the contestants.
Without a doubt, Survivor is a difficult game both mentally and physically. Despite the risks that the contestants face, 21 castaways have gone on to be the Sole Survivors. Catch up with some of the million dollar winners here and here.
Steven Fife - I am a fourth-year university student from Ontario, who has always had an interest in writing both fiction and non-fiction. I have written ...
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