‘Survivor’ Host Jeff Probst Explains On Recent Medical Evacuations

Survivor has always had its fair share of emergency response but in this season, it seems the stakes are much higher. Host of the long running show, Jeff Probst, recently gave viewers a behind the scenes look on their most recent emergencies.

JEFF PROBST GIVES BEHIND THE SCENES DETAILS ON ‘SURVIVOR’

“The bumps, abrasions, and infections were on our radar from the first few days,” he told EW. “I think Tai might have been the first to suffer a scrape, when he scaled the tree looking for the idol. Our medical team always checks out the players before and after challenges and Tribal. We added another layer of monitoring after the infamous challenge, during which three players went down. From that point forward the players received daily checks at the beach,” answered Probst.

Second to address were the decisions that were made to pull Caleb and Neal off the island. “Pulling someone from the game for a medical reason is never easy because it’s not on their terms,” he said. “As you say, Caleb was in a class by himself because that was a life and death situation. Neal is an annoying “evacuation” because the wound looks so tiny and insignificant and yet it has the potential to do major damage if left untreated. Jonathan Penner had a similar situation, when he got a cut that became infected and he had to be pulled. Telling someone the news that they are being pulled always leaves me feeling a bit “less than” after it’s over. You rarely feel like this is a “win-win.” They’re not happy, you’re not happy, the doctor who has to make the call is not happy.”

The host also went on to explain that contestants get frustrated because “people leave families and jobs to come play this game and to have it cut short is tough to take.”

Other details about the show were probed but the host wasn’t spilling anything else.

“Sometimes one event can change everything and Neal’s evacuation is definitely a turning point. You’re going to see moves start to be made from here on out. And a great immunity challenge!”

Survivor: Kaoh Rong airs Wednesdays at 9 PM EST on CBS.