After 23 seasons of "Survivor" fans of the show have seen just about everything. The castaways are tested physically and mentally every step of the way. No one ever has an easy journey on "Survivor," but some have defiantly had it worse than others. The show has seen its fair share of accidents over the last 23 seasons, but with around 400 people competing in very physical challenges, accidents are bound to happen. Here are some of the most memorable injuries that have occurred in "Survivor" history.
"Survivor: The Australian Outback"
In one of the most shocking events on "Survivor," Michael Skupin was airlifted off the island by a medical team. Michael was tending the campfire when he inhaled some smoke and passed out. After passing out he fell face first into the fire, burning his head, chest, and hands. His hands were so bad fans could see the skin falling off them. His tribe came to his aid and stood with him waiting for the medical team. Michael left on day 17 and never returned.
"Survivor: Micronesia"
Some on the most dangerous challenges on "Survivor" are the challenges that call for the castaways to make physical contact with each other. During Season 16 one reward challenges left several castaways injured. In the reward challenge on episode 5, teams of two had to play a game much like tag. One team had to chase the other while trying to grab their flags. In this challenge, Jonathan Penner received a puncture wound to his knee that later led to his departure. By episode 6 Jonathan's knee was severely swollen and red, which caused him to be seen by a medic. They told him his knee was infected and that the infection could be life-threatening. Hearing how serious his wound was, Jonathan made the difficult choice to leave the game.
"Survivor: Samoa"
On episode 6 of Season 19, Russell Swan made "Survivor" fans hold their breath, while on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happened to him. In the reward/immunity challenge Russell and his tribemates stepped up to a puzzle table where they were supposed to work together to get a ball through a maze. Russell was exhausted and within moments he fainted. As his tribe yelled at him to get off the table host Jeff Probst noticed that something was wrong. Probst told the castaways to stay where they were and called in the medical team. Russell regain consciousness briefly before fainting a second time. In the end, the medical team said that Russell had low blood pressure and he forced to leave the game.
Season 24 of "Survivor" is set to air in February on CBS. With any luck the new castaways will be able to avoid any major injuries while on the way to claiming the million dollar grand prize.
