Survivor

Set in Cambodia, the installment featured one of the show's most shocking endings, when Michele Fitzgerald won the final jury vote over Aubry Bracco. That event ...

Season 44 is set to be the fourth installment of the show's "new era," and will feature the same basic format of its three "new era" predecessors. With these instances in mind, it seems like all signs are pointing to Survivor 44 being one of the series' most punishing installments yet. Hopefully, the quantity of Survivor 44's medical visits won't translate to a Kaôh Rōng level of severity. Though it was filmed before season 31, Kaôh Rōng aired as the show's 32nd installment, and it was the final season to be filmed in a location other than Fiji. [episode four of Survivor: Kaôh Rōng](https://screenrant.com/survivor-nick-maiorano-season-32-update/) featured a challenge in which three contestants collapsed from heat exhaustion, with [Big Brother](https://screenrant.com/tag/big-brother/) alum Caleb Reynolds being evacuated, and rushed to the hospital in a helicopter. [Survivor](https://screenrant.com/tag/survivor/) season 44 has yet to premiere, but it's already drawing comparisons to a prior season, 2016's Survivor: Kaôh Rōng.

CBS has unveiled the 18 new contestants set compete against each other for the $1 million prize in the upcoming 44th season of "Survivor."

The season will premiere on CBS with a two-hour special on Wednesday, March 1. on CBS. Age: 35 Age: 43 Age: 25 Age: 27

Two Pa. residents will compete in season 44 of "Survivor" that debuts on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, on CBS.

The Premium and Showtime bundle is $14.99 a month or $149.99 a year. An Essential and Showtime bundle is $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year. Premium, with no ads, is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. FuboTV has a [seven-day free trial](https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=366904&irmp=1810047). [FuboTV ](https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=366904&irmp=1810047)is a streaming service that offers more than 100 live and on-demand channels and includes cloud DVR. The remaining two tribes must choose between a mental or physical challenge to earn their camp essentials. The Pro plan is $69.99 a month, Elite is $79.99 a month and Ultimate is $99.99 a month. The first episode is called “I Can’t Wait to See Jeff.” [Paramount+](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587341&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F) streaming service includes CBS, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV and Smithsonian Channel along with sports and originals such as the prequels to “Yellowstone” - “1923″ and “1883.” Movies available include “Top Gun: Maverick,” “The Lost City,” The In Between” and “Scream.” The Essential Plan is $4.99 a month or $49.99 for a year. They will be divided into three tribes of six people each. - Danny Massa, 32, a New York City firefighter, Bronx, New York The season premiere airs 8-10 p.m.

As Survivor enters its 44th season, what do these contestants say about the state of the show?

from Puerto Rico and wants to “carve a path for people who sound different and look different,” which is a nice example of somebody who just wants to be there, but two of the most potentially exciting contestants are a guy named Josh and a guy named Brandon. Josh is a surgical podiatrist who notes in his intro video that surgeons always have to be ready for the unexpected (which should be a chilling note for anyone who ever undergoes surgery and assumes that their doctor knows what they’re doing), but he also says he’s not going to tell anyone what his real job is and just let them assume he’s a normal buff dude—a classic reality show strategy, even if it’s always more fun for the player than the viewer. [“venture capitalist,”](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3L8nqqBaJyA) the worst job you can have on the whole planet) and it’s good that there’s at least one CEO out there who maybe had to answer their own phones and respond to their own emails for a bit, but also Maddy is going in with a plan to survive until the tribe’s merge and then make a feminist stand by kicking everyone’s asses and proving that a woman can win Survivor on raw power and not just by playing a good social game. This early in the game, before we’ve even seen the contestants meet each other, it’s impossible to say which one will be successful, but a lot of back-stabbing should at least be fun to watch. [Matt](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/l-ywOtxfn2E), a “security software engineer” who describes his job as being “like a digital bank robber” as if that will help him at all on Survivor (are there a lot of salmon ladders in that business?). Throw a few more on there: Tell the people you coined the phrase “pardon my French.” Say that you told Mark Zuckerberg to drop the “the” and make it cleaner. At least some of the competition has the decency to completely make up stupid jobs (shoutout to Helen, a “product manager” who explains that being a product manager means having all of the ideas but none of the power to make them happen, which also sounds similar to being unemployed). [Heidi](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3dsQmNZCGYo), who moved to the U.S. It doesn’t matter who is a hero or a healer or a hustler, what matters is that this person is on Survivor, and you (in theory) want to see what happens to them. That alone should win her a few points, because CEOs are bad (that goes double for the contestant who introduces herself as [there’s Frannie](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Na6Xq3xnoc0), a “research coordinator” who says she thrives on having a million things happening at once. The worst thing about Kane, though, is that he says he’s not in this game to win the $1 million, since he’s young and still has “lots of ways” to get a million dollars.

Appearing as one of 18 contestants on the 44th season of the long-running reality competition show requires a lot of preparation, and Wilder said he wanted to ...

Because of the surgery, he does not eat the three traditional meals a day, instead eating six to nine smaller meals. He had a gastrectomy, or a complete stomach removal because of the cancer, and had to relearn how to eat. You can stream "Survivor" season 44, as well as the first 43 seasons on Paramount+. [44th season of "Survivor" premieres March 1](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewed/2023/02/24/how-watch-survivor-season-44/11338863002/) on CBS at 8 p.m. "It was like first seeing him on the beach was a wow moment," he said. Bulking up ahead of "Survivor" was difficult for Wilder because of his gastrectomy. Wilder is a superfan of "Survivor," and has been watching the show since it came out in 2000. He had some wine, sat next to his cat and started recording his audition video on his phone. Once he found out he would actually be on the show, reality started to set in. He also began eating more protein and bulking up to prepare for the severe lack of food he was about to have on the Fijian island where the show is filmed. "I started talking about my life, why I've always loved 'Survivor,' why I would be a good contestant castaway and they started calling me. Wilder, 34, was born in Pittsburgh and now lives in Atlanta, but he considers Springdale, a suburb of Cincinnati, his hometown.

“Survivor” Season 44 is all set to premiere on Wednesday, March 1, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. As is customary, the first episode of the reality competition series ...

The individuals competing on season 44 are fans from diverse backgrounds who bring fresh perspectives to the show with the ultimate goal to outwit, outplay and outlast. While the live CBS stream will include commercials, the service also offers every “Survivor” episode (new and old) on demand without ads. The 43rd season’s finale aired in December 2022. There is no free trial, but a bundle is available with Disney+ and ESPN+ that saves 50% ($12.99/month). This service also carries the ever-popular “Yellowstone” origin stories, “1923″ and “1883.” [Hulu + Live TV](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587339&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Flive-tv) also carries CBS (note, some limitations depending on geographic area). “Survivor” is a legendary show and typically films two seasons back-to-back in a year during the summer and the spring. And in the end, only one will remain to claim the title of Sole Survivor and win the $1 million prize. While the pandemic did halt the show for a year in 2020, the series bounced back in 2021 to the Fiji Islands for its seasons 41 and 42. [Verizon Fios](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587339&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.verizon.com%2Finfo%2Fchannel-lineup%2F), [AT&T U-verse](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587339&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.att.com%2Fidpassets%2Fpdfs%2Fchannel_lineups%2FUverse_Channel_Lineup.pdf), [Comcast Xfinity](https://www.xfinity.com/support/local-channel-lineup), [Spectrum/Charter](https://www.spectrum.com/cable-tv/channel-lineup), [Optimum/Altice](https://www.optimum.net/tv/guide), [DIRECTV](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587339&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.directv.com%2Fguide) and [Dish](https://my.dish.com/programmingguides). [Paramount+](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587339&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F) premium is $9.99 monthly. If you’re a cord-cutter or don’t have cable, you can watch “Survivor” online on the following streaming platforms, and get it for free via a trial offer: [Fubo TV](https://www.fubo.tv/lp/ent/?irad=356360&irmp=1810052) [Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/)-- seven-day free trial.

The goal of 'Survivor' is to win the $1 million prize at the end, but can the contestants still win money if they don't come in first place?

Since the first season of Survivor, the prize money for coming in first place has been $1 million. And in season 43, Mike Gabler declared that he would donate his winnings to veterans — the first time a Sole Survivor has given away their cash prize. So only the final three and the jury are in attendance. Obviously, every [Survivor contestant’s](https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/survivor-jeff-probst-casts-contestants-imagine-winning.html/) goal is to make it to the Final Tribal Council and win the grand prize. Survivor castaways can earn even more money ($10,000) if they attend the reunion show. [Survivor](https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/survivor/), but every season, one castaway has to pay that price.

The 'Survivor' contestants still walk away with a lot of pay even if they're not the winner! See how much money they get paid.

In addition to competing for a $2 million grand prize, the contestants are reportedly offered around $35,000 to return for the reunion. “The hike took us close to six hours, without water, and 120-degree heat.” That being said, the stars of Survivor are paid on a sliding scale. Keep reading to learn salary details about how much money the contestants and winner make. In addition, every contestant who participates in the live reunion show finale receives an additional $10,000, However, the other castaways don’t walk away completely empty-handed.

The Survivor Season 44 premiere proved as much. CBS's two-hour episode was a game of numbers from start to finish, from Tribe Tika losing a player after the ...

The first two votes went to Brandon (cast by Maddy and Kane), which meant only one vote counted: Brandon’s. After the votes were cast, Jaime Lynn Ruiz decided to play her shot in the dark — an idea she floated earlier but no one thought was necessary at this point in the game. While Ratu won the reward challenge (Soka came in second, Tika in third), they lost the immunity challenge, sending them to the tribal council. Her first pull was the bank your vote advantage. That note either took their votes away (two of the three results) or gave them an advantage (one of the three results). Sarah lost a vote first, then pulled the inheritance advantage, which can be played at one tribal council. [CBS](https://www.tvinsider.com/network/cbs/)‘s two-hour episode was a game of numbers from start to finish, from Tribe Tika losing a player after the first challenge to the odds being in one player’s favor in the first tribal council (for the first time, the shot in the dark actually worked). But the power of a hidden immunity idol is certainly diluted at the start of Survivor 44. The hidden immunity idol and summit challenge twists led to a banner first tribal council. A canvas bag was left hanging in a locked birdcage for the players to find upon camp arrival. The risk or protect your vote choice was not on the table this time around. The third medical emergency was in the immunity challenge when Ratu’s Brandon Cottom nearly passed out from heat exhaustion.

The 'Survivor 44' premiere features three medical interventions in three days for destruction, terror, and mayhem. Read EW's recap.

I managed to pick the winners on both season 39 and 42 in Tommy and Maryanne, and got a finalist last season in Owen. Either that or he was about to yell "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!" When Probst whipped it out — and I really should be more careful using the phrase "Probst whipped it out" — I thought the dude was about to walk over and stab Yam Yam or something. If Survivor is about playing to win and being bold and making big moves, the way to play to win and be bold is to roll the dice on that first vote that you're okay and save that magic bullet for another day. And the paranoia and suspicion that would arise out of that would be TV gold. There seemingly was a majority alliance working against him and Brandon (if he was staying true to the coconut-dragging alliance he formed on day 1), and with his injury, he could have legitimately worried that they might have viewed him as a liability in upcoming challenges. After a walk during which they got to know each other but was evidently not interesting enough to make it to television, the three were told to pick a path and make a decision. Anyway, the rambling is to point out that Brandon was most likely done in by getting that giant chest out of the water and through the ramp when he sat down and said he could not get up. Look no further than that first challenge on Gabon or the one that knocked three people out in Kaoh Rong to serve as Exhibit A as to the suckiness of such activity. Hey, I'm not a doctor, and no diagnosis was given on the show, but considering that he took a nasty hit on the head and then had terrible headaches later, it certainly had the look and feel of a concussion. Well, I do mean physically in that it obviously hurt him when it happened, but it also hurt for us to see a player pulled from the game after injuring himself just minutes into the season. Will to come out of reality TV, and If you don't know the first, that clearly means you take pride in expecting the expected.

This year's crop of 18 contestants have been divided into three tribes (Ratu, Soka, Tika) and come from diverse backgrounds.

Privately at the voting booth, it was revealed that Lauren opted out of casting a vote and banked the parchment to use in the future and that Jaime did in fact draw a Shot in the Dark. Jeff was surprised to hear that the whole tribe found an idol, but it was made clear that the idol belonged to Brandon and that it was diluted because knowledge of it was public. The doctor explained that he was showing early signs of dehydration and that he just needed to rest in the shade and continue to rest with water. Closely aligned to Brandon, Matthew was put in a tough position against wanting to protect him and knowing that the numbers were going against him in the end. Meanwhile, Maddy had pulled Lauren aside to suggest that Brandon is too big of a threat with the idol and for thinking he’s the kingpin of the tribe. In his explanation he showed the tribe the clam shell and the note that said he lost his vote. With this advantage she could opt out of casting a vote at a Tribal Council and keep the voting parchment to use as a second vote at a future Tribal Council. In a confessional, Carolyn was at least self-aware enough to know that she was struggling to find a balance between being annoying to her tribe and wanting to play aggressively enough to get into a safe position in the game. If on their first draw they plucked out a “Lose Your Vote” then they’d have a chance to draw a second time for a 50% chance of claiming the advantage (and maintain their loss of vote). Their cheering signaled to the rest of their tribe that they were correct and had earned supplies for the tribe. Later, as the sun began to set and cramping set in for Brandon and Matthew, the two of them agreed to have each other’s back in the game because of the amount of work they were putting in. – Tika was the first tribe to finish the puzzle, sending Carolyn Wiger to the pole to attempt to flip their first ring up and over the top.

Jeff Probst introduced this wrinkle at the start of the "new era" that began with the reality TV show's 41st season.

Read more Gold Derby [entertainment news](https://www.goldderby.com/). See our [contest rules](https://www.goldderby.com/official-contest-rules/) and sound off with other fans in [our reality TV forum](https://www.goldderby.com/forum/reality-tv/). Jeff read the three votes: Brandon (does not count), Brandon (does not count), and Maddy. [Survivor](https://www.goldderby.com/t/survivor/)” that began with the [reality TV](https://www.goldderby.com/t/reality-tv/) show’s 41st season, Jeff Probst introduced a twist known as the Shot in the Dark. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs on [CBS](https://www.goldderby.com/t/cbs/). A handful of contestants tried their luck at pulling the “SAFE” scrolls during “Survivor 41,” “Survivor 42” and “Survivor 43,” but all of them ended up with “NOT SAFE” scrolls instead.

Eighteen more people are heading to the Fiji islands to compete in Survivor. Let's meet the cast of season 44 of the reality TV show.

Having survived a kidney transplant and cancer, Survivor is just the next challenge for Josh and is confident that he can outlast all of his competition. Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. An insurance agent from Warwick, R.I., he thinks the key to winning Survivor is being a chameleon and adapting to any situation that comes up. Coming from a male-dominated field, Sarah already knows that she has what it takes to hang in the competition. Bronx native and New York firefighter Danny knows what it's like to have to live with a group of other people for extended periods with his time in the firehouse. Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Matthew is a barber shop owner who is on Survivor this season to win the $1 million and make his 4-year-old son's life better. San Francisco resident Helen may be small in stature, but she says she is fearless when it comes to playing the game. This Georgia Tech student has plans to hide a bit in the background at the start of the game, but hopefully by the end he is in a position to be a puppet master influencing how critical votes go. That will make him a strong contender in the physical aspects of the game, but also feels like when people get to know him they'll enjoy his positive and fun attitude. The recent law school grad from Saskatchewan openly says he can remind people of a Sasquatch with his big body and goofy personality, but he is taking this game seriously. In his Survivor intro interview, he admits that the humidity in Fiji sucks, but he's used to it from Puerto Rico, which he thinks can give him an advantage. [Entertainment Weekly](https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-preview-jeff-probst-electric/) (opens in new tab), Probst said of the cast: "This group definitely came to play the game, and here's the truth about Survivor — great players make for great seasons.

Tyson and Riley are joined by Reiman (Spencer) Bledsoe to compare first-timers and reoccurring competitors, as well as the different types of advantages ...

They also discuss this episode’s injury, strategy versus luck, the idol play, and so much more. [Tyson Apostol and Riley McAtee return for Season 44 of Survivor.](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VQzZol4Zd4WPEHma5WeZQ) They are joined by Reiman (Spencer) Bledsoe—a two-time player from Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Cambodia—to help recap the premiere episode. Reiman compares the new first-timers to reoccurring competitors, as well as the different types of advantages this season.

John Powell - GlobalTV.com Watching the tumultuous premiere of Survivor 44 I was truly wondering if there was going to be anyone left to vote out by the.

Every week John Powell makes his picks for the worst and best players of the week. For some strange reason she also thought despite Ratu only being on the island for three days and Brandon thinking he was responsible for the immunity challenge loss that he wouldn’t play his idol in such a volatile and uncertain atmosphere. News Here’s hoping Kane can cast suspicion on someone else or can plead new tribal jitters and all will be forgiven. It was the first tribal council, nobody knew exactly who to trust on Day 3 and he believed he was responsible for Ratu’s loss because he had to sit out of the challenge. That is some serious ammunition, arguably the most powerful advantage in Survivor history. Along with the not-so hidden immunity idol is a ready-made, phony, not-so hidden immunity idol that I guess can be used to bamboozle another player. We have a not-so hidden immunity idol at each camp locked in a cage. Poor Brandon almost fainted during the Immunity Challenge. Poor adventurous Matthew tried climbing up an outcrop just for the fun of it, slipped, fell and dislocated his shoulder. On the current season, ‘King’ George Mladenov bashed his head open pretty good and needed medical attention. Survivor 44 turned into an episode of

Minutes into Survivor's season 44 premiere on March 1, contestant Bruce Perreault incurred a bloody injury that was just the first in an episode featuring ...

Later, during the immunity challenge, fellow Ratu member Brandon Cottom had to be attended to by medics when he was overtaken by heat and dehydration. After he popped his shoulder back into place, medics came to put his arm in a sling and bandage his foot. Through tears, Bruce affirmed, "I love you back." You are a leader. Bruce, a Rhode Island-based realtor and insurance agent, regained consciousness after a few moments. You are a shining light.

'Survivor' host Jeff Probst announces that the player medically evacuated on day one of the game will get another shot out on the island.

[full episode of On Fire with Jeff Probst](https://link.chtbl.com/on-fire-with-jeff-probst-pr), which also includes a look into the casting and pre-production process and a segment called "This is Why You Suck." [Bruce Perreault](https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-cast-photos-bios-revealed/) dove head-first into the game of [Survivor](https://ew.com/creative-work/survivor/). Whether they end up on the same beach as Bruce remains to be seen. [On Fire with Jeff Probst](https://link.chtbl.com/on-fire-with-jeff-probst-pr), the host made a big announcement. "We don't have a season yet," Probst said on the podcast. The accident — which took place during the opening challenge right after host [Jeff Probst](https://ew.com/person/jeff-probst/) welcomed players to the start of the game — bloodied Bruce's head and eventually led to him collapsing and blacking out in the middle of the contest.

Shortly before joining his Tika tribe on the trek to tribal council in the Season 44 premiere, law student Kane expressed what may well be the mantra of the ...

He's now probably in the seat of power on Ratu. Maddy and Kane's votes for Brandon are wiped out, and Brandon casts the lone and deciding vote for Maddy, clearly intuiting that she had turned the votes against him. The game play by Brandon — and honestly Maddy as well — was satisfyingly shrewd. In this premiere alone, three advantages were acquired, not to mention the Shot in the Dark dice roll that each player gets to deploy once a season, sacrificing their vote in a Tribal for a 1-in-6 chance at immunity. Maddy wants to rally the votes to oust Brandon before he can think to play his idol. By then, Maddy had (correctly) intuited that Brandon didn't trust her enough to keep the secret of his own immunity idol, which he acquired by finding a hidden key to a rusty birdcage (if there's a metaphor to be found in there, it would take me too long to uncover it). All of this sets the stage for the wildest first Tribal Council in series history. The crucial moment comes when Jaime, unprompted, declares before the votes are even cast that she'll be playing her Shot in the Dark. It's also, in a way, how we wind up with three medical interventions within the first episode of the season. And most pertinently, the players have all spent the last 20 years watching this show and dreaming of getting out on that island to make Parvati-sized big moves. Shortly before joining his Tika tribe on the trek to tribal council in the Season 44 premiere, law student Kane expressed what may well be the mantra of the modern version of Survivor: "I came here to play the game." Nobody wants to go home without making the most out of their moment.

CBS premiered the 44th season of their hit reality series Survivor on Wednesday, which got off to a rather bloody start, with one elimination already due to ...

Safety: The host broke the news to Bruce, stating, 'Bruce, you understand we have to get this looked at. The host broke the news to Bruce, stating, 'Bruce, you understand we have to get this looked at. Survivor Season 44 gets off to a gruesome start with Bruce Perreault removed on the first day after a nasty head injury... That was the moment I was like, "He's not well." However, later that night, his other tribe members noticed he was not doing well, with one stating in confession, 'All of a sudden Bruce's eyes closed and just becomes very quiet. with two more needing medical attention

In an unprecedented premiere episode for Season 44, the medic was called to treat three contestants as horrific accidents during the first challenge plagued ...

At this point, you’d think we’re in the clear when it comes to medical emergencies, but there’s still about 30 minutes left in the episode, and Survivor is trying to choke people out this season. Lord, be with these Survivor contestants as they eliminate 15 more in pursuit of being the last one standing. And it’s worth noting—for those who are asking, “Isn’t this show about voting people out at tribal council?”—a woman was eliminated from the game in one of the most epic, one-vote tribal councils that the series has ever seen. There’s no clue or advantage up there, and yet, here he is, climbing an ocean rock for the thrill of it until a boulder gives way and he takes a tumble onto the jagged rocks along the shore, severely cutting his foot and dislocating his shoulder in the process. In the next 20 minutes or so, Ohio barbershop owner and lovable daddy, Grinstead-Mayle decides that being on Survivor is not enough of an adventure; he needs to scale a rock face for no goddamn reason. The bad news is that this is hardly the last time we’ll see the Survivor doctor this episode, because these contestants are absolutely off their rockers. To review for those who missed the premiere, the season opened up with a traditional competition where three tribes race through an obstacle course to collect puzzle pieces for a later stage of the challenge. That was the moment that this season’s main character was introduced. In past seasons, that comes in the way of returning players. Perreault is temporarily granted clearance to continue the game, but before the first hour is over, he essentially collapses on the beach from what a viewer can only assume is a concussion. By the end of Wednesday’s two-hour season premiere, Bruce Perreault was removed from the game and Matthew Grinstead-Mayle and Brandon Cottom nearly had their flames snuffed by the fickle hand of fate. You do not commit to watching 43 seasons over the course of 20 some-odd years because things have gone stale.

In the premiere episode of Survivor season 44, which aired for two hours, viewers were able to witness the experiences of 18 new contestants as they ...

The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). Ratu lost the immunity challenge and had to go to Tribal Council, where Maddy was eliminated. [Bruce](/topic/bruce)was forced to leave the competition due to a head injury that required medical attention. As the season progresses, viewers can expect more drama, strategic gameplay, and elimination challenges. The 44th season premiere of the well-known reality competition series Survivor was broadcasted on CBS at 8 pm ET on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. During the course of the episode, the participants started building alliances and devising strategies, while also establishing acquaintances and fostering stronger connections.

The two-hour season premiere of Survivor 44 on CBS saw one medivac, two timeouts, three new tribes and the first successful use of a particular advantage.

While six past players had all risked their votes and lost, Jaime Lynn Ruiz and Matthew took their shots in the premiere, with Jaime becoming the first person to ever select 'Safe.' [two-hour season premiere](https://www.eonline.com/news/1358389/how-the-survivor-season-43-winner-made-history-in-more-ways-than-one) resulted in not one, but two surprising exits from the game, it was a different moment at tribal that made history. But that was just the start of the evening's injuries. Separately, all three tribes' camps came equipped with locked bird cages containing "hidden" immunity idols and fake medallions of power, with the corresponding keys hidden away. Elsewhere, during the episode's immunity challenge, Jeff called a second timeout when Brandon Cottom found himself lightheaded due to heat exposure. However, when Bruce Perreault dove headfirst into the obstacle course, he ended up injuring himself enough for Jeff to pause the game for a medical inspection.

Survivor 44 premiere: [Spoiler] details the traumatic injury that had him removed from the game and what happened after he left the island.

I would say “yes” 15 times over, I promise you that! They showed what I think was in my best interest because I was not myself. From there I took a two-and-a-half-hour ambulance ride to the hospital. From there I took a helicopter to the mainland. I had a 7 out of 10 [in terms of pain] from the time I hit my head, to the time I sat up, to the time I hit the beach and my camp. They took me on a boat ride to another part of the island. What were you feeling that night before Jeff came to pull you from the game? Once that challenge was over, did you think you were in the clear? The shirt I was wearing didn’t have a lot of give to it and I’m thinking that, because I had a little gash on my arm, I’m thinking that when I went down, I wasn’t able to put my arms straight out. I didn’t want that to stop. I have an idea, but it doesn’t make any sense that it happened. (And that wasn’t the only time the medical team was called in.

Depuis, l'excitation est à son comble et l'attente ne fait qu'accentuer ce profond désir de regarder cette téléréalité! D'ailleurs, à en juger les réactions sur ...

La grande première aura donc lieu le 2 avril à 20h, tout de suite après la finale de Big Brother. En fait, les 20 candidats de la cohorte 2023 seront séparés en 2 tribus. [nous vous dévoilions les 20 participants](https://leszackardises.com/2023/01/27/voici-les-20-candidats-de-survivor-quebec/) de la première édition québécoise de Survivor.

In one of the best premieres in quite a few seasons, a wild cast of characters (as well as quite a few medical emergencies) are introduced.

[The Tribal itself gets pretty crazy](https://gamerant.com/survivor-season-43-episode-1-review/), with two people (Jaime and Matthew) playing their Shot In The Dark for seemingly no reason (unless they were really that paranoid about going home themselves with all of the scrambling). If this episode is anything to judge it by, it seems like Season 44 might be a pretty good one, as long as they keep this same momentum going. A padlocked birdcage with something hidden in a bag inside of it is just out in the open at each tribe, and it immediately starts The tribe experiences a big scramble later in the afternoon as everyone tries to coordinate the vote. Of course, because he opened it publicly, the dummy idol is neutralized and he suddenly has a big target on his back with the immunity idol, so Brandon finds himself in a precarious spot. The show seems more confident in its decisions this time around, as they know which advantages work and which don't, and as they also strive to include new ones to keep things interesting for both the new crop of players and the audience. [playing mind games with the contestants](https://gamerant.com/best-funniest-reality-shows-netflix/) as they try to figure out its purpose. Sometimes a show that's been running for as long as Survivor has needs a breath of fresh air, and it seems like Season 44 might be shaping up to be just that. [the medical team](https://gamerant.com/squid-game-reality-show-unsafe-conditions/) has to come out and check that he's okay (in the first of their many appearances during this episode). The first thing that's very noticeable about this season is that it has quite a cast of characters. Season 44 is a season where the show seems to be finding its footing a bit more and truly figuring out how to present itself in the new era while still feeling fresh. The premiere of Season 44 had a lot going on and managed to balance introducing new characters with telling a compelling narrative arc, as well as a healthy dose of both humor and drama.

'Survivor 44' contestant Bruce Perreault reacts to being pulled from the game, and invited back for another season.

I stayed in my room and I was in my room for three days. And then my wife and I came home and it was 12:45. I went for a walk, I opened the door, the light hit me and it was like, BOOM! And then all those emotions came forward — emotions about my kids, emotions about the game, emotions with my wife and her having to hold onto this for a period of time. And they were like, "Nope, you have your party and then we'll get you to talk to Jeff again." I have to have my glasses on. And then as the days went along, I had a big hat, I had my glasses on. I was the oldest guy there, so I had a little something to show with these young cats over there, and I had to be like, "Alright, let's go." I got a CT scan and they determined that everything was perfectly fine. And then from the mainland it was a two-and-a-half-hour ambulance ride to the hospital. I got on the boat, they took me to another area, and then I flew via helicopter to the mainland. That was the start to the end.