Reality TV Contestant Injured in Axe Mishap, Hospitalized

A contestant is recovering after suffering a grisly injury on the new kykNET reality show Plaasjapie. Men’s Health cover model Roché was temporarily removed from the series and rushed to the hospital after his latest attempt to adjust to farm living saw him suffering a nasty gash to his foot.

The terrifying incident took place on the latest episode of the series, which takes city livers and forces them to adjust to life on a farm. That adjustment proved to be a little too difficult for the Cape Town native, however, who suffered a pretty bad injury while attempting to feed a campfire. As Roché was chopping wood to keep the fire going alongside his fellow contestants, he accidentally missed the wood he meant to chop and struck his foot with the axe instead, resulting in an injury that required him to be briefly pulled from the show in order to seek medical treatment, with the injury requiring stitches.

“Over the walkie-talkie, we suddenly heard: ‘Medical, medical, go, go go!’ Of course, we had a medical team constantly at both of the little ‘farms’ for both teams of city slickers competing in the show, and those people are fantastic. They sit there all through the day and night with eagle eyes and keep watch over the contestants,” Plaasjapie director Nina Swart recalled when speaking to Channel24. “You do get a fright from a director’s, producer’s, and human perspective. We’re in the middle of nowhere and had to rush to a doctor. Productions like Plaasjapie thoroughly plan for medical eventualities, but you do get a fright.”

Swart went on to praise the show’s medical team for their swift action, telling the outlet, “the medical team who handled it is extremely professional and quick, but my heart did skip a beat. I kept asking over the walkie-talkie as I ran, ‘Is he okay?’” Swart added that the contestants on the show “are really roughing it out there and are putting their bodies on the line. In that rough way of life living as a farmer, some do get insect bites, thorns and cuts as the show goes on.”

Thankfully, Roché is expected to make a full recovery, and it seems he will be joining his fellow contestants as they continue to adjust to farm life. Plaasjapie, an all-new reality series, sees 18 contestants completely stepping out of their comfort zones as they become “newly found farmers,” foregoing wi-fi and cellphones as they instead attempt to tackle farming activities. The 18 contestants are split into two groups, with one member of the losing team being sent home each week.