‘Survivor 44’ Contestant Removed on Day 1 After Gruesome Head Injury, 2 Others Require EMT Help

The 44th season of Survivor got off to an unfortunate start. During the course of Wednesday’s premiere, three contestants required medical assistance. One of those contestants, Bruce Perreault, was forced to leave the game because of his injury, as PEOPLE noted. 

Perreault barely got a chance to play the game of Survivor before an injury got in the way. The season’s very first challenge involved players climbing under a wooden structure to retrieve their supplies at the other end of the course. When he went to go underneath the structure, Perreault hit his head against it and blood soon began to pour out of the wound. While he managed to finish his run and tell host Jeff Probst that he was alright, he collapsed shortly thereafter and briefly fell unconscious. At this point, Probst stopped the challenge so that medical personnel could treat Perreault.

After giving him oxygen, taking his vitals, and putting a bandage over the wound, Perreault regained consciousness. He expressed that he was going to continue on and medical personnel said that they were going to monitor the situation. Unfortunately, after spending several hours at camp with his tribe, Perreault said that his head was “killing” him. The medics and Probst were all brought in at this point, and the host said that Perreault would have to be pulled from the game. Probst told him, “I know it’s hard to hear, but there is no doubt this is the right decision.”

“I wanted this so bad,” Perreault said while getting emotional. Probst replied, “I’m so sorry. I am genuinely heartbroken for you. You are a shining light. You are so positive. You are a leader. But you understand why we’re doing this right?” The castaway said that he understood the decision, but it didn’t make the situation any less heartbreaking. One of Perreault’s tribemates said that they were going to take home the win for him and another shouted, “We love you!” Perreault responded, “I love you back.”

Over the course of the rest of the episode, two others required medical treatment. While he was out exploring his new surroundings, Matthew Grinstead-Mayle fell after climbing a large, craggy rock. He explained that his shoulder briefly popped out of the socket but he was able to put it back into place. Grinstead-Mayle also badly cut the bottom of his foot, an injury that could affect his place in the game. For the rest of the episode, he had his arm fashioned in a sling so that he could recover. 

For the immunity challenge, another contestant, Brandon Cottom, was attended to by the medical team after he became overtaken by the heat and dehydration. Probst once again stopped the challenge so that Cottom could get treatment. After taking a step back from the challenge to rest in the shade, Cottom was able to continue on. During the same challenge, Probst gave an update about Perreault’s condition, telling everyone that he was “happy to report [Bruce is] in great shape — no danger, no damage.” After the episode aired, Probst also revealed on the On Fire podcast that Perreault will get an invitation to come back for another Survivor season.