‘Survivor’ Should Invite 1 More Medevac Back Along With Bruce
We are going on record to say that the Survivor 44 premiere was one of the most chaotic and terrifying first episodes in the show’s history. There were four medical visits, one medevac, two Shots in the Dark played at Tribal Council, and a hidden immunity idol that negated the majority of the votes. So after the premiere, we needed some time to catch our breaths. And now, we’re on a mission to get two players, including Bruce Perrault, back on Survivor.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from the Survivor 44 premiere, “I Can’t Wait to See Jeff.”]
‘Survivor’ medics evacuated Bruce during the season 44 premiere
Minutes into the first Reward Challenge of Survivor 44, Bruce, who was on the Tika tribe, hit his head on a wooden plank while trying to dive underneath it.
He immediately started bleeding profusely. But after finding his bearings, Bruce continued and brought his puzzle piece back to his tribe. Unfortunately, after the adrenaline started to wear off, Bruce fell to his knees, and host Jeff Probst halted the challenge and called the medics. They determined that Bruce’s vitals were OK and let him continue in the game after some rest. However, that all changed later that night at Tika’s camp.
Bruce’s head started hurting, and the doctors returned to help him. They made the difficult decision to medically evacuate Bruce from the game. And as always with medevacs, the scene was heartbreaking. Bruce cried, “I wanted this so bad,” as Probst comforted him. The producers took him off the island, and Bruce was treated for a concussion at the hospital and made a full recovery.
After the Survivor 44 premiere aired, the host revealed in his new podcast, On Fire with Jeff Probst, that he wanted Bruce to return in a future season.
“In the spirit of what Survivor is all about, getting up off the couch, leaving your ordinary world behind — your family, your friends — left to fend for yourself in the jungle and say yes to adventure, I don’t think Bruce got his fair share of Survivor,” Probst explained. “So, here’s the announcement. We are officially inviting Bruce to play Survivor again. First player of the ‘new era’ invited back. It’s kind of exciting. It just felt like the right call.”
Jackson Fox also deserves a second chance to play again
It’s unclear if Bruce accepted the invite to play Survivor again, but we imagine he’s ready to pack his bags. And while he undoubtedly deserves a second shot at Survivor, there is one other “new era” medevac who should also return — Jackson Fox.
Jackson was a castaway in Survivor 42, and producers medically evacuated him from the game on Day 3. He was withdrawn and dehydrated in the morning, causing his tribemates to worry about him. And later on, Jeff Probst visited the Taku camp to speak with Jackson privately.
Jackson had been weening himself off of lithium before arriving in Fiji, and due to his withdrawal, the host informed him that they had to evacuate him. The risks were too significant, but the news was heartbreaking for Jackson to learn. He never got a fair shot at Survivor, just like Bruce, and we want to see Jackson return.
When will Bruce return to ‘Survivor’?
Unfortunately, we have no clue when Bruce (and hopefully Jackson) will return to Survivor. CBS renewed the reality competition series for seasons 45 and 46, so either could feature returning castaways.
“We don’t have a season yet,” Probst said on his podcast. “Lots to coordinate. [Bruce]’s got to leave his job again, leave his family, and miss those baseball games. But it’s an open invitation. So hopefully, we’ll get Bruce out on that island again.”
Survivor fans have been hoping for an all-returning players season, but Bruce’s return could also be a Survivor: Phillippines situation. The 25th season featured three former medevacs and 15 new contestants, so producers might follow this format for Bruce’s second chance.
New episodes of Survivor 44 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
