Survivor' Season 44

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

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.

'Survivor 44' premiere recap: Which *two* players left the game in Episode 1? Find out here.

It allows her to secretly not vote at one Tribal and keep the voting parchment to use as a second vote at another. It’s the first time in four seasons that a Shot in the Dark actually worked. It allows her to inherit all of the idols and advantages played at a Tribal of her choosing. But Maddy tells Lauren that Brandon is the one doing all of the playing. It seems like she’s a bit socially awkward, but doesn’t have the ability to turn her high energy and loud voice off, which are sort of the things that make her so socially awkward in the first place? Sorry, but we need to pause this recap to once again bask in the excellence that is Carolyn. It’s the last we’ll see of ol’ Brucey, but certainly not the last we’ll see of the Survivor doc… As if losing one player to a medevac in Episode 1 isn’t bad enough, Matthew tries to climb a huge rock in the water and takes a nasty spill, dislocating his shoulder and slicing up his foot. A little oxygen and shade does him good, and Bruce is back in the game… He finishes his task, but falls to his knees in the sand, prompting Jeff to pause the challenge and call for medical. After the umpteenth season set in Fiji and the fourth season titled with just a numeral, we love to see these fun editing diversions that shake things up a bit. We were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at how the players’ interviews are conducted.

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.

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.

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.

Bruce Perreault was one of the original 18 cast members on the 44th season of "Survivor", but his time in the competition was, unfortunately, cut short.

She had to leave the island after just three days. One, Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, had a painful fall as he was climbing to the top of a rock and dislocated his shoulder. Another, Brandon Cottom, a former American football fullback, was advised to rest by the medical team after feeling lightheaded and cramping up. Probst added that there is "lots to coordinate" for Perreault to be able to come back: "He's got to leave his job again, leave his family, and miss those baseball games. The medical team was on hand to help. However, at one point, Perreault slammed his head into one of the wooden beams.

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.