Now that Jeff Probst has been hosting the reality TV show Survivor for decades, fans who aren’t worried about which seasons to watch first have a lot to debate. For example, Survivor fans love to debate how to rank every season, which players are the best, what the show’s worst twists ever are, and much more.
As the kind of Survivor fan who knows the disturbing truth about the first player to be medically evacuated, I have strong opinions about all those things. On top of that, I also have strong feelings about which Survivor season was the most dangerous for the players to play.
Survivor: David Vs. Goliath Was The Most Dangerous Season Ever
When the most passionate fans watch Survivor, they tend to focus first and foremost on the strategy. After that, the fans become invested in the players they like a lot or absolutely can’t stand for whatever reason.
However, there is another aspect of playing Survivor that is extremely important. Survivor players who succeed have to figure out how to cope with the dangers of living on a beach with very little to protect them from Mother Nature.
During some seasons, Survivor players have been lucky enough to avoid any kind of extreme weather. However, the cast of Survivor: David vs. Goliath was extremely unlucky as they were a part of the most dangerous season ever.
The first hint that Survivor: David vs. Goliath was going to be an intense season came during the premiere episode. Unfortunately, the weather created conditions that were so bad that a player got one of the worst-looking injuries in Survivor history.
What are the 10 best Survivor seasons for fans who like brutal conditions, according to Screen Rant?
Season: | Weather Condition: |
|---|---|
Survivor: Borneo | Extreme Heat and Lack of Food |
Survivor: The Australian Outback | Flooding and Lack of Food |
Survivor: Africa | Extreme Heat and Dangerous Wildlife |
Survivor: Marquesas | No-no Fly Bites |
Survivor: Guatemala | Extreme Heat and Grueling Hike |
Survivor: Samoa | Severe Rain |
Survivor: Cambodia | Severe Rain |
Survivor: Kaôh Rōng | Extreme Heat |
Survivor: Winners at War | Extreme Heat and Brutal Challenges |
Survivor 41 | Brutal Challenges and Long Hikes |
The fact that the injury seemed so painful was made even worse since viewers didn’t actually see the player originally get hurt. Even years after first seeing the season, I still cringe when I remember the look of pain on the player’s face.
After competing in a challenge, the Davids tribe traveled in a boat back to their beach. Unfortunately, the weather conditions resulted in Pat Cusack being thrown in the boat and severely hurting his back.
As the episode progressed, the show cut to footage of Pat being carried off the boat on a stretcher as his hands shook, and he groaned in severe pain. After pleading not to be evacuated and repeatedly stating that he didn’t want to quit, Pat was taken away. A man who had already proven how strong-willed he was, Pat was in so much distress that I found it difficult to watch footage of the moment.
After the episode about his evacuation aired, Pat was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly in September 2018. During that discussion, Pat revealed that he spent three days in a hospital after he was evacuated. Pat also spoke to EW about how hard it was to see the footage of what happened to him.
“I had no recollection of what happened that day on the beach, so to see it in its rawness, it was pretty emotional. And with the love of all my friends and family last night, I got through it. It was very emotional. I’m still dealing with it today.”
During the same EW interview, Pat touched on the other reason that Survivor: David vs. Goliath was so dangerous for the cast. As Pat explained, the cast had been tormented by the weather caused by a cyclone that was making its way through the area.
While talking to
EW
, Pat Cusack told the outlet he hoped to play again after his brutal medical evacuation. However, even though other players who’ve been in that situation have come back, Pat hasn’t been given that chance yet.
As Pat explained, that cyclone which created the choppy waters that led to his injury also tormented the cast on the beach.
“The seas were rough being with the cyclones that were coming through and terrorizing us at camp and everything and at the challenge as you saw.”
Given Pat’s quote about how harsh the cyclone was, it is amazing to know things got worse after he left. After several episodes of harsh weather, Survivor’s producers were so worried about the cast and crew that they evacuated them.
In October 2018, Jeff Probst explained to Entertainment Weekly that the evacuated players were kept separated by tribes and didn’t enjoy any luxuries. Fortunately, none of the players were injured by the storm that caused the evacuation.
Still, between Pat’s severe injury and the evacuation, I think it is clear that Survivor: David vs. Goliath was the most dangerous season.
Survivor: David vs. Goliath’s Harsh Weather Led To One Of The Most Entertaining Moments in Survivor History
Because of the harsh weather during Survivor: David vs. Goliath, players who didn’t have warm clothes had a problem. That led to an incredibly entertaining and cringe-worthy moment involving Angelina Keeley and Natalie Cole.
During an episode, Angelina spoke about how she wanted Lyrsa Torres’ jacket and tried to get Natalie to get it for her. However, the tribe decided to vote Natalie out instead. After Jeff revealed who’d been voted out, Angelina practically begged for Natalie’s jacket.
In one of the most savage moments in Survivor history, Natalie completely ignored Angelina’s pleas for her jacket. As Natalie walked out still wearing her jacket, Mike White covered his face as he laughed and Nick Wilson looked shocked and amused.
After Angelina was voted out, she spoke to Entertainment Weekly in November 2018. After being asked about the so-called jacketgate, Angelina told the outlet that she laughed at the scene like everyone else. “Jacketgate was a moonshot mission that epically and hilariously failed! No one laughed harder while watching my pleas than I did.”
In October 2018, Natalie spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about jacketgate, and she seemed annoyed by Angelina’s antics.
“Angelina was being an idiot. She thought that I wouldn’t see the crafty behavior that it was her behind the vote, because she wanted my jacket.”
No matter how Natalie felt, the scene is still one of the most memorable in Survivor history. None of that would have happened if it wasn’t for the severe weather.