After Survivor fans get past the point when they have to figure out which seasons to watch first, they will likely know one major fact about the show. In order to become one of the best players ever and even compete as one of the show’s best winners, players have to cope with how complicated Survivor is. During all the best seasons of Jeff Probst’s beloved reality show, players have had to dodge a series of dangers to their game.
Some scary parts of Survivor that fans see are things like the most dangerous challenges and the risk of being medically evacuated. However, Survivor has very rarely shown how dangerous the wildlife can be, according to a Survivor Hall of Famer.
Benjamin “Coach” Wade Revealed How Dangerous The Wildlife Can Be While Filming Survivor
Even though there are other legends that should have made the cut, only 20 players were ever inducted into the Survivor Hall of Fame. A truly incredible group, many of whom were fantastic at the game, every member of the Survivor Hall of Fame has interesting things to say about the show.
In 2015, fans voted for Benjamin “Coach” Wade to be inducted into the Survivor Hall of Fame. It was an incredible turnaround for the multiple-time player and former finalist, who was once one of the show’s most notable villains. Easily one of Survivor’s most memorable players, and extremely accomplished in his personal life, Coach has a unique perspective on the show and life.
Considering Coach’s love of adventures and everything he has done in nature, his comments about Survivor wildlife are fascinating. A person and player who should be taken seriously, Coach revealed that Survivor players are warned about how perilous their surroundings can be.
In May 2024, Self published an article in which they sought to answer fan questions about what Survivor is really like. As a part of that effort, they spoke to several former players about the game, including Coach.
Benjamin “Coach” Wade’s Survivor Results | |
|---|---|
Season | Placement |
Survivor: Tocantins | 11th Voted Out/Fifth Jury Member |
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains | Ninth Voted Out/First Jury Member |
Survivor: South Pacific | Runner-Up |
While talking to Self, Coach explained that he remembered being told how dangerous the jungle that surrounds the players can be.
Of course, people can be walking down a city street and come across some wildlife that could cause them to have medical side effects.
Survivor 46’s Jess Chong also spoke to Self for the aforementioned 2024 article. As Jess explained, Survivor’s producers tried to protect players from consuming dangerous water during the game. “Production provides potable water inside the well—the container was always filled and had a lid so that nasty creepy crawlies couldn’t get in.”
However, Coach told Self that Survivor players are warned by producers that they can suffer extremely serious medical consequences from interacting with the wildlife.
“If you touch this flower that looks like a big dandelion and you touch your eyes, you’re permanently blind. There’s acid bugs out here, and if they land on your skin you don’t swat at ’em, because they’ll burn through the skin.”
Coach went on to tell Self that Survivor’s producers had players take a pill to protect them from elephantiasis, a serious medical condition that typically is spread by mosquitoes. Elephantiasis is a condition that leads to parts of a person’s body enlarging in a very painful way that can be permanent.
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While still talking to Self, Coach went on to further describe the perils that Survivor players go through. As Coach explained, during one of his Survivor seasons, he had to grapple with a sleeping situation that included the potential of waking up to a dangerous bedmate.
There were snakes. I woke up one night and there was a snake crawling across the roof.
Given all the dangers that Coach described, what he said next to Self makes perfect sense.
Every Survivor Medical Evacuation, According to Gold Derby
- Michael Skupin
- Bruce Kanegai
- Jonathan Penner
- James Clement
- Joe Dowdle
- Mike Borassi
- Russell Swan
- Kourtney Moon
- Colton Cumbie
- Shamar Thomas
- Erik Reichenbach
- Caleb Reynolds
- Neal Gottlieb
- Joe Del Campo
- Pat Cusack
- Jackson Fox
- Bruce Perreault
- Matthew Grinstead-Mayle
- Randen Montalvo
While speaking to the outlet, Coach expressed amazement that something catastrophic hasn’t happen while filming Survivor.
I can’t believe nobody died—and you don’t get on a helicopter, because you’re literally dead within 30 minutes. Somebody almost got bit. There was one in our camp that Erinn [Lobdell] was like, ‘Oh, what is this? There’s a snake right here.’” So, uh, what do you do in that scenario? “They called in the snake handler, and he was freaked out—he removed it.”
Richard Hatch Exclusively Told TheThings He Believes Survivor’s Producers Shouldn’t Protect Players More
In January 2025, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas interviewed Richard Hatch about when he was bitten by a shark during Survivor: All-Stars. During that interview, Richard revealed how long he struggled with the shark in the ocean. Despite how much peril the shark bite put him in, Richard exclusively told TheThings that players shouldn’t be more protected by Survivor’s producers.
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While talking to TheThings, Richard explained his opinion that Survivor players should be allowed to decide what risks they take, even with the wildlife that surrounds them.
“Gosh no. Survivor’s producers have no responsibility to protect players from their own choices and risks with regard to things like this, and I don’t think they should involve themselves. Specifically, when it comes to how Survivor players decide what risks are worth taking to secure food, producers should not be involved.”
While some observers may find it shocking that Richard didn’t think Survivor players should be protected more, he had a fascinating argument. During his exclusive comments to TheThings, Richard argued that Survivor players shouldn’t be protected since they should be aware of the perils.
“We Survivor players understand the risks involved in playing this physically challenging and mentally sophisticated game. We sign reams of paperwork accepting responsibility for what takes place when the game is played.”
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Richard’s only complaint was that he wanted to make it clear that the show should properly communicate to fans that players put themselves in danger. “That said, there are certainly other areas in which, specifically, Survivor Executive Producers have an ethical and moral responsibility to accurately reflect for viewers what choices players made and the consequences of those choices. We players contractually agree to have ourselves portrayed in ways that are false, negative, and not accurate, and I think (unnecessarily) Executive Producers have grossly exploited that agreement, to the detriment of the show, CBS, and players’ lives.”
Survivor
- Release Date
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May 31, 2000
- Network
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CBS
- Showrunner
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Jeff Probst
- Directors
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Jeff Probst
- Writers
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Jeff Probst
