Every water cooler in America is buzzing: what happened to Mike on “Survivor”?
Audiences tuned in on Thursday night to find out exactly what kind of tragedy took place on the hit show. Viewers had been teased for a week with vague promos, sparking debate across the Internet. But finally, it was revealed: Mike fell face-first into a fire.
Having fanned the campfire for several minutes, Mike inhaled a plume of smoke and apparently passed out for a brief moment, pitching forward into the flames. He broke his fall with both hands, scorching his flesh up to his wrists. He quickly snapped out of his daze and screamed several times, running into the Herbert River to ease the pain of his wounds.
Shortly after the incident, the CBS medical staff attended to his burns, bandaging his hands and forearms, and a helicopter was flown in to take Mike to a Brisbane burn unit three hours away.
He has told CBS’ “Early Show”: “The brim of my hat and my sunglasses saved my face…. It took about twelve seconds until I actually woke up.”
Regarding his subsequent recovery, Mike said, “I watched a miracle take place before my eyes. My hands healed miraculously.” Unfortunately, though, “Survivor” producer Mark Burnett decided Mike would not return to the show.
Prior to Mike’s accident, his tribe, the Kucha, won the previous day’s challenge, which required the contestants to navigate Challenge Beach blindfolded – led by the voice of an appointed leader. Nick led the Kucha; Jerri led the Ogakor. In the end, Nick guided his troops to victory – and a picnic of Doritos and Mountain Dew.
A disgruntled Ogakor tribe had lost again. Frustrated, Colby doused Jerri with a bucket of water. Clearly, she is on thin ice. Had Mike not been injured, she would very likely have been ousted.
Hands down.
And then there were 10. Next week, both tribes merge into one. Talk about a train wreck….
