Survivor has invited Bruce Perreault to return and play the game again after his devastating medical evacuation on Day 1 of Season 44.

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On Survivor's jam-packed Season 44 premiere last week, three players were injured or sought medical treatment amid the high temperatures in Fiji during the first three days of the game.

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While two of the players were cleared to continue competing, Bruce endured a head injury during the very first Reward Challenge of the season that had lingering effects hours later.

Survivor's medical team therefore removed Bruce from the show much to the player's dismay, and Bruce broke down into tears and told Jeff Probst on his way out, "I wanted this so bad."

"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," Jeff said on the first episode of his new Survivor podcast, "On Fire."

Jeff went on to reveal, "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."

During the Reward Challenge on Survivor's debut episode, Bruce dove underneath a wooden beam and hit his head on it. He immediately started bleeding but kept on with determination -- until he began stumbling in the sand and collapsing mid-challenge.

Bruce was given oxygen and his vitals were checked, and so a medic allowed Bruce to stay in the game. He was going to be monitored and appeared to make a full recovery.

But at camp hours later, the 46-year-old insurance agent from Rhode Island began experiencing headaches, and his tribemates could tell that something wasn't right give Bruce was quiet and had a glazed look in his eyes.

The show's medical team therefore made the decision to pull him from the game on a stretcher.

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While producers have extended Bruce the opportunity to play again, they're not sure when that will happen.

"We don't have a season yet," Jeff noted on the podcast, adding that he's not sure whether Bruce will participate in a returning-player season or a cast of newbies.

"Lots to coordinate. He's got to leave his job again, has leave his family, and miss those baseball games. But it's an open invitation. So hopefully we'll get Bruce back out on that island again."

Although Bruce only lasted hours in the Survivor game, Jeff called him "a shining light."

Bruce's tribemates were also very sad to see him go. They commented on how he had already been acting like a leader, coach and organizer at camp.

Also on Survivor's premiere, Matthew Grinstead-Mayle climbed up a rock wall, trying to help his tribe and cross another item off his Survivor bucket list.

While ascending the cliff, Matthew appeared to slip on a rock, and so he fell into a rock pit below and dislocated his shoulder. Matthew was able to pop his shoulder back in, but he was also left with a bloody foot.

A medic put Matthew's arm into a sling and told him that he was going to be okay, but Matthew worried about being "damaged goods" for the next challenge.

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Bruce told Entertainment Weekly that he suffered "a straight-up concussion" on his Ratu beach.

"They thought it could potentially be a brain bleed of some sort because of the impact. That freaked me out the most," Bruce explained.

"If they came to me and said, 'Bruce, listen, you got a concussion. We're gonna give you some Ibuprofen and we're gonna monitor you, just try to stay awake tonight...' I would've been okay. But once they said that, I started freaking out. They knew they were not taking a chance at all."

Bruce shared that he felt "dread" having to leave the game as well as "a wave of emotions."

Bruce therefore admitted he "bawled like a baby" once he heard Survivor was going to bring him back for a future season. He said he's excited to "redeem" himself and found the news "super exciting."

As for the other medical scares on Survivor 44, Brandon Cottom appeared to grow faint during the first Immunity Challenge of the season. He was advised to sit in the shade, relax, and drink water, and he worried his sickness was going to give his tribe a reason to vote him out.

Brandon ended up receiving two votes from his Ratu Tribe at Tribal Council on Night 3 of the game, but that's only because he had found a hidden Immunity Idol and became a threat in the game.

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Brandon ultimately played that idol to ensure his safety, and Maddy Pomilla was voted out instead.




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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