Medics rushed to the aid of Bruce Perreault on Wednesday’s episode of “Survivor” when the contestant suffered a gruesome head injury mere minutes into the season premiere.
Perreault was participating in a physical challenge and slammed his head into a wooden beam during the first challenge of the hit reality show’s 44th season, which was filmed in June 2022.
The challenge involved having the castaways army-crawl through mud while underneath a wooden structure, and Perreault didn’t quite clear the beam when he dove head first into the game. Blood immediately began to gush out of his head, and mixed into the mud as he put his hand onto his wound in obvious pain. Perreault quickly lost consciousness and required immediate care.
Medics quickly rushed to his aid, administered oxygen and cleansed and bandaged the bloody injury. The Rhode Island native regained consciousness after a few moments, and seemed to be on the mend.
Perreault assured host Jeff Probst that he was fine, and he seemed to be doing relatively well considering the hard hit to his noggin. Unfortunately, his condition began to decline in the evening, and it quickly became apparent that he was in incredible pain. His eyes appeared to be glazed over, and he struggled to form sentences.
“My head is killing me,” Perreault said. (RELATED: Famous Chef Justin Sutherland Shares Gruesome Photos Of His Facial Injuries)
After the Bruce head injury #Survivor #Survivor44 pic.twitter.com/Z3ENgWypuh
— John John #stopasianhate 🇵🇭 (@jonjonjohnston) March 2, 2023
Medics attended to him once more, and Probst returned to inform Perreault that they were going to have to remove him from the game for the safety of his health.
“I know it’s hard to hear, but there is no doubt this is the right decision,” Probst said.
Perreault cried with obvious disappointment at the unfortunate situation that was unfolding.
“I wanted this so bad,” he said.
Probst reassured the injured contestant. “I am genuinely heartbroken for you. You are a shining light. You are so positive. You are a leader,” the host said.
Bruce’s fellow castaways shouted their support for their visibly injured co-contestant. “We’re gonna bring it home for you,” one of them said, while another shouted, “We love you!”
Perreault fought back tears and managed to say, “I love you back,” as he was slowly placed onto a stretcher.
Probst later revealed on his podcast, “On Fire with Jeff Probst,” that Perreault would be invited back for a future season of the show, Entertainment Weekly reported Wednesday.