Exclusive: Jeff Probst Reveals the Truth Behind 'Survivor' Medical Evacuations

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ETONLINE

Wednesday night’s Survivor: San Juan del Sur was a nail-biter to see if Missy would be able to continue in the game with a possibly broken ankle. Medical staff ultimately allowed her to stay, but what goes into a decision like that? Survivor host and Executive Producer Jeff Probst is giving us an inside look at the true all-stars of the game – the medical personnel that ensure the health and safety of the cast and crew.

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From hardships including minimal shelter, living off rice, bugs and fish, dealing with the elements and local wildlife, and performing extreme physical challenges, to say it’s a challenge to keep everyone safe in the show’s harsh tropical environment is a major understatement. But Jeff reveals a surprising factoid -- although medical evacuations are dramatic and hard to forget, only 11 contestants have been medically evacuated during the show’s 29 season history.

When it comes to Missy, it turns out that being so close to the end of the game helped her – doctors were able to immobilize her ankle and let her ride out the game. Probst told Entertainment Weekly on Thursday, “Because there were only a few days left in the game, our doctor felt fine protecting the foot and giving her some sticks to help her walk. Had this been early in the game she would have been pulled—no question about it."

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Watch the video to meet the medical staff, and tune in to Survivor’s season finale Wednesday, December 17 at 8/7c.