Survivor since 2000: Reliving the game’s greatest moments year by year

Survivor 2001: The game takes its first victim

Back in the early days of reality television (and, arguably, to this very day), the accusations of non-scripted shows being fake ran rampant. People would joke about setting up in tents when the cameras weren’t rolling, getting makeup for Tribal Council to pop in the close-ups, and getting food and water from production.

While the producers may have played a stronger part of the very first season of Survivor, they were very hands off once the gameplay aspects came to the forefront. They take as much care of their players as possible without interfering, with Jeff Probst making the rare appearance should push come to shove.

The risk of a medical evacuation didn’t become clear until The Australian Outback, as one player inhaled a fire’s smoke and passed out, falling into the flame. Parts of his hands were peeling off, and he was screaming intensely. There was no way he could stay in the game, as the medical team flew him out of the game in a helicopter.

It was a sobering moment of realism, forcefully reminding viewers that while Survivor is a game, the stakes are real for the players.