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Survivor players look back at some of their most painful memories

By Daniel George

"The Stakes Have Been Raised" - Malcolm Freberg on SURVIVOR, when the Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 34th season with a special two-hour premiere, Wednesday, March 8 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Notably, the season premiere marks the 500th episode of the series. Photo: Timothy Kuratek/CBS Entertainment ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
"The Stakes Have Been Raised" - Malcolm Freberg on SURVIVOR, when the Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 34th season with a special two-hour premiere, Wednesday, March 8 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Notably, the season premiere marks the 500th episode of the series. Photo: Timothy Kuratek/CBS Entertainment ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. /
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From fears of being medevaced over a sunburn, being sent to Exile Island repeatedly to even worse, 35 Survivor players look back at their worst memories.

As much as prominent players and winners like to remember their best moments, Survivor is still a hellish game to be played. The paranoia, the hunger, the irreparable damage done to your body; all done in the name of winning a million dollars that more than a dozen and a half people will fall short of completing. For every good moment that’s shown, there are a secret dozen or so worse moments that don’t make the cut.

Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly has talked to 35 of the biggest named in Survivor history to get a better perspective of the real toll the game has on its players, with answers ranging from personal to infamous. For example, Shane Powers of Panama – Exile Island recalls getting a call from the show’s casting director, Lynne Spillman, revealing that he had been cut from Heroes vs. Villains. Hearing him say he was in a good position to win makes me think some pre-show deals were in place, but regardless, he would have made for an intriguing villain.

Not getting to reap the rewards of the Loved One’s Visit seems to be a recurring theme for Survivor players. Courtney Yates of China and Heroes vs. Villains recalls the disappointment in not getting to be with her dad in China several years after being paralyzed from the Guillain-Barre illness. Sophie Clarke, winner of South Pacific, talked about how hard the game changes you to the point where getting a hug from your dad can feel more important than a million dollars.

The most common trait among all these answers is just how terrible exposure to nature is. With Ken getting bitten by mosquitos close to 300 times, Jeremy Collins spending an extra night on Exile Island or Stephen Fishbach getting sick during a monsoon, it’s a brutal reminder that Survivor isn’t fun. Going on a cruise is fun!

Next: Let’s Rank the Survivor Seasons by Their Locations

Perhaps the merge feast is a bit of fun, too. Survivor season 35’s merge episode airs on November 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

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