Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 1 – What happened to _____?

Never has a player been evacuated in Survivor from sustaining an injury during a boat ride, but Pat Cusack was unlucky in David vs. Goliath. What happened?

Survivor: David vs. Goliath started out with one of the weirdest opening episodes ever. Corny as it is, the weather serves as the 21st castaway, adding as much character to the game and acting as the villain of the opening. It took its first victim under unfortunate circumstances, as Pat Cusack was medically evacuated from the game after getting injured during a boat trip back to camp.

There’s more to the story from both production and Pat’s perspectives, with The Hollywood Reporter detailing the cruel, harsh details as part of Josh Wigler’s compelling pre-season interview series, “First One Out.” We know that Pat’s immense pain and possible injury extent was enough to take him out of the game, but he doesn’t head back home after getting evacuated.

Pat describes it vaguely, but it seems like in the boat he got catapulted into the air, hitting the tough canopy ahead with his back and causing pain along his spine. He spent three days in the hospital, but made it back to Ponderosa, was working out a week later and was able to join the rest of the pre-jury Ponderosa crew on their trip before the jury head to Ponderosa themselves. He said he has no memory of the incident itself.

The great part is hearing about the support the crew offered. They had Pat’s wife call him during testing, and Jeff Probst took a 40-minute window out of the busiest time in his life each year to talk to Pat and basically calm him down. Once he arrived a home, Pat discovered he had mild spinal deterioration which could have led to the painful extent of his injury.

There are some interesting Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 2 details for the contestants, as both tribes were provided a tarp early in the morning of Day 4 with a note from Jeff Probst basically saying “give this back to me when you have a fire or else I’m taking it and even more.” We’re glad to hear Pat is doing okay after his scary exit, even if it’s the biggest bummer.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 2, “The Chicken Has Flown the Coop,” airs next Wednesday, October 3 at 8 p.m. ET.