Tyson Apostol has played Survivor four times, most recently in Survivor: Winners at War, and now, he's sharing some of the stories, insight, and explanations for his time in the game. In a new video, Apostol revealed how he saved one of his fellow players from drowning before the game even started.
It all happened back in Survivor: Tocantins (season 18), which was Tyson's first season on Survivor. Tyson explained that the new cast was swimming in a shallow river during the pre-game portion of the game at Ponderosa in the Brazilian Highlands.
Tyson explained that that camp setup is not like it is now out in Fiji at a resort. No, this was a dirt campsite in the middle of nowhere near a small river where the players could cool off.
He revealed that one of his fellow players that season, Jerry Sims, stepped off a ledge in the river, went under, and was struggling to get his head back above water because Jerry couldn't swim. As the person right next to him, Tyson had a dilemma: Save Jerry's life and possibly get kicked out of the game for interacting with another player, or let him drown.
"And, we were all just kid of standing in the river, lounging like shoulder-depth, and Jerry couldn't swim, and he was not comfortable in the water," Tyson said. "The was just one dip in the river that was like over six feet once you stepped off. And, I was standing closest to him, and he took one step back into this ledge that just a little too deep for him, and he started panicking. I could see on his face, the life flashing before his eyes. I was staring right at him looking at him, and he was looking at me. We were both, in my mind like, 'Should we interact now? Should I save your life? Is it worth it to maybe get in trouble for interacting?'
"And, I was looking at Jerry like maybe he can get it by himself because he was just like struggling. I finally reached under the water, grabbed him, and just pulled him enough to get back on the ledge. I saved his life. He almost drowned in like six feet of water with a ton of people around because we were all too scared to do anything."
As you probably know, Survivor players interacting before the game starts is not allowed at all. So, you can see the dilemma, right? Obviously, Tyson wasn't going to let Jerry drown, but these players are in the middle of nowhere in Brazil. They've invested so much to be there. To be disqualified in the days leading up to the game for saving someone's life would be quite unfair, in my opinion.
Overall, I don't think Tyson would have actually gotten into trouble for helping Jerry, but hey, you never know! In an earlier video, Tyson also revealed that one of the other players tattled on him for breaking a pot while getting off the truck before the game started. It's just another reminder of how Survivor, especially in the earlier seasons, was so cutthroat.
But, also remember, this is Tyson we're talking about. He's not above breaking the rules in small ways. Boston Rob recently told a story about how he and Tyson got in trouble for stealing gas from one of the boats and trying to start a fire with it. In another video, Tyson shared that he had rope confiscated from his bag before playing one second in the game because he it off the truck.
You can follow Tyson on Instagram and TikTok as he shares stories from his Survivor journey all the way back to Tocantins!
Stay tuned for more news about Survivor!