Cancer Survivor Collapses On ‘Survivor’ After The Most Brutal Physical Challenge Ever
CBS Reading Time: 3 minutes
In his third Survivor appearance over the past 20 years, Ethan Zohn seemed invincible once he started last night’s challenge on the Edge of Extinction. Zohn was one of four exiled players that each had to carry 20 pieces of wood up a steep mountain. They were only allowed to carry one piece at a time. It was only until about halfway through the challenge that Zohn collapsed on the side of the mountain and needed to be seen by a medic.
Ethan Zohn Reacts To Pressure on ‘Survivor’
A two-time cancer survivor, Zohn is no stranger to having to persevere. However, the medic believed that he was going to pass out if he kept going at the fast pace he set for himself. After taking a breather and getting some encouragement from his fellow exiled contestants, he picked himself back up and went on to complete the challenge, ultimately having to crawl up the mountain towards the end when he felt he could no longer walk.
He was accompanied by his fellow competitors in his final trek up the mountain, which made for a very emotional and heartfelt scene between the four who had pushed their bodies beyond their limits. There were several instances where they too were shown breathing extremely heavy on their way up the mountain, sweating and struggling to carry the wood.
It seemed to come as a surprise to Zohn that he was having such a difficult time completing the challenge. In the beginning, he thought he might have a chance of finishing first or second. Fellow exiled contestant Natalie Anderson, a CrossFit coach, had dominated the challenge and set such a quick pace that Zohn struggled to keep up with.
Typically on Survivor, when a contestant is visited by a medic, they are then pulled from the game to receive treatment and do not return. It was clear that Zohn did not want to be pulled from the game, and he insisted that he continue the challenge before it was to end at sundown.
A Lack Of Food And Water May Have Played A Role in Ethan’s Collapse
In last week’s episode, exiled contestant Danni Boatright explained how little resources were on the Edge of Extinction, leaving contestants to fish for their own food or share small portions of rice. This may have contributed to how weak Zohn’s body seemed to be when trying to complete this challenge.
Zohn took home the million-dollar prize on ‘Survivor: Africa’ in 2003. He announced that he beat Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2010, but then battled cancer found in his chest again in 2011. In 2013, he revealed that he was cancer-free. This is his first Survivor appearance after his cancer battle, and he previously competed on ‘The Amazing Race’ in 2011 with fellow Survivor winner and former girlfriend Jenna Morasco.
Ethan Zohn may have been the last member of the exiled competitors to complete the task, but he rightfully earned a Fire Token, a chance to gain some advantages in the game. He was voted out the previous week in a blindside, a move ‘Survivor’ fans have come to know and love. He remains on the Edge of Extinction for a chance to fight his way back into the game.
