It just may have been the scariest thing we’ve ever seen on Survivor (and that’s saying something for a program that gave us Jonny Fairplay): contestant Russell Swan’s head resting precariously on the corner of a puzzle table while his entire body went limp. As hard as it was for us to watch the Galu leader collapse, imagine how freaky it must have been for Russell to watch himself flirting with death on national television. The dread-head talks all about the surreal experience as he joins Josh Wolk and me on the latest episode of Survivor Talk, telling us why he was so “pissed” at being pulled from the game, what happened to him after the cameras shut off, and if the decision to take pillows over a tarp ultimately led to his collapse. Click on the video below to get all the inside scoop on one of the most dramatic moments in Survivor history! And then do something far less dramatic and start following me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.
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Comments (1-15) of 31 Add your comment
Took long enough…
Poasted via blackberry:
Except for Shambo, I’ve
been a die-hard foa-foa fan this season
Couldn’t care less about the other tribe
But when I say this even I had to take a momment
And say, Russell You the man! He pushed himself
Farher and harder then anyone on his tribe of missfit
Yoga-bunnys and porn star regects.
Russell could have taken this game with half
His heart tied behind his back, he gaver it his
All and then some, Jeff was right as was Medical
To pull him from the game, even know I support
Foa-Foa compleatly, no tribe should lose a
Tribemate in such away, all I can say is that I thank God,Somoa,
And any other of the powers that be, that Russell didn’t
Black out when he was far away from camp fishing with only
A camera man and a boom grip around for first response.
Amen, my sentiments exactly!
Unless he’d fallen and hit his head, blacking out would be a good thing. The body blacks out so that it will be horizontal, thus making it easier for the heart to pump oxygenated blood to all parts of the body without fighting gravity. Russell would have blacked out, his blood pressure would have normalized, and he would have regained consciousness on his own. Blacking out, fainting, dizziness, etc. are all normal, healthy responses to the unhealthy condition of dehydration. I’m sorry Russell was pulled for such a minor problem, but maybe future contestants will now realize that staying hydrated is even more important than eating.
The rules are that a contestant with health issues can be stitched, disinfected, splinted and/or hydrated by drinking water, but not given something to eat or given a day of rest in a hospital. Not even in the crew’s camp. Once you leave the island you can’t come back. He would have needed an IV and at least a day of staying horizontal, catching up on his sleep, and nutrients/electrolytes to regain enough energy to last through the remainder of the competition.
If they don’t set standards for when a person needs to be pulled from the show, or whether their meagre medical attention for contestants when they are still in the game will be enough. They can’t provide much because otherwise its considered unfair advantage.
according to russels own work ethic, he is a weakling and a coward for taking the easy way out. he said he was ashamed and he should be he is an idiot. thank god this philosophically delusional mortal is gone.
悲哀
我替是这节哀。
I agree I am sad about his departure.
I REALLY hope that nobody is patting Russell on the back for being “pissed” at Jeff for pulling him from the game. His stout heart is commendable and the fierce effort he put in is nearly unparalleled (especially when you consider the rest of the people in this season), but THAT’S just plain idiotic. YES, Russell, a million dollars would change the lives of yourself and your family considerably…but then again, so would your DEATH. Putting your need to be “macho” above your family’s need to have you around is foolhardy, and just plain selfish. I’m NOT a big Jeff Probst fan, but I think the pat on the back should go to HIM and the medical team for making the proper call. Plus, if you want another shot at the prize, there’s always the next SURVIVOR ALL-STARS episode, of which you will no doubt be a part…
I think he was saying that in the midst of it he was so confused and didn’t think things were that serious. He was yelling and beligerent and they didn’t air it because it was pretty intense and also totally indicitive of a person who is so out of it they don’t know what is gone. He also said he was mad until he saw the episode with his wife and he saw the whole thing, and his eyes freaked him out (and his wife who thinks he died for a moment when he’s staring blankly). Now he understands and completely forgives what happened and no longer has anger towards Jeff.
Hey Russell,would you rather be dead? This is a game,don’t put the money ahead of your health and your family.
Okay, NOW that I got the video to work and saw the two-part interview, I have to amend my comment above. The fact that Russell DID see the footage and realized how serious things really were, and that he has made peace with SURVIVOR’S decision to take him out, certainly renews the respect I have for the guy.
How on earth can he still say not picking the tarp was anything but stupid?
Don or Madge, I missed the last half of the episode so this AM I’m perusing the facts- is Russel still in the game?
Russell Swan is not in the game anymore. He was medevac’ed.
He did say he would explain his reasoning a bit at the reunion show.
Back to the Talk, I liked how you guys had medical on your show. Maybe a new Talk cast member?
Balance of episode clip and Talk was great, and I’m looking forward to next week’s Talk!
ok tis is a sacry thing no dugh but he died
You rock Russell! You carried the little kids and that was your demise!
Y’know, Russell just wasn’t all that sick, and he certainly wasn’t near death. He was dehydrated, period, and that lowered his blood volume, lowered his blood pressure, and caused his heart rate to soar as it tried to pump unavailable fluids. All Russell needed was a bag or two of electrolytes and a couple of hours of rest and he would have felt normal again. He could have even been revived, albeit more slowly, with a few bottles of Gatorade.
I suffer from a neurological disorder which causes low blood pressure, and I’m extremely susceptible to dehydration. Before I was diagnosed, I once thought I was near death because I couldn’t stand up, kept blacking out, etc. I was about to call 911, but I remembered the symptoms of dehydration, and I drank some water with sea salt. I felt like a new person (a HEALTHY person) within an hour.
Too few people understand the effects of dehydration, just as too few understand how simple and fast it is to reverse the effects. Russell should have been allowed IV fluids and then reassessed, and I’m positive he would have been cleared to continue in the game. No wonder he was angry. Blacking out may look scary on TV, but it’s a natural body response to remedy a specific condition and it’s not deadly.
EW, I just watched your interview w/Ben. It was the most…unbelievably ignorant and unapologetic racist interviewee I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m in shock. He still does not think anything he said was wrong. This is truly why Rush Limbaugh makes millions because of people like him who listen to that garbage everyday and believe it. Just because you’re black that means it’s obvious that you would gravitate to another black person? That’s what “they” do? You have to laugh to keep from crying. It’s 2009 and people like him still exist in the world. No wonder Adolf Hitler came to power. Unbelievable.
Hitler actually came to power by telling the German people that he would make their nation the most powerful in the world.
BTW, I cannot wait to see Jeff Probst dig up in his a$$ during the reunion show. He’s going to really see that his line of thinking is sooo 17th century. God help us all from the Ben’s in the world.