Injured Heroes and Villains on CBS' Survivor

Ever seen one of those medical shows like Grey's Anatomy, House or Trauma where all kinds of painful stuff is shown up close and personal? Yes, I admit, I've watched a few in my day, but in the back of my mind is the idea that, "none of this is real" - it's "Just made up". Last Thursday when the Survivor Heroes and Villains CBS premier fired up, it didn't take long before I was squirming... and there's no special effects making that happen. It feels so real and miserable for these players.

An intense physical challenge between the Heroes and Villains kicked things right off in the injury department and it wasn't long before a cry comes from Stephenie LaGrossa (29). This Philadelphia native is no slouch in the athletic department. She's a three-time NEC (North East Conference) All-Conference selection as well as a NEC Scholar/Athlete Award recipient - and here she is now with a dislocated shoulder.

Dislocated Shoulder - Stephenie

So, it's only about the first twenty minutes or so and out comes the Survivor medical team! The camera swoops in to show both her twisted arm and the grimacing faces of the waiting contestants. I've never had a dislocated shoulder, but it sure doesn't look like much fun. The medical team positions the arm and Stephenie looks away. Pop! Everybody squirms, including me! Stephenie is back to smiling. Yikes.

Broken Toe - Rupert

The physical challenge is back on with guys digging through the sand and grappling each other, seeking the advantage. The challenge ends and what do we see? Close-up of 45-yr-old Rupert Boneham saying, "When I came out of that final heat, my toe -- Instead of going straight up and down - went like a 'J'". Medic! Someone from the medical team (Haven't we seen them before?) grabs his toe and moves it around with their fingers. Squirm time! It gets taped to an adjoining toe and Rupert limps off to join the Heroes tribe.

Later, Jeff Probst is quoted in one of his blogs as saying, "Rupert - man you should have heard him screaming as the doctors tried to set it." Yeah, Jeff, I have to admit, nothing hurts more than pain.

Boston Rob - Knocked Unconscious?

And then we come to the Survivor previews. Admittedly, Survivor does a fantastic job of whetting the appetite of their future shows. During season 19, in Samoa, I wrote two articles about Jeff's "Scariest Moment of my Life" quote. (If you're interested, you can read them here: Scary Injuries on CBS' Survivor Samoa and Scariest Moment Teaser Commercials)

In this latest Survivor preview of episode 2, Rob Mariano (33), aka Boston Rob, is shown walking through dense jungle with fellow Villain tribe member, Jerri Manthey (38), nearby. Rob looks a little unsteady and then tips forward. The camera shot does a nose dive into the ground implying that Boston Rob nose dived into the ground. The sound of him hitting the jungle floor gets Jerri's attention. We then see a close-up of Rob's unmoving hand. Jerri moves closer to the unresponsive Rob who is shown lying on his back. Jerri is calling, "Hey, Rob? Rob?"

It seems as though Rob says, "Help" or "Oww" to her, but I wasn't really sure; I never saw Rob's lips move.

Next thing you know, the medical team, with Jeff Probst in the background, is back on the job, pulling back Rob's eyes and shining a flashlight into his fixed, downcast stare. It looks like Boston Rob is out cold. But is he really? The short clip doesn't fully reveal the extent of his injuries, if any. Did he pass out? Trip? Swoon from missing Amber?

Heroes and Villains may have shot off like the proverbial cannon, but let's hope that those helicopters - the ones that brought the contestants in -- don't turn into to medical choppers medevacing them all off.