If you are curious about what niceties contestants lose when they appear on “Survivor,” then you should probably know brushing your teeth is one of the big ones.
It’s no secret that brushing teeth is a healthy habit humans have grown accustomed to. When you play “Survivor,” though, things change. Gone are the abilities to shower daily, or change clothes, or – in many cases – eat.
One recent “Survivor” contestant took to her Instagram stories to talk about the reality of being without a toothbrush.
Good Teeth Aren’t Cheap
Charity Nelms – formerly of Civa, currently of Lagi – recently posted about needing to get five cavities filled. She blamed the lack of toothbrushing during her time shooting the show as the reason.
“Also, just found out on top of the $1,400 I just paid out of pocket because my dental insurance is maxed out – paid that in February,” Charity starts. “I have another five cavities I have to pay out of pocket for. Because if you don’t know, on ‘Survivor,’ you can’t brush your teeth!”
The current iteration of “Survivor” shoots for 26 days, which is much more accelerated from the original 39 days. While no exact timeline can be pinned down, not brushing teeth can lead to more problems than a toothache. Some dentists suggest a week is enough to lead to lasting damage.
“And last week, if you watched, my tribe won a fruit platter,” Charity continues. “Which just sits on your teeth and rots! And so I love paying $3,000 basically worth of out of pocket uninsured no more dental coverage for my teeth.”
Playing “Survivor” Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
Watching any season of “Survivor” can leave viewers wanting to compete but seeing injuries can leave them happy to be on the couch. There have been a slew of bruises, lacerations, cuts and dislocations throughout the show’s 25 year history.
The current season saw a medical episode that didn’t even air during the premiere. Contestant Kevin Leung was shown to have injured his shoulder while crawling under the muddy net during the premiere. However, he was apparently in so much pain that host Jeff Probst had the medical team pop Leung’s shoulder back into place.
This is something that’s previously happened to others including season 20’s Stephenie LaGrossa on day one.
Players will also lose weight while on the island. Other problems can occur like season 36’s Kellyn Bechtold’s issues with parasites, hookworms and tapeworms.
“It took over a year to solve the puzzle. I started to have issues with my urinary tract and couldn’t figure out what was wrong,” she told Men’s Health. “After multiple doctors, natural medicine practitioners, and tests, we figured out that the medication I had been taking to try to get rid of the bugs and worms was wrecking my bladder and entire urinary system. I have been off the island for 19 months, and I am just now getting off all of the medications to repair my gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract.”
Season 32 contestant Neal Gottlieb was taken by medevac (medical evacuation) on day 19 after having knee pain due to what he thought was a pimple. After it was lanced, infection took over alongside other symptoms. Gottlieb was sent home via medevac after growing another, more infectious bump on his back.
The 32nd season of the show has the most evacuated players with three total including Gottlieb, Caleb Reynolds, and Joe del Campo. The earliest in-game evacuation was season 44’s Bruce Perreault. Kourtney Moon is the only woman to be medically evacuated.
As of March 2024, a total of 19 contestants rode the medevac off the island while playing “Survivor.”
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‘Survivor’ Player Says She Has Five Cavities, Paying Thousands out of Pocket to Fix