“Survivor” Contestant Cuts off Part of His Thumb with a Machete in Gory On-Screen Injury

Key Points:

• Survivor 51 contestant Brady Booker suffered a serious injury by chopping off part of his thumb with a machete during a wood-chopping task, but was determined to continue in the game despite the severity.
• Booker found the severed part of his thumb, which was held by a teammate while waiting for medical assistance; after treatment with dressing and antibiotics, the doctor allowed him to stay in the competition.
• Booker made a unique request for the doctor to show the severed thumb piece to host Jeff Probst and asked for it to be preserved as a souvenir after the show.
• Despite injuries on both the Toka and Savu tribes in the episode, including a potential foot fracture for Kristin Flickinger, no players were removed, and the Toka tribe won both reward and immunity challenges.
• Survivor has a history of medical evacuations and injuries affecting gameplay, with notable past incidents including a campfire burn in season 2 and a venomous snakebite in season 49; the show’s medical team is highly praised for their care.