Wednesday night’s episode of “Survivor 42” saw one of the most intense and groundbreaking episodes of the show yet – not just because that night’s Tribal Council saw two of the tribe’s six members unable to vote, resulting in a nearly-deadlocked tie – but also because, for the first time in “Survivor” history, host Jeff Probst had to temporarily stop an immunity challenge halfway through because two tribes were unable to complete the section in the water.
Although the show’s edit only lets us see a short snippet of what went on during the challenge, Probst has taken to EW to divulge more about what went on during that intense and unprecedented moment. Here’s what you need to know:
Probst: ‘It Didn’t Ever Back off,’ the Water ‘Just Kept Pounding’
In an interview with EW Thursday, Probst revealed what it was really like being on the beach as the dramatic immunity challenge in episode 3 played out. As fans will remember, Taku was the only tribe able to make it to the beach, almost solely due to the strength of 28-year-old Jonathan Young. The other two tribes were left in the water, completely unable to mount their ladder amidst the ferocious current pounding their bodies.
“At times, the ocean pulled them so far off the course they were running into our camera platforms,” Probst said. “It was insanity.” He added that though the challenge went by smoothly when production’s so-called “Dream Team” tested it days earlier, the weather on the actual day of the challenge was palpably different, which was clear before the challenge even began: “Just like a tornado, the wind and the swells were gathering steam by the minute. You can even see it in the trees and ‘Survivor’ flags blowing as the players are walking in.”
Probst summed up the intensity of the winds that day, and as a result the water, as follows:
I’m not exaggerating when I say that every five minutes it was gaining in intensity. Even getting the players out to their starting pontoons took some effort. And as you saw in the episode, their initial jump into the ocean was helped by a giant swell that nearly tossed them off the pontoon.
From that point forward, the ocean continued to increase in ferocity. It didn’t ever back off, there was never a calm moment, never a chance for players to catch their breath. It just kept pounding, wave after wave.
It is unsurprising, given this perspective, why Probst and production decided to finally stop the challenge. And as Probst emphasized, it was a groundbreaking moment for the show. “In 42 seasons,” he said, “we have never had to stop a challenge. This. Was. A. First.”
Jenny Kim: Struggling With the Ladders Took ‘At Least Half an Hour’
In recent exit interviews, Jenny Kim, who was voted out later that night, spoke a bit about the immunity challenge, explaining that it all took much longer than what was shown on screen. Speaking about only the portion in which Vati and Ika were struggling with the ladders, Jenny said in her exit interview with Rob Cesternino, “Just that part was at least half an hour,” adding that they were all “probably in the water for like an hour [total].”
In her own interview with EW, Jenny added that she was “really being carried away” by the intensity of the water. “Our bodies just could not move in that water that would’ve been carrying me away anyway,” she said. “By then I probably had lost a few pounds and I was probably the smallest person out there maybe besides Romeo.”
Probst, however, who is familiar with the time frames, revealed in EW that the two struggling tribes were only in the water for 22 minutes, not half an hour. However, as he said, “That is an incredibly long time in those conditions,” so it is understandable why the castaways might think it took longer when looking back on it.
Despite all the chaos that took place that day, however, Probst added that none of the eight castaways in the water “ever called for help,” despite knowing that they always could, and that there was a diving rescue team on standby. “Nobody asked us to stop the challenge and rescue them. They kept fighting. They kept working together. They kept trying to finish the challenge. I was truly impressed.”
“Survivor 42” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS.
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