CBS debuted the 42nd season of Survivor on Wednesday night, which ended with the surprising removal of contestant Jackson Fox.
The 48-year-old healthcare worker from Houston, Texas was evacuated from the show before the first tribal council, when he disclosed that he was trying to wean himself off of the drug lithium before filming.
Fox had only been on the show for two days before his departure, though he called it, ‘the best 48 hours I’ve had ever,’ despite his evacuation.
Removal: CBS debuted the 42nd season of Survivor on Wednesday night, which ended with the surprising removal of contestant Jackson Fox
Fox was made part of the Taku tribe on the premiere, where he revealed that he had previously tried out for the show as a woman, before he transitioned as a man.
He also revealed to his teammates that his transition initially made him estranged from his parents but he became closer to them when he moved in after his mother fell ill.
While his teammates were moved by his story, they also noticed he was lightheaded on the island, which ultimately lead to a surprise visit from host Jeff Probst.
Visit: While his teammates were moved by his story, they also noticed he was lightheaded on the island, which ultimately lead to a surprise visit from host Jeff Probst
Probst revealed that, just a day before they began filming, Fox, ‘disclosed some new medical information’ though the producers agreed to let him start the game.
But over the first two days of the competition, it was clear something was wrong, leading to Probst arriving on the island for a private chat with Fox.
Fox revealed he was taking lithium to deal with the stress of taking care of his mother, who fell ill in 2016, and help with his anxiety and sleep.
Lithium: Fox revealed he was taking lithium to deal with the stress of taking care of his mother, who fell ill in 2016, and help with his anxiety and sleep
He revealed he didn’t tell Probst right away because he was trying to get off the drug before filming started.
‘I was trying to quit it completely, because I didn’t need it anymore,’ Fox told Probst, adding he was trying to ‘wean himself off’ of it with the help of his wife, a nurse.
‘When I started take care of my mom in 2016, the stress of it, I wasn’t sleeping. They’re like, you have to start sleeping, so that was a way for me to take something I could actually sleep with,’ Fox said.
Trying to quit: ‘I was trying to quit it completely, because I didn’t need it anymore,’ Fox told Probst, adding he was trying to ‘wean himself off’ of it with the help of his wife, a nurse
Probst noted that the medication has a ‘reaction’ when one doesn’t eat or sleep or when one has physically demanding challenges, which are all part of Survivor.
‘The cumulative affect of the show would potentially have a very bad impact on you, we don’t want that, your safety is paramount. We can’t do it, we can’t,’ Probst told Fox.
Fox understood Probst’s situation and called his time on Survivor, ‘the best 48 hours ever,’ adding in confessional his time on the show was, ‘a gift.’
Can’t: ‘The cumulative affect of the show would potentially have a very bad impact on you, we don’t want that, your safety is paramount. We can’t do it, we can’t,’ Probst told Fox
Gift: Fox understood Probst’s situation and called his time on Survivor, ‘the best 48 hours ever,’ adding in confessional his time on the show was, ‘a gift’
0