The first medical emergency of Survivor: Edge of Extinction couldn’t have been scarier to watch. It went down during the individual immunity challenge, during which players had to stand on a small perch with a block balanced between their head and the top of their platform. Whoever stood the longest without their block falling off would win. The competition came down to Lauren O’Connell, Aurora McCreary and Victoria Baamonde, and as the seconds ticked by, Lauren began to struggle. She kept mentioning under her breath that she was feeling dizzy, until finally, she couldn’t stand up any longer.
“I can’t see anything,” Lauren said, as she started wobbling. “I’m about to black out.” At that, she completely toppled over and passed out onto the ground. Host Jeff Probst immediately called in the medical team, and they were by her side within seconds. With assurance from the doctors that everything was okay, Jeff allowed the challenge to play on, and eventually, Lauren came to. From the moment she woke up, she was not worried about her health — rather, she was frustrated for losing and concerned about how ’embarrassing’ it was to faint in the middle of the challenge. “I’d say that’s the sign of a warrior,” Jeff assured her.
The fan support for Lauren on social media during the episode was overwhelming, and after it aired, she was absolutely blown away. “I am overwhelmed by all of the love y’all are sending my way!!” she wrote. “My heart is so thankful for this #survivor family and every single one of you that makes this whole experience so much more raw and powerful. I’m truly falling for ALL of you.”
i am overwhlemed by all of the love y’all are sending my way!! my heart is so thankful for this #survivor family and every single one of you that make this whole experience so much more raw and powerful. im truly falling for ALL of you hehehe. thank you for another great week xxx
— Lauren O’Connell (@lolly_alexandra) April 4, 2019
She also posted a video to her Instagram Story, in which she said, “I promise I’m okay! I am just so incredibly thankful for this Survivor family. Getting to re-watch something you experienced that was so emotional and so raw and special to you with people that love it and cherish it as much as you did in the moment, is just something that I will never be able to express my gratitude enough for.” Meanwhile, Aurora went onto win the immunity challenge, and Eric Hafemann was voted out of the game in an epic blindside.