SurvivorHost Jeff Probst Reveals a Medical Intervention Occurred Minutes Into Season 48 Premiere but Was Cut from the Episode

Mar. 15, 2025

Kevin Leung in ‘Survivor’ (left); host Jeff Probst (right).Photo:Robert Voets/CBS (2)

Robert Voets/CBS (2)

Survivorseason 48 got off to a bit of a rocky start, but viewers at home were none the wiser.During filming for the premiere, which aired on Feb. 26, production hit a snag as Kevin Leung injured his shoulder during the marooning challenge. The footage that aired showed the 33-year-old bounce back from the injury quickly, but in reality, he’d separated his shoulder and required medical attention.“Kevin kind of surprised me because I happened to be standing near him when he suddenly said, ‘I’m in pain, I’m in pain.’ And I said, ‘Can you hang a second? Can you wait a second? ‘And he said ‘No.’ I was like, ‘Okay, so he’s really in pain,'” hostJeff ProbsttoldEntertainment Weekly, who was on-site during filming.Probst, 63, called in the show’s doctor to examine Kevin, while he wondered if it was “a serious injury that might result in him being pulled out” of the show. But once Kevin was given a “temporary pain reliever” to allow the doctor to pop his shoulder back in place, he felt “instant relief.“Kevin Leung on ‘Survivor’.Robert Voets/CBSAfter the injury, Probst said that Kevin did “appear to be fine” and was well able to participate in a “really physical” immunity challenge shortly after.“In Kevin’s case, he did recover pretty quickly. I’m not saying it wasn’t bothering him, but it was not so severe,” he told the outlet.As for why the injury and his medical treatment didn’t make the cut for the premiere episode, Probst said there was simply too much content to fit. “This first episode is so packed that our very first cut was very long, and you have to getSurvivorto time. And so you start asking yourself a series of questions, and the first one is: What can we cut that does not impact the vote? And that’s where your most painful cuts are going to come, but you have to be able to make them.“Cedrek McFadden, Justin Pioppi, Mary Zheng, Stephanie Berger, Kevin Leung, and Saiounia “Sai” Hughley on ‘Survivor’.Robert Voets/CBSHe continued, “Ultimately, Kevin’s injury didn’t directly impact the Tribal. If Kevin’s voted out, it’s not because of his shoulder. It wasn’t serious enough to impact him that way. So that’s why we removed that scene.“Speaking generally to the injury and what it reminded him about the show, which he’s hosted since its debut in 2000, Probst told EW: “What’s interesting aboutSurvivoris it’s so unpredictable that you can’t worry about trying to predict it. So I don’t ever even think there might be an injury. It never occurs to me, but in the back of my mind, I’m aware there could be an injury at any given moment.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Survivorseason 48 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Survivorseason 48 got off to a bit of a rocky start, but viewers at home were none the wiser.

During filming for the premiere, which aired on Feb. 26, production hit a snag as Kevin Leung injured his shoulder during the marooning challenge. The footage that aired showed the 33-year-old bounce back from the injury quickly, but in reality, he’d separated his shoulder and required medical attention.

“Kevin kind of surprised me because I happened to be standing near him when he suddenly said, ‘I’m in pain, I’m in pain.’ And I said, ‘Can you hang a second? Can you wait a second? ‘And he said ‘No.’ I was like, ‘Okay, so he’s really in pain,'” hostJeff ProbsttoldEntertainment Weekly, who was on-site during filming.

Probst, 63, called in the show’s doctor to examine Kevin, while he wondered if it was “a serious injury that might result in him being pulled out” of the show. But once Kevin was given a “temporary pain reliever” to allow the doctor to pop his shoulder back in place, he felt “instant relief.”

Kevin Leung on ‘Survivor’.Robert Voets/CBS

Robert Voets/CBS

After the injury, Probst said that Kevin did “appear to be fine” and was well able to participate in a “really physical” immunity challenge shortly after.

“In Kevin’s case, he did recover pretty quickly. I’m not saying it wasn’t bothering him, but it was not so severe,” he told the outlet.

As for why the injury and his medical treatment didn’t make the cut for the premiere episode, Probst said there was simply too much content to fit. “This first episode is so packed that our very first cut was very long, and you have to getSurvivorto time. And so you start asking yourself a series of questions, and the first one is: What can we cut that does not impact the vote? And that’s where your most painful cuts are going to come, but you have to be able to make them.”

Cedrek McFadden, Justin Pioppi, Mary Zheng, Stephanie Berger, Kevin Leung, and Saiounia “Sai” Hughley on ‘Survivor’.Robert Voets/CBS

He continued, “Ultimately, Kevin’s injury didn’t directly impact the Tribal. If Kevin’s voted out, it’s not because of his shoulder. It wasn’t serious enough to impact him that way. So that’s why we removed that scene.”

Speaking generally to the injury and what it reminded him about the show, which he’s hosted since its debut in 2000, Probst told EW: “What’s interesting aboutSurvivoris it’s so unpredictable that you can’t worry about trying to predict it. So I don’t ever even think there might be an injury. It never occurs to me, but in the back of my mind, I’m aware there could be an injury at any given moment.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Survivorseason 48 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

source: people.com