Survivor host Jeff Probst has revealed why Bi Nguyen was not medically evacuated from the game after she sprained her MCL.
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Jeff explained why producers classified Bi's exit as a quit rather than a medical evacuation during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
"This is a somewhat unusual situation where a player decides to leave the game due to a physical condition even though medical does not feel it is necessary to pull them out," Jeff said.
"Bi is an athlete, and she was concerned that if she continued to stay in the game she might further aggravate the injury and do permanent damage to her career as an MMA fighter."
Jeff continued, "There will be some who will argue that she could have stayed through the next Immunity Challenge and if the David tribe lost they could just vote her out, but that's not how Bi rolls."
Jeff insisted Bi is "a very determined person" who can not easily be swayed by others.
"Once she made the decision, there was no changing her mind," Survivor's longtime host told EW.
"This is a great example of why you can never predict what is going to happen. One simple tweak of a knee and the entire game changes again. I respect Bi for knowing her body well enough to know what she needed to do for her own well-being."
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Following Bi's departure from the game, the David and Goliath Tribes were split up into three new tribes: Vuku, Tiva and Jabeni. And Vuku eventually voted out Natalia Azoqa.
When asked whether Bi leaving the game changed producers' schedule for the tribal swap, Jeff noted, "Nope. That swap was already set for that episode."
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Although some fans have argued the swap came a little early, Jeff revealed, "I actually removed one buff from the tray in front of the Survivors" just before the swap took place.
"Due to time, we cut that from the show, but it did change how we executed the swap," Jeff told EW.
"We had a slightly different plan in place -- always trying to catch them off guard -- that we'll save for another season."
Jeff elaborated how it's conceivable a sudden quit could impact what had been planned, but if that were the case, producers "would modify and adapt to fit the situation."
During an exclusive interview with Reality TV World on Thursday, Bi admitted it was a very difficult decision to leave the game and she felt "guilt," sadness and other emotions about depleting the David Tribe of another member.
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Currently, Bi said her recovery is at 70 percent and she is still working hard on strengthening her knee and improving mobility.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
