By Kelly Wynne
Culture Writer
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When Pat Cusack started his journey on CBS competition show Survivor, he didn't expect a severe injury to send him home. Wednesday night, when Season 37 Survivor: David vs. Goliath premiered, Cusack was the first contestant to go home, though no vote was necessary.
Cusack, 40, who lives in New York state, was injured as the tribes took a boat ride back to their island. When the boat hit a hard wave, Cusack suffered a spinal injury that resulted in his removal from the game.
In an emotional scene, Cusack was shown on the beach in a stretcher, worried for his fate and reeling in pain. Though he was visibly shaking from the turmoil, he fought with short sentences to stay on the island and complete his gameplay. He explained he doesn't remember the incident, but mentally, he was ready for the game despite his body's pain.
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"I wanted to play this game so bad for so long," Cusack told Newsweek. "I finally had it in my hand. I was finally on the island. I still don't have much recollection. Even though in the show, it shows that I'm somewhat speaking, but I still to this day don't have any recollection of any of that situation on the beach. I think you could just say that mentally, I was ready to play the game. Obviously, my body was telling me something else cause I was in all the pain. But the last thing I wanted to do was go out that way."
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Cusack told Newsweek his injury was diagnosed as spinal compression deterioration. A liquid-filled sac in between his vertebrates ruptured, resulting in the deterioration of his spinal discs. He returned home, completed physical therapy, and has been fully treated, through the injury could be relevant in his life moving forward.
"If I over exert myself or if I lift something too heavy, I may feel some repercussions of it," Cusack said. "But it's not gonna affect my long-term health."
Cusack watched the Survivor premiere Wednesday and saw some of his teammates called him bossy. He mentioned his natural skills as a leader and said if he redid the game, he may have taken a step back. Still, he has no regrets with how he played the game.
"I'm a go-getter. I'm not one to sit back and let everybody else put up sweat and tears and me reap the benefits of it," he said. "I'm that guy that goes out there, I put up sweat and tears, and other people reap the benefits of it.".
Cusack spoke highly of his tribe, the David Tribe, and how they bonded. "There were a lot of personalities. There was a lot of colors," he said. "Everybody brought their own thing to the team. How it all blended and became this concocted smoothie of personalities...it's amazing to see how you put 10 people who are complete strangers from 10 completely different walks of life together and you hope that everybody can live in unison and bond. And we did."
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