Why Did That ‘Survivor 51’ Player Quit? Jeff Probst Responds

We thought Danny Kilby and Brady Booker’s beef would be the most dramatic part of Survivor 51 Episode 3, but it wasn’t even the second-most dramatic moment! A player removed themselves from the game in the episode that aired on Wednesday, October 7, on CBS, citing health concerns for which the Survivor medical team could not find evidence.

Jeff Probst responds to the decision in his “Field Notes” from the making of the episode, speculating that the theories about their early departure might hold weight. Warning: Survivor 51 Episode 3 spoilers ahead!

Robert Voets/CBS

The drama began right after the Episode 2 tribal council, when Rob Antonson tried to vote for himself and had to be reminded by producers that it wasn’t allowed. His plan was to play his idol on Eric Macksoud, whom Rob predicted was getting a unanimous vote (which he actively orchestrated!). He told Eric in a live tribal to play his Shot in the Dark.

From there, Rob’s singular vote would dictate the elimination, and he wanted it to be him. The Rhode Islander was missing his family and wanted out. But his plan violated Survivor rules, so he voted for Eric anyway. Instead, Sani was voted out, shocking her number-one ally, Carter Krull.

Carter was coming to terms with the blindside at camp after tribal. Rob, meanwhile, was M.I.A. all night long. He sat alone on the beach in the dark, telling the cameras that he stepped on something in the ocean 1.5 days prior that was causing foot and leg pain. He never told production or his Savu tribe mates about his alleged injury, and he didn’t have medical come check on him until the next morning. Viewers also didn’t see him without his shoes on until medical arrived, so there was no way to see the alleged foot injury that he said might’ve been infected, as it was supposedly shooting pain up to his knee, making it hard to walk.

Robert Voets/CBS

Why did Rob Antonson quit Survivor 51?

The Survivor doctor found a tiny cut between Rob’s toes, and cuts always run the risk of becoming infected, especially in dirty Survivor conditions. But he found no evidence of an infection or injury that would require pulling Rob from the game. Probst looked suspicious when asking Rob about the injury, but he still respected Rob’s wishes to quit the game. Rob said that he didn’t want to risk health complications from an infection.

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His tribe told Probst they believed he was lying and orchestrated the story for his premature exit. They felt that Rob was unhappy about how the game was turning out for him so far, so he left. He snuck Carter his hidden immunity idol on his way out.

It’s important to note that Rob never told anyone about his attempt to vote for himself during filming, at least not in any scenes from the episodes.

Probst’s Field Notes are excerpts about the making of the episodes of Survivor 51. In his notes for Episode 3, Probst said that days four, five, and six of the 26-day game are a turning point for many Survivor contestants. He also speculated that Rob’s decision could be connected to Episode 2’s tribal council.

Robert Voets/CBS

“Rob’s decision to voluntarily leave the game caught me off guard,” Probst wrote. “He had said in interview that he stepped on something in the ocean, but never once asked for medical to check him out. That’s unusual as we check in on the players quite frequently. When we finally had Dr. Barry give him an examination at camp, Dr. Barry couldn’t find anything wrong with Rob. To be clear, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t in pain. It only means we couldn’t find any medical evidence of anything wrong.”

In Probst’s “personal observations,” he said Rob didn’t make it past an important emotional threshold in the game. Whether he was lying or not, there was no medical reason forcing Rob out.

“Rob looked and sounded emotionally exhausted, which can happen to the strongest of humans,” Probst said. “Survivor humbles you very quickly and can get you in a variety of ways. Days four, five, and six are often VERY tough for players. This is a threshold point that you have to get past. If you can find a way through the desire to give up, you almost always find that second wind.”

“Can’t help but also piece this together with the previous tribal council where it appeared Rob wanted to vote himself out,” Probst added. “Is there a connection?”

CBS

“Speculations from Rob’s tribe mates was very clear — they believe he engineered a quit,” Probst said. “This is a MASSIVE LOSS for the Savu tribe because any time you lose a tribe member, you increase your odds of being voted out because you have one less tribe member. And in this case, they didn’t do anything wrong.”

Probst’s casting notes for each eliminated player are included in his Field Notes each week. He called Rob a “star” who was “super likable” and “thrives in chaos.” A quote from Rob’s casting process said, “Dad built me with tough skin. To never let words impact me.”

Probst left things off with a wish for Rob: “My hope for Rob is that he can look back on this without regret. My concern is that, once he’s home and the pressure is off, he’ll wish he would have dug a little deeper.”

Who was voted out in Survivor 51 Episode 3?

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Rob’s tribe succeeded without him in the combined reward/immunity challenge in Episode 3. After Carter joined the Toka tribe via mutiny and Lewis Kelly joined after leaving Exile, they had 11 players. A five-person alliance between Devin Way, Brady, Mike Pinsky, Jelly Loblack, and Patt Cannaday had been dominating the group so far.

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Lewis and Carter realized they were the swing vote, and Thien An Nguyen suggested the remaining players vote for Patt to break up the five-person alliance. Those five were blindsided in tribal when their “kill shot” for Kilby failed, and Patt was voted out instead.

Probst’s casting notes said Patt had “alpha energy,” was “very driven,” and “makes friends fast.” His Field Notes said her elimination is a “reminder that being capable and being in control are two very different things.”

“I think we’re losing someone who could have been a huge star,” Probst said.

Stay tuned for our exit interviews with Rob and Patt on Thursday, October 8.

Survivor, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS