Survivor's Brady Booker Slices Off Part of His Thumb With Machete
Survivor Contestant Stavros Floros' Leg Severed, Sues for $100 Million
Brady Booker is ready to outwit, outplay and outlast—with or without all of his fingers.
The Sept. 30 episode of Survivor 51 got off to a bloody start after the professional wrestler sliced off "a quarter" of his thumb while chopping wood with a machete.
"Damn it, that was stupid," Booker said, holding onto his injured finger before asking the producer, "Did I just knock myself out of the game?"
The production team ushered the Toka tribe member to the med tent, where he shared more insight into the accident.
"I was just splitting some wood to get to the dry center with the axe," he told the doctor. "Had a little corner of my thumb, that little corner right there, and I just lopped it off. I truly feel like I can still compete and hopefully, we can do something."
The visibly shaken Booker was especially worried about his placement in the competition.
"What the f--k did I think?" he asked himself. "I've always been my own worst enemy and it always comes down to me not thinking and using the brain I've been blessed with."
As the 27-year-old sat with the doctor while being patched up, he shared his biggest fears in the aftermath of the injury.
"I knew I was going to do something stupid like this," he admitted. "My biggest fear is that Doc's gonna pull me from this game and that took me into this deep hole of thinking I'm a failure."
Luckily, the doctor—who did not reattach the piece of his appendage—confirmed Booker could stay, as they wrapped his thumb and administered antibiotics.
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"When Doc told me I can still be in this game, it was like a new life," he reflected. "Sure, it's still a little numb, but I can touch all the fingers. I can touch the far end. I can clap. I can grab. Sure, Brody, pain exists. But I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all."
As for what they did with the detached part of his thumb? He was planning to show it off to host Jeff Probst.
"Doc takes my thumb, puts it in that plastic bag and then sticks it in his pocket," Booker explained. "It was one of the weirdest exchanges of my life, but one of the best exchanges of my life because at the end of it, I got to know I get to stay in this game."
When Probst finally saw the piece, he added, "Another Survivor first."
While Booker's wish to remain in the game came true, Ana Sani's time in Fiji came to an end after a 6-4 vote. Keep reading to see all the contestants on Survivor 51.
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Cristian Chavez
From Salt Lake City, the 25-year-old works in Human Resources.
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Kristin Flickinger
The 49-year-old is a crisis management professional.
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Mike Pinsky
The 32-year-old New Yorker works in sports.
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Jenna Doore
Doore, 30, is a wedding photographer.
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Maggie Nestor
Nestor, 40, is a West Virginia farmer.
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Rob Antonson
The 40-year-old is an airline gate agent.
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Sharonda Cox
Cox, 34, is an OBGYN.
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Brady Booker
Booker, 27, is a pro wrestler from Tennessee.
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Ana Sani
Sani is a voice actress from Toronto, Canada.
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Devin Way
Way, 33, is an actor who currently resides in Los Angeles.
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Aaliyah Puglia
Puglia is a 24-year-old chef.
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Danny “Kilby” Kilby
The 30-year-old hails from Ontario, Canada, and works as a video game designer.
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Carter Krull
The 24-year-old is an Iowa farmer.
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Angelica “Jelly” Loblack
The 29-year-old teaches sociology.
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Lewis Kelly
Originally from Ireland, the 28-year-old now lives on a farm with his wife in Puerto Rico.
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Eric Macksoud
The 34-year-old is a mental health counselor.
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Ori Jean-Charles
The New York native, 27, is a personal trainer.
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An “Thien An” Nguyen
Hailing from Texas, the 24-year-old is currently in medical school.
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Patt Cannaday
Cannaday, 33, is a criminal prosecutor.
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Linnea Capobianco
The 25-year-old entrepreneur hails from New Jersey.
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Alexis Levine
The Georgia native, 34, is a criminal defense attorney.
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