Did [SPOILER] Really Have a Heart Attack on 'Alone'?
Published June 10 2021, 8:37 p.m. ET
Fans of the History Channel's survival show, Alone, are concerned that one of the contestants has had a heart attack. 48-year-old Tim Madsen had to be medically evacuated since he seemed to be having severe heart issues on Day 6. Considering how harsh the conditions are, it's not shocking that a contestant has fallen ill so early on in the season. While nobody has died on Alone, contestants have had to be medically evacuated.
But what's going on with Tim? Is he going to be okay? Season 8 of Alone is already off to a crazy start.
Did Tim on 'Alone' have a heart attack?
We see Tim have intense chest pains in the first episode of Season 8 of Alone, and his condition seemed to worsen when he gets back to his camp. He uses his satellite phone and calls for medical help, which means he was evacuated and is no longer on the show. It hasn't been confirmed whether or not Tim actually experienced a heart attack. Some fans think it could have been a panic attack, based on the way he was acting. However, we also know that Tim has heart health problems.
"Feel bad for Tim. Sure he went in there with the best intentions, but someone with his medical history should never be allowed to have been on the show," one Reddit user wrote. They noted that it seems possible that Tim worked himself up, causing a panic attack versus an actual heart attack: " I do feel Tim somewhat talked himself into a health scare tho, as he likely caused himself to have a panic attack with his constant talk of death, illness and lack of water/food."
Another fan of the show noted how Tim may have just overextended himself: "Although we obviously don't see everything that led up to Tim's tap out, my main thought was that he should have paced himself building that shelter while incorporating food gathering in the mix. Perhaps he did and we didn't see it, but he ended up with a great shelter, completely exhausted himself and claimed to have had no food for days and days. The human body cannot work that hard without fuel."
Another Reddit user chimed in, saying he probably really did feel like he was having a heart attack:
"There are a lot of things that can cause those symptoms. Mostly likely (as a nurse said down below) it was a combination of dehydration and lack of food. Whatever the cause I think his symptoms were real, and he was smart to tap. Even if he wasn't having a heart attack right then, the rapid heart rate could have led to something worse. I also think that production never should have cleared him to go out there to begin with."
At this time, neither reps for the History Channel nor Tim or his family have shared details about his health condition. While it's unfortunate that Tim tapped out first, it's important that he is prioritizing his well being.
Watch new episodes of Alone every Thursday at 9:35 p.m. EST on the History Channel.