What Happened to Thomas's Eye on 'Survivor 48'? A Clumsy Swing Landed Him in Pain

When people sign up to compete on the wildly popular reality series Survivor, they know they're in for a rough time. Temperature fluctuations, sparse resources, bugs, and cutthroat contestants all make the experience a once-in-a-lifetime level of dog-eat-dog challenge that most people would rather watch from their couch.

And for some contestants, the show has real physical impacts on their bodies. From intense weight loss to injuries, Survivor contestants often leave the show with a physical souvenir of their best efforts to win.

Thomas Krottinger, a Survivor 48 contestant, experienced one of these body-altering moments in a March 2025 episode that left him sporting a decent bruise. Here's what we know about what happened to Thomas's eye, and how other Survivor contestants have fared with major injuries.

The contestant challenges on Survivor are aptly named because they are most definitely challenging. They pit contestants against one another, against opposing teams, and sometimes against themselves as they fight exhaustion, dehydration, and the elements to try to take home the Immunity Idol or other challenge rewards.

Unfortunately for Thomas Krottinger, he took a different kind of challenge souvenir back to camp with him.

While competing in a challenge over the water that tested the Survivor contestants' endurance, balance, and core strength, Bianca Roses accidentally poked Thomas in the eye with a bamboo pole used in the challenge.

Thomas ended up with a pretty intense black eye but seemed to be, overall, recovering quickly. And luckily, it does not appear to have impacted him long-term. He was able to continue competing on the show, much to his fans' delight.

However, not all Survivor contestants have been so lucky with their injuries and medical emergencies. Doctor Mikhail "Mike" Oskarovich Varshavski, known by internet fans as Doctor Mike, shared his review of some of Survivor's most notable medical emergencies, and it was a cringe-inducing walk down memory lane.

In one clip, Survivor: Edge of Extinction contestant Lauren O'Connell described her vision fading as she stood for a challenge. Eventually, she passed out, and medics rushed to her side. Doctor Mike speculated that she experienced a vasovagal episode, which is a fancy word for "fainting."

And on Survivor: Camaroon, Shamar Thomas got sand in his eye which caused an excruciating corneal abrasion.

Unfortunately for Survivor contestants, this is far from an exhaustive list of the injuries they have suffered over the years. But the good news is that CBS and the Survivor teams keep a competent medical team on hand for just these kinds of incidents.