Explainer

Why did Jackson leave Survivor 42? Lithium becomes hot topic

Jackson Fox Survivor 42
Jackson Fox was part of the Survivor 42 cast in Fiji. Pic credit: Robert Voets/CBS

Jackson Fox left Survivor 42 on Wednesday night, becoming the first person eliminated from competing for the $1 million prize.

Midway through the two-hour episode, Survivor host Jeff Probst was shown arriving at the beach for one of the tribes, and it instantly became clear that something was up.

Usually, Jeff stays away from the individual beaches for each tribe unless something drastic is happening within the game. And that is exactly what was about to take place, as he asked to have a one-on-one chat with Jackson.

Jackson Fox is a 48-year-old healthcare worker from Houston, Texas, who owns Fox Family Caregivers. He is also a transgender man who recently lost his mother. A long-time fan of the show, Jackson noted that he had originally applied to be on the show as a woman many years ago.

Why did Jackson leave Survivor 42?

As Jeff explained it, the day before Survivor 42 began in Fiji, Jackson revealed to the producers of the show that he had been taking lithium to help him sleep. Jackson elaborated by saying that he had been trying to ween himself off of it in order to be on the show and that he wasn’t currently taking it.

During an honest conversation between Jeff and Jackson on the show, the castaway talked about needing something to help him sleep while he was helping out his sick mom, and that he began taking lithium in 2016. It was clear that he knew he should have revealed it when he applied to be on the show, but he said that he didn’t want to fall victim to the stigmatism attached to taking lithium.

Jeff spoke about how someone coming off lithium would need to be tested and monitored, and that the risk of dehydration or something worse was just too great for Jackson to continue in the game. He also explained that the producers had decided to let Jackson experience playing the game for the first few days as they weren’t concerned about anything happening in that short window of time.

It appeared that Jackson’s tribe loved him

After Jackson and Jeff had their chat, they went back to his tribe to let them know he had been pulled from the game. There were a lot of tears, including from Maryanne Oketch, who was very broken up about the news. Though he was only in the game for a short time, it appears that Jackson Fox made a big impact on the people he played Survivor with.

If there is a true Survivor 42 reunion show, maybe we will get to see Jackson Fox again. But for the time being, he finished the show in 18th place, having at least experienced playing the game at full tilt for a few days.

For anyone interested in proving how much they know the game, Fantasy Survivor has opened up for a new season. It’s a way to pick your favorite players, root them on as they compete each week, and battle against friends or family members in a fun contest that can make the show even more exciting.

Survivor 42 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

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