What happened in Survivor Season 42 episode 3? Host Jeff Probst describes why a challenge was stopped mid-way

Episode 3 of Survivor season 42 saw a scary challenge that led to the production as well as host Jeff Probst stopping it mid-way. The episode saw three tribes pitted against each other in an immunity challenge where the teams started out on a platform in the water. They then had to swim and retrieve a ladder off the ocean floor, use it to reach the key to unlock the sandbags and land on five targets on the beach.

While the Taku tribe were able to complete the challenge, the other two tribes Ika and Vati were hit by water currents that sent them way off course. As they struggled, Jeff Probst eventually got them out of the water. They allowed the tribes to skip the key retreival part of the contest and aim for the bag toss, which led to Ika placing second and Vati going to the Tribal Council.

For the first time in Survivor history, Probst and the producers stepped in to call a temporary halt to the challenge for the sake of safety of the contestants. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the host revealed what went down on the site.

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Survivor host Jeff Probst on what went wrong with the challenge

The host revealed that while testing the challenge a few days earlier with the Dream Team, the water was calm and no one faced any challenges. But the situation was very different in episode 3. He explained:

"But we knew today would be much more difficult for the players. And just like a tornado, the wind and the swells were gathering steam by the minute. You can even see it in the trees and Survivor flags blowing as the players are walking in."

Probst then revealed that it soon became a panic situation as the contestants were getting hit by one wave after another. The ocean continued to increase in ferocity and the players started struggling. He said:

If you've never been in those conditions in the ocean, it's hard to adequately describe the feeling...You're trying to keep your head above water, but the swells consume you. Your fight or flight reflex kicks in and it can feel overwhelming. In other words, for the players struggling, there was nothing fun about it. That was real effort, real exhaustion, real fear.

The host also confessed that the castaways were in the water for 22 minutes but their strength to still compete was what impressed him the most, saying:

"[22 minutes] an incredibly long time in those conditions. It was insanity. But to their credit, not a single player ever called for help. Nobody asked us to stop the challenge and rescue them... They kept working together. They kept trying to finish the challenge. I was truly impressed."

Probst also revealed that it was the first time in the history of the show that this had happened. He revealed that as both Survivor tribes felt helpless, the crew decided that it would be fair to bring them both in and restart the challenge:

"In 42 seasons of Survivor, we have never had to stop a challenge. This. Was. A. First. There wasn't time for us to huddle and discuss the decision, it was obvious that they were never going to be able to hold the ladder while someone climbed up it. Absolutely no chance."

Survivor host Jeff Probst revealed that the actual star of the episode was Jonathan. He said it wasn't just the contestant's strength but also his talents in the water and being a tremendous leader under pressure that it was worth applauding him for. He said:

"I hesitated singling him out after the challenge was over, because I appreciate that nobody really wants that kind of attention, but there was simply no way to ignore his performance. It was a hall of fame moment, and every single player knew it so we had to honor it."

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Probst also gave a detailed outlook on how Survivor's Tribal Council in episode 3 took place. Only four of the six cast members could vote in the elimination. The vote was tied between Lydia and Jenny, which meant a revote where neither of them could vote. The only players left to vote were Hai and Daniel.

However, they voted for each of the two contestants on the chopping block, leaving the council tied again. Per the rules of the game, they could either discuss it as a team and send either Lydia or Jenny home or they could draw rocks, leading one out of four cast members to go home. Hai stood by his decision, leaving Daniel no other way but to follow the same. Jenny was thus sent home.