Rob Antonson’s departure from “Survivor 51” with an injured foot provoked some of the earliest controversy on this season, and now he’s speaking out about it.
As the criticism flows on social media, Antonson is standing his ground and defending his decision.
Antonson is a 40-year-old airport gate agent who is from Cumberland, Rhode Island. He blamed a foot injury for leaving the program. He was medically cleared to stay, but he exited the show anyway because he was dealing with a variety of other issues as well, including home sickness. He was blistered by some fans for the exit. He even tried to vote himself out but was told he couldn’t do that.
Rob Antonson Admits He Could Have Handled Things Differently
Antonson spoke to Rhode Island Monthly about his experience on the show. “Day three is the big day for me that I walked in the ocean and hurt myself and it kind of just dwindled from there. I’m an idiot for not telling anybody. I should have told my tribe, and I should have told the doctor,” he said.
Added Antonson: “They always have you check in before you go to competition and all throughout the show you have check ins with the doc. I always said I was good when in reality from day three and on I was absolutely, completely miserable from my foot and leg. It went on then it was getting to day five and I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Antonson thinks some of the criticism isn’t fair. “When it came down to the vote I felt like I was going to be a big hero and make Rhody proud because my leg wasn’t going to take me any further and I was one of the muscle people in the tribe. People think that was so idiotic and crazy, which I get, but put yourself in my shoes,” he told Rhode Island Monthly.
Rob Antonson Called the Criticism He’s Receiving ‘Alarming’
Antonson also took to Instagram to plead his case and call out critics.
“The amount of people who are crying right now over someone leaving or ‘quitting’ is alarming! You people are crying over a TV show!? A game!? Some weird a** energy right there. Soft a** society,” he wrote on Instagram.
He added in the caption: “Lets draw the haters in lmaoooo. The dog 🐕 is out to grab some 🐑”
The network admitted that Antonson is complex before the season 51 started, writing, on Instagram, “Ready to be himself, Rob is like a lasagna full of layers 🤝 🍝.” In August, Antonson posted a video showing him on the job and wrote, “Coming to represent the dads out there 💪🏻”
His comment threads on Instagram are filled with fans criticizing him for leaving the show. “Man what was the point of applying? C’mon bro,” wrote one person.
To Rhode Island Monthly, Antonson insisted that he didn’t want to quit. “Now I have to be one of the villains of reality TV right now. The hate I’ve been getting, a normal person would have been in a depression or hiding in a cave somewhere, but I’ve just been pushing through. I mean I welcome the haters because they’re building this new character. They forget this is reality TV and it’s all about ratings,” he said.
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Rob Antonson Explains Why He Suddenly Left ‘Survivor 51’