Michael Skupin

Michael David "Mike" Skupin was a contestant in and.

Skupin holds the distinction of being the first ever person to be medically evacuated from the competition after he fell into the fire at camp. His wounds were too severe to be treated on location and narrowly missed out on potentially merging.

Australian Outback
Michael Skupin co-founded a software publishing and distribution company in 1992 where he currently serves as president. He also founded the CCA, which is a motivational speaking company. He attended Western Michigan University where he earned a bachelor of business management in 1984. His previous employment includes office equipment sales, surgical and operating room equipment sales, and a water-ski instructor. He is most proud of his wife Peni and his three children, Michael, Kalyn and Emily.

Skupin describes himself as adventurous, a thrill-seeker, and a risk taker. His favorite television shows are ESPN's SportsCenter / Primetime (to compare notes with his son) and Seinfeld while his favorite motion picture is Meet Joe Black. Although he's a big fan of Faith Hill, he listens to a variety of music including Top 40, Country, Christian and has a soft spot for Oldies. His favorite sports teams are any team from Michigan, especially the University of Michigan Wolverines. Amid his hectic schedule, Skupin finds time to hunt, barefoot water-ski and play ice hockey. He'll also play a good game of Scattegories if time permits.

Originally from Farmington Hills, Michigan, Skupin currently lives in White Lake, Michigan with his wife and three children. They have 2 Black Labradors, Thor and Simeon and lots of wild fish and wild birds. His birth date is January 29, 1962.

Philippines
Professional speaker, author and coach White Lake, Mich. Age: 50 Previous Season: Survivor: The Australian Outback Previous Finish: Medical Evacuation due to severe burns received after passing out into a fire from smoke inhalation

Survivor: The Australian Outback
Michael proved useful to the Kucha in being able to carry heavy loads of things to their camp. He tried to take control of the building of their shelter on Day 1, despite Rodger having more experience in the field of construction, though it didn't seem to annoy anyone except for Debb, who voiced her resentment of him taking control. After losing the first immunity challenge, Michael participated in the unanimous vote off of Debb.

On Day 4, Michael woke up early and put rice on the fire. This upset some of his tribe because they were not hungry and considered it a waste of their limited food supply. Michael claimed he was trying to make food for the tribe before they woke up, but some thought he made the rice because he himself was hungry.

The rice turned out bad, but Mike was shocked that they not only didn't appreciate it, but they didn't like it. He claimed that his tribe was getting edgy without food, and that they weren't aware how bad it was going to get. He decided to go fishing to at least provide his tribe a full meal. Another reason for his fishing was because during Kucha's first tribal council he was singled out as the leader, a position he wished to avoid. By catching fish, he hoped to shy away from the leadership position and to focus on the one activity. By catching fish he only further put himself in a bad position though by referring to himself as the 'leader' and focusing on his accomplishments.

On Day 6, still on his quest to provide food for the camp, Michael set out in hunt of a wild pig, generating controversy among fans. He crafted a spear with a stick and a knife, which only worried his tribe because it was their only knife and they did not want to lose it.

After they won chickens in the fourth reward challenge, Michael felt threatened he may become useless as a food provider now, and decided to kill and eat the chickens as soon as possible. In Day 17, while tending the camp fire, Skupin inhaled its smoke and passed out, and accidentally fell into the fire, burning his hands. He immediately jumped into the cold Herbert River waters to ease the pain. The Survivor Medics immediately airlifted him out of the game. Before leaving, the five remaining Kuchas vowed to win to his honor.

Post-Survivor

 * Skupin released an autobiography entitled Fireproof.

Trivia

 * First contestant, and as such the first male, to be medically evacuated from the show.
 * Michael's luxury item in was War paint.
 * Skupin holds the record of the longest time between seasons for a returning contestant, spanning 11 years (22 seasons).