Lauren Alaina was on a winning streak competing on Beyond the Edge in the Panamanian jungle. The American Idol alum was on track to win the CBS reality show as far as earnings for her charity, the Next Door Foundation were concerned. However, a nasty fall brought her adventure to an abrupt end this week (Read our Recap).
While rushing with her team through the jungle to get to a boat, Lauren slipped and took a nasty fall. Despite the injury, she continued to lead her team and they ALMOST came from behind to beat the opposing team. It was the country singer’s first loss in the game.
Once the adrenaline of competition wore off, Lauren realized she was in trouble. After removing her shoe, the pain came. The medic sent her to a local hospital to have her foot x-rayed. The prognosis: She tore a ligament and could no longer continue on the show.
Tearfully, she “rung the bell” which signals that a contestant is ready to leave the competition. There are no eliminations on Beyond the Edge. When a contestant has had a enough, they decide to leave.
“I got disqualified”
But in Lauren’s case, producers made the decision for her. “I got disqualified, because I fell and hurt my foot,” Lauren recently told Entertainment Tonight. “I begged them to let me stay. But actually, looking back, my foot was not well for a very long time. So it was the right call.”
Lauren said her forced departure was a positive turn of events for the remaining 7 celebrities “because I was gonna win. I was undefeated when I got hurt. I was crushing it.”
“It’s all for charity, it’s all for fun. I was really sad to be leaving them,” said Lauren. “I was very happy to be getting a bed back, but [there] was true, genuine real connection.”
“It was amazing to feel connection with people again, because we’ve had a lot of disconnecting and disconnection in the last few years,” she added. “So to be able to get dropped off in the jungle and to find true, genuine love and connection, it was really inspiring.”
Lauren’s fellow contestants included Jodie Sweetin, Colton Underwood, Eboni K. Williams, Craig Morgan, Super Bowl champion Ray Lewis, NBA champion Metta World Peace, supermodel Paulina Porizkova and NFL legend Mike Singletary. Metta World Peace had already left the competition.
In the end, Lauren raised $42,750 for her charity.
