Survivor Greece contestant files $100M lawsuit after losing leg in boat accident
Stavros Floros, a 22-year-old contestant on the Greek edition of the reality show Survivor, filed a lawsuit on Thursday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court seeking $100 million (£74 million) in damages after losing his left leg in a boating accident during filming, as reported by CBC News and Hindustan Times.
The accident occurred on May 11, 2026, while Floros was spearfishing in waters off the Dominican Republic, according to court documents obtained by CBC News. A tourist boat struck him, severing his left leg above the knee and severely injuring his right leg. The severed part of his leg was never recovered from the water.
Floros was taken ashore and transferred to a local medical clinic before being moved to a hospital in Miami, where he underwent multiple surgeries and spent 61 days in recovery, according to the reports.
Fellow contestant Emmanouil Malliaros said a passenger on the boat applied a temporary tourniquet to Floros's leg after the accident, as reported by Hindustan Times. Malliaros also stated that the boat initially kept going after striking Floros and only turned back when tourists on board demanded it, according to CBC News. He added that Floros was swimming within 10 metres of a small inflatable dive marker and within 100 metres of the shoreline at the time of the collision.
Lawsuit allegations
The lawsuit names AcunMedya, AcunMedya Global, Acun LLC, Turkish businessman Acun Ilicali, and the parent company of Skai TV as defendants, according to CBC News.
Floros claims that the show's format required contestants to spearfish in open waters as a core element, and that they were given minimal rationed food, expecting them to source their own food by fishing and foraging, as reported by metro.co.uk. He alleges that production did not establish marked, roped-off, or otherwise protected safe zones for fishing, despite knowing the area had heavy, high-speed commercial and tourist boat traffic.
The lawsuit further alleges that no safety personnel, safety boats, spotters, or other measures were in place, and that contestants' phones were taken away, leaving them unable to summon help in an emergency, according to metro.co.uk.
Floros also claims that production continued actively filming while he underwent multiple surgical procedures, as reported by metro.co.uk.
Reactions
Skai TV, which broadcasts Survivor Greece, said at the time that it immediately suspended the show, even though Turkish company AcunMedya is solely responsible for its production, and offered its support to Floros and to contribute to his treatment and rehabilitation, according to CBC News. However, Floros alleges that this support was not provided.
In a statement to TheWrap on Thursday, Floros said: "I went onto a reality show and ended up with only one leg at 22 years old, having felt like I was slowly dying."
He also told the Miami Herald: "My whole life has changed. My mind is like, 'All of this happened for a game?'"
Floros is seeking damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of capacity for enjoyment of life, as per the lawsuit details reported by metro.co.uk.