Caleb Bankston, who competed alongside fiancé Colton Cumbie on Survivor: Blood vs. Water, has died at the age of 26 in a train accident.
Bankston was an employee of the Alabama Warrior Railway in Birmingham, Alabama. He lost his life after the train he was on derailed Tuesday, according to People.
Fellow contestant Aras Baskauskas said of Bankston, “Caleb was an amazing man and friend. One of the sweetest and most sincere humans I’ve ever come across. I am gutted by his loss. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
When Bankston was asked what it meant for him to be able to compete alongside Cumbie, who had appeared previously on Survivor: One World, he answered:
Survivor made Colton realize a lot of things he didn’t know about himself. Some things were good and some were not so good. He grew so much from that experience and I wish I could have been there to experience it with him. When we learned it was a possibility that we could play Survivor together, I jumped at the chance because as much as he grew as a person from the first time playing, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that our relationship could withstand anything and it would only be strengthened through Survivor. However, on a selfish level, I wanted to help show America what love looks like because it doesn’t matter whether it is between two men, two women, or a man and woman. Love is love and I love Colton.
