A “Survivor” fan favorite is facing his most difficult challenge yet.

Ken McNickle, a finalist from Season 33 of the hit reality show, revealed his cancer diagnosis this week in an Instagram post. In a follow-up video, he shared the three warning signs he had ignored for months.

“I deliberated for a while about whether to share this or not, but I ultimately decided to because I’m hoping this chapter in my story can help others,” McNickle wrote in the caption. The post featured a carousel of images showing him at a doctor’s appointment, looking contemplative with medical patches attached to his chest.

“I’ve made some mistakes in the process and should have taken care of myself better and sooner,” he admitted, urging others to be proactive about their health.

“If you have a health concern, don’t sit on it,” he said. “Get yourself checked. There’s no valid reason not to. Not one.”

In a follow-up video, introduced with a trigger warning, McNickle detailed the three symptoms he ignored.

“If you don’t like gross medical details, get out now,” he cautioned.

“I waited almost a year until my skin was tearing open to get this checked,” he said, pointing to his chest. “Had I gone in sooner, it would have been a simple procedure — not a three-inch hole in my chest.”

McNickle also revealed that he saw blood in his stool every morning but delayed seeking treatment for nearly three months, at which point it was confirmed that his “insides were tearing open.”

While the exact type of cancer McNickle is battling has not been disclosed, blood in the stool is a well-known warning sign of colorectal cancer. An ER doctor previously described the symptom as “one condition where you should go to the emergency room today.”

The former model and father of one also admitted he waited until a lump in his groin had grown significantly before getting it examined.

“I waited until that lump on my testes had grown to the size of the other two before getting it checked,” he said.

Although McNickle has not yet revealed a specific diagnosis, such a lump can be a sign of testicular cancer, which has the highest prevalence among men aged 20 to 40.

Reflecting on his decisions, McNickle said, “I have been so f—king stupid.”

He linked his delay in seeking care to a childhood shaped by toxic masculinity.

“I heard the words, ‘Stop crying. Don’t be a baby. Don’t be a bitch. Don’t be a p—y. Just be a man,’” he recalled. “And yeah, I am thinking that had something to do with it.”

McNickle emphasized that his experience is far from unique, describing an “epidemic” in men’s health.

“We need to be talking more about why men are 50% less likely to go to a doctor for physical ailments and 60% less likely to get help with mental and emotional issues,” he wrote.

Fans quickly filled the comments section with messages of support and appreciation.

“Thank you for sharing all this. It’s so incredibly important to talk about and normalize men struggling and not getting the help they need,” one commenter wrote.

“You aren’t the only man who put off the doctor for far too long. Hopefully, your story can help others to understand this,” another added.

“Your honesty and vulnerability are really brave. That’s being a true man. Sending hugs and hope for a healing journey,” said a third.

McNickle competed on Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, which aired in 2016. He made it to the final three but lost to Adam Klein in a 10-0-0 vote.

His diagnosis as a millennial cancer patient aligns with a troubling trend. Research shows that Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are at higher risk of developing 17 types of cancer compared to older generations. They are twice as likely to get colorectal cancer as Baby Boomers, and rates of appendix cancer have quadrupled among this age group.