Survivor 49's Jake Latimer Details Run-In With Venomous Snake That Nearly Cost Him His Life: 'In My Mind, I'm Dying'
The following contains spoilers from Wednesday's episode of Survivor 49.
In 48 seasons, not a single Survivor castaway has been removed from the game as a result of an animal attack. That all changed Wednesday with a single snake bite that sparked a medical emergency and sent ripples of panic throughout production.
The Kele tribe's Jake Latimer was sitting at the water's edge when he was confronted by a black and white-striped snake we've seen on our screens many times before. Only this time, it wasn't just B-roll we were watching. The sea krait (the snake's official name) "just latched onto me," Jake said in the episode, before a producer stepped in to assess the situation. His castmate Alex then confirmed it in the tribe's handy camp guide: This was a very, very venomous snake. (Read our recap for full details on what went down.) The silver lining? Because of the incident, Jake made it home in time to witness the birth of his baby boy, Jackson.
Below, Jake talks to TVLine about the terror he experienced after the bite and what happened after the cameras left his side.
TVLINE | First thing's first, I'm so glad you're here with us and healthy, and congratulations on the birth of your son.
JAKE LATIMER | Thank you, man. It's a blessing in disguise. That's how I have to look at it.
TVLINE | How did it feel to leave the game without actually getting voted out?
I'm still dealing with that. It's a tough pill to swallow, especially rewatching that because I didn't have a vote cast against me. I was running my tribe. I had Sophi as my ride-or-die, Alex as my No. 1, and I was kind of dictating what was happening, right? So for that incident to happen and to get pulled from the game, it was devastating. It was like my whole world just kind of crumbled in on me. I worked so hard for this moment and a damn snake took me out. I feel like I just have unfinished business out there.
TVLINE | What physical pains were you feeling from the time the bite first happened to you getting on the boat to head to medical?
When the bite actually happened, my eyes were shut. I was talking to my family like they were there, and I did that every single day. And at nighttime we slept on the beach, so the crabs would crawl all over us and pinch you and stuff like that. So when my legs were crossed, I felt like my eyes were shut. I felt like a little crab claw just pinched the bottom of my foot. When I opened my eyes, the snake was latched onto me and everyone's making fun of me saying "latch," but it was latched onto the bottom of my foot, and it scared the crap out of me. I got up and I said, "Guys, what is this thing?" I didn't think much of it, but then you see all the production come running over the trees, and they're like, "Jake, you need to sit down. This could be very serious." Then, obviously, thank Alex for not telling me it was a poisonous one, but I found out very soon after by somebody, I don't remember who, [that] this was a very highly poisonous snake, and we gotta get you going now. And that's when the fear started sinking in. But as for pain, the bite itself didn't hurt much, but my foot was starting to get a bit redder and sore, and yeah, I was super uncomfortable.
TVLINE | Was it like a throbbing sensation?
Just a soreness. I wouldn't even say throbbing, it was just sore to the touch. Like if you get a bruise or something and you kind of push it. That's the feeling. But at the same time, my adrenaline was so high, everything was kind of a blur.
TVLINE | How were the doctors able to confirm that it was just a "dry bite?"
You saw me find out on TV. They said, "That's a dry bite," and I'm like, "OK, good. Alright, let's get this oxygen mask off and let's get back in the game here, right?" But they have to monitor you for 48 hours or something like that. It was a lot to handle because, yeah, I did just get bit by a snake, but these are medical professionals and I always trust what the doctor says, right? So, if he says it's a dry bite, I go, "OK, it's a dry bite." Thank God it was just a dry bite. I think I was sitting near a nest or something because I wasn't provoking it. I'd love to ask the snake if I ever see him again, but, yeah, I don't know. I'm happy to be here.
TVLINE | Did having Jeff show up at medical provide any comfort for you?
You know when you're a kid and you fall off your bike and scrape your knee up and you're bleeding and everything? You start crying. You're waiting for mom and dad to come and pick you up, and in that moment when mom and dad pick you up, everything seems to get a little bit better, right? So when all these doctors are working on me and my legs in this pressure cooker balloon-looking thing, and I've got tubes hanging out of me everywhere and I'm scared... there's not a familiar face in there. I'm scared for my life and my eyes were shut. I was praying, I was talking to my wife like she was there, and I felt someone hold my hand and I open my eyes, it's Jeff. It was like this instant calmness because even though me and Jeff haven't been friends before this TV show, it's a familiar face that I've known for 25 years and it did bring comfort to me. But at the same time it's like, "OK, if Jeff's here, this is also really serious." So it was kind of like a mixed emotion there, but I can't thank Jeff enough for showing up and giving me a little bit of comfort.
TVLINE | We saw you say a couple times, "I have a kid coming." Tell me a little more about your mindset and thoughts in those moments of panic.
I got told, I think it was on the boat, that this thing was venomous, so then I got this boat ride to this medical thing with nothing but me and my thoughts. My foot's hurting and I'm like, "Am I gonna even make it to this medical tent?" In my mind, I'm dying. I am dying from a poisonous snake bite, and I started saying goodbye to people. That's why when I lie down on that stretcher, the very first thing I said is, "I'm gonna be a dad, my baby's coming, my baby's coming," and I just kept repeating that. I was trying to give them a reason to work harder, I guess you could say. I don't know, I was just kind of grasping onto [that]. Is this going to be the last time I breathe? Is Survivor gonna take me away from my family? Thank God it didn't. Thank God for the medical staff. Thank God for Jeff and CBS. They are so good at what they do.
TVLINE | So, Jake, we saw Jeff explain to you why they couldn't put you back in the game, but what didn't we see? What happened after that?
Right when the cameras went off and I got officially pulled, I got an ice water, which was nice. I got airlifted, MedEvaced to Brisbane, Australia for some observation. After they were able to clear me, I got to see some family there for a day, and then I flew home. I got home 42 hours before my child was born.
TVLINE | When you sit and really think about that, do you think it was fate? The universe working in mysterious ways? How do you reconcile that?
Yeah, that's how I'm trying to look at this, right? I could be pissed off. I got pulled from a game by a dry bite. I could be mad, but you know what? I think there's a higher power or something that kind of sent that snake in, and I got home 42 hours before my kid's birth. That's like a book. That's a movie, right? How is this real life? So, yeah. Am I upset I'm not in the game? Yes. Do I have unfinished business out there? Absolutely I do. But just being home for Jackson's birth and being there for my wife is worth a million dollars in itself.
TVLINE | You mentioned your father's eye condition and that this will be the last season he can visually see on TV. How was his experience getting to watch his son on Survivor?
He was very, very proud of me. I got to watch the first two [episodes with him]. The second one, I got to watch live with him at my watch party up in Edmonton, [Alberta, Canada] here. It was emotional because I could see how proud I was making him on TV, tears coming down his face, and that's why I was playing. For that moment right there. Just to see him so proud of me and that he can visually see the TV right now, it meant a lot, man. It meant a lot. I haven't really talked to him about this last episode yet because I've been so busy with media and stuff, but I'm sure that one was a really tough one for him to watch as well. He knew what was coming though. I had to warn him.
TVLINE | And how about your wife's reaction to this whole snake bite business?
I don't know if anyone follows her on Instagram, but she put up a video of her reaction to me getting pulled. It was a very emotional moment for her and just for her to see my dreams crushed by this snake. This is one of the craziest MedEvacs in Survivor history, right? Yeah, it was tough for her, it was tough for me, but the support for our family has been amazing, man. Even just walking to the dog park yesterday, I had three or four people stop me before I got there, saying, "Oh, is this Jackson? That's your baby? I'm so happy you got home for it."
TVLINE | I do want to ask about your bromance with Alex. What was it that brought you two together so quickly?
On the very first challenge, I just saw how hard he worked in that water. He was putting everything on the line, just like I did with that big square box on my shoulder, right? And I could see how hard he wanted this as well. He also had this little bracelet and it was from his mom and it said like, "Caring and proud and loving," or something like that. His mom made that for him before he went into the game. And me with my dad's thing, him with his mom, we were both there for a reason, more than just winning this game. We were both there to make someone proud and that's the kind of person I want to work with. He's such a good friend of mine now. It was an honor to play with him.
TVLINE | Had you two made the merge together, what would your future plans have looked like?
We were sticking together. I trusted him and Sophi with my life and I believe that they trusted me with their lives as well. So I think we would've been three-strong going into the merge, and then me being able to use my skills to bring in a couple other people... but we weren't getting broken up. That's just how I look at it anyways. They might be thinking differently, but that was kind of the plan. That we're gonna get Jeremiah out. There's gonna be a tribe swap soon or there's gonna be a merge, and then we're playing. Then the game gets real. Unfortunately I didn't make it that far, so [it's just] speculation.
TVLINE | You mentioned you have unfinished business. Do you see yourself going back out there to Fiji and trying this Survivor thing all over again?
You know what? If they called me right now, I'd have my bags packed before the end of the phone call. I feel that I wasn't done out there. I feel like your torch has to be snuffed in order to leave that game, and for something so crazy to happen, selfishly, yeah, I want another shot. That's up to production. That's up to Jeff. That's up to CBS. If I get another shot, I'm coming to play, like I did this time. But if I don't, then it's been an absolute pleasure to have that honor of playing once.