“Survivor 49” snake chunk sufferer Jake Latimer reveals harrowing particulars: ‘You are pondering you are going to die’

• Survivor 49 star Jake Latimer shares particulars of getting bit by a extremely venomous snake whereas competing on the present.
• Jake additionally reveals what occurred after he left Fiji, and will get emotional speaking about what it was like for him and his spouse to look at the incident play again on TV.
• Jake additionally shares numerous Shoe Bandit intel that didn’t make the present.

Sue Hawk warned us again on season 1 of Survivor to watch out for the rat and the snake. 48 seasons later, the snake has lastly struck.

In probably the most life-threatening occasions within the historical past of the present, Jake Latimer was bitten by a extremely venomous banded sea krait snake whereas within the water by his tribe camp. He was instantly transported to the Survivor manufacturing base camp, as medical doctors and producers yelled “Is he respiratory?” from the dock as he arrived through boat.

Jake was then handled by the Survivor medical employees, who had been relieved to find that it was a “dry chunk” and that no venom had really been launched. Nonetheless, due to his diminished bodily and psychological state as a result of occasion in addition to… you recognize… enjoying Survivor, Jake was pulled from the sport so he might be correctly handled and get better with out taxing his physique additional.

It was a brutal method for the 36-year-old Canadian to go, however on the intense facet, it meant he received to return house in time to witness the start of his son. As an added bonus, he additionally received to dwell.

We spoke with Jake to get the complete scoop on his Survivor snake assault, what didn’t make it to TV, and what occurred as soon as the cameras turned off.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Stroll me although precisely what you had been doing, what you noticed, and what you felt once you received bit.

JAKE LATIMER: Each day I went all the way down to the seaside on my own earlier than a problem. And I'd sit there sort of the place the water simply comes as much as your ft, and I’d shut my eyes, and I talked to my spouse and my household like they had been there. I talked to my unborn youngster, and simply stated, “Hey, I'm doing okay. We're not doing very effectively with challenges, however we're going to win this one.”

And I did that each single day that you simply don't see on digital camera. And my eyes had been shut, and it felt like a crab claw on the underside of my foot, as a result of we had been getting bitten by crabs at nighttime sleeping on the seaside. I opened my eyes up and the snake is latched onto the underside of my foot, mouth large open. However it didn't damage on the time. I simply felt a tingling sort of sensation. And that's once I yelled to Alex. I'm like, “Guys, I believe this factor simply bit me!” Then, as we noticed on the present, all the things else sort of adopted after that.

It appeared just like the snake was sort of hanging on the market for a short while close to you guys after as a result of we see him in some pictures.

Yeah, it got here up, after which after I received bit, I yelled at manufacturing, “Guys, no matter that’s simply bit me,” and the cameras hauled it up the seaside. That snake was on the seaside for 2, three minutes, most likely simply going up and down the seaside, and folks popping out to have a look at it and folks operating out the jungle that I didn't even know that had been there. After which it sort of all received fairly chaotic after that.

'Survivor 49' recap: A player is bitten by a venomous snake: 'Is he breathing?' Jeff Probst shares intel on terrifying 'Survivor 49' venomous snake bite incident

You get on the boat, you arrive on the manufacturing base camp dock, impulsively individuals are yelling “Is he respiratory?”, they’re are throughout you, you’re placed on a stretcher, they put an oxygen masks on you — what’s going via your thoughts at that time and the way robust is the worry getting that this might be not simply your recreation however your life being in jeopardy?

That’s when it will get actual, man. As a result of I don't keep in mind who, however anyone did inform me that that was a really venomous snake and I have to get care, like, now. And once I was mendacity on that stretcher, man, you noticed me say, “I'm going to be a dad…” I'm getting emotional about it, speaking about it proper now…

However it's like, I'm going to be a dad. Am I ever going to get off this island? Am I once more going to see my youngster? Ever am I going to meet my youngster? And that's when it sunk in, as a result of I had tubes popping out of me. I had oxygen masks on.

Let me let you know one thing although. That Survivor medical group is one thing else. They had been so good. And I'm not simply saying that as a result of I'm on the present, however they made me really feel secure. However it was rather a lot. Like, I work in a jail, man. I've seen some scary issues in my life. That has been probably the most scared I've ever been in my whole life. Once you suppose that you simply're dying, it's a sense that I'm by no means going to neglect.

They’re telling you they imagine it’s a dry chunk and no venom received into you, so earlier than they got here again and delivered the decision on whether or not you might proceed, did you suppose they had been going to allow you to again into the sport?

So when Dr. Barry informed me that it was a dry chunk, that was reduction. I can't even clarify that feeling of I'm not going to die. I'm not going to die. After which it's like, “Okay, now I received to get again on this recreation. I received to go assist my tribe with a problem." I didn’t suppose I used to be going to get pulled.

Nonetheless, they needed to monitor me. I'm not going to argue with Jeff Probst or the physician. Like I stated, physician's orders. So no matter they stated is what I did. However I’ve unfinished enterprise on the market, and it was a troublesome strategy to go. However on the finish of the day, I respect their choice. I give it some thought each single day. I dream about it each single night time. However I respect their choice and I’ve no arduous emotions in direction of them pulling me out of the sport.

So after you bought the analysis that it was a dry chunk, you had been sort of pondering that they're most likely going to allow you to again in?

I hoped. Clearly that didn't occur. However yeah… it's sort of arduous to speak about, however I used to be not able to go house. I didn’t need go house. However that's simply what occurred.

What didn’t we see from that complete episode whilst you had been being transported and handled? What didn’t make it into the ultimate edit on TV?

I used to be getting fairly sick on that boat. I believe it was probably extra psychological as a result of I believe I already knew that it was a venomous snake. I used to be getting fairly sick and I believe I even laid on the ground for a bit. I don't actually keep in mind. I used to be sort of out and in of reminiscence, I suppose you might say. I wouldn't say consciousness as a result of I don't suppose I ever totally misplaced consciousness, however I wasn't myself.

What occurred after the cameras turned off? What had been the following few days like for you?

Yeah, so clearly this can be a main incident they usually have to make use of warning with it, proper? In order that they're not simply going to let me go. They thought it was greatest for me to get airlifted to a hospital in Australia, so I went to a hospital up in Brisbane, Australia on a non-public ambulance jet. I used to be there not for very lengthy, and I’ve a few sisters that dwell there. I used to be in a position to them for a day and I flew house. I received house just below 48 hours earlier than my child was born.

Come on.

Yeah. [Laughs] God works in mysterious methods. I believe that God put that snake there for a purpose, simply to get me house. And I hate saying that as a result of I needed that recreation so unhealthy, however I additionally received to see the start of Jax, and that's value 1,000,000 {dollars}. And I used to be there for my spouse. So it's a blessing in disguise. I'm [otherwise] by no means going to get that have again of seeing my child be born. Despite the fact that, like I stated, I’ve unfinished enterprise on the market.

We talked out in Fiji earlier than the sport, and also you needed to make this horrible choice between going to play Survivor earlier than your dad misplaced his imaginative and prescient or being house for the start of your youngster. As an alternative, you bought to go play Survivor, your dad presumably received to see it, and you had been in a position to be there for the start. I imply, you sort of hit the trifecta so far as that goes.

I hit the trifecta, man, and simply talking on my father — we had been in a position to watch episode 2 collectively up in Edmonton at one in all my watch events. And we watched the entire episode collectively and he had tears in his eyes and he was so pleased with me. Such as you stated, it's a trifecta. I didn't come house with 1,000,000 {dollars}, however hopefully down the street I'll get one other shot at it.

Did you ever expertise any signs from the chunk apart from that terrifying psychological impression?

Probably not. My foot was fairly sore for a number of days after that. However there hasn't been any long-standing results which have come from it. So I'm tremendous fortunate in that facet. However let me say one thing about Jeff actual fast. Once you're a child and crash your bike and also you scrape your knee up and also you're crying and you might be in search of a well-known face, mother and pa will come and decide you up and that makes all the things higher.

When Jeff got here in and held my hand and informed me all the things was going to be okay, the consolation that Jeff gave me in that second was unbelievable. He doesn't even know that, however as a result of he's only a acquainted face and somebody I've watched on TV since I used to be a child — that second proper there… I want they’d've put that within the edit when he grabbed my hand and I checked out him. It was simply consolation. Jeff doesn't know what that meant to me. And, I want to thank him for that.

What was the expertise like of watching this traumatic incident play again on TV final night time?

I've been nervous for that episode since I left the island. As a result of there's loads of stuff I don't keep in mind. There's loads of various things that occurred that I'm like, “Holy s—! I don't keep in mind doing that!”

I used to be in San Francisco at a Brice and Wendell [viewing party] and I had Mr. Joe Hunter beside me, and having Anika and Kevin there supporting me was simply superb, man. Joe had his arm round me and Kevin was hugging me and it was actually powerful to look at. Dude, I'm not going to misinform you. I'm not going to say I used to be sitting there smiling. I used to be crying for many of the episode final night time as a result of it simply, it brings again these recollections of like, you're pondering you're going to die,.

The Survivor household has been so good to me and my spouse. Everybody's reaching out to her as effectively. And the assist bas superb, man. I wouldn't have watched it anyplace else however with these guys. Clearly, my spouse would've cherished to be there, however my child doesn't have a passport but, so she variety needed to keep house. However we're going to look at it collectively once I get house this afternoon.

I think about that was actually tough for her to look at it as effectively.

It was very traumatic. She really put up slightly video of her watching it, and he or she was…[getting choked up] Sorry, I'm getting emotional, man.

It's okay.

Yeah, she was bawling her eyes out. As a result of once I gave her the telephone name that I used to be bitten by a snake, it was nearly like saying goodbye to her, proper? So it was… [holding back tears]. Sorry, man.

No, its fairly alright. Take your time.

She… she… she's doing good. She's, robust. She's okay.

Let’s shift into some recreation questions. Who was your true number one on the market: Alex or Sophi? And you’ll’t say each.

So what they didn't present you on the is that me and Sophi determined to be a experience or dies on day one. So it was me and her, and that's why I made the bromance so identified. I needed to take the warmth off me and Soph, as a result of me and so had been shut, however I needed it to seem like it was me and Alex.

So I believe Sophi was my total primary, however on the finish of the day, I informed each of them, “I'm going to take each of you to the highest three after which if both of you beats me, I'm going to be the primary one to hug you.” In order that was sort of my complete recreation plan. However should you needed a solution between Sophi and Alex, Alex would possibly kill me for this, however I'm going to go Sophi.

Kele is now zero for 5 in competitions. Why was your tribe so horrible at challenges?

Dude, pay attention, it's the puzzles, man. I by no means put my hand up for a puzzle as a result of primary, I'm not good at them. And I've made that very well-known with my tribe. However guess what? None of us had been good at them. So I informed them that I'm going to do my floor work doing the operating, the swimming, even that second problem the place we needed to climb the wall. I ripped that ladder out of 400 kilos of sand! I used to be able to go! We had a five-to-seven minute lead on high of that wall and we nonetheless misplaced. So, I don’t know, man, I believe all of it boils all the way down to puzzles. We had an important tribe. We simply couldn't work out a rattling puzzle.

We knew it was a water problem arising so I did inform my tribe that morning earlier than the snake chunk, “Guys, I'm doing the puzzle this time, since you've all tried it and also you all suck. So let me no less than attempt to suck with you and perhaps I can get it achieved.” In order that was the plan for the following problem, however clearly I didn't make it there.

Anything that didn’t make it into the one of many episodes that you simply want had made it to TV and we had an opportunity to see?

Effectively, let's speak concerning the Shoe Bandit for a second right here. I really did cover my very own shoe at one level simply to sort of take the warmth off, however that didn't make the edit. And I did cover Sophi's shoe. And I hid Alex's shoe as effectively. So I hid loads of footwear. They solely put a pair on the edit although.

Like I stated, I used to be simply doing that right here for leisure, however there was technique behind it too. It was like: I would like see what's going to occur when these guys begin pointing fingers at one another. So there was technique behind all my stuff.

Have been you placing all of the footwear in the identical place? Or had been you hiding them in numerous spots?

No, it wasn't malicious in any respect. It was all 10, 15 ft away, however, it was within the open. So I needed individuals to start out pondering there was like an animal on the island, like a feral goat or one thing simply choosing up belongings and shifting them slightly bit. However, it wasn't malicious. It was purely for my leisure. And no one really knew about it till the premiere! So after we noticed that on the premiere, I used to be with the entire forged and I received some fairly soiled seems from a few of gamers.

You talked about unfinished enterprise a number of occasions. Are you saying to me that in the event that they requested you to go do that once more that you’d go play Survivor once more?

I'm telling you proper now, if my telephone rang and it was somebody from casting they usually stated, “Jake, would you like return on Survivor?” I'd be saying sure earlier than they even completed the sentence. I'm prepared to return. I would like it, I would like it, and I actually hope they gimme one other probability.

So simply to be clear, no hesitation in your half then going close to the water in Fiji?

No, no. It was a freak accident. If I am going again to Fiji, and I'm on that island once more, and I have a look at the water, am I going to consider it? Completely. However the very first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to drive in that water and recover from that worry immediately and play the sport and produce house 1,000,000 bucks, as a result of subsequent time I'm coming play.

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