{"id":113739,"date":"2025-10-10T16:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/113739\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T16:35:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:35:08","slug":"survivor-player-jake-latimer-on-being-medically-evacuated-from-the-show-and-worrying-am-i-going-to-be-the-first-contestant-to-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/113739\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Survivor\u2019 Player Jake Latimer on Being Medically Evacuated From the Show and Worrying, \u201cAm I Going to Be the First Contestant to Die?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The \u201cShoe Bandit\u201d was snakebitten on Survivor season 49, both literally and figuratively. Jake Latimer survived the first figurative strike, losing two tribemates when the Kele Tribe finished last in back-to-back immunity challenges on the most recent episode of the CBS reality competition series. Despite the early setbacks, Latimer managed to find his footing and remain in a strong position at camp. But his game ended abruptly after a second, very real bite from a black and white banded sea snake, also known as a sea krait, which forced his medical evacuation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Latimer is the 20th player in Survivor history to be pulled from the game for medical reasons<\/a>. It\u2019s a reminder that, while Survivor is a social and strategic experiment, the physical demands remain unforgiving.<\/p>\n

More from The Hollywood Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n

So what does it feel like to get bit by a snake? What happened immediately after the bite? And what didn\u2019t viewers get to see? In the below conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Latimer opens up about the ordeal and his Survivor journey cut short.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

For those of us who haven\u2019t been bitten by a snake, tell us what it feels like.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To tell you the truth, the bite itself didn\u2019t hurt. What they didn\u2019t show is that we slept on the beach every night, and every single night we had crabs that would crawl up our legs and pinch you. So when I actually got bit, it just felt like a crab and didn\u2019t really hurt. My foot started to really hurt after that, and my leg was a little bit sore. I don\u2019t wish it on anyone, though. It wasn\u2019t a comfortable feeling and I absolutely hate snakes now. I never had a problem with snakes before, but now I have a big problem with snakes.<\/p>\n

After you realized you were going to be okay, did you find it ironic that the \u201cShoe Bandit\u201d got bit in the foot?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh man, I knew this was coming. Yeah, you know what? We\u2019re even. Someone\u2019s going to say it\u2019s karma, and maybe it is, maybe it is. But it was my right foot, not my left foot, and the Shoe Bandit only steals left shoes. So I think something else is going on there.<\/p>\n

Can you give me the play by play of what happened? Because we saw more of the aftermath on camera, and not the actual bite itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m actually surprised that wasn\u2019t on the show. I went down to the beach basically every single day. And it sounds stupid, but I\u2019d sit with my feet in the water; you saw a little shot of me sitting there. I did that every day. I\u2019d shut my eyes and speak to my loved ones back home like they were beside me. I\u2019d talk about the day and tell them about last night. And it just grounded me a little bit. It made me feel like I was at home, because it\u2019s tough out there, man. It\u2019s hot. And doing that two or three minutes of talking really helped me out. But yeah, eyes were shut, and I felt the bite. And as you can see on the camera after that, chaos ensued. It was a crazy, crazy experience.<\/p>\n

Aside from the bite, was there anything we didn\u2019t see?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s really hard for me to remember all of what happened. Even watching it last night, there was stuff that I don\u2019t remember. I don\u2019t remember skidding all over the boat. Even getting off the boat is very blurry to me. I think it was more of a psychological thing at that point, because I was told it was a very venomous snake while I was getting on the boat at Kele Tribe. And panic just ensued. That\u2019s all I\u2019ve been told. They were going to keep me safe, doctors were waiting for me.<\/p>\n

All I was thinking about is my unborn child and, \u201cAm I ever going to see him? Is this where I die? Am I going to be the first contestant on Survivor to ever die?\u201d So it was a very scary moment. I work in a prison. I see some pretty crazy stuff and I\u2019ve been in some pretty scary situations, but nothing will ever top that situation that happened on the island.<\/p>\n

You mentioned seeing things you didn\u2019t remember, so what was it like for you reliving it as you were watching it last night?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a great question, man. It was hard. I\u2019m not going to lie to you. I went down to San Francisco \u2014 that\u2019s where I\u2019m coming from right now, from Brice [Izyah] and Wendell\u2019s [Holland] watch party. I had Mr. Joe Hunter beside me for that; Kevin (Leung) and Anika (Dhar) and Brice and Wen were there. I had such good support, but watching that unfold and seeing the fear in my own eyes, and reliving those memories and feelings\u2026 That\u2019s a feeling you\u2019re never, ever going to forget. It was a very emotional episode for me. A lot of tears. I was crying; the whole place was crying. It was really tough to watch \u2014 I\u2019m not going to lie and say it was easy. Obviously I know how it ended, but it was super tough to watch, but they did a good job of editing it and telling my story.<\/p>\n

How does it feel to be taken out for medical reasons, as opposed to being voted out? Is there any kind of solace in knowing you didn\u2019t leave the game because you were voted out, but because of something out of your control?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have one vote cast against me. Me and Soph were running the tribe. We knew who was going home the next night. But for me to get pulled for that reason? It destroyed me. However, the medical staff are so good, and I trust them. If it was their best call to take me out of the game for my own safety and to get me home to my family, I\u2019m not going to argue that. If Jeff tells me I\u2019m gone for that reason, I\u2019m not going to argue with Mr. Jeff Probst.<\/a><\/p>\n

I will tell you something about Jeff Probst. I was so scared in that little hospital bedroom. And when Jeff Probst came in, he held my hand. I\u2019m going to use this analogy that, when you\u2019re a child and you\u2019re riding a bicycle down your street and you fall and scratch your knee and are crying in pain, you\u2019re looking for a familiar face \u2014 someone to hold you, pick you up and tell you everything is going to be okay. That\u2019s generally mom or dad, right? Then as soon as you get picked up, everything\u2019s better.<\/p>\n

So when Jeff walked into that room, it\u2019s kind of like this calmness came over me because he\u2019s a familiar face. I\u2019ve been watching Jeff on TV for 25 years and he felt like family, it felt like dad was there. He doesn\u2019t know how much that moment meant to me, to bring me that calmness. So big shout out to him.<\/p>\n

Even you, a big strong dude, needs some solace in a stressful moment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wear my heart on my sleeve. Like you saw on the episode, I probably cried more than anyone else. I\u2019m not scared to cry in front of people. That makes me a human being, and shows people I have feelings, right? I was very scared. I\u2019ve never been that scared in my life, until I got the news that I\u2019m going to be okay. I was just waiting for my body to shut down. I asked, \u201cCan I call my wife?\u201d I don\u2019t even remember what I was saying to these people. I just said, \u201cDon\u2019t let me die. I have a beautiful baby boy on his way.\u201d Sorry man, I get emotional talking about this, but I\u2019m so happy I\u2019m still here today. And by the grace of God, I got home right before my baby was born, so that\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about your gameplay. Your tribe was already in a hole, being two players down. If you\u2019d have stayed in the game, what was the plan to be successful at the merge?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sophi (Balerdi) was my ride or die. They didn\u2019t show this in the edit, but on day one, me and Sophi said, \u201cLet\u2019s get to the end together.\u201d That\u2019s why I had my bromance with Alex [Moore], because I want to take the heat off me and Sophi. I made it very well known that me and Alex were number one. However, me and Sophie were working together behind the scenes, gathering information, coming back to each other and making plans. So going forward, if I was there, would we have won that challenge? I don\u2019t know. Jeremiah [Ing] was always the next plan, to get out. And getting to the merge. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen. I was going to have a massive target on my back. I mean, you saw what I did in those challenges, right?<\/p>\n

I ripped that ladder out of 400 pounds of sand. We had a seven-minute lead climbing up that wall. So I was good at the challenges, but that\u2019s a massive target on your back when you get to the merge. So I had a couple plans, Jawan [Pitts] and Matt [Williams] from the journey, I was hoping to work with them. But it\u2019s hard to say what I would\u2019ve done, because I\u2019m not there. Survivor is a crazy game. There are so many different things that can happen at any point of the game, so it\u2019s a hard question to answer.<\/p>\n

You seemed close to both Sophi and Alex. Who was your true number one?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re throwing me on the spot here! Sophi would be my number one. However, Alex, I love that man. He\u2019s a very good friend of mine now. I would protect him as well. If I had to pick between Sophi and Alex, and if I had to write someone\u2019s name down, I would\u2019ve had to write Alex\u2019s name down, because I\u2019m not going to break my trust with Sophi.<\/p>\n

Your family was a big motivation for playing Survivor. Did you feel like you got the experience you were hoping for, and would you want to play again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Survivor was everything I ever imagined, plus more. Was I taken out of the game way too early, for an unprecedented medical emergency? Yes. That was the doctor\u2019s orders, that was Jeff\u2019s orders. I\u2019m not going to argue that. Do I have unfinished business on the island? I absolutely do. If my phone rang right now and they said, \u201cJake, would you like to come back for the [next] season?\u201d I would say yes before they even finished the sentence. I\u2019m ready to go. My belly has a fire in it. The Shoe Bandit wants to come back.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

New episodes of\u00a0Survivor\u00a0season 49 air at 8 p.m. Wednesdays on CBS, streaming next day on Paramount+. Read THR\u2019s interview with host Jeff Probst<\/a> on Jake Latimer\u2019s medical evacuation.<\/p>\n

Best of The Hollywood Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sign up for THR’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The \u201cShoe Bandit\u201d was snakebitten on Survivor season 49, both literally and figuratively. Jake Latimer survived the first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113740,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[70239,18,117,30669,19,17,69584,59645,70241,70240,3300,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-113739","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-alex-moore","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-hollywood-reporter","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-jake-latimer","15":"tag-jeff-probst","16":"tag-latimer","17":"tag-sophi-balerdi","18":"tag-survivor","19":"tag-tv"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}