‘Survivor’ Player Jake Latimer on Being Medically Evacuated From the Show and Worrying, “Am I Going to Be the First Contestant to Die?”

‘Survivor’ Player Jake Latimer on Being Medically Evacuated From the Show and Worrying, “Am I Going to Be the First Contestant to Die?”

The “Shoe Bandit” 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.

Latimer is the 20th player in Survivor history to be pulled from the game for medical reasons. It’s a reminder that, while Survivor is a social and strategic experiment, the physical demands remain unforgiving.

So what does it feel like to get bit by a snake? What happened immediately after the bite? And what didn’t viewers get to see? In the below conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Latimer opens up about the ordeal and his Survivor journey cut short.

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For those of us who haven’t been bitten by a snake, tell us what it feels like.

To tell you the truth, the bite itself didn’t hurt. What they didn’t 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’t really hurt. My foot started to really hurt after that, and my leg was a little bit sore. I don’t wish it on anyone, though. It wasn’t 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.

After you realized you were going to be okay, did you find it ironic that the “Shoe Bandit” got bit in the foot?

Oh man, I knew this was coming. Yeah, you know what? We’re even. Someone’s going to say it’s 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.

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.

I’m actually surprised that wasn’t on the show. I went down to the beach basically every single day. And it sounds stupid, but I’d sit with my feet in the water; you saw a little shot of me sitting there. I did that every day. I’d shut my eyes and speak to my loved ones back home like they were beside me. I’d 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’s tough out there, man. It’s 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.

Aside from the bite, was there anything we didn’t see?

It’s really hard for me to remember all of what happened. Even watching it last night, there was stuff that I don’t remember. I don’t 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’s all I’ve been told. They were going to keep me safe, doctors were waiting for me.

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

You mentioned seeing things you didn’t remember, so what was it like for you reliving it as you were watching it last night?

That’s a great question, man. It was hard. I’m not going to lie to you. I went down to San Francisco — that’s where I’m coming from right now, from Brice [Izyah] and Wendell’s [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… That’s a feeling you’re 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 — I’m 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.

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’t leave the game because you were voted out, but because of something out of your control?

I didn’t 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’m not going to argue that. If Jeff tells me I’m gone for that reason, I’m not going to argue with Mr. Jeff Probst.

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’m going to use this analogy that, when you’re a child and you’re riding a bicycle down your street and you fall and scratch your knee and are crying in pain, you’re looking for a familiar face — someone to hold you, pick you up and tell you everything is going to be okay. That’s generally mom or dad, right? Then as soon as you get picked up, everything’s better.

So when Jeff walked into that room, it’s kind of like this calmness came over me because he’s a familiar face. I’ve been watching Jeff on TV for 25 years and he felt like family, it felt like dad was there. He doesn’t know how much that moment meant to me, to bring me that calmness. So big shout out to him.

Even you, a big strong dude, needs some solace in a stressful moment.

I wear my heart on my sleeve. Like you saw on the episode, I probably cried more than anyone else. I’m 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’ve never been that scared in my life, until I got the news that I’m going to be okay. I was just waiting for my body to shut down. I asked, “Can I call my wife?” I don’t even remember what I was saying to these people. I just said, “Don’t let me die. I have a beautiful baby boy on his way.” Sorry man, I get emotional talking about this, but I’m so happy I’m still here today. And by the grace of God, I got home right before my baby was born, so that’s amazing.

Let’s talk about your gameplay. Your tribe was already in a hole, being two players down. If you’d have stayed in the game, what was the plan to be successful at the merge?

Sophi (Balerdi) was my ride or die. They didn’t show this in the edit, but on day one, me and Sophi said, “Let’s get to the end together.” That’s 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’t know. Jeremiah [Ing] was always the next plan, to get out. And getting to the merge. I don’t know what’s 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?

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’s 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’s hard to say what I would’ve done, because I’m not there. Survivor is a crazy game. There are so many different things that can happen at any point of the game, so it’s a hard question to answer.

You seemed close to both Sophi and Alex. Who was your true number one?

You’re throwing me on the spot here! Sophi would be my number one. However, Alex, I love that man. He’s 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’s name down, I would’ve had to write Alex’s name down, because I’m not going to break my trust with Sophi.

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?

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’s orders, that was Jeff’s orders. I’m 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, “Jake, would you like to come back for the [next] season?” I would say yes before they even finished the sentence. I’m ready to go. My belly has a fire in it. The Shoe Bandit wants to come back.

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New episodes of Survivor season 49 air at 8 p.m. Wednesdays on CBS, streaming next day on Paramount+.Read THR’s interview with host Jeff Probst on Jake Latimer’s medical evacuation.