Originally appeared on E! Online
Survivor always has to deal with snakes in the grass.
But in season 49, the snake in question wasn’t a shady contestant, but rather a very literal snake—a venomous sea krait—that bit contestant Jake Latimer while he was standing in the ocean’s shallows, forcing him to be medically evacuated during the Oct. 8 episode.
For longtime host Jeff Probst, it was a reminder of how real the game of Survivor really is.
“When something more severe, like a snake bite happens, our medical team is immediately involved,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Oct. 9. “The player has no say. Our biggest concern during production is the integrity of the game and safety of the players. In this case, the call to medical was immediate and the response was just as fast.”
The 63-year-old also shed light on the scary moment in which the medical staff asked whether Jake was breathing as he arrived to base came on the boat.
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“While Jake was being transported by boat to base camp, we lost communication with them,” Jeff explained. “So, when they arrived, we didn’t know what condition he was in.”
As for Jeff’s point of view upon Jake’s arrival at camp, he noted, “It was very clear this was as serious as we feared and that Jake was in the absolute best care he could ever hope, for someone bitten by a snake in the middle of the ocean. He had our full team of doctors, nurses and paramedics.”
Robert Voets/CBS
Thankfully, it was determined that the bite in question was a “dry bite,” meaning no venom had been dispensed, however the medical determination was to keep Jake from reentering the game.
And while the moment was a sobering reminder of how intense life in Fiji can be for the Survivor contestants, Jeff also put into perspective how safe the game’s players are when filming.
“One way to look at it is, this is our 20th evacuation,” he said. “The other way to look at it is that of the 751 people who have played Survivor over 25 years, only 20 have been evacuated. That’s just over 2 percent.”
He continued, “What any evacuation says about this game is that it’s real. I still get asked all the time if Survivor is real. But for anyone who still wonders, that was a real sea krait, that was a real bite, and that was a very terrifying situation.”
For more on this season’s contestants, read on.
Kimberly “Annie” Davis
Age: 49
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
Current Residence: Austin, Texas
Occupation: Musician
Steven Ramm
Age: 35
Hometown: Littleton, Colo.
Current Residence: Denver, Colo.
Occupation: Rocket scientist
Kristina Mills
Age: 36
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Current Residence: Edmond, Okla.
Occupation: MBA career coach
Nicole Mazullo
Age: 26
Hometown: Long Island, N.Y.
Current Residence: Philadelphia, Pa.
Occupation: Financial crime consultant
Jawan Pitts
Age: 28
Hometown: Salem, N.J.
Current Residence: Los Angeles, Calif.
Occupation: Video editor
Sophie Segreti
Age: 31
Hometown: Darnestown, Md.
Current Residence: New York City, N.Y.
Occupation: Strategy associate
Jeremiah Ing
Age: 39
Hometown: Windsor, Ontario
Current Residence: Toronto, Ontario
Occupation: Global events manager
Matt Williams
Age: 52
Hometown: Farmington, Utah
Current Residence: St. George, Utah
Occupation: Airport ramp agent
Shannon Fairweather
Age: 28
Hometown: Wakefield, Mass.
Current Residence: Boston, Mass.
Occupation: Wellness specialist
Jake Latimer
Age: 36
Hometown: Regina, Saskatchewan
Current Residence: St. Albert, Alberta
Occupation: Correctional officer
Jason Treul
Age: 32
Hometown: Anaheim, Calif.
Current Residence: Santa Ana, Calif.
Occupation: Law clerk
Savannah Louie
Age: 31
Hometown: Walnut Creek, Calif.
Current Residence: Atlanta, Ga.
Occupation: Former reporter
Nate Moore
Age: 47
Hometown: Clovis, Calif.
Current Residence: Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Film producer
Sophi Balerdi
Age: 27
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Current Residence: Miami, Fla.
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu
Age: 29
Hometown: Sachse, Texas
Current Residence: San Diego, Calif.
Occupation: Fitness trainer
Sage Ahrens-Nichols
Age: 30
Hometown: Roxboro, N.C.
Current Residence: Olympia, Wash.
Occupation: Clinical social worker
Alex Moore
Age: 27
Hometown: Evanston, Ill.
Current Residence: Washington, D.C.
Occupation: Political comms director
Rizo Velovic
Age: 25
Hometown: Yonkers, N.Y.
Current Residence: Yonkers, N.Y.
Occupation: Tech sales
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