From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

There's some good info in this interview. __________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Probst shares intel on 'terrifying' Survivor 49 venomous snake bite incident

"We felt very comfortable assuring the players they were safe to
continue fishing and swimming and bathing in the water," the host tells EW.

By Dalton Ross

Updated on October 8, 2025 10:03 p.m. ET

Survivor had one of its franchiserCOs scariest moments ever on this weekrCOs episode of Survivor 49 when a player was medically evacuated out of the
game after suffering a bite from a venomous snake.

The question was not just one of whether Jake Latimer would be able to
remain in the game, but rather would he be able to remain alive after
coming into contact with a banded sea krait. The snake is highly
venomous. Making matters even more fraught, Jeff Probst revealed on his
On Fire podcast that producers actually lost radio contact with the boat transporting Jake to the medical offices at production base camp during
the "terrifying" incident, leading doctors and producers to yell
frantically "Is he breathing?!" as the vessel approached the dock.

Thankfully, he was. Jake was then treated by a medical staff led by Dr.
Barry, who had joined the production only a week prior to fill in for
longtime Survivor medical director Dr. Joe Rowles. Dr. Barry diagnosed
it as a "dry bite" with no venom released, yet would not clear Jake to
return to the game due to the extreme physical and psychological toll on
the contestant, who was clearly concerned for his life and kept telling
the team that he had a baby coming soon.

Probst also revealed that Jake needed more observation at a hospital in Australia, and after receiving IVs, fluids and "all sorts of things
being injected into him," could not reenter the game anyway due to
issues of fairness and that being seen as "too much of an advantage."

Entertainment Weekly connected with Probst to find out how the host
learned about the bite, and how Jake handled the situation and took the
news that he had been pulled from the game. We also asked about the
decision to show all that behind-the-scenes footage, any safety
instructions they gave their crew and contestants after the incident,
and the super somber mood at the immunity challenge that followed.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Tell us how you first got the news that Jake had
been bitten by a poisonous snake and your initial reaction to this life-threatening incident.

JEFF PROBST: I got an urgent call on my cell from [executive producer
Matt Van Wagenen]. He explained that we had what we thought was a snake
bite, but it was unfolding in real time so there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Over the next 20 minutes, we were able to verify
that it was a sea krait snake bite, and by that time Jake was already
being transported to base camp, where a very experienced medical team
was ready to receive him.

We only see such a small fraction of what happens, so describe for me
how Jake was handling the situation as he was being treated, and after
he got the word he could not continue.

Jake was remarkably calm throughout the entire ordeal. He was in a fair
amount of pain from the bite, and he was understandably very concerned
as the sea krait is very venomous, which added stress, which exacerbated everything else. It was intense. I was really impressed with how Jake
was able to handle all of the physical pain and emotional distress with
a flood of adrenaline coursing through his body and uncertainty hovering
over everything.

When we had to tell Jake he was being pulled from the game, it almost
felt like relief for Jake. I think he knew it was coming. The amount of medical attention being paid to him was unmatched in any other
evacuation on Survivor. Even if he had been physically able to return, I
don't think he would have been emotionally ready. It seemed to me that
all his thoughts were on his wife and unborn child. So when he got the
news he was being pulled, it was as if he was able to fully breathe for
the first time.

You've shown some behind-the-scenes stuff before, but I'm not sure
you've ever shown actual base camp in this extensive way. Tell me about
the decision to show crew like producer Jimmy Quigley on the dock, the
medical office, and things like Alex showing the Survivor binder of information?

The decision of what we showed in the episode was dictated by what
happened. Once everything was finished and we knew Jake was going to be
okay, then we started exploring how we might structure this event in
terms of storytelling and how many different elements of the story we
would include. We decided to reveal every element, but to do it in
stages, only showing what we needed to show in the moment so that the
audience could experience it the same way the players and producers experienced it.

You've been doing this for a long time in this location without any
similar incidents, but what sort of instructions rCo if any rCo did you give your crew like producers at the tribe camps and safety swimmers in the
water in terms of protocol or safety measures after what happened with
Jake?

We reached out to every Fijian crew member, every Fijian doctor, every
Fijian wildlife expert and not a single person had ever heard of a sea
krait biting a human. ThatrCOs how rare it is. So we felt very comfortable assuring the players they were safe to continue fishing and swimming and bathing in the water, because the odds of this happening again were very unlikely.

Finally, I've never seen people so unenthused to win a challenge. The
other tribes looked like they felt so bad watching poor Kele lose again, especially after they also lost Jake earlier that day. You're also a
human in addition to a host, so tell me what you were feeling at that
moment.

I've never experienced a moment like the end of that challenge. Nothing
even close. You saw it on the show. It was total silence. I felt it too.
It was a very powerful and completely real, spontaneous reaction. And it energized me because these are the kinds of moments that remind you that
you are having a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. You're living in a real
jungle with almost no supplies. You're surviving withrCa while conspiring againstrCa everyone else. You're playing a game with very few rules. There
is no predicting what situation you may find yourself in, and until
you're in it, you have no idea how you'll respond.

Source: https://ew.com/jeff-probst-shares-intel-terrifying-survivor-49-venomous-snake-incident-exclusive-11827054
--
Brian
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From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On Oct 9, 2025, Brian Smith wrote
(in article <10c9qs8$3m5gr$1@dont-email.me>):

There's some good info in this interview. __________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Probst shares intel on 'terrifying' Survivor 49 venomous snake bite incident

"We felt very comfortable assuring the players they were safe to
continue fishing and swimming and bathing in the water," the host tells EW.

By Dalton Ross

Jake has also been interviewed about his experience, and has clarified how
the krait got to him. I had thought that he had disturbed the animal when walking on the beach, but that is not accurate. According to Jake, he was sitting on the beach with his eyes closed, and with his lower legs/feet in
the water.
The krait was also in the water, and either swam or wriggled up to JakerCOs foot.
He didnrCOt know that it was there until he felt the bite.

This incident brings to mind HatchrCOs encounter with the Mangrove Snake in S1.
For those who have forgotten, Hatch thought the Mangrove Snake, which he
found in a tree, was actually a Yellow Banded Sea Krait which are very poisonous.
So, in typical Hatch fashion, he grabbed the snake and threw it in the ocean assuming
that it could swim. It couldnrCOt!

Even the most naive or foolish players would never even consider doing something
like this in the modern game.


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From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 10/10/2025 1:56 PM, Zeppo wrote:

On Oct 9, 2025, Brian Smith wrote
(in article <10c9qs8$3m5gr$1@dont-email.me>):

There's some good info in this interview.
__________________________________________________________________________ >>
Jeff Probst shares intel on 'terrifying' Survivor 49 venomous snake bite
incident

"We felt very comfortable assuring the players they were safe to
continue fishing and swimming and bathing in the water," the host tells EW. >>
By Dalton Ross

Jake has also been interviewed about his experience, and has clarified how the krait got to him. I had thought that he had disturbed the animal when walking on the beach, but that is not accurate. According to Jake, he was sitting on the beach with his eyes closed, and with his lower legs/feet in the water.
The krait was also in the water, and either swam or wriggled up to JakerCOs foot.
He didnrCOt know that it was there until he felt the bite.

This incident brings to mind HatchrCOs encounter with the Mangrove Snake in S1.
For those who have forgotten, Hatch thought the Mangrove Snake, which he found in a tree, was actually a Yellow Banded Sea Krait which are very poisonous.
So, in typical Hatch fashion, he grabbed the snake and threw it in the ocean assuming
that it could swim. It couldnrCOt!

Even the most naive or foolish players would never even consider doing something
like this in the modern game.

Here is the Parade interview Mike Bloom did with Jake:

https://parade.com/tv/jake-latimer-survivor-49-eliminated-snake-bite-interview

One headline is that after spending some time at a hosital in Australia,
he was able to go home in time for the birth of his son.

Also here is the video interview Rob C. just released today on his website:

https://youtu.be/GKHk4FaW6zU

I will listen to it later today




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From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 10/10/2025 11:56 AM, Zeppo wrote:

On Oct 9, 2025, Brian Smith wrote
(in article <10c9qs8$3m5gr$1@dont-email.me>):

There's some good info in this interview.
__________________________________________________________________________ >>
Jeff Probst shares intel on 'terrifying' Survivor 49 venomous snake bite
incident

"We felt very comfortable assuring the players they were safe to
continue fishing and swimming and bathing in the water," the host tells EW. >>
By Dalton Ross

Jake has also been interviewed about his experience, and has clarified how the krait got to him. I had thought that he had disturbed the animal when walking on the beach, but that is not accurate. According to Jake, he was sitting on the beach with his eyes closed, and with his lower legs/feet in the water.
The krait was also in the water, and either swam or wriggled up to JakerCOs foot.
He didnrCOt know that it was there until he felt the bite.

This incident brings to mind HatchrCOs encounter with the Mangrove Snake in S1.
For those who have forgotten, Hatch thought the Mangrove Snake, which he found in a tree, was actually a Yellow Banded Sea Krait which are very poisonous.
So, in typical Hatch fashion, he grabbed the snake and threw it in the ocean assuming
that it could swim. It couldnrCOt!

Even the most naive or foolish players would never even consider doing something
like this in the modern game.

I'm surprised he even tried in S1. I'm pretty sure they were given
safety lectures back then. Hatch was probably going for a big TV moment.

As for Jake, I read the same account from him. His account makes sense
except for one thing. Why did the snake come to him if Jake wasn't
bothering it? According to Jeff, all the Fijian crew and doctors he
spoke to said they had never heard of a human being bitten. Probably
boils down to just very bad luck for Jake.

One point about the snake incident that I have not seen addressed is
whether or not they had an antivenom on hand at base camp. What happens
if you give a person a shot of the antivenom when it was a dry bite? Is
that a bad thing to do.
--
Brian
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From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On Oct 10, 2025, Rick wrote
(in article <10cbj2g$cdl$1@dont-email.me>):

Here is the Parade interview Mike Bloom did with Jake:

Jakes comments in BloomrCOs interview are consistent with what
he told the Entertainment Weekly writer, except for his
suggestion that rCLGod put the snake there for a reason just to
get me homerCY.
ThatrCOs an interesting hypothesis, but an alternative explanation
might be that god sent the krait to punish Jake for his theft
of other playersrCO shoes.:-)


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From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 10/10/2025 12:25 PM, Rick wrote:

On 10/10/2025 1:56 PM, Zeppo wrote:

On Oct 9, 2025, Brian Smith wrote
(in article <10c9qs8$3m5gr$1@dont-email.me>):

There's some good info in this interview.
__________________________________________________________________________ >>>
Jeff Probst shares intel on 'terrifying' Survivor 49 venomous snake bite >>> incident

"We felt very comfortable assuring the players they were safe to
continue fishing and swimming and bathing in the water," the host
tells EW.

By Dalton Ross

Jake has also been interviewed about his experience, and has clarified
how
the krait got to him. I had thought that he had disturbed the animal when
walking on the beach, but that is not accurate. According to Jake, he was
sitting on the beach with his eyes closed, and with his lower legs/
feet in
the water.
The krait was also in the water, and either swam or wriggled up to JakerCOs >> foot.
He didnrCOt know that it was there until he felt the bite.

This incident brings to mind HatchrCOs encounter with the Mangrove Snake in >> S1.
For those who have forgotten, Hatch thought the Mangrove Snake, which he
found in a tree, was actually a Yellow Banded Sea Krait which are very
poisonous.
So, in typical Hatch fashion, he grabbed the snake and threw it in the
ocean
assuming
that it could swim. It couldnrCOt!

Even the most naive or foolish players would never even consider doing
something
like this in the modern game.

Here is the Parade interview Mike Bloom did with Jake:

https://parade.com/tv/jake-latimer-survivor-49-eliminated-snake-bite- interview

One headline is that after spending some time at a hosital in Australia,
he was able to go home in time for the birth of his son.

Also here is the video interview Rob C. just released today on his website:

https://youtu.be/GKHk4FaW6zU

I will listen to it later today

I can't recall if I saw this on X or in an article, but apparently Jake
as a couple of sisters who live in Brisbane where he was taken to. That
must have been quite the shock to them to be notified that their brother
had been bitten by a sea krait while playing Survivor.
--
Brian
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From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 10/10/2025 3:28 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 10/10/2025 11:56 AM, Zeppo wrote:

On Oct 9, 2025, Brian Smith wrote
(in article <10c9qs8$3m5gr$1@dont-email.me>):

There's some good info in this interview.
__________________________________________________________________________ >>>
Jeff Probst shares intel on 'terrifying' Survivor 49 venomous snake bite >>> incident

"We felt very comfortable assuring the players they were safe to
continue fishing and swimming and bathing in the water," the host
tells EW.

By Dalton Ross

Jake has also been interviewed about his experience, and has clarified
how
the krait got to him. I had thought that he had disturbed the animal when
walking on the beach, but that is not accurate. According to Jake, he was
sitting on the beach with his eyes closed, and with his lower
legs/feet in
the water.
The krait was also in the water, and either swam or wriggled up to JakerCOs >> foot.
He didnrCOt know that it was there until he felt the bite.

This incident brings to mind HatchrCOs encounter with the Mangrove Snake in >> S1.
For those who have forgotten, Hatch thought the Mangrove Snake, which he
found in a tree, was actually a Yellow Banded Sea Krait which are very
poisonous.
So, in typical Hatch fashion, he grabbed the snake and threw it in the
ocean
assuming
that it could swim. It couldnrCOt!

Even the most naive or foolish players would never even consider doing
something
like this in the modern game.

I'm surprised he even tried in S1. I'm pretty sure they were given
safety lectures back then. Hatch was probably going for a big TV moment.

Doubt that. Nobody knew if the show would be a success back then or how
it would be edited, and I seriously doubt if anyone - even someone as
smart as Richard - would be altering behavior based on potential "big TV moments". I don't think that phrase even existed back then. Although
Rich was the only player that season who had actually seen episodes of
the original Swedish version, Expedition Robinson, I never really got
the sense that he was performing for the camera or trying to setup
artificial "big" moments. I think he probably just did what came
naturally to him in the moment.

And I also doubt they did the kind of extensive safety review they do
now, because they just didn't seem to have the same regulations or
safety concerns back then on reality shows that we have now. Things were
a lot more hit or miss, and I get the sense Burnett and company did a
lot of things on the fly.

As for Jake, I read the same account from him. His account makes sense except for one thing. Why did the snake come to him if Jake wasn't
bothering it? According to Jeff, all the Fijian crew and doctors he
spoke to said they had never heard of a human being bitten. Probably
boils down to just very bad luck for Jake.

I think he probably accidentally stepped on it and thought he stepped on
a shell, and it was only when he looked down that he saw the snake
wrapped on him.

Also, even though the show this time probably did do a good safety
briefing and maybe even showed the pictures that were in the manual, a
lot of people probably don't pay attention or take good mental notes in
those kind of briefings. Didn't Jake say somewhere that he was
borderline ADHD?

One point about the snake incident that I have not seen addressed is
whether or not they had an antivenom on hand at base camp. What happens
if you give a person a shot of the antivenom when it was a dry bite? Is
that a bad thing to do.

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From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On Oct 10, 2025, Rick wrote
(in article <10cbqft$cdl$2@dont-email.me>):

Doubt that. Nobody knew if the show would be a success back then or how
it would be edited, and I seriously doubt if anyone - even someone as
smart as Richard - would be altering behavior based on potential "big TV moments". I don't think that phrase even existed back then. Although
Rich was the only player that season who had actually seen episodes of
the original Swedish version, Expedition Robinson, I never really got
the sense that he was performing for the camera or trying to setup
artificial "big" moments. I think he probably just did what came
naturally to him in the moment.

Totally agree.

And I also doubt they did the kind of extensive safety review they do
now, because they just didn't seem to have the same regulations or
safety concerns back then on reality shows that we have now. Things were
a lot more hit or miss, and I get the sense Burnett and company did a
lot of things on the fly.

And in BurnettrCOs day the focus of the show was on a group of average Americans surviving in the wilderness with minimal supplies. The game
elements were less important to Mark. He probably loved the fact that
Hatch fearlessly grabbed a snake, which he though was poisonous, and
tossed it into the ocean. TBH, when I watched that scene back in the day
I felt a little sorry for the snake, but it never occurred tome that Hatch
had
no idea what he was doing. If a New Era player were to pull the same
stunt, I would consider him/her to be a lunatic.


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From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On Oct 10, 2025, Brian Smith wrote
(in article <10cbmp9$9lp2$1@dont-email.me>):

As for Jake, I read the same account from him. His account makes sense
except for one thing. Why did the snake come to him if Jake wasn't
bothering it? According to Jeff, all the Fijian crew and doctors he
spoke to said they had never heard of a human being bitten. Probably
boils down to just very bad luck for Jake.

I think yourCOre right. Now that we have heard from all involved, IrCOm inclined
to cut both Jake and the krait a little slack. The snake may have interpreted the presence of JakerCOs feet in its habitat as a possible threat, but Jake was
not trying to deliberately bother the animal. As you said..it boils down to
bad luck.


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