---

A scary incident pulls back the production curtain. Survivor 49 recap: A player is bitten by a venomous snake: 'Is he breathing?'

A scary incident pulls back the production curtain.

Survivor 49 recap: A player is bitten by a venomous snake: 'Is he breathing?'

A scary incident pulls back the production curtain.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

EW's editorial guidelines

October 8, 2025 9:30 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Alex Moore, Jake Latimer, Sophi Balerdi, Jeremiah Ing on 'Survivor 49'. Credit:

Robert Voets/CBS

I mean, I've heard of *Survivor* players being snake-bitten, but this is ridiculous!

Oh, we can kid a bit because thankfully, Jake Latimer did not lose his life in one of the scariest scenes over 49 seasons of *Survivor*. We also knew the guy was not going to… you know… *die* since that would have made a wee bit of news over the past six months.

But STILL, as if *Survivor* is not scary enough, now players have to worry about being bitten by a highly venomous snake?!? That's not something contestants have to contend with on *The Masked Singer*. I mean, they may be forced to sing in a giant snake *costume* and that is horrifying on a completely different level, sure. But they don't risk dying while a producer attempts to act *totally calm* while Google image searching banded sea kraits.

But what a fascinating sequence — or sea-quence, as it were — this was. I'd have to go back and check my notes over the past 600 episodes, but I'm *pretty* sure we've never heard producers and doctors yelling "Is he breathing?!" as a boat with a contestant pulls into the dock.

Jake Latimer on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

We've also never seen that much footage of production base camp on the show, including the *Survivor* medical center, where I go when I have ouchies or the sniffles. (Seriously, I was in medical every single day when I was there for filming on *Survivor 49* for my dumb little cold and now I could not feel any lamer.)

By the way, that *Survivor* medical office is *not* right by the pier. That is a long walk the crew members and doctors had to take to transport Jake. I don't know if they walked the whole way or put him in a truck and just cut that out for the show, but either way, I'm sure that was a scary ride for the guy. And then, in the midst of all this chaos… in walks Jeff Probst!

It's amusing to make fun of Probst always swooping in during a medical emergency — and we had some serious fun reenacting it a few times back in our *Survivor Talk* video days — but it's actually very important for him to do that for both obvious and non-obvious reasons. The obvious reason is that Probst acts as a conduit to explain to viewers what is going on. The medical team (in this case folks like Dr. Barry and Dr. Sarah — the latter of whom was on Dalton sniffles duty while I was there) aren't thinking about the viewer *at all.* I would say it's their last concern, but it's really of *no* concern, so doesn't even qualify.

'Survivor 49' star Annie Davis reacts to being called a Karen on TV

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

So Probst is there to ask them questions and get the information to the viewer. And if that then requires an awkward explanation to the camera in the hallway of the medical office while they keep working behind him to keep their contestant alive, then so be it.

But there's another reason it's important for Probst to be there. We saw how anxious Jake was, talking about how he was scared and had a baby on the way. And here are all these strangers — people he has never seen before — frantically working all around him pumping mysterious things into his body.

Maybe he met some of these doctors during the pre-game medical check in, but maybe not, since there are several of them who rotate jobs and shifts. The value of a familiar face is so paramount in that situation. So while it is so incredibly easy and tempting to make fun of Probst showing up and saying, "I'm here!" to Jake as if that somehow will magically make things better, the reality is that actually *is* a massive thing for the patient in this situation.

Also, I don't even think it's necessary to say because you saw them in action yourself, but the *Survivor* medical team is no joke. We once had a scary situation on *Survivor: Philippines* where a member of the press had a seizure at a restaurant in town, and the doctors were there so fast and got the situation under control (shout out to Dr. Ramona!). You, of course, never *want* to see them in action, but it is always impressive when you do.

But what a fluky situation! This is the show's 17th season filming in Fiji. I have spent over 60 days there myself over the years during production. Never has anything remotely like this happened. There is nothing I love more than being in that warm, clear water out there, and this incident will not stop me from doing the same on my next trip.

Alex Moore and Jake Latimer on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

***Want to be kept up with all things Survivor? Dig deep and sign up for 's free Survivor Weekly newsletter to have all the latest news, interviews, and commentary sent right to your inbox. ***

"We're going to be in the water, our crews are going to be in the water, you should feel okay to be in the water," Probst told the contestants before the challenge. The cynical among you will say that he *had* to say that since they had a water challenge all set up and ready to go, but the truth is that there was no reason to think lightning would strike twice. I would not have hesitated myself. (Well, maybe I *should* have hesitated, considering what happened to me when I tested out this particular challenge a few days before the contestants did.)

So, anyway, the good news for Jake is that the venomous banded sea krait snake that bit him did not release any venom. Meaning he got to keep living. Nice! Congrats, buddy! The bad news was, considering Jake's depleted physical and psychological state, Dr. Barry did not feel comfortable releasing him back into the wild to recover. Bummer.

This is going to be a super weird thing to say, especially considering how devastated Jake clearly was to be pulled from the game, but if this had to happen to someone and had to happen at some point during the game, it happening to Jake on day six was about as ideal — again, I said it was super weird! — as it gets.

Because Jake had to make the horrible decision before heading out to Fiji whether to play *Survivor* or be home for the birth of his son. The decision was complicated by the fact that his father was losing his eye sight and this would be his last chance to watch his son play *Survivor.* Because it happened to Jake, and because it happened on day six of the game, Jake was able to play *Survivor*, his dad was able to see it, and Jake was then allowed to leave Fiji early and get home for the birth of Jax Paul Kenneth Latimer on May 2. He hit the trifecta! Again, I realize not ideal circumstances, but that is a hell of a silver lining.

Okay, since so much of this episode was about the *SURVIVOR* SNAKE ATTACK, which sounds like the name of a 2006 Sci-Fi Channel movie, we won't go crazy dissecting everything else, but let's just hit on some other quick thoughts from episode 3 of *Survivor 49.*

Alex Moore, Savannah Louie, and Steven Ramm on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

A fluid situation

MC found the Beware Advantage for the Hina tribe and had to stuff it in her underwear even though it was floating in some sort of mystery jungle fluid. The only problem is we knew either MC or Steven would find it since the show set up and told the tribe idol search from their perspective via confessional interviews.

What would have been super cool is if the show had instead set up the idol search through someone *else's* confessional (like, say, Matt, whom I caught doing an extended idol hunt on day 2) and followed him around for a bit, thereby convincing viewers *he* would be the one to find it, and then all of sudden MC grabs it! The ol' switcheroo! Anyway, the less telegraphed the better. Also, I'll need someone else to grade the authenticity of MC's *Camp Rock* dance.

Michelle 'MC' Chukwujekwu on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

Ask, don't tell

I love Sage not just sitting back, and instead actually playing *Survivor* and trying to feel Shannon out on the Savannah and Rizo thing. I just wish she could have figured out a way to do it without actually dropping their names. It's the same mistake Annie made on Kele by talking to Sophi about taking out Jake. Instead of throwing out names, feel out how the other person sees the tribe and try to notice anyone they are not feeling great about and then piggyback off of *that*.

Now, with Shannon running back and telling Savannah (and perhaps her AI guru as well, for all we know), Sage could be even more on the outs than she was before. But hey, at least she didn't stick a bunch of dirty sticks in Savannah's bag!

Sage Ahrens-Nichols on 'Survivor 49'.

Teeter-tottering

There is seriously nothing in this life I love more than doing a water challenge. Okay, fine, maybe my wife and kids. Maybe. But I seriously love it. I was lucky enough to do the one you saw this week with other press folks and all those influencers that came out to play a mini-game of *Survivor,* and it was an absolute blast.... Except for the part where I scrapped off half the skin on my chest and legs.

The issue was I went first for my team, which meant I had to retrieve the key, but during the test for this challenge, the key was placed more in the middle of the teeter-totter, right where it teetered and tottered. While I was able to walk across until the key, once I went down to untie the knots and retrieve it, I had the *brilliant* idea to just kind of shimmy across on my chest the rest of the way instead of trying to stand back up and potentially falling back off.

Just one problem: there is tons of grippy, sticky tape on the balance beam to help keep you from slipping off. Think of it like the material on top of a skateboard. Now imagine repeatedly rubbing your body up and down against it. Then imagine what your chest would look like. Yeah, that was me. I also gashed my ankle, which still has a scar six months later.

So after the challenge (which also included *Parade*'s Mike Bloom full-on bleeding on our puzzle pieces) I had to be attended to yet again by Dr. Sarah in the medical department. Sarah, who as we saw in this episode *clearly* has more important things to do in her job than patch up a pasty white journalist with a boo-boo. So embarrassing.

Sophi Balerdi on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

Have you ever seen winning tribes celebrate less after a challenge? It felt like a funeral after it was all over, and I guess it kind of was… for the Kele tribe. How could you not feel bad for them? You longtime readers ("Hello… Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Bueller?") know how I always say every challenge is "all about the puzzle." I say that because it is true. Which is why I can also say that the annihilation of Kele was… all about the puzzle.

Clearly, they had no puzzle solvers on their tribe, and three of the four team challenges ended in a puzzle (I don't consider the winding snake track that ended the first immunity contest a classic puzzle). They had a huge lead in last week's immunity challenge and then got decimated on the puzzle, and they were neck-and-neck with Hina on this week's competition and *still* ended up in last place. Brutal.

Jason Treul on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

Brilliant or forgetful?

I also want to pause for the cause to give props to Savannah, who perhaps, maybe, possibly* *came up with the genius strategy to go all the way across the beam without kneeling down to get the key, and instead just kind of reach back from the platform to undo it while standing on more solid footing. Just go with me here for a minute: I have no idea what Probst told each team during the pre-challenge walkthrough, but having been privy to tons of them over the years, it is entirely possible he inferred but perhaps did not explicitly say that you had to get the key while on the platform.

If that was the case — and again, who knows?, not saying it was — you have two choices if you are Savannah in that situation. You can ask if it is okay to go past and then reach back and get it, but if you ask, then they can say no. Or they can say yes, but then they will tell the other teams as well so nobody has an information advantage, thereby nullifying your potential challenge hack. But, more likely, they just will say no because they want the course run the way it was designed.

Your other option is to just go for it and hope they don't call you on it. If they do, you then have two more choices. Fight it in the moment and say "You never said we couldn't do that" — which is very hard to do during a live challenge as the other teams are advancing while you are arguing — or just accept the penalty and go do it again.

To be clear, I have no idea if any of this entered Savannah's mind. For all we know, Probst did clearly state in the instructions that you had to get the key while on the beam. And for all we know, Savannah did not come up with a challenge hack but simply forgot to get the key. But that's simply no fun. It's far juicier to imagine that Probst was not 100 percent clear on the instructions and Savannah tried to test the limits of what she could get away with. And if that was the case, then that is pretty awesome and I love every second of it. #Justice4Savannah

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

The ghost of Tony Vlachos

The Spy Shack is back! And may have played a key role in what would transpire later at Tribal Council. Sophi eavesdropped on Alex and Jeremiah's conversation and became worried that the idol holder would put his vote on her. So she went hard convincing Alex that she was a "loyal bitch" who had never even cheated on her boyfriend! I'm not sure if that is more or less remarkable than the fact that Sohpi has been seeing the same nail technician since high school, but apparently it was enough to convince Alex to vote for Jeremiah instead. And once Sophi joined him, that was enough to send the person with the most maniacal laugh since Cesar Romero's Joker out of the game.

So much of the Kele storyline has been focused on what a bunch of sad sacks they are, but we've seen enough to deduce that Sophi is a gamer. She wanted to steal the Beware Advantage lockbox from her alliance partner Alex, spied on her tribe mates to glean information about the upcoming vote, and betrayed an ally at Tribal Council. When push came to shove, she shoved hard.

Sophi Balerdi on Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

The stars misaligned

If I knew anything at all about astrology, I could probably have a lot more insight into Jeremiah as both a player and a person. Instead, I will have to rely on what I saw on TV and while chatting with him on location. Jeremiah has a little bit of a devil on his shoulder. He's mischievous, and had he been on a different tribe or made it further in the game, we may have been able to see that spiciness really come out in fun ways.

He predicted to me before the game that he would be voted out seventh. Instead, he was the fourth one eliminated (and, technically, the third one voted out) and now becomes the latest victim of Puzzlepalozza's destructive reign over the Kele tribe.

Thankfully for those self-proclaimed lovable losers, there will be a tribe swap coming up in the next episode, giving them a chance to rewrite their fortunes. Meanwhile, *your* destiny is to go check out all the other goodies we have for you this week. Want to see the entire *Survivor 49* cast imitating Jeff Probst making fun of them at a challenge? Of course you do! Why wouldn't you? So make sure to give that a gander.

We've also got all the behind-the-scenes scoop from Hostmaster General Jeff Probst about Jake's medical evacuation, so do yourself a favor and take in all that intel as well. I'll be chatting with Jake on Thursday morning and will also have an exclusive deleted scene for you, because that's just the kind of guy I am. Enjoy all that, keep your eyes peeled for snakes, and I'll be back next week with another scoop of the crispy!

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Recaps"

Read More

---

Source: GETTY MAG

Read More >> Full Article on Source: GETTY MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities