Jeff Probst has seen it all on Survivor. As the show's host, showrunner, and executive producer, Probst has had a front row seat to gruesome injuries, tragic moments, and on occasion, downright terrifying life-or-death situations.
We got to see one of those moments in Survivor 49 episode 3 when Jake Latimer was medically evacuated after he was bit by a snake, a highly venomous banded sea krait. Luckily, Jake ended up okay and back in Canada to support his wife in the birth of their first child, Jax, but it was a very scary situation for Jake and those out in Fiji.
In fact, on a new episode of the On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast, Probst said it was one of the two scariest moments in 49 seasons of the series so far.
Here's what Probst told Jay Wolff and Jeremy Collins about where Jake's snake bite ranks among the scariest moments in Survivor history:
“And I gotta say, from a production standpoint, you have camera operators, audio engineers, they have to get the sound, they have to get the pictures, but they have to stay out of the way of the medical team, because while we're shooting it, it's a life and death situation. It's only now that we knew he was okay. And I can tell you, next to Caleb in Cambodia, this is the most terrifying situation we've ever dealt with on Survivor.”
Jake's snake bite in Survivor 49 and Caleb's heatstroke were the two scariest Survivor moments for Jeff Probst
When I saw Jake's snake bite and the aftermath, I called it the most shocking moment in Survivor history. While there are many other instances that fans (and myself) can think of when it comes to shocking moments in Survivor, I do think this is one of the scariest and most unexpected things we've ever seen. No one has been bitten by a venomous snake in the series so far. Honestly, I don't know if anyone has even come close.
For those who don't recall and those who didn't watch, season 32, Survivor: Kaoh Rong, also known as Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty, Caleb Reynolds was medically evacuation for heatstroke following a challenge. I believe that was one of the hottest seasons of the series ever, and Caleb collapsed following the challenge. Doctors couldn't keep his body temperature under control, and he was severely dehydrated. He was pulled from the game.
I still remember watching Caleb struggle after the challenge, and thinking that he was going to hop back up and be okay because he was such an incredible competitor. As it dragged on, it was clear that this was a very, very scary situation that could have easily resulted in something much worse than what actually happened.
In addition to Caleb, two other players also needed medical attention, but Caleb was the only player pulled from the game after experiencing the heatstroke.
Heading into Survivor 49, we knew it was going to be one of the hottest seasons since Kaoh Rong, and it definitely has been. We thought that might result in some medical problems as the players get dehydrated and have to compete in these challenges. And, it still might happen.
I don't think anyone, though, had snake bite on their Survivor 49 bingo card, and that's what makes Jake's evacuation so terrifying. It could have ended much differently.
Needless to say, these moments in Survivor history are downright terrifying, and they are more proof just how different and real Survivor is than most reality TV shows.