Heading into Survivor 49 episode 3, "Lovable Losers," fans knew there was going to be an "unprecedented medical emergency," and that's exactly what happened.
In the first half of the episode, Jake Latimer, one of the Kele tribe members, was lounging by the beach when he was bit by a highly venomous snake, a sea krait. Then, the Survivor medical team sprang into action.
Jake Latimer was pulled from Survivor 49 after getting bit by a snake
Jake was taken by boat and stretchered into the Survivor medical center near their camp out in Fiji where he received oxygen and was evaluated by doctors. Quickly, the team discovered that Jake had a "dry bite," which means the sea krait transferred no venom into Jake's foot. So, for a second, it looked like he could return to the game.
Unfortunately, the doctors explained to Jake that, even though the bite was okay, they didn't feel comfortable sending back in the game after going through such a stressful and potentially devastating emotional, physical, and psychological situation. So, sadly, Jake was pulled from the game just a few days into the game.
While it was happening, and immediately after learning the news, Jake kept repeating that he was going to be a father. Remember, Jake was the Survivor 49 player who missed the birth of his son to play Survivor because his father, who loves the show and has watched since the beginning, is going blind. This was the last chance Jake's father had to watch him play Survivor.
Because we've seen Jake's social media activity, he is okay after the sea krait bite.
Jake is the first medical evacuation since Survivor 46
Heading into Survivor 49, there were a few seasons without a medical evacuation. The last time someone was pulled from the game for medical reasons was back in Survivor 46 when Randen Montalvo was evacuated after experiencing numbness and nerve pain in his arm. He made a full recovery.
Kevin Leung probably should have been pulled after dislocating his shoulder in the first challenge of Survivor 48, but they didn't show much of that during the season.
Looking back through history, there have been some really shocking medical evacuations. The one I always think of was when Michael Skupin breathed in too much smoke starting the fire and actually fell into the fire. He suffered severe burns to his hands after falling into the fire. I can still see the image of that way back in Survivor: The Australian Outback (season 2).
There have been many players removed for infections, low blood pressure and other heat stroke symptioms, and broken bones. Those are all very scary, but I don't think any of those are as shocking or surprising as Jake getting bit by a venomous snake that's, according to Jeff Probst, "10 times worse than a rattlesnake bite."
Even Skupin falling into the fire makes sense. He inhaled too much smoke and basically fainted. That's what happens when you do that. But, like Probst said, the Fijians who work on Survivor's production didn't even know people who had been bit by a snake. It just doesn't happen very often.
So, to me, that's why Jake's evacuation is so shocking and scary. I legitimately thought they were just pulling our leg a little bit with this snake storyline. I'm so glad that Jake is okay, but that was not at all what I was expecting to see.
We'll share more updates about Jake when we find out!