Survivor 49 medical scare left no doubt about the game’s dangerous reality

Jeff Probst has had to account for accusations ofSurvivorbeing "fake" in some capacity for its entire 25 years of existence. Whether it's castaways being given makeup at Tribal, production giving contestants granola bars, pre-determined challenge results, etc. it feels likeSurvivorskeptics are always on the hunt for evidence that the show is nowhere near as real as it is.

I've also observed numerous fans of the show, myself included, questioning the level of challenge castaways inSurvivor's"new era" face in this shortened game structure that has always taken place in Fiji.

At times, it has felt like the "survival" aspect ofSurvivorhas continuously faded into the background, to the point of at times just feeling likeBig Brotheron an island resort.

ButJake Latimer's medical evacuationon the most recent episode ofSurvivor 49has given us all a reminder of the life threatening danger castaways face every day while playing this game. What began with Jake casually calling his fellow castaways to see the snake that had latched onto him in the water, quickly evolved into arush to get Jake to base camp and under medical supervisionas soon as physically possible. As it was discovered Jake had been bitten by a highly venomous Sea Krait (according to Probst, up to 10 times as venomous as a rattlesnake), theSurvivormedical team quickly went from standard medical practice, to life-saving care.

I knew as I watchedthe episodewe were in uncharted waters when one of the doctors yelled out, "Is he breathing?" to a producer on Jake's boat. The reality of what a venomous bite could entail sank in as we watched Jake be hooked up to all kinds of fluids and medical machinery. But once the initial shock wore off, and doctors came to the conclusion that Jake was the victim of a non-venomous "dry bite," we got a unique peak behind theSurvivorcurtain.

As Probst came to base camp to discuss Jake's prospects in the game, doctors quickly shut down any chance of Jake's return. Even in the case of a dry bite, the medical supervision needed for Jake was too extensive, in large part because of the exertion already put on Jake's body over the course of six days in the game.

Doctors cited the lack of food and water on top of the physical traumas of the bite being necessary factors to remove him from the game. Essentially, Jake's game ended the second that snake decided to latch onto him.

No matter the era, no matter the location, the physical dangers of Survivor are ever present. Be it by animals (the lions of Kenya inSurvivor: Africa, Richard Hatch's infamous shark bite onAll Stars), or weather events (Cambodia's heat nearly killing Caleb Reynolds inKaoh Rong, volcanic eruptions inVanuatu) mother nature is never not a risk factor.

We may saySurvivorhas softened in recent years since we're no longer spending 39 days in Kenyan savannas or Guatemalan rainforests. Don't let a 26-day game and the pretty Fijian ocean fool you.

Survivoris rough.Survivoris real.Survivoris dangerous. And, we should still salute every brave soul with the guts to play this game we love in these environments.

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