Survivor 49’s most recent episode saw Kele tribe member Jake Latimer medically evacuated, which gave longtime Survivor host Jeff Probst a new role as the show moved into completely uncharted territory. Jake, the self-dubbed shoe bandit of the Kele tribe, has been controversial since the beginning of Survivor 49. A St. Albert, Alberta native, Jake quickly revealed some shocking news to his tribemates.
During Survivor 49’s two-hour premiere, Jake explained that his wife had gotten pregnant after years of fertility struggles and would be giving birth at some point during his time on the show. Having revealed a lot about himself and his situation, it quickly became clear that not only was Jake an open book, but a strong physical player within the game.
Throughout Survivor’s history, some of the biggest players have been taken out by unforeseen circumstances. From Survivor: The Australian Outback’s Michael Skupin to Jonathan Penner’s evacuation during Survivor Micronesia, viewers have watched medevacs for years, but nothing has brought Jeff into the mix quite like Survivor 49’s evacuation, which saw a fast-moving team making incredibly quick, difficult decisions for Jake.
Jake Latimer’s Medical Evacuation Saw Jeff Take The Cameras Into The Action
Viewers Saw A Never-Before-Seen Piece Of Survivor’s Production
Although Survivor 49’s Kele tribe has been a focal point of the season thus far, the continuation of their bad luck didn’t come in an expected way. Jake, who has been one of the strongest players this season, was sitting alone on the beach when he was bitten by a sea snake and quickly started to experience some discomfort. After checking with production, doctors were called in.
Jake’s snake bite, which came from a venomous sea krait snake, was thankfully a dry bite, meaning there wasn’t any venom released into his system. Survivor captured every moment of the evacuation and kept cameras with Jake as he was brought to the medical team and checked. Jeff, who tried to get in on the action as carefully as possible, made it clear this was unprecedented.
Survivor Felt Like It Returned To Its Roots With A Documentary-Style Moment
The Quick Intensity Was A Welcome Change Of Pace
While Survivor often feels like one of the most authentic reality shows on the air, the editing feels much more modern in comparison to early seasons of the series, where the series was treated with more of a documentary-style than a polished, edited competition. Survivor returned to its roots with the show revealing the entire ordeal Jake went through, down to his evacuation.
Though Jake wasn’t able to continue on Survivor 49 after doctors shared that they didn’t feel comfortable allowing him to compete without a proper medical evaluation off the island, it was clear that the unprecedented nature of his emergency made for an incredibly memorable appearance. Jake’s time on Survivor wasn’t what he’d hoped for, but brought a taste of the show’s roots.
Survivor 49’s Jake Latimer’s Evacuation Saw Jeff Probst In A New Role
