Saskatchewan·NewJake Latimer, who grew up in Regina, had his journey on Season 49 of Survivor cut short when he suffered a snake bite. But it meant he got home in time for the birth of his son.Jake Latimer’s time on Survivor ended in time for return home for birth of sonDarla Ponace · CBC News · Posted: Oct 22, 2025 7:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 20 minutes agoJake Latimer was a contestant on Survivor Season 49 (Jake Latimer/Instagram)Jake Latimer was vying to win the $1-million prize on Survivor Season 49 when his journey was cut short by a snake bike. However, his removal from the game during Episode 3 meant the Regina-born contestant arrived home to be with his pregnant wife in St. Albert, Alta., in time for the birth of his son.“That was a very emotional reunion,” he said. “I got down on my knees and kissed her, kissed her stomach and I just spent the day with family.” Survivor is a TV show where contestants compete in challenges and vote each other out until there’s just one person remaining. Latimer said it had always been a dream of his to compete on the show, but his experience during filming turned out to be pretty crazy.He said he was having a quiet moment to himself on the beach when he felt what he thought was a crab nip his foot.“I opened my eyes.… I saw the snake mouth wide open, just attached to my foot,” he said. “I kind of got up and screamed.… I said, ‘Hey, man, whatever this is it bit me.’ Then all of a sudden chaos kind of ensued.” Latimer’s foot was bitten by a banded sea krait, which has neurotoxic venom 10 times more potent than a rattlesnake’s.He didn’t know how serious his bite was until the production team and medical team started rushing him onto a boat. He said this is when panic set in and he heard them say the snake that bit him was highly venomous. “It was just kind of like panic just ensued,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Am I going to get off this boat?’ Now it’s more of a psychological thing too, right? It’s like this snake just injected me with venom. I’m not going to last long here. So I’m saying my goodbyes on the boat.” Latimer said it was one of the scariest moments of his life. He was airlifted from the filming location in Fiji to Australia, where they found it was a dry bite and no venom had been transferred — a huge relief.After Latimer was medically cleared, he said the production team decided it was best for him to return home. WATCH | Regina-born Survivor contestant thought he had to miss son’s birth to compete:Regina-born Survivor contestant had to miss his son’s birth to competeSurvivor fans from the Prairies will have a hometown competitor to cheer on during season 49. Jake Latimer grew up in Regina and now lives in St. Albert, Alta. He got the call to join the show while his wife was pregnant with their first baby. At the same time, his father in Regina was diagnosed with glaucoma and told he will soon lose his eyesight. With Survivor being their favourite show, Latimer says it means a lot to appear on the last season his father will be able to watch.Just 42 hours after he arrived home, he and his wife welcomed their new baby boy into the world. “I was bawling my eyes out, like I was crying more than my wife. And the doctor’s like, ‘You going to be OK, man?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, dude.’” Despite his disappointment with the show’s outcome for him, he said he was grateful for the opportunity and happy to be alive.“My experience was amazing,” he said. “It was just the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m so sad it ended so soon. I do think I have unfinished business out there, but I still got to do it.” ABOUT THE AUTHORDarla Ponace is a Saulteaux woman from Zagime Anishinabek First Nations. She started as an associate producer in the Indigenous Pathways program at CBC. She is currently working with CBC Saskatchewan as a reporter. You can email her at darla.ponace@cbc.ca with story ideas.
Sask.-born Survivor contestant describes chaos, panic as snake bite put him out of game
