Regina ‘Survivor’ contestant returns after being bitten by venomous snake

Regina’s Survivor contestant Jake Latimer was sent home after five days on the reality television show filming in Fiji due to a bite from a “highly venomous” banded sea krait.

The snakes have fangs containing a venom that “inhibits swimming and breathing abilities of their prey,” according to Oceana, an international advocacy group focused on ocean conservation.

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While Latimer was disappointed he couldn’t go further on the show, he was glad to return home to meet his newborn son.

On Thursday, he created a TikTok account to update his fans on what happened to him since the episode aired Wednesday.

“I just want to thank everyone for their support,” he said in his four-minute TikTok reel. “I can’t thank the medical staff of Survivor enough.”

He described how his “mind was racing” with doubts about if he would ever meet his son.

In an earlier interview with 980 CJME, Latimer said that after getting a call telling him he was going to be a contestant on the show, he said he discovered that the filming would take place during the period his wife Louise was was expected to give birth.

It wasn’t until he got a push from Louise that he eventually signed onto the show.

“There’s so many people that apply,” she said. “(He) had the chance to do it. Just go do it.”

The couple’s son Jax was born happy and healthy with Latimer able to be there.

“Being down in Fiji, I thought about it a lot. It was on the top of my mind,” he said. “You’re playing Survivor to to win the game and you’re playing to make alliances, but at the same time I’m thinking about this kid being born back at home.”

In the latest episode that aired Wednesday, Latimer was thinking about his wife and soon-to-born son when he felt a scratch on the bottom of his right foot. At that time, he was sitting on the beach. He saw what was later identified as a black and white banded sea snake.

Kele Tribe from Survivor, Season 49, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. (L-R): Jake Latimer, Sophi Balerdi, Alex Moore, Jeremiah Ing, Kimberely “Annie” Davis, Nicole Mazullo. (Robert Voets/CBS)

Host Jeff Probst said this type of snake bite was “unprecedented” for the show’s 10-year-run in Fiji. Survivor has been filmed in the South Pacific nation for many seasons, starting with Season 33 (Millennials vs. Gen X) in 2016.

Moments later, Latimer was shown being transported to Base Camp where medical crews gave him fluids and bandaged his right foot. The on-staff doctor determined it was a likely a “dry bite,” which meant there was less likelihood of venom being transferred.

Show organizers decided to send Latimer home due the mental and emotional stress he faced being away from his wife.

Latimer apologized for not being able to help his tribe get to the final leg of the competition.

He also thanked his fellow contestants for their support and that he was looking forward to being a dad.

Supportive response on social media

Within 24-hours of Latimer’s post, he received nearly 500 comments on his reel recounting his experience.

“Fantastic how fast the medical crew jumped in for you… Your TikTok shows how well spoken and polite a true Canadian shows… Absolute class… I hope you get another chance. Way to represent Canada be proud,” read one comment.

Another fan said, “You won the truest meaning of Survivor, you survived a deadly venomous snake that could have taken your life.”

— with files from Gillian Massie

Read more: 

•  ‘Survivor’ season 49 featuring Regina’s Jake Latimer kicks off
•  More testing for soil contamination in A.E. Wilson Park planned for the fall
•  Four dead, four injured after two highway crashes on Thursday: Sask. RCMP