A contestant on the upcoming season of Survivor missed the birth of his firstborn child while filming the show and he’s explaining why he decided to compete, knowing he’d miss this important moment.
Keep reading to find out more…
Jake Latimer previously spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his predicament in an interview given in April 2025, just one day before filming started on season 49.
Survivor always gives contestants the opportunity to compete in a future season if a life event comes up before filming begins. At the time, Jake‘s wife was moments away from giving birth, but there was a specific reason that he decided to be on the show.
“Me and my wife were trying to have a baby for about four-and-a-half years,” Jake told EW. “We just had no luck. And we went for help, and doctors were helping, and then we finally just gave up. We weren’t getting answers. The doctor said, ‘We don’t think it’s going to work.’ So I applied for Survivor, just kind of like something to do to get my mind off of it. And while I was in the process, she got pregnant and now our firstborn child is going to be born while I’m here on the island.”
Jake continued, “I gave her the option for me to bow out. I said, ‘This is our child. You’re here alone.’ She’s Australian, so she doesn’t have anyone up in Canada. But she says, ‘No, you go out. This is your dream, go do it, and whatever money you make is mine.’”
Jake ultimately decided to be on the show this year as his father is battling a medical condition that will take away his eyesight very soon.
“My dad has an eye condition called glaucoma,” Jake said. “Basically, it’s a tunnel vision that gets smaller and smaller and smaller until it’s just black. And this will be the last season that he’ll be able to actually watch before his eyesight is all gone.”
“For me to make him proud one last time and be on his favorite show and have him watch his son on there, that will be it for his Survivor story,” Jake added.
Survivor host Jeff Probst empathized with Jake‘s decision.
“He watched Survivor with his dad, and his dad was losing his eyesight very fast,” Jeff told EW. “They thought this would be the last season of Survivor he would be able to watch. So for Jake, there was this tug on both ends: I have a new child coming into the world, but I have my dad who won’t be able to ever see me play again.”
Jeff confirmed that Jake was not given any information about his child’s birth while on the island.
“The rules on Survivor are really pretty clear,” he said. “Which is no news at all about anything that’s happening in the world, including in your own family. Unless it is an emergency situation. Then, of course we would tell you and present you with the option that if you want leave the game and go home, you can.”
He added, “Any time a potential player has a potential life event happening, we always say the same thing: ‘We love you, we would love to see you on Survivor, but we will be here next year. So if you need to put your family first, we’re giving you our assurance that nothing will change a year from now and do what is right for you.’”
Meet the 18 contestants competing on the upcoming season!
Source: justjared.com
