Jake Latimer, a castaway on the upcoming Survivor 49, had a tough decision to make before entering the game. He could either live his dream of competing for $1 million on the long-running reality show or stay home and support his wife as she welcomed their first baby into the world. He picked Survivor, but whether or not that was the right call? That’s still to be determined.
Jake Latimer chose Survivor 49 over the birth of his baby
The Survivor 49 cast did interviews with Entertainment Weekly back in April, the day before they started filming. During their chat, Jake confessed that his wife was back home, preparing to give birth.
“Me and my wife were trying to have a baby for about four-and-a-half years,” Jake said. “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.”
He continued, “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.”
The whole thing sounds like a surefire way to come home to a divorce, but Jake said he asked for permission before signing on for Survivor 49. He had his wife’s full support before he ventured halfway across the world.
“I gave her the option for me to bow out. I said, ‘This is our child. You’re here alone,’ ” Jake recalled. “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.'”
To protect the integrity of the game, castaways aren’t allowed any outside communication with the world. The only exception is if there’s an emergency at home, so Jake went into Season 49 with the mindset of “no news is good news.” He had no idea when the baby was born, but he knew that if he didn’t hear anything from producers, that meant everything was okay.
“It’s bittersweet,” he said of the experience. “I’m out here, I’m on Survivor. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but at the same time, I’m always worried about what’s going on at home and stuff like that. But she wrote me a nice little note before I left, and it said, ‘Don’t worry about home, just go do your thing and you’ll have a baby here waiting for you when you come home.”
We’ll have to wait and see how Jake does in Season 49 to see if missing the birth of his son was worth it. However, even if he left the game empty-handed, a baby was waiting at home for him! His wife gave birth to their son, Jax, on May 2. When Jax gets older, he’ll hear all the wild stories about how his dad played Survivor while he was being born.
Survivor Season 49 premieres on CBS Wednesday, September 24, at 8/7c.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON JAKE’S DIFFICULT DECISION? WOULD YOU MISS THE BIRTH OF YOUR CHILD FOR A REALITY SHOW?
