Watching Survivor

Recent tryouts in Bakersfield created quite a rattle among the producers and other Survivor hopefuls. 44-year-old Tehachapi resident, Brent Sheibel waited until the middle of his tryout video, removed a live four-foot rattle snake from his bag, skinned it and took a couple of bites from the exposed flesh. Scheibel told the staff at the event that he was going to eat the snake, but they didn’t believe him, and were “shocked” when he did. The Bakersfield Police animal control division is investigating to see if charges of Animal Cruelty can be filed.

About 160 people showed up in Bakersfield to try out for the popular CBS show. Each contestant makes a two-minute video tape for their audition.

In his tape, Scheibel is seen in safari-type clothes. At one point, he talks about his wind energy job in Tehachapi. Then he talks about survival strategies, “…taking things that look like they don’t look like they’re really good for you or really fun — and make the best of them,” he says.

A bit later, Scheible reportedly dug his fingers into the four-foot long rattller, peeled back the skin and bit the snake. The photographer who was video-taping says about 20 people were in the area, and saw this incident.

While investigating, Bakersfield Police stated:

“There is a law which prohibits animal cruelty,” Sgt. McDonald told Eyewitness News. “It’s somewhat convoluted, but it does appear that venemous animals — and it’s my understanding in his case it was a rattlesnake — are exempt from that, as well as those used for food, food production and things of that nature.”

Jenna Morasca, winner of Survivor: Amazon has also spoken out against the stunt and calls for a full investigation and jail time for Scheible, as well as demanding that the organizers of the event be held liable as well.

It’s not the first time that Survivor has heard allegations of animal cruelty against the series either. There were mutterings when Vanuatu killed a life chicken, as well as when Australia’s Mike hunted and killed the wild pig.

As for my opinion? Um. It’s a SNAKE. A poisonous, nasty, slithering, writhing, SNAKE. If some idiot wants to be stupid enough to skin and bite a life reptile… (Shudders - SOOOOOO nasty! My longtime readers KNOW how much I can’t handle reptiles!) The other incidents were of tribes that needed food, and whine and bitch all you want, but a chicken and a pig were both killed and eaten in case of Survivor need. You don’t see these groups complaining about all the fish and stingrays and even the occasional shark caught, killed and eaten on the show, do you?

It was a stupid stunt, probably, but it was also a SNAKE. It’s not like he grabbed Jeff Dimples Probst, skinned and bit HIM, now is it? It was a snake. It probably tasted like chicken. Get over it.