TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- The man who skinned a live rattlesnake and took a bite from it says the entire episode has been blown out of proportion.

Brent Scheibel, Tehachapi, ate the snake as part of a tryout to get on the reality show "Survivor."

The video shows Scheibel holding a rattlesnake, then tearing a long strip of skin off of it and taking a few bites. Scheibel says he had killed the snake just before the stunt, but the snake appears to wiggle and move when he bites it.

"I feel bad as it is but I'm confident the snake was dead", Scheibel said.

Bakersfield police are investigating the incident and will file a report with the District Attorney's office. Scheibel says he researched the laws before the stunt and he was comfortable it was legal.

He says he still hopes to be a contestant on "Survivor", but is not sure if the ordeal has backfired.