TV
According to producers of Discovery Channel's 'Naked and Afraid,' one moment some contestants face is the most "heartbreaking" and "tragic."
Published on February 19, 2023
2 min readProducers for the Discover Channel show Naked and Afraid revealed the most “heartbreaking” moment contestants face on the show. While acknowledging its mental anguish for those who appear, they said when some of the participants “start to crack,” they sometimes make choices they’re sure to regret. And according to them, coming to one decision is the most “tragic” thing they could do.
What happens on ‘Naked and Afraid’?
For anyone unfamiliar with the premise of Naked and Afraid, nude survivalists meet for the first time in an isolated location where they only have the resources around them to rely on for 21 days. However, they can signal for help when in distress.
The 15th season premieres on the Discovery Channel on Feb. 19, 2023 at 8:00PM ET/PT and is available for same-day streaming on Discovery Plus. Per the website, the first episode introduces “two foreigners [who] try to become the first survivalists to endure 21 days on U.S soil.”
However, “Rattlesnakes, unfamiliar terrain and plummeting temperatures threaten to send them back across the pond.”
‘Naked and Afraid’ producers reveal the most ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘tragic’ thing that happens during filming
Executive producer Steve Rankin and supervising producer Mathilde Bittner spoke to Reality Blurred about production of Naked and Afraid, which some people might find to be one of Discovery’s weirdest shows.
Even so, Bittner and Rankin revealed there is a “heartbreaking” part of it all. It results from the “mental game” the contestants have to play to survive naked in the wilderness. Bittner said, “Your mind will find excuses to get you out.”
Rankin added contestants “start to crack” when their pain becomes unbearable. “When they’ve had enough, and they can’t do any more, and you see them break, it’s tragic, [and] it’s heartbreaking,” Rankin explained. “… Every single one of them regrets it.”
Why do contestants leave ‘Naked and Afraid’?
Rankin mentioned that contestants who leave do it because they are in immense pain. That was the case in season two with A.K., who was sick of being a 24/7 fueling station for mosquitoes. Even if the contestants get paid, it’s hard to put a price on feeling like you’re getting eaten alive.
A clip on YouTube shows A.K. and her partner Tyler hardly stood a chance against the flying bloodsuckers. The pair couldn’t spark a fire because of rain, and it’s not like they had bug spray or citronella candles to use as a deterrent, either.
They were left at the complete mercy of the swarms of relentless insects. So, A.K. eventually tapped out and chose to go home. However, she returned in a later season and survived 21 days in a jungle in Guyana.
Another contestant who left the survival show was Teen Mom alum Maci Bookout, who quit after a day. This was widely discussed amongst fans because she expressed her distaste for others who did that.
“When I watch this show, the one thing that drives me crazy is people quit way too early,” she said at the start of the competition (per Yahoo). Shortly before quitting, Bookout concluded, “It’s going to suck for sure, but I’m not going to quit.”
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