02x04 - Mayan Misery

[bunniefuu]

Cass:
this cave's ridiculous.

Shannon:

Left or right?
It's hard to say.

It's so disorienting
in here.

Right looks
a little bit easier.

I want to get out of here.

Oh *bleep*

Oh *bleep*
ugh!

Narrator:
two strangers...

One man and one woman,
both experienced survivalists,

Have chosen to put their skills
to the ultimate test.

Just one victory,
please!

They have no water, no food,
and no clothes.

Their challenge
is to survive for 21 days...

Aah!
I don't want to go home.

...knowing that the human body

Can only live three days
without water

And begins to shut down
after three weeks without food.

Get out of there!

This is the everest
of survival challenges.

Can a man and woman

Survive alone in the wilderness
naked and afraid?

Shannon:
we're in the jungle.

There's so many things
that want to k*ll you.

Narrator: located at the western
end of hurricane alley

In the caribbean

Sits one of the most hostile
environments on earth.

Jaguars
and aggressive howler monkeys

Stake out their territory among
the toxic trees of the jungle.

Swamps teem with
disease-carrying mosquitos,

Blood-sucking ticks, crocodiles,
and deadly boa constrictors.

Five days earlier,
epic storms engulfed

Much of this nation
beneath record flooding.

A saturated landscape,

Limited food sources,
unforgiving predators.

This is belize.

Cass: jungle's beautiful,

But definitely one of
the harsher environments.

Pretty scary so far.

My name's len cassidy.

I'm from philadelphia,
pennsylvania.

I'm a former army soldier
and police officer.

I pride myself in my tenacity,
my never-quit kind of attitude.

The army put me
in a lot of situations

That were very difficult.

But in the military,

We have a lot of technology
that we lean on.

In this situation,
I don't have anything to lean on

But my own mental toughness
and the skills that I know.

I didn't really know
what to expect before I came

Because I haven't spent
much time in the tropics.

One thing I know to expect
is some measure of suffering.

I'm shannon thomas.

I'm a mother of two.

I'm a wellness consultant
and a yoga teacher.

Succeeding out here
is not just important for me,

But I'd love to do it
for my kids.

If I can survive these 21 days

And connect with this
completely foreign environment,

I'll show them
that they could do anything.

The environment
is really diverse,

Which is always a good thing
in a survival situation.

My key strengths
are working with plants.

I'm pretty skilled
with wild edibles,

Wild medicinals, and using
plant materials as tools.

I'd love to have a partner
who is a primitive hunter

And a team player.

Cass: being naked
around a strange woman

In the middle of a jungle,
it's gonna be a little weird.

I like my clothes.

I'm really enjoying
wearing them.

I'd like to get to the other
side of that little hurdle.

Cass: I hope being naked's
not a huge issue with her.

I'm used to being around, like,
guys being naked in the army,

Not chicks.

Shannon: here goes.

The full nudity element,

That's gonna be one of my
biggest challenges out here.

Going in naked,
both to the elements

And to the world
is unprecedented in my life.

Hello.
Hey. How's it going?

Random naked person.
Yeah, I know.

Shannon.
I'm cassidy.

Nice to meet you.
Just call me cass.

Yeah, I didn't see any other
naked women around,

So I guess...

You're assuming
I'm your partner?

Yeah,
I think you're my partner.

I think that's a safe bet.

Cass: first impression, shannon
seems very skinny and thin.

I know what it's like
to be hungry

And go a long time without food.

I hope she has
what it takes to do it.

Narrator: shannon and cass
have each chosen

One essential survival item.

Oh, I'm so excited.

I have my really, really
heavy-duty survival knife.

Hell yeah.

I brought
a magnesium fire starter.

Oh, thank goodness.

It's been so wet.
That is the most useful thing.

In addition, they've been given
personal diary cameras

To document
their own point of view.

My partner
for the next three weeks.

A small crew will capture
the 21-day journey

With clear instruction
not to intervene

Unless there is
a medical emergency.

And we also have our map.

This must be
where we are now.

The map shows
that cass and shannon

Have been dropped off in an area
of wide open savannah

Near southeast belize.

If they trek three miles north
through the flooded jungle,

They'll seek out a safe,
dry location

To set up their base camp.

If they make it to day 21
of their survival challenge,

The only way
to get to their extraction point

Will be a dangerous journey
through an ancient cave system,

Home to bats, snakes,
and lethal drop-offs,

To arrive at a clearing

Where they'll be rescued
by a helicopter.

Let's go find some shade.
That's right.

Continue on our awkward
nakedness

In the middle
of a foreign jungle.

Careful. That's spiky.
Watch your feet.

I'm a mom.
That's my main gig.

How many kids you got?
Two.

Yeah, I have four.

Oh, my goodness.

Yeah,
three boys and a girl.

It's never quiet in my house.
No.

So you get to come out here
and get some peace and quiet.

Yeah,
this is a vacation.

So, cass,
what do you do back home?

If you weren't naked,
what would you do?

I was
a professional soldier.

I was regular army.

Nice.

I'm a health coach
and yoga person.

Oh.

Shannon: cass and I are
really different people

From really different
walks of life.

And so, the most important thing
to do is find our common ground

Because I know that he is

The number-one most important
tool that I have

To survive this experience.

Narrator: as part
of their selection process,

Cass and shannon have undergone
rigorous physical

And psychological testing.

Their overall
survival assessment

Has been evaluated by experts
according to three categories --

Skill, experience,
and mental toughness.

Cass' military background

Has prepared him mentally
and physically.

But his lack
of primitive survival skills

Counts against him.

Shannon has extensive experience

With primitive
survival situations

And her skill with plants
gives her a high score.

But her lack of physical
strength may hurt her.

Shannon and cass
have each been given

An overall primitive survival
rating or psr.

Cass scores an overall psr
of 7.2 and shannon 6.9.

Our experts will reevaluate
their psr

At the end of their 21-day
challenge if all goes well.

Man,
it sucks being barefoot.

Shannon: yes.
We are a little exposed.

Ouch.

Cass and shannon began
their 21-day journey

On the first dry day
in more than a week.

Rainstorms that have flooded
the lowlands

Have forced many insects,
snakes, and deadly predators

To higher dry ground.

Shannon and cass
will have to do the same.

Watch out for the ants.

Oh, my god,
I hate this swamp.

Cass: my idea is to focus
on some pretty good shelter

And, of course, fire.

Are you thinking, like,
cave or what?

I'm a little leery
of too big of a cave

Because, you know,
other things want it

And it's been so wet.

Everything's displaced.
Yeah.

What?
Ow!

I feel like every step
I'm taking there's spikes.

Be careful.

Watch that thing
underneath that log.

I've been bit by snakes.

Oh, my goodness.
Yeah.

Not a big fan of snakes.

I want to take
some of that.

What is it?

I think it's agave.

I can make all kinds
of stuff out of it.

These are sharp as hell.

Yeah, they are.

What can we use it for?

We can use it to make rope
and string and lashings.

Oh, good cordage and stuff?
Yeah.

Cass:
biggest thing that I've learned
when it comes to survival --

It's about risk versus reward.

How many calories am I gonna
burn to get whatever it may be.

Oh *bleep*

I don't think it's worth it.
Let's find one that's closer.

I'm just afraid -- this is
the first one I've seen.

Oh.

Three weeks is a long time.

I don't know how
our personalities will clash.

Sometimes you have to put
your stuff aside

To get the mission accomplished.

I figure we get where we're
going, you know what I mean?

Yeah, I'm willing to say
that's good.

She's the total x factor
in this,

And if we don't get along
then it's gonna be horrible

Just the two of us together,
alone for three weeks.

We're running out of light.

Do have to get
to some type of shelter.

Yeah.

I'm at the mall right now

Carrying all your stuff
you're buying.

I always wanted a man there
to do the heavy lifting,

Army boy.

What do you think?

I mean, we could do up
or we could keep going...

Look at the limestone.

There's got to be a cave
around here.

We're right up against
the face.

Holy smokes, man.
Totally!

My god! That is badass.

Well,
should we explore it?

Let's go check it out.

Dude,
are you kidding me?

I was thinking it was like
this big open mouth.

Oh, my god.
Yeah, it's dark.

I didn't realize it was like
this cave system.

It goes deep, too.
Yeah, it is.

Oh, man.

Something's in there.
Yeah, it is.

No.

That scrambling we heard must
have been him moving back.

Yeah.
Or he's got a secondary exit.

Right.
Most animals do.

Cass: yeah.
Oh *bleep*

A bat just flew
at my face.

Narrator: the cave that shannon
and cass have discovered

Is part of a labyrinth of
prehistoric limestone caverns.

Over millennia,
the unique geology of belize

Has produced one of the largest
limestone cave systems

In the world.

These mysterious wonders
are overrun with rabid bats,

Reptiles, and scorpion spiders.

Once thought to be the home
of a mythical underworld,

The ancient mayans explored
this tangled network

Of ragged rock and sinkholes
thousands of years ago,

Leaving behind
the skeletal remains

Of those who ventured in
but never came out.

Cass:
so, what do you think?

We got shelter.
Shannon: I think so, too.

Shannon: I'm not sure how warm
we're gonna be,

But we're in a place
that's dry.

We're gonna work on
getting the fire started.

Cass: everything around here
is wet.

I just need one little piece
to catch.

That's all I need.

Oh, son of a g*n.

I had it.

Our first night,
the unknown is a little scary.

Fire will keep the bugs,
animals, and wildlife away.

That's my hope.

Yeah, baby.

Prime.

It's great to have fire.

Now we got to
keep this sucker fed.

I'm a little worried this is
gonna be a tricky thing

Keeping this going.

Shannon:
so, we have fire now

And we have
a nice little sheltered area.

But I think it's gonna be
a hard night.

We set up our camp
on the edge of the cave

Because we just don't know
what's in there.

We don't know
what to expect from it.

Something's in there.
Yeah, it is.

*Bleep* is that?

Oh, man.

Cass:
something's over there.

Sounded big, too.

Shannon:

*Bleep* is that?

Oh, man.
It wasn't a snake.

Other than there, we don't have
light to find out what it is.

It's pretty scary.

We're gonna be up all night
making sure this fire's good.

Narrator: shannon and cass began
their 21-day survival challenge

On the hot and humid savannah
of northeastern belize.

After an exhausting three-mile
trek through the flooded jungle,

They made their way
to higher ground

And discovered an ancient
limestone cave system.

Realizing they were not alone,

They endured a sleepless and
painful first night in the wild.

Ticks in my freaking eyeball lid
right here.

So annoying.

They bite hard, too.

Last night was the worst night.

Neither of us got
any real sleep.

Lot of weird noises
from the jungle.

We heard, like, something larger
than, like, a small rodent.

And there's these small ticks
that just ate me alive.

Shannon: did you feel like it
on the under?

No, inside.

Like in here, this area.

Like, it's, like, pinches.

He's in the lid.
Like right in the eyelashes.

I felt two of them and they hurt
when they bit.

They like crevasse-y parts
of the body.

*Bleep*

*Bleep*

Damn these
*bleep* things.

I don't even want to entertain
where I have bugs and ticks.

There's too many.

But the one's trying to get
in my pee hole, I got those.

Narrator: cass and shannon
have now gone over 24 hours

Without a single drop of water.

And with temperatures rising,
dehydration is setting in.

Shannon: there are
three different kinds
of vines in belize

That they call water vines
that you can drink from.

It's not
a long-term solution,

But it might be
a short-term solution

To our dehydration today.

That's hard.

You getting any?

Little bit.

Probably not worth it.

This is
a little frustrating

Because I'm
seriously dehydrated.

And a few drips is not gonna
account for that.

I really need to drink
about a gallon of water

To get my equilibrium back.

Cass:

That was worthless.

You have to cut so many

And you burn so much energy
cutting them.

We're definitely overheated
and dehydrated today.

It's been very hot, and we can't
go days without water.

I'm just thinking about what is
the most immediate option.

I was seriously thinking about
just suck up water off leaves.

I don't really want to drink
this calcium stuff in the cave.

Yeah.

Shannon:
there's water that flows down
from the roof of the cave.

It flows through the rock.

But we know that it has calcium
and other minerals in it,

Which could cause, you know,
kidney stones.

We don't know how long
the water was underground,

If it's fully purified.

It's a bit of a risk.

But without water,
you're getting close

To really all your systems
shutting down.

Narrator:
after almost 30 hours,

Having failed to find
an adequate source of fluids,

Cass and shannon
face a difficult decision.

We need water.
Okay.

We have no choice.

Once we get water
in our system,

We'll feel, like,
100% better.

Yeah, we will.

Sometimes
you got to take a risk.

It's about surviving.

Two days from now,

I might be
really horribly sick.

But it's a risk I have to take.

All right.
That'll get me through.

We've been drinking the water
for days now.

So far,
haven't had any issues.

Urine's been regular,
everything's going good.

And I'm not dehydrated,
which is huge.

Being dehydrated
was horrible.

Yeah.

Just living off of water
and not getting anything else,

No protein, fats, sugars,
nothing,

Our energy's, like,
dropping real fast.

We really need food.

There isn't anything
in this freaking swamp.

Narrator: as cass and shannon
return to the jungle,

They are competing with
the region's apex predators

Who are equally in need of food

Since the recent flooding
forced them to higher ground.

That's loud.

Up in that tree.
See it?

Howler money.

Oh, I'd love to get
one of those.

I feel a little out of breath
and faint.

Why don't we
take a break?

It's not gonna get better
until I eat food,

So I'd rather just move forward
with the food plan.

Let's keep our eyes open.

Shannon: at this point, I have
that painful hunger feeling

Like where your stomach
is clenching

And you're desperate for food.

*Bleep* is that?

*Bleep* hey.

It's a paca.
It's huge.

Shannon: what was it?

It's huge.
It's like a fat groundhog.

Really?
Like we could eat a lot?

That sounds awesome.

Narrator: the paca,
known as the queen's rat,

Is one of the largest rodents
in the world

And can weigh over 30 pounds.

High in calories,
paca meat was once so prized

That according to
ancient legend,

Only mayan kings could raise
and eat them.

Oh, man.

I think we should set traps.
Okay.

Seeing the paca and know it's,
like, a tangible thing,

All I want to do
is really get eyes

On where it possibly
might have been.

Think like the size
of a flattened basketball.

It's big.

I'm gonna eat the *bleep* thing.

Shannon: this is the most basic
trap design.

It exists in almost every
indigenous culture.

It's called a figure four.

It's a deadfall trap.

So, you take three pieces
of wood.

Essentially arrange them
in the shape of a four.

And then you put a big rock.

And then when an animal comes up
and nibbles on it,

It pushes and the rock falls,
hopefully,

And crushes it
into our next food source.

Cass: this one's intact,
but they got the bait.

So the figure four
didn't catch.

They got the bait though.

I've been hearing
tons of activity at night,

But it's hard getting these
things with deadfall traps.

They're not stupid.

I'll tell you.

Hunting primitive
for certain animals,

It's like really,
really difficult.

I stalk and go out
every morning.

I just haven't had any luck
with any sizeable protein.

Hey, I see a snake.

Holy *bleep*

Narrator: cass has encountered
the yellow-jawed tommygoff,

The most dangerous snake
in south america.

Extremely aggressive,

Its venomous bite
inflicts unbearable pain.

The hematoxic venom causes
massive internal bleeding

And rots flesh.

Without treatment,
death can follow in 72 hours.

Cass: yeah, I see you.

I want this snake bad
but I'm still cautious.

I don't know
all the snakes here.

I don't want to get bit
by the wrong snake.

How's it going, man?

What's wrong?

Almost had a snake.

Tried to pin him.
He was under underbrush.

He was owning that land,
not me.

I thought there'd be one
viable food source.

I did, too.
Just one.

I know. It's just --
the thing that alarms me

Is just the length of time
we still have out here.

I thought by the time
we had been here a week,

We would have
locked something in.

I thought that, too.

Pretty pissed off.

There's just nothing easy
about the food in this area.

Everything's out of my reach.

It's too fast or too high.

I'm letting food
get through my fingers, too,

So I'm a little aggravated
about that.

It'd be so good
to k*ll a monkey.

It'd be a lot of meat.

That thing's
up *bleep* high.

Stupid *bleep* animals.
*Bleep* food.

Aah!

*Bleep*

Aah!
Aah! *Bleep*

Ah, it'd be so good
to k*ll a monkey.

It'd be a lot of meat.

Just he's up *bleep* high.

Aah!

*Bleep* aah.

Aah! *Bleep*

You sons of g*ns.

Shannon:
monkeys are aiming, man.

Look how high he is.

It's not easy
to get food out here.

People see the jungle on tv.

There's just food everywhere
and there's bananas and --

It's not like that, all right?

This is *bleep*

Now I'm starting to feel weak.

I'm out of breath
just if I stand up.

So my body's starting to react
to the fatigue.

Really amazing to me
how much trouble I'm having.

I'm a runner. I do yoga.
I'm pretty fit.

And I know that it's
because I'm not eating.

Oh, I'm tired.

I just feel like I'm running low
now on ideas.

Oh, my god.

Of course
it's *bleep* rain.

I don't know
how it's gonna be tonight.

Shannon: it's cold, man.
It is cold.

We're outside. The wood's wet.
It sucks.

We're gonna be up all night
making sure this fire's good.

If we lose that fire,
we're *bleep*

I know.

It's like the only hope
we really have in this place.

Narrator: it has now been over
a week in the jungles of belize

Since cass and shannon
have had anything to eat.

The rainstorm shows no signs
of letting up.

Their chances of finding
any food look very slim.

Going out in rain
like this

Naked and fully exposed
is just...

No, I feel cold.

You get cold, yeah.

So, I'm not sure
what to do.

With temperatures dropping

And not enough calories
to fight off the cold,

Cass and shannon run the risk
of developing hypothermia,

A dangerous decrease
in core body heat

That can lead
to mental confusion

And even cause vital organs
to shut down.

Cass:
this fire's been so difficult.

Wood's very wet now.

This is the dry stuff
you can find.

I'm burning a lot of calories.

It's worth it.

It keeps her from being cold,

Keeps the animals,
bugs off us a little bit.

I'm more mindful
of shannon's status than me.

Coming into this,
I just had so much more weight.

You know, I'm doing more
of the heavy lifting.

I will stay up late
and tend the fire.

I know shannon's
not getting food.

In a way, I feel kind of bad
about that, you know?

'Cause I want to hunt
and k*ll things,

But the trail's real wet
and slippery.

There's very limited gains.

I'm just keeping an eye on her.

Let's get some heat
on you.

I got a feeling this is how it's
gonna be until we're done.

I know you're hungry.

I am. I just want
the rain to break.

Narrator: after four days
of unrelenting rain,

Cass and shannon
are so desperate for food,

They decide to scavenge
the depths

Of the ancient mayan cave
they've been using as a shelter.

Cass:
one thing we haven't really done

Is in detail explore the caves.

We hear animal sounds.

Who knows what we're gonna find
in these caves.

There's a lot of big animals
in this area.

That print's the size
of a kid's hand. It's huge.

Yeah, they're everywhere.

Shannon: we're pretty desperate
to get some meat.

Let's do this.

We need something.

You going this way?
Yeah.

Not ready.

Whoa.

Do you see anything yet?

Hmm?

This is dark as *bleep*

It is hard to see.

Do you see anything?

There's some pottery shards

Just inside
the mouth of the cave.

Damn, I just wish there was
some *bleep* food.

We don't want
to scare those out.

This is crazy in here,
you know?

It's very narrow.

We can't get through.

This is
a *bleep* labyrinth.

Left or right?

It's hard to say.
It's so disorienting in here.

Um...

Right looks
a little bit easier.

Ow! *Bleep*
be careful.

There's a huge
*bleep* cliff.

I don't like this.

Oh *bleep*

Ow *bleep*

Oh *bleep* bats.

Ow! *Bleep*

b*stards.

Aah!

We need to get out of here.

Oh *bleep*

Ow. Bats.

Narrator: on day 11,
cass and shannon decided

To brave the dangerous
belizian cave system...

Aah!

Cass:
we need to get out of here.

...but failed
in their search for food.

Whew.

Man,
that was so draining.

10 Days from now,
they'll need to find their way

Through the very same caves
to their extraction point.

Just rip our hearts out
of our chests, why don't you?

I hate that cave.

Cass: exploring the caves
was a huge eye-opener for me.

The last day, that cave,

It's gonna be hard
and harsh and hostile.

And I worry about
our getting to the end of this.

We just don't really have
anything left.

In the military,
you always save a little.

If we don't hunker down soon
or figure something out,

Then we're not gonna have enough
energy to walk out of here.

*Bleep*

I'm dead,
just so you know.

I'm done.
I could tell.

I could barely get up this
*bleep* rock walkway thingy.

Mm.
I smashed my foot.

Like, I'm making mistakes.
I'm just tired.

Shannon: cass isn't
doing that well overall.

These *bleep* vines are...

His mood's not the same

And he really is
lagging in energy.

I'm not going on any stupid
treks for nothing.

I'm *bleep* done.

From the beginning, he kept
saying, "I have more reserve."

Well, I think he's
burned through it.

All right.

I'm gonna go try to k*ll
something big and giant

For us to eat.
You got it.

He's definitely sacrificed a lot

To help me move through this
on a physical level.

I need to get myself together
for him.

Ouch.

My concern from the beginning

Was, "do I have
the physical fortitude

To do this for 21 days?"

The thing that really
keeps me going,

I have two main motivations --
my two kids.

I want to have an experience

That I could be proud
of sharing with them.

Is there a snail right there
on that round...?

Yeah.

Look at this.

Did some thinking
about why I'm doing this

And why it matters that we get
food to get through it

And really put it out there
to the universe

To give us what we need
so that we can do our 21 days.

Want one?
No.

What do you mean, no?

That's just way too small.

You need it
a lot more than me.

Well, it's just clear to me
that you're suffering.

I'm just tired.
I'm exhausted.

Well, that is suffering.

I really think
you should eat it.

I don't want to eat it,
shannon. Seriously.

I think there's a part of him

That has kind of surrendered to
the suffering of this experience

And is willing
to just wait it out now.

I want him to make it
to the end with me.

We have to have food
between now and then

Or we're not gonna be able
to make it to the end

And we're not gonna be able
to make it to the extraction.

It is day 16.

I do not feel well.

Um...

You know, just getting weaker
and weaker.

Oh, and of course I'm having
trouble breathing.

Narrator: in a desperate attempt
to conserve energy,

Cass hunkers down and rests.

It now falls to shannon
to look after both of them.

In her weakened state, shannon
sets to gathering firewood

And scrambling for whatever food
she can find,

Taking shannon close
to her breaking point.

Shannon:

A couple times I've had
little declines out here.

I'm having one today.

This is the roughest.

Lack of energy and sleep...

It all compounds to this,
to the end.

I don't have the energy
to do a lot.

Me neither.
I'm not gonna *bleep* you.

I don't either.

Yeah.

These are gonna be the worst,
hardest days

Physically and mentally
on us.

We have to try
and try through it.

Shannon. Shannon.

Look. Look.

Hey, I feel *bleep*
there's no food.

I know, but you're getting
weaker, too, and I don't want --

Yeah, but you picked up
the slack for me.

I wasn't feeling great.
I'm feeling good.

We've been carrying each other
and helping each other out.

Cass: I'm very concerned
about shannon.

She burned herself out.

It's very scary.

I don't want to finish this
by myself.

I don't want her...

Not to make it
and not be there by my side.

Oh *bleep*
are you okay?

Yeah.

Did you get --
are you okay?

Yeah,
just got lightheaded.

Time for just sitting
by the fire is over.

I need to still try
and search for food

And whatever I can get
will get us through to the end.

That's my hope.

*Bleep*

Aah! *Bleep*

I'm doing stuff
to make sure she's okay

'Cause she's my partner.

That's what sometimes
you have to do, you know?

I have her back.

It's just hard.
I'm so *bleep* weak.

It's like, ugh.

This is probably the last trek
I got in me.

This is it.
This is all or nothing.

I keep thinking that I'm gonna
turn a corner

And there will be a --
ooh, what's that?

Holy *bleep*

Shannon:
I just hate the jungle.

Cass: I do, too.

Narrator: shannon and cass
are two and a half weeks

Into their 21-day
survival challenge

In the hot and swampy jungle
of belize.

Before they began,
they were both given

A primitive survival rating
or psr.

Early on, shannon underestimated
the physical demands

Of surviving
this unforgiving environment,

Lowering her psr.

Cass' psr has also been reduced

Because of his failures
to provide food

That he and his partner
desperately need.

With four days left
until their extraction,

They still have time
to improve their ratings.

Oh, my god.

All right, let's see if we can
just pop you off.

Cass: this is probably
the last trek I got in me.

Narrator: with his strength
and stamina declining rapidly,

Cass has once again ventured out
in search of protein.

His and shannon's chances
for completing

Their 21-day survival challenge
rest on a knife edge

With this last-ditch effort
to find food.

Cass: I'm not gonna have
enough energy probably

To do too much more after this.

I'm so weak, it's like, ugh.

Oh, man.

I keep thinking
that I'm gonna turn a corner

And there will be a --
oh, what's that?

Oh, my god.
It's a boa.

Holy *bleep*

I want to try and pinch him off.

I need the food so bad.

But I don't really have
a ton of energy.

A boa will wrap up
and can actually k*ll you.

Are you kidding me?

I do not want to get bit
by this thing.

*Bleep*

That's a strong-a*s snake.

Want to fight me *bleep*

Get the *bleep*

There. Now he's dead.

Oh, my god.

This is gonna be great
for shannon.

She's gonna love it.

That's amazing.

Oh, man. We're lucky.

Oh, let's get back.

Shannon's got a snake
to cook up.

All right.

So, good news is...

Oh, my god.
Holy *bleep*

You did not.

It's a belize jungle worm.

You did it.
I'm so excited.

Me too. Thank you.

Shannon:
cass getting that boa today

Makes a world of different
to us.

We were both literally starving.

Our bodies
are eating themselves.

Cass: I've been starving
just like she has been.

Just I'm pretty good
at hiding it.

I wanted to make sure
she was good to go.

And it probably tastes better
than anything I've eaten

For a long, long time.

I'm, like, literally, like,
tearing up right now

I'm so happy.

It's ridiculous.
Just eat.

Oh, my god.

What?

I just want to like, hug you
and kiss you right now.

I'm so happy.

I'm totally gonna hug you.

Oh, my god.
You're my hero.

Shannon: having something so
substantial and so satisfying

When you're starving --
nothing is better than that.

Nothing.

We really needed this.
We needed it bad.

Hopefully this gives me and cass

Enough to get through
to the end.

All right.
So, let's get our stuff, okay?

Cass: it's our last day.

We are getting ready to leave

To go through the cave
towards our extraction point.

All right.

I'm ready
to get the hell out of here.

Yeah.

Narrator: cass and shannon
will now have to find their way

Through the labyrinth
of treacherous limestone caves

To get to their rescue
helicopter.

Shannon:
the biggest concern we have,

It was really trippy when we
were in the cave the other day.

There are lots of bats

And there are places
where the rocks drop off.

We could fall
or bad things could happen.

sh**t.
I'm out of breath.

We don't know how far we have to
go to get to the other side.

But if I'm struggling,
he'll help me.

And if he's struggling,
I'll help him.

That's been the way
that we've gone.

Cass: I'll never go
in a cave like this.

This is where we got
scratched up, remember?

Which way?

Oh *bleep*

Watch your step.

This cave's insane.

Ow. *Bleep*

Oh *bleep*
are you okay?

Yeah.

It's slippery.

Here's that drop-off.

Oh, my god.
Look over there.

It's safer.
Here?

Ooh. *Bleep*

Oh, I banged my camera
and it went off.

Where are you?

I'm telling you
there's literally no light.

To the left.

Oh, my god.

Here, let's stick close
together, cass.

Narrator: with shannon's
diary cam broken,

They'll now have to rely
on the infrared light

From cass' camera to find
their way out of the darkness.

Be careful.

You got to step up
and you have a low ceiling.

Okay.

Oh, this is deep.

I don't like this.

Nice and easy.

Feel with your stick.

Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.

I see light.

Look at this!

I didn't know
if I had it in me.

It's *bleep* thick.

Disturbs me.
*Bleep*

I just don't really see
anything real clear.

Narrator: cass and shannon
have made it out of the caves

Only to face a steep
uphill climb

Through the unforgiving jungle.

Shannon:
this is above t*rture.

Oh *bleep*

*Bleep*

Shannon: I feel like I really
don't have any reserves left.

Overwhelming fatigue
and just general misery.

Ah *bleep*

We have a little bit
of an opening area.

Oh, my god.

Feel that.

Oh the sun feels so good.
Oh, my god.

Come on.
We're *bleep* done.

All right.
Let's look for our bird.

Whoo! Hey!
Over here!

Hey!

Come on!

Man: there they are.
I see them.

Get us out of here!

How cool is that, huh?

Oh, my god.

Ready to do this?
We finally made it.

Shannon: the thing that we just
accomplished is so huge.

Knowing that the other side
of that accomplishment

Is our families,
our friends, food.

I mean, it's a huge relief.

You ready? We're done.

I would say the ultimate
high point for me

Was getting to know cass.

He was far more motivated
by my needs

Than he ever was his own.

I think we formed a relationship

That is probably going to
stay with us.

Nothing compares to how grueling
or hard this was.

We relied on each other a ton,

Which is what you do
with your partner,

And it turned out to be
a great winning team.

Ready for this?

It's changed me
in a lot of ways.

It probably changed me in a lot
of ways I don't even know yet.

But all for the good and better.

Shannon: this experience
was by far the deepest

And the most profound wilderness
experience I have had.

Whoo!

And it was a great gift
to be able

To weather the challenge
and come through the other side.

Narrator: after 21 days
in the jungle of belize,

Shannon and cass have endured
mental and physical hardships

That have changed them both
forever.

Shannon lost a total
of 20 pounds and cass, 21.

Experts reassessed
each survivalist's psr

Based on how they performed

In this most unforgiving
of environments.

Cass' stubbornness while holding
out for bigger game to eat

Almost jeopardized
his survival chances.

But he demonstrated a high level
of physical and mental fortitude

When his partner needed it most.

Early on, shannon miscalculated

The difficulty
of this challenge,

But her support for her partner
enabled them as a team

To successfully complete their
grueling 21 days in the jungle.

This brings cass' psr
up to a 7.4

And shannon improves to a 7.1,

Proving they both have
what it takes

To survive naked and afraid.

Cass: the jungle's no joke.
It will eat you up and spit
you out. That's for sure.