03x10 - Nicaragua Nightmare

[bunniefuu]

[ cicadas chirping ]

[ groans ]

[ sighs ]

[ groans, retches ]

amanda: Man, I'm really
worried about you, josh.

[ walkie-talkie beeps ]

over by his tree.

[ retches ]

narrator: In the world's
harshest environments,

two experienced survivalists

put their skills to
the ultimate test

without food, water, or clothes.

[ cries ] [ grunting ]

now in the swampy jungles
of southern nicaragua,

two strangers have
to work together

to survive for 21 days...

Joshua: This is life or death.

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

my two phobias are
latex balloons and spiders.

I absolutely hate spiders,

and there are a ton of them
out here that are everywhere.

My name's amanda lee,

and I grew up running around
barefoot in the hills of texas,

building different
sorts of shelters

and different ways to start
fire and hunting snakes,

and that's how
we'd get our dinner.

I'm sort of emotionless
about meeting my partner.

It's -- I don't know -- a
natural defense I have

going into situations
I know I can't control

or that I don't know
anything about.

I make no apologies about
liking animals more than humans

'cause, quite frankly, they're
more loyal and easier to trust.

Joshua: Mother nature's
gonna be my b*tch.

I am the apex predator.
It's all mind over matter.

Anything she throws
at me, I'll push past it.

My name is joshua.

I'm a gunsmith from
roxboro, north carolina.

I am the total
stereotypical redneck.

[ g*nsh*t ]

a real redneck ain't
afraid to get dirty,

ain't afraid of hard work,

and we'll make chicken
salad out of chicken [bleep]

I grew up on a tobacco
farm in north carolina,

so tobacco industry is
a big part of my heritage.

I've been struggling to
kick this habit for years,

and I think this
21 days right here

will definitely aid in
that, so last cigarette.

No more ever again.

All right. No turning back now.

Growing up, I was always

this fiery, determined
ball of energy,

and then being stepped
on so many times,

I lost that confidence.

I wanted to do this
to prove to myself

that I've still got some
of that ornery spirit to me

and see if I can overcome
that 'cause, if I can,

it just makes me feel like
that much stronger of a woman.

All right, let's light
this firecracker.

Being a redneck, it
ain't nothing for me,

ain't nothing but
another day on the farm.

Except for this farm's
a hell of a lot bigger

and a hell of a lot
more dangerous.

Hi. Hi.

How are you?

If I was any
better, I'd be naked.

Oh, wait.

[ laughs ] I love it already.

Yeah. I'm amanda.

I'm joshua. Joshua.

Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.

See you've got the
same outfit as me.

Oh, yeah, I mean, god, I
hate it when people match.

Dang it.

And it took me five hours
to pick this one out, too.

Really? I threw it
on in 30 seconds.

'course. Men.

Exactly.

Immediately, we
were able to have

kind of that banter
back and forth

and sort play off
each other's sarcasm,

so I think that's gonna work
extremely well in our favor.

Let's see what we got here.

All right, well...

Narrator: Like many
survivalists before her,

amanda has elected to
bring along a machete.

Oh, nice.

What'd you bring?

While josh has opted for a
more unconventional tool.

Duct tape.

[ laughs ] awesome. Awesome.

My dad always says, "if
you can't duct it, [bleep]"

this is a redneck's multi-tool.

We are going to be clothed.
We are going to be shoed.

I love the color
you chose. I know.

Maybe I can get
joshua to make me

some sort of a
duct-tape bikini bottom.

In addition to their tools, josh
and amanda were each given

a primitive survival
rating, or psr,

as determined by a panel
of experts in primitive survival

and special forces training.

While unorthodox,

josh possesses a solid
level of basic wilderness skills.

But the fact that he is a smoker

brings his physical
stamina into question

and lowers his score to a 6.1.

Amanda's limited
experience in the outdoors

makes her an
intermediate-level survivalist.

But her tendency
to act as a loner

could interfere with her
ability to work with a partner.

She scores a psr of 5.8.

If they're able to make it
to the end of the 21 days,

their psrs will be reevaluated.

[ sighs ]

the one thing that's a
little disturbing to me,

almost unnerving, right
now is the lack of wildlife.

I've seen some insects, but...

It's all gonna
come alive at night.

It's almost like they're
in hiding from something.

I don't know if we're
scaring them off

or something else out there.

Ooh, let's see.

What's you seeing, josh?

Uh...I've seen tracks
similar to that in florida

where the american
alligator lives.

Okay.

Well, we do have
some caiman out here.

Josh and amanda
have been inserted

along the southern
border of nicaragua

on the shore of
the san juan river.

Here, one of the
largest populations

of fresh-water caiman
in central america

will force them to move inland
through the thick rainforest

in search of drier
ground for a camp spot.

But the jungle is home

to aggressively territorial
spider and howler monkeys

and over 150,000
species of teeming insects,

deadly spiders, and
highly venomous snakes.

I think I see a little bit
of a clearing up ahead.

I hate to almost do it,
but we're losing light fast.

We're gonna have to set
up a temporary shelter.

Clouds have been
moving in and out, as well.

We're only losing
daylight, so if this is it,

let's get started building.

I think I set my machete
down over there.

Oh, you did? Hey,
I'll tell you what.

That's kind of hard to
see in natural colors.

This is rather bright.

Let's wrap a wrap
around the handle.

Make it noticeable.

Yeah, in case we lose it.

Definitely don't want
to lose the machete.

Make it purdy.

I'm super excited.

It seems like we both have
the same sense of humor.

I'm kind of the duct tape queen,

so this is gonna be interesting.

How do you like this height?

You're the michelangelo
here. You're the architect.

Then I'll cut another one,

and we can put it on
the other side of this.

It makes it a little bit wider.

The trunk will be
part of the bed,

if you're okay with that.

Whatever, man.

So, this is a good length.

It's splitting.

Amanda: Pull it towards you.

Yeah. Yep.

There you go. [ groans ]

good grief.

It's a brand-new machete.

Has a factory edge on
it, which dulled quickly.

So I'm having to
exert more force

to do the same amount of work.

This [bleep] sucks.

Amanda: Wow, that's solid.

I'm not a big cuddler.

I love my personal bubble.

So I'm nervous about tonight.

I'm not gonna be
snuggling up on someone,

just for the comfort
of physical touch.

Narrator: While amanda
reinforces the shelter,

joshua fashions a
cup from duct tape

so they can turn their attention
to the next necessity -- water.

Hey, I found some mud
down here, pure mud.

Whoo! Water.

It's very, very small trickle.

The water gathered
in these stagnant pools

has most likely
been contaminated

by nearby plant life,
mosquitoes, and animal feces

that can cause typhoid
and other deadly diseases.

This area's like
really, really wet.

I think we might be able
to find some water in here.

Because of the presence
of carbon in the dirt,

digging a small seep well

will filter out many
potential contaminants

as the water slowly trickles
from the sides and below.

We're wasting a
lot of energy for this

if it doesn't turn out.

Look, look.

It's starting to fill in.

Yeah.

Like, it's just
flowing in on its own.

Hey, we can make, like, a
little pallet out of duct tape

to cover it.

Nice.

That's great.

I'm surprised.

I didn't think it was
gonna taste near that good.

It's a make-or-break for us.

If there's water in the
morning, we're gonna be okay.

If there's not, there
is no plan "b" yet.

Right now about to make
my partner a brassiere

out of duct tape
and possibly vine.

I don't know yet.

I feel it's a good
gesture of community

to kind of help her cover up.

I'm a modest girl.

I don't really care to have
everything out on display,

so I'm very grateful that
he put that together for me.

And tomorrow, we'll get you
some matching underwear.

That would be great.

I've already had
quite a few things

interested in the accessories
I have down there.

These things are
all over my back.

It's a little bit too dark to be
traveling to our water hole.

Yeah.

We've got a bed, we've got
some fresh drinking water,

and that's crucial to survival.

I'm really, really
worried about fire.

There is not a lot of dry
wood to work with out here.

That's a priority
task for tomorrow.

So, our shelter is
listing. It's listing terribly.

I keep sliding towards you.

Okay.

We can switch
positions, if you'd prefer.

No, 'cause then you'll
end up sliding into me.

Okay.

I'm trying to
maintain a healthy --

[ crash ] [ gasps ]

[bleep] ow!

Joshua: I can't lay down.

You're good. Stay
there. I'm sitting.

I'm not getting
comfortable at all.

We can switch
positions, if you'd prefer.

No, 'cause then you'll
end up sliding into me.

[ crash ] [ gasps ]

[bleep]

ow!

Oh, my gosh.

Amanda: I did a
piss-poor job on that bed.

Well, our bed is toast.

Yep.

It was freezing cold last night,

so I first and foremost
want to get a fire started

and get working on that so
that we're not having to rely

on body heat to
actually stay warm.

Joshua: I'll keep you swatted.

I'm getting eaten
alive by horse flies.

Josh was trying to bat them
away as I'm working at it.

But we're still
not getting fire.

We're still
struggling with that.

Have you ever started
a fire like this before?

Not this way.

Nor have I.

Yeah, that's super wet. Damn it.

Joshua: Time to hydrate or die.

I really hope there's
water in our well.

Amanda: For sure.

I see our tape.

Kind of a pivotal moment here.

Joshua: Since we don't
have fire to boil our water,

this well is really important.

Okay.

Ready?

No. I'm scared.

It's a do-or-die moment.

Oh, my god.

Wow. Look at that.

There is a ton.

Yes, I have our
chalice, my lady.

Ladies first.

Thank you.

It shouldn't be quite as
gritty as it was last night.

Amanda: We got
clean drinking water,

which I was surprised
at how tasty it was.

I expected nasty stuff.

That is a wonderful,
wonderful find.

[ animal growls ]

what the [bleep] is that?

Spider monkey.

There's a couple of them.

Right there.

If it pooped, it --

[ trickling ]

that's awesome.

If it pissed like it just
did, it would rain on us.

It's throwing stuff
and laughing at us.

[bleep]

joshua: Those monkeys
are hurling nuts at us.

They were looking for
us, hearing our voices,

and just chunking
these things at us.

I mean, they're 60, 70 feet up,
and they can throw pretty well.

They were hitting the
ground with some velocity.

We decided to get out of here
and not linger too much longer.

We seem to be interrupting
their breakfast time.

They're none too
happy about that.

No.

Narrator: With just
four hours of daylight left

and nighttime
temperatures in the low 60s,

amanda and joshua
turn their attention

to the redesign of their shelter
and finding ways to stay warm.

So, I'm just using
the support posts

for our new shelter,

and I'm just going
down, doing straight strips

in an effort to make a blanket

for us to have some
warmth tonight.

I'm gonna put tape going
across back the other way

when I get it done, so that
way, both sides are teal.

And when it gets cold
in the middle of the night,

we can have a nice,
insulated blanket.

This actually looks
really frickin' good.

Yeah.

I've got a little bit of
withdrawal symptoms

since I've had
my last cigarette.

They're gonna possibly
make me a little cranky,

but I should be
able to control them.

I can't get them to
weave, anything to weave.

Weaving is not my strong suit.

I mean, is that okay with
you -- leaving that side open?

I'll sleep on that side.

Yeah, that's fine. Absolutely.

Narrator: Other common
effects of nicotine withdrawal

include headaches,
anxiety, and nausea.

I'm coming in.

All right.

Oh, my goodness.

You're laying this way?

No, I'm laying the other way.

Oh, I'm excited about
trying to get some sleep

for the first time
since I've been here.

[ rustling ]

[ rusting continues ]

[ bird clucking ]

amanda: I didn't get to
sleep much last night.

I realized he's not respecting
that space boundary

that I need him to respect.

Throughout the night, he
would, like, bump my foot

or bump my elbow or something,

so I'd scoot further away

until I just ended
up at the foot there.

How much sleep
have you gotten lately?

A couple hours. That's it.

You didn't get any last night?

Oh. No, I didn't
get any last night.

Joshua: Can't go without
sleep. I mean, you have to sleep.

Your body needs it.

And it's only gonna
hurt the team.

Joshua: I, like, know every time
I accidentally bumped into you

in the middle of the
night or something,

like, touch your
hand or something,

you, like, freak out.

Uh-huh.

I really think that's not good.

Like, I anticipated coming
into this not sleeping at night,

and then just catching a
few hours during the day.

Amanda: It seems
to be bothering josh

that I have an issue
with needing my bubble,

but I don't think it's weird

that I don't want
some strange guy

that I don't know who's nude,

that I don't want
him touching me.

I think that's a
completely normal feeling.

Well, I'm sorry if you're in

such a difficult
position with this.

Oh, no, no, no.

Wish I could help you out
in some way, but I've tried.

Joshua: Personally, I think
she needs to get a straw,

open it up, and
suck it the [bleep] up.

Narrator: Without
a fire for cooking,

amanda and josh
set out separately

to forage for fruit
and other edibles.

Amanda: When I'm alone,
that's when I'm at my happiest.

I prefer it.

This is a telerooster

it's a little sustenance to
get me through my walk.

Little bit of nutrient,
little bit of moisture.

Joshua: I'm tired.

I've been walking
for almost two hours.

I can definitely feel the
lack of food taking its toll.

It's really shocking how quick
my energy levels just plummeted.

Honestly, right now
I'm running on fumes.

I have nothing left in the tank.

I doubt I could run half a
mile right now in open land

if they promised me a steak
dinner and beer afterwards.

Ow! Ah!

Geez, there's some
spiny-a*s plants in here, too.

♪ I see a banana tree ♪

♪ or plantains ♪

♪ I don't know what
the hell they are ♪

whoo!

Almost got me.

[ exhales deeply ]

I'm gonna have to chop this down

because there's no way I
can carry all that excess weight.

Oh, my god.

Pineapples!

My bag's getting pretty full.

[ breathing heavily ]

food is kicking my a*s.

It's like 85% water
weight, and it's heavy.

All of a sudden,
I'm feeling sick.

I could even puke right now.

[bleep]

[ breathing heavily ]

food is kicking my a*s.

It's like 85% water
weight, and it's heavy.

All of a sudden,
I'm feeling sick.

I could even puke right now.

[bleep]

[ chuckles ]

I'm not a religious man, but
it's come down to the point

where I'm honestly
thinking about praying.

Couldn't hurt, wouldn't
take any energy.

I got no choice now
but to cowboy up.

[ grunts ]

got a ways to go
to the top of the hill.

Come on.

Honey, I'm home.

Amanda: Hola.

What you got?

I got some plantains.

[ chuckles ]

they're not ripe yet.

Holy crap.

So we've got to wait
for a couple of days.

Do you really want to see
the good surprise in my sack?

Yeah.

[ gasps ] you got
to be kidding me.

I am so thrilled to have an
abundant supply of nutrition,

but at the same time,
now we have to worry about

all the animals around
smelling it and wanting it.

I mean, it's plantains
and pineapple.

Who doesn't want that?

[ sighs ] I need to
get something to...

To drink? Let's go. Yeah.

Definitely.

Bringing back all that booty
there was a major high today.

But right now
I'm at a super low.

I'm...Wiped out.

I got to stop drinking so fast.

Make myself sick.

[ retches ]

amanda: Josh, you've
been walking for four hours.

You can't overexert yourself.

We still have -- what?
-- 18 more days left to go.

I just drank my water
too fast, that's all.

I did have a long,
hard hunt this morning.

Amanda: He's a smoker,
and he's quitting coming here,

so it's just not a
good combination

for taking on a
challenge like this,

so he's feeling it now.

It's kind of weird throwing up
and not having any food come up.

[ chuckles ]

y'all done? I'm done.

All right, I'll
cover it back up.

You need more? I'm okay.

[ retching ]

oh, man.

I'm really worried
about you, josh.

Narrator: Josh
continues to vomit

for the remainder of the day.

By nightfall, his
condition hasn't improved.

[ coughs ]

the medics are called in

to assess josh's
worsening condition.

They administer a
shot of promethazine,

a powerful antiemetic, to
try and combat josh's nausea.

[ grunts ]

I just want to go to sleep.

I can feel it acting
on me already.

Narrator: Amanda and josh finally
manage to get some much-needed sleep.

But soon, josh's condition
takes an unexpected turn.

Josh is sleepwalking.

Whoa.

I must have dozed off.

I don't even remember
you getting up.

I don't...Think I did. I
don't remember it, either.

How you feeling?

Really weird.

My mouth is watering so hard

at the thought of this
pineapple right now.

If I wait any longer, I
might drown in drool.

[ chuckles ]

it smells so good right now.

The pineapple only
contains 82 calories per cup.

The minerals, vitamins,
and natural sugars

will provide josh and amanda
with some much-needed nutrients.

That is probably...

The absolute best thing

I have ever eaten in my life.

Damn, that's good.

It's almost like a
cucumber inside.

Kind of.

I'm eating that way too fast.

I need to sit down
before I vomit again.

[ inhales sharply ]

I think I need to visit
the throw-up tree.

[ retches ]

he inhaled that
piece of pineapple.

Whoa.

I don't think
impulsive in this jungle

is the way to go at all.

You'll get yourself in a
world of hurt real quick.

[ retches ]

so, josh has been puking a lot.

It's day 5. We're concerned.

We're concerned
about the dizzy spells.

We're concerned that
he's just not being able

to hold anything down,

so we have had the
medics come out.

And I just ate the
pineapple 10 minutes ago.

Joshua: He thinks there's a
chance it might be from cigarettes,

but I don't think so.

I don't know.

Amanda: He's going through
the nicotine withdrawals,

caffeine withdrawals.

You're a marine, bud.
Man up. Pull through.

I'm really, really tired.

[ coughs, retches ]

joshua: [ retches ]

narrator: It's only day 5

of josh and amanda's
3-week survival challenge

in the swampy jungles
of southern nicaragua.

And josh has been
vomiting for unknown causes

for the last two days.

[ retches ]

joshua: I dare one
of you [bleep] to say

it's a side effect
of the cigarettes.

I'll slap you.

Narrator: Unable to
keep food or water down,

he is becoming weaker
with every passing minute.

From dehydration,
exhaustion, malnutrition.

It's gotten the best of me.

Cannot continue this challenge.

What's going on?

I'm going home.

You're going home?

Yeah, I can't keep it up.

I'm sorry to let you
down like this, but I...

I can't keep anything
down. I have no energy.

I'm severely dehydrated. I
tried rest. I tried medicines.

Tried food, water.
None of it worked.

Duct tape's hanging
on the post for you.

Enjoy it.

[ sniffles ]

sorry to anyone I let down.

But I'm going out of this
with my head held high.

Amanda: He left
me. He left me here.

And so this is no
longer his challenge.

It's no longer our challenge.
It's just my challenge.

Now I've got 16 days

that I'm gonna have to
do alone, and that's scary.

Narrator: To make it to
the end of the challenge,

amanda will have to
survive alone in the jungle

longer than anyone in the
history of "naked and afraid."

amanda: It's my
first night alone,

and it's starting to sink
in that I am by myself,

so if anything happens,
it's completely up to me.

But I don't have to worry

about the whole
cuddling issue anymore,

so I guess I got
what I wished for.

Maybe I'll get
some sleep tonight.

[ animals growling ]

everything seems so much louder.

[ growling continues ]

[ rustling ]

[ growling continues ]

[ rustling ]

oh, my god.

Didn't get too much
sleep last night.

I have got bites
from head to toe.

On my back, up and
down my arms, everywhere.

It's important for
me to be strong

because I've had to fight
for everything in my life.

Nothing has really
been handed to me,

so I know if I can
get through this

that there's a ton of other
things that I can get through

that are a lot less challenging.

Narrator: The
pineapples josh harvested

have rotted in the
heat and humidity,

making them inedible.

Amanda: I know my body
is needing some calories

and nutrition right now,

so I'm gonna go ahead
and eat a plantain.

Doesn't look like they're gonna
ripen up too much anymore,

but at this point the starch
and the calories will do me good.

So, it's what I've
got. It's what I'll take.

Oh, that was...Absolutely awful.

But hopefully my
body thanks me for it.

Just keeping my eyes peeled

to see if I can't find
something to eat.

Oh! Look at that.

I found a nice huge almond.

Those are super awesome.

[ monkeys grunting ]

yeah, so, I haven't had
protein while I've been out here,

so it'd be nice to
get some in my belly.

I was gonna see if maybe
I could crack one open.

That is a hard nut to crack.

Broke the rock.

[ sighs ]

[ thunder rumbles ]

as solitary of a person as I
like to be, I have my limits.

I think I'm on autopilot now.

I'm just kind of...Hanging on.

I'm kind of just closed up.

I've got my walls around me.

[ animal growls ]

[ monkey grunting ]

narrator: Over halfway
through the challenge,

amanda remains in camp,

making no effort to
venture out for food

and slipping deeper
into her own thoughts.

[ gasps ]

[ sighs ]

oh, my god. That is disgusting.

Ugh.

[ animal growls ]

what the hell is that?

Oh, my god.

[ monkeys grunting ]

there's just so much stuff.

[ monkeys chittering ]

I don't want to talk.

I can't do this anymore.

[ monkeys grunting ]

narrator: Before beginning
a 21-day survival challenge

in the jungles of
southern nicaragua,

amanda and her partner

were both given a
primitive survival rating,

or psr.

Despite his illness,

josh's decision
to tap out on day 5

will lower his final
psr score significantly.

Since his departure,

amanda has been
attempting to survive

alone in the jungles
of southern nicaragua

for what would be
a record of 16 days.

But with four days to
go until her extraction,

she appears close
to her breaking point.

Amanda: I don't want to take
on this challenge anymore.

[ insects chirping ]

narrator: Without a partner

in the jungles of southern
nicaragua for the last 12 days,

amanda has struggled with
the mental strain of isolation.

Amanda: I don't want to take
on this challenge anymore.

[ monkeys grunting ]

narrator: Three hours later,
amanda returns to camp.

Amanda: I went into my
bubble, my defense capsule.

This little devil that makes
you question yourself

just kept speaking louder
and louder and louder.

You can't just
throw in the towel.

You can't just give up

'cause it's a goal that I
really want to achieve.

I have a lot of insecurities.

I have a lot of self-esteem
things that I work through.

I came here to prove to
myself how strong I am.

I came here to get that drive
and that determination back,

and if I go home now, I
don't know I would ever get it.

[ laughs ]

I cracked an almond!

[ laughs ]

this little nut just
made me so happy.

Oh, it tastes so good.

I'm tired, fatigued, and
dehydrated and malnourished.

Hope that I have
enough strength, energy,

and hydration to
make my way out.

Narrator: To reach
her extraction point,

amanda will need to make
her way east several miles

into the dense,
snake-ridden jungle

in search of a tributary stream.

She will then follow it south,

through three more
miles of muddy swamps

to the mouth of the river
infested with caiman,

where she will have to
swim to a rescue boat.

I'm looking for any
snakes, any spiders.

[ thunder rumbles ]

[ thunder rumbles ]

oh [bleep]

I cannot catch a
break to save my life.

[ sighs ]

[bleep]

[ groans ]

[ thunder cracks ]

oh, the rain is
just getting worse.

Come on.

It's twisty and turny.

I keep hoping that around
each corner is the end,

and it's just another corner.

[ breathing heavily ]

[ sighs ]

[ engine whirring in distance ]

oh.

Hey!

Hey!

Oh, my word.

Oh, god.

Hey!

I came on this challenge
to confirm in myself

that I am a strong woman

and that I can mentally
overcome immense challenges.

Oh, I did it!

21 days! 16 alone!

The person coming
back from this challenge

is a heck of a lot
more confident

than the person going in,

and I think that my
self-esteem points

get bumped up a little bit.

Whoo-hoo!

People have always asked me,

"what's the craziest
thing you've ever done?"

and now I have a pretty
definitive answer for that.

Aah-ooh!

Narrator: Over the course of
her record-setting survival ordeal,

amanda experienced
significant physical changes.

She lost a total of 21 pounds.

Based on both
survivalist's performance,

their psrs were reassessed.

Josh's unconventional
approach showed some promise,

but his tap out on day 5
drops his psr significantly

from a 6.1 to a 4.3.

After josh's departure,
amanda struggled to secure food

and maintain her
mental composure,

but in the end, showed
incredible fortitude

in making it through to day 21.

As a result, her psr
rises from a 5.8 to a 6.3.

So, finally back
to civilization,

enjoying being back
with my puppies.

But we're still healing
from all of the bug bites.

I quit smoking.

Absolutely still
regret tapping out,

even though I know
it was for the best.

But I can do it.

I will do it.

And I would love the
chance to try again.

Narrator: In the end, amanda overcame
the swampy jungles of nicaragua

and proved she has what
it takes to survive alone

longer than anyone before her...

Amanda: Aah-ooh!

Narrator: ...Naked and afraid.