03x11 - Botswana Breakdown

[bunniefuu]

Ashley: [ whimpering ]

you okay? No.

[ groans ]

man: Roger that.

We just got a call saying
that ashley's having

some medical issue,

so we're on our
way to their camp

to find out what's going on.

[ sobbing ]

I just want to get the
[bleep] out of here right now.

[ groans ]

narrator: In the world's
harshest environments,

two experienced survivalists

put their skills to
the ultimate test...

Whoa.

[ sobbing ]

...Without food,
water, or clothes.

Now, on the bleak and barren
african plains of botswana...

[ animal hooting ]

go away. Get out of here.

...They'll have to work
together to survive...

Michael: Botswana's
telling me to get out of here.

Ashley: I'm doing my everyday
walking in my gravel driveway

to try to toughen my feet up.

And yes, there's
snow on the ground,

and, yes, I am barefoot.

I'm gonna be on a plane
going across the world

to show everyone
what I'm made of.

I've been eating
everything in sight

because I think that your
body needs fuel to run off of.

I've gained seven pounds since
I found out that I was leaving.

It'll be the adventure
of a lifetime.

I just hope my partner is
equally as awesome as me.

Michael: Peanut
butter right here.

I eat a lot of peanut
butter every day.

I'm just trying to
get fat, you know?

My dog is getting
kind of fat, too.

He get gets the leftover.

Just got to my sister's house to
see my mom and my nephews.

It'll be the last
time I see them

until I get back from africa.

Michael: Give me a
hug. Boy: I love you.

Love you.

And my mom.

Bye. Bye.

We'll miss you.

Love you.

That's my
girlfriend, sarah, too.

Hi.

You gonna miss me, buddy?

I'm coming, botswana.
I'm gonna take you down.

This is, like, the
last area in the world

where it's just untouched.

Botswana's a tough place.

Hot, hot days and
cold, sleepless nights.

Not a lot of resources.

I'm actually getting
pretty nervous.

My name is michael. I'm
from seattle, washington.

I'm 32 years old,
and I'm a banker.

I'm an adventurist.

I can build a shelter anywhere,

and I have skills
in building fire.

I've survived in many
different environments.

This'll be the ultimate
challenge to test my skills.

But that's not my main
reason for being out here.

I actually lost my brother when
he was 15 and when I was 16.

And he was on a
little camping trip.

One of the guys stole
a g*n, and it went off.

And he was in the hospital for
a week before he passed away.

I'm kind of living for him.

He's given me strength.

I can do things that I didn't
think were even possible.

Doing this for my
brother is huge.

[ elephant trumpets ]

in my normal life,

I don't walk around
naked or shirtless.

I'm just not that kind of guy.

So to step out that
to come out here,

it's kind of a big deal.

My girlfriend, sarah, we've
been dating for two years,

so there's not gonna
be any romance.

I can tell you, after two
days of not eating or drinking,

that's the last
thing on your mind.

Begin botswana.

Botswana's a completely
different environment

than what I'm used to.

It has the most animal
species anywhere in the world.

I'm getting myself into
something very dangerous

but at the same
time very exciting.

I'm ashley.

I'm from coventry, rhode island,
and I'm a bartender at a club.

Being a survivalist started
at the young age of 5.

Growing up, my parents
taught me how to fish,

how to hunt,

and just how to
be a nature lover.

I'm a blonde.

People look at you from
a mile away, and they say,

"oh, she's a blonde.
She can't do anything."

but deep down, I'm
a very strong woman.

21 days in the wild -- there's
nobody out of my family,

out of anyone that
I serve at my bar

that would ever
be able to do this.

I guess this is it.

And as far as it
comes to nudity,

I believe if you
have it, flaunt it.

Don't tell my
parents. [ chuckles ]

this is it. I'm ready to go.

Being naked in front of
another man, another woman,

it's all the same to me.

I'm comfortable with it.

Hopefully, the guy
is comfortable with it.

How's it going?

Good. How are you?

I'm good. What's your name?

I'm michael. I'm ashley.

Nice to finally meet you.

I know. [ laughs ]

got to get all this out
of the way. [laughs]

it's kind of
awkward, but it's --

it is what it is.

Have you ever been here before?

No. Me, neither. All right.

You ready to get started? Yeah.

Narrator: Putting
their primitive skills

to the biggest
test of their lives,

michael and ashley
have been dropped off

in the landlocked african
nation of botswana.

Located in the continent's
semi-arid climate zone,

it is a harsh terrain littered
with razor-sharp thorns --

a brutally hot environment
alarmingly devoid of resources.

Botswana is nearing the
end of a long dry season

that has dropped surface
water to dangerously low levels.

Aggressive predators
such as the african elephant

and the fiercely territorial
hyena desperately seek

any water source

and could confront ashley
and michael at any time.

Yeah, this is probably where
we should set up shelter,

right here, a watering hole.

You know, get us some water,
and that's our extraction point.

Right.

So, the animals and snakes
-- just watch ourselves.

All right. Yes.
All right, let's roll.

This is a thorny-a*s section.

We'll leave this one
here for a second.

Already have thorns
stuck in my hands.

[ chuckles ]

ugh, the thorn is
stuck in my finger.

It's stuck in there? Yes.

Ashley: Thorns everywhere
you possibly could think of --

up my butt, up my...Other areas.

I do not want any
more thorns in me.

Michael: [ gasps ]

[ elephant trumpets
in distance ]

ashley: Oh, my god.

[ elephant trumpets ]

michael: Usually in the wilderness,
I feel like I'm part of nature.

And here, I kind of
feel like an outcast.

I feel like a big
piece of white meat.

I don't know what's out
here that's gonna eat me

or want to eat me.

You just have to be
prepared the best you can.

[ spits ] bugs went in my nose.

Are those elephant tracks?

Ashley: I believe so.

I don't know any other animal

that would make a hole that big.

Narrator: Elephants
can smell a water source

from three miles away.

They need 50
gallons of water a day,

making the watering
holes a magnet to them.

Mostly scared of
the larger animals.

The smaller ones,
you can see coming.

But those larger ones,

there's not much you
can do to stop them.

Michael: So I know
elephants have been here,

but we don't really
need the water.

We just need the mud.

Ashley: Yes, I definitely
think we should do that.

Michael: The sun's fierce.

[ groans ]

narrator: Protecting themselves
from their harsh surroundings

is just one of michael
and ashley's primitive skills

that will be tested
during this challenge.

A panel of experts
has given each of them

a primitive survival
rating or psr.

Michael has a solid base
of wilderness knowledge,

but he is untested in an
environment this demanding.

His initial rating
has been set at 5.9.

Like michael, ashley has
considerable survival skills,

but no practical experience
in harsh, desert conditions.

Her psr is set at 4.7.

They'll receive a
final psr evaluation

at the end of their
21-day ordeal --

if they make it.

Ashley: The closer the birds are

and the more birds there are,

that means that
the water is close.

Yeah.

They don't hide too far.

Ashley: I smell elephants.

Michael: Oh, my god.

That's a giant spider there.

[ chuckles ] ashley: Oh, god.

He's an orb -- deadly.
So good thing you saw it.

Michael: My first impressions --

I mean, she seems
like a tough girl.

She has the willpower.
She knows what she's doing.

She has the same concerns
as I do with the environment.

So I think we'll get along good.

[sniffs] what do you
think? Straight through?

Michael: Yeah.

I think this is it right here.

It's looking like water.

It's not a river,
and it's not a pond.

It's rainwater.

We don't have too many options

for distilling
water at this point.

I don't think that I really want

to take the risk of having
an elephant trample through

with a disease.

There's literally not one
thing in this area that's usable.

I haven't found
one edible plant.

Michael: If I get thirsty
enough, I will be drinking from it.

You have to do it for survival.

Well, we'll gonna need
a substantial amount.

Oh, every day.

Your body needs a gallon a day.

I don't want to risk that.

You want to take a
little trip around to see?

Yeah, definitely.

I mean, this might
not be the only spot.

I certainly don't want to
be pooping my brains out

for five days or vomiting.

Ashley: It's so hot, and
we're really dehydrated.

Michael: Water would be nice.

My god, I'm really nauseous
like I'm gonna pass out.

Oh, really? Yes.

[ exhales sharply ]

like, you think it's the sun?

God, this is just insane.

Want to just sit down?

Oh, my god.

Make some kind of shade.

You know, dehydrated and hungry.

I'm sorry. I don't
want to hold us up.

No, you're not.
No, there's no rush.

We have all day -- kind of.

Michael: She's feeling
like she's gonna pass out.

Still day one, you know?

This is new, fresh, fresh.

You shouldn't be feeling
like this a few hours into it.

It was kind of concerning to me.

[ sighs ] okay.

I'm still nauseous.

I'm not a quitter. [ chuckles ]

michael: Well, I can see that.

[ chuckles ] yeah. Not at all.

Let's go. Okay.

You got this,
ashley. You got this.

Michael: I don't even
know what time it is,

but when the sun
starts going down here,

it happens so fast.
Ashley: I know,

and that's why I kind of want to
be settled at least before then.

We have two or three
hours of daylight left at most.

We got to make a
decision here soon.

Yeah, we do.

I mean, there's
water right there.

Pretty tempting just
to go have a drink,

but shelter has to
come first right now.

It's not gonna
get any lighter out.

We've done some walking around,

and there was not too
many spots to chose from.

[ sighs ] even like this.

Just put, like, a
wall up, bushes.

Well, if we cover one side,
we can have an exit over there.

But covering it, usually
the animals will walk past.

And then a clearance for a fire.

Michael: Yeah, ideally, you
would probably never want to

build shelter right
next to a game trail

or right next to
a body of water.

But we're running out of time.

I hope some big-a*s cats
don't come down here at night.

Michael: These are way thornier
than the ones back at camp.

And there's ticks.

Ashley: Something is literally,
like, eating my stomach alive.

I don't know what
the [bleep] is going on.

And it burns so bad when I pee.

I think I'm pretty dehydrated.

I keep getting dizzy spells.

Maybe we can get some water.

It's dangerous, you know?

This is loaded with
bugs, so I'm not too sure.

I don't know what to do.

It probably isn't
good to be drinking.

There could be five million
different parasites in there

that we know of.

Ashley: I can't stand the pain.

[ sighs ]

ashley: It could
potentially k*ll you.

You don't -- you know,
I don't want tapeworms.

Michael: That small
area of water to drink

is kind of concerning to me.

Michael: I swear to god,
if she taps out on day one,

then I don't know
what I'm gonna do.

It's, like -- I can't
be left here alone.

Ashley: [ sighs ]

ashley: Oh, my god.

Something is
making me very sick.

[ sniffles ] this sucks so bad.

Narrator: Ashley and michael
began their 21-day survival test

on the dry and unforgiving
african plains in botswana.

Baking under intense heat,

ashley, only five hours
into the challenge,

is already feeling
weak and vulnerable.

It's, like, the worst feeling,

like someone [bleep] punched me.

Halfway through today,

my stomach started
cramping, hurting.

I had diarrhea as soon as
we walked all the way here.

I could not hold it any more.

Michael: This place is brutal.

Oh, my god.

If you need to rest, which
is obviously important,

then we'll take a timeout.

Just water. That's all I want.

I'm, like, shaking. [ sniffles ]

I don't know if I'm gonna vomit.

I will take care if you
get sick, you know?

[ sighs ] oh, my god.

Michael: But shelter has
to come first right now.

It's not gonna
get any lighter out.

If we have to wait till
tomorrow to get water,

that's what we have to do.

[ sighs, sniffles ]

michael: Well, we
don't have a great start,

but we have a start.

Michael: There are
tons of thorn bushes.

We're gonna use
this to build our shelter

to protect ourselves
from the animals

because they're everywhere.

Ashley: We have maybe
an hour left of daylight,

and we absolutely 100% need fire

to keep the animals
away from us.

[ groaning ] oh, my
god. My stomach.

Yeah, loosen the materials.

The tinder. Yeah, everything.

Oh.

Oh, my god. Please stay.

[ sighs ] please work.

[ blows ]

I'm so excited.

I can see it over the trees
and through the woods.

What a relief, huh? Uh, yes.

Thank god. Thank you.

That was mission one.

I feel pretty rough right now.

I'm not hungry at
all, but I am thirsty.

The shelter is subpar.

I mean, we have
a few security walls

and now a fire.

I'm definitely concerned with
lions walking past our shelter

because it is on a direct path

and we are close
to the watering hole.

Michael: All the animals
come to water holes.

All big cats, elephants --

there's everything
out here. It's africa.

[ animal hooting in distance ]

michael: [bleep] was that?

[ rustling ]

hear that? Ashley: Mm-hmm.

Growling? Yeah.

We don't know what it is.

Michael: I haven't
slept at all yet.

I keep hearing pretty big
animals swimming in the water,

which is just across the path.

Probably an elephant.

[ elephant trumpets
in distance ]

ashley: Anything that's in their
path, basically they can trample over.

[ animal hooting in distance ]

michael: Pretty damn
scary. Just keep an eye out.

Keep your ears open.

We did not sleep
at all last night.

[ sighs ]

so our bodies are
tired, and we're thirsty.

The situation is not
gonna get any better.

My stomach is still k*lling me.

My throat is, like, closing up.

[ coughs ]

and I just -- I want water.

Ashley: How many days
can you live without water?

Michael: Three. Three days.

Three days being
stagnant, you know?

Not three days hiking
around, getting sweaty.

The more we wait,
the worse it gets.

You just can't.

What do you want to do?

I'd rather just drink
the damn water.

Like, right here is
not bad. It's clear.

It's cleaner than --

yeah, like, it's
cleaner than this.

Probably been there longer.

Michael: Well, if it's in
the sun, it's still safer.

Ashley: I don't
find any of it safe.

Are you drinking that?

No, I want to smell it.

[ sighs ] smells like [bleep]

does it? Yeah.

Like actual [bleep] yeah.

I'd rather drink piss
than that at this point.

Narrator: Situated
beside a game trail,

ashley and michael's
water source

is shared by a
vast array of wildlife.

In addition to
dangerous pathogens,

the water contains animal waste

with fecal coliform bacteria
that can lead to dysentery,

resulting is diarrhea, fever,
and intense abdominal pain.

Michael: We don't even
have a pot to boil water,

so I'm almost positive
that I will get sick.

I can almost guarantee it.

So, really, do I risk getting
sick and having some disease?

So, I don't know
what we're gonna do.

This is actually
pretty, pretty rough.

Ashley: It's the
cleanest I've seen.

At this point, it's
kind of make or break.

Go for it?

You want to show
me how it's done?

Ashley: Scoop just
the very top layers.

The u.V. Rays have burnt it.

Michael: The water
that's sitting there,

it's pretty shallow.

So, we know that u.V. Light
does k*ll parasites and bacteria.

One sip, five sips
-- it's all the same.

Get one drop,

it's the same as drinking
a gallon of [bleep]

it's definitely risky,

but if we're gonna do it,
we're gonna do it all the way.

If we're gonna get sick,

we might as well actually
feel decent until then,

sick as that may sound.

I think it tastes fine.
But, of course, it would.

Yeah. We're thirsty.

Michael: We've done
a lot of walking around,

and there's not a better
water hole to chose from.

So, you know, we
took a risk just now,

and we'll have to
see if we pay for it,

but hopefully we don't.

Ashley: [ whimpering ]

[ sobs ]

michael: You okay? No.

[ sobbing ]

ashley's been shaking all night.

She can't really feel her
legs, so we called a medic.

Mathilde: Okay,
this is night two.

Ashley's having
some medical issue,

so we're on our
way to their camp

to find out what's going on.

Ashley: [ sobbing ]

man: Sorry, ashley.
You'll be fine.

Michael: You okay?

Michael: Do you
feel better at all yet?

No.

It's gonna make you feel better.

It's okay, ashley.

Ow! [ sobs ]

ashley: Ow! [ sobbing ]

I don't like the
feeling of this.

Michael: You okay?

It's gonna make you feel better.

[ sniffles ]

I just want to get the
[bleep] out of here right now.

Man: It's okay, ashley.

Ow!

Michael: Day three, and
ashley just threw in the towel.

You know, she
had a horrible night.

It was going hour by hour,
you know, pumped full of drugs.

You know, she's a tough
girl, so I can't blame her for --

I mean, she had it
rough from day one.

But it almost takes more
courage to do something like that

than just put up with it and,
you know, mope around,

so I give her credit for
just stepping up and saying,

"hey, this is too much for me."

narrator: Ashley is transported
to the base camp medical tent,

where she is evaluated
by a local doctor.

With ashley resting at base camp

with symptoms of nausea,
dizziness, and fever,

the medical staff believes

she fell ill from
drinking untreated water.

Michael: We both drank
the water at the same time.

I mean, I could sick tonight.

I could sick
tomorrow. I don't know.

Knowing that I'm
gonna get sick --

it's, like, mentally
preparing myself for that.

But I don't plan on
leaving without being sick.

I'll do one step at a time
and see if I can get through.

[ growling in distance ]

you just feel so vulnerable.

You know, having a second set
of ears and eyes is always helpful.

And now that I'm doing
botswana by myself,

I would be pretty easy
pickings for any large animal.

I mean, I have a machete,

but if I just
happened to doze off,

and something decided to
come in and grab me by the neck,

then I'd be done for.

My lips have never
been so dry in my life.

Yeah, so bad.

Like, they feel like cardboard.

I can't really smile.

But it's just dehydration.

It's rough out here.

Whew.

The first couple days,
ashley and I didn't drink,

which was just a
horrible decision.

I don't want to take the
risk of drinking the water,

but there's no other
ways to distill it.

Since ashley left, I
got to keep her bag.

I don't have a
bowl to boil water,

so I'm using the
water lily as a straw.

I'm using the bag as a filter

'cause I don't want to
suck up any of the things

that are swimming in there,

just any of the
crap on the bottom.

What's coming out of
the bag is crystal clear.

It's been days since I've
started drinking the water

and I don't have
any symptoms yet,

so I may as well continue
until something happens

'cause that's -- I mean,
this is a survival situation.

You got to do
what you got to do.

That's all I can take.

I know I need to get some food.

I've just mostly had lily stems,
and it's not a good food source.

I don't know how long
I could live like that for.

All right, a melon. And
it's not a melon at all.

It's an old one.

Damn it.

I could probably still use it

to make, like, a
bowl of some sort.

So, today, I'm gonna
eat grasshoppers.

I've been eyeballing them.
They're gonna be an easy catch.

So, today, it's grasshopper day.

So, we got dinner
-- one grasshopper.

Gonna just kind of
grill him over the fire.

Have a good dinner --
tastes like burnt toast.

This just sucks.

It's so hot, you know, and
I'm gonna fry in the sun.

[ insects buzzing ]

[ blows ]

I just hate sitting down.

All the bugs are
just all over me.

[ sighs ] it drives me crazy.

I'm going crazy right now.

There's no peaceful
spot to sit in botswana.

It's all -- just the buzz,
the constant buzz.

Biting me, swarming around me.

It's all day.

Flies and ticks and, you know,

all that stuff flying
on you all day long.

It really takes it out of you.

How can you master
an environment

when you can't
even handle the flies?

[ sighs ]

it's another lonely night.

Be nice if I had a partner
out here, you know?

Someone to talk to,
talk through the night,

get the fire going.

What I would go for for,
like, a nice protein bar

or a protein shake right now.

My body's using up my fat
stores, my muscle stores,

and I just know that
my body needs energy.

[ animal hooting in distance ]

just heard some
stuff over there.

I'm not sure what it
was. I'm just gonna wait.

[ hooting continues ]

I don't know what it is.

You know, any
animals seems large

when you hear
noises out in the woods

or the savannah or botswana.

[ hooting continues ]

[bleep]

it's crazy.

Get out of here.

I'm a sitting duck out here.

I feel like the lame
antelope in the herd.

[ animals hooting ]

hungry predators are just
waiting in the wings to get me.

[ animal hooting ]

[bleep]

but I'm armed with a machete,

and I'm willing
to protect myself.

Go away. Get out of here.

It's pretty damn scary.

Yeah, there's no
sleeping tonight.

When you don't sleep,
that's so bad for your body.

Sleeping, like,
recharges everything,

and if you can't
recharge anything,

then you're just
running on fumes.

Usually, I'm very
optimistic in the morning,

but I just feel tired
and out of it today.

[ elephant trumpets
in distance ]

so, I'm just gonna
pee outside my shelter.

That's another good way
to keep predators away.

I'm kind of marking
my territory here.

Hopefully, animals will smell
my pee and stay away at night.

Then, I can get some rest.

If I'm feeling down now,

how am I gonna feel, you
know, two days from now

when my body's already
tired and beat down?

Frog.

I just found a frog.

That's my mom giving me a sign.

She's always had
this thing with frogs.

[ voice breaking ]
it's kind of emotional

because it reminds
me of my brother.

My brother passed away
when he was 15 and I was 16.

But my mom just
feels that frogs, like --

when she's having a bad
day, they just kind of show up.

It's just kind of a good sign.

I mean, we just picture
it's him saying "hi" to us.

So, seeing it out here,

it's like my brother,
you know, watching me.

It's always good situations
when a frog has come up.

I don't usually get upset.

I don't know. I means a lot.

[ sniffles ]

especially when days
are so hard out here.

After seeing the frog yesterday,

I'm waking up today
feeling pretty motivated.

This is kind of a fresh start.

It's about surviving
out here for 21 days,

and that's just
what I have to do.

I'm excited just to
see what I can do.

I'd like to make my
shelter more closed in,

not just for warmth, but
protect myself against animals.

I mean, they're everywhere.

I need to establish
this is my spot.

I'm the man, and they better
not come trampling on my territory.

If I can't establish that,

then they're gonna
roam on in here

and just drag me away.

[ bird squawking ]

if I'm gonna establish
myself as the apex predator,

I need to eat meat.

I think that's the
francolin bird.

Pretty tasty.

[ squawking continues ]

well, he's not dumb.
That's for sure.

[ squawking continues ]

I think he's laughing at me.

I'll get him. I'll get him.

I'll get him.

Being situated on a game
trail has its advantages.

Lots of bird tracks.

I'm gonna make that work for
me and try to catch something.

I have a simple trap I
can make for small game.

I'm just making some
cordage right now,

and make a snare,
maybe catch a small bird.

This is a little spring
stick right here.

Seems pretty tough.

It's an easy one.

You just place two
sticks in the ground

and place one hooked onto those,

and then a piece of cord
hooks up with the tree.

This is the trigger stick. I'm
gonna put a noose on here.

That's gonna be on
there very, very lightly,

so if anything does trigger
it, it just pops right off.

It's pretty simple.

And it does work, so I'll
just see how it goes tonight.

[ sighs ]

what the hell is that?

Are you kidding me?

Oh, please don't be broken.

I just found a pot in botswana.

Wow.

This is amazing.

Well, my life just
got a lot easier.

There have been hunters
and poaches out here

for the last couple
decades, you know?

The pot looks
like it's pretty old.

It's not in very good
shape, but I'm using it.

Now I have a pot,
which is gonna be huge.

I can put just a ton
of water in there.

I can make, like, a soup.

I got to collect a
little more firewood.

I don't really feel
comfortable with my stack.

What the hell is that?

Two eggs?

No way.

That's a huge score.

In botswana, it's slim pickings,

and you get lucky
when you get lucky,

and this day is amazing.

I'm tempted to
just eat these raw.

Just eat shell
and all, you know?

This one's oozing.

My first protein in seven days.

Ahh.

I don't even know what to say.

I might boil this one.

Dinner tonight is
a little dudheli soup

with a hard-boiled egg.

The dudheli plant,
it's like a wild spinach.

They're very bitter,

so you have to cook
them before you eat them.

It's got a little bit
of nutrients in it.

This plant seems to be
pretty much everywhere,

so I'm pretty happy
I found this plant.

If I could only find more
eggs to go along with it,

then I can have
this every night.

It's like spinach.

Kind of oatmeal-y, spinach-y.

I should eat this egg now.

Not a lot of food.

Chuck the whole thing in.

[ crunching ]

[bleep]

the plants that I'm
eating and finding

aren't supplying me with
the nutrients that I need.

The plan today --
get some protein.

Got to check my snare.

A lot of flies here.

There's nothing.
Nothing's going on.

[ bird squawking ]

I'm not getting
anything out here.

I have nothing.

Yeah, there's a lot of termites.

A whole bunch here.

They're easy pickings.
It's a really low-energy food.

Doesn't take a
lot to pick one up

and throw it in a pan.

Narrator: Termites have been
consumed by people for centuries

in arid regions of africa.

They're high in fat

and have more protein per
ounce than chicken or beef.

I'm just fire-cooking them.

Making sure they stop squirming,
and they should be good.

Termites -- they're
actually pretty damn good.

Kind of nutty.

Grasshopper actually
tastes better than termites,

but beggars can't be choosers.

[ grunts, sighs ]

ohh.

[ groaning ] oh, god.

[ sighs ] my kidneys hurt.

I've never had my
kidneys hurt before.

I'm not thirsty.

It feels like someone's
punched me in the back.

[ winces ]

[ sighs ]

it just hurts to, like, sit
down and do anything.

I've been drinking enough
water, so I'm hydrated.

Kidney needs, I think,
sodium, needs other minerals.

I need to do something.

I don't want to get carried
out of here on a stretcher

like ashley.

I think this may
be the devil's claw.

Narrator: Devil's claw, a
plant in the sesame family,

has medicinal qualities

and has been used for
centuries by local tribesmen

as an herbal pain remedy.

All of the stuff I
know about it --

it cures so many ailments --

lung functions, kidney
functions, you know?

It's like a root system for
it. That's the part you want.

That's the part that has
the medicine stuff in it.

You wouldn't want to
just take a bite out of that.

That's for sure.

Technically, it
could be poisonous

if you, you know,
have too much of it

or don't prepare
it the right way.

Overdosing on devil's claw
can result in stomach cramps,

nausea, vomiting, and
even loss of consciousness.

I've actually never
prepared it before.

I'll try a little sip
right now. Let's see.

I'm not too familiar with,
you know, toxicity levels of it,

but I'm gonna give it a try.

I don't want to o.D. On it.

Sure, it can help you,
but it can also poison you.

[ sighs ]

just blacked out.

[ sighs ]

[ groans ]

I might have had
too much devil's claw.

Narrator: Fearing that
michael might have overdosed,

producers immediately
call in a medic.

Michael: I may have
just poisoned myself.

I'm going crazy right now.

There's no peaceful
spot to sit in botswana.

Narrator: Before michael began
his 21-day survival test in botswana,

he and his partner
were both given

a primitive survival
rating or psr.

Since ashley had to be
medevaced on day three...

[ sobbing ] I just want to

get the [bleep] out
of here right now.

Narrator: ...Her final
psr will drop significantly.

Michael has soldiered on alone,

but he has been hit with
debilitating kidney pain,

'causing producers to call
in emergency medical care.

His final psr will
be reevaluated

at the end of the challenge

whether or not he
is able to complete it.

Michael: I may have
just poisoned myself.

Narrator: Suffering
from aching kidneys,

michael was hoping
the medicinal properties

of the devil's claw root
would give him some relief.

Michael: Just blacked out.

But without a proper diet,

ingesting too much has
lowered his blood sugar,

sending him in and
out of consciousness.

You know, just blackout spells.

Temperature's a little bit low.

Blood sugar's low.

And, like, my oxygen
level in my blood's fine?

Man: Yep.

The medic determines

the effects of the devil's
claw have dissipated...

Thank you.

...And michael is cleared
to continue the challenge.

I don't know. This sucks.

I hate having
problems like this.

But I can do it. I know I can.

I'll just have to
pull it together.

No more devil's claw for me.

[ animal hooting in distance ]

it just hurts. It hurts
to lay, hurts to sit.

The pain's still,
like, a 6 out of 10.

[ animal growls in distance ]

it's not supposed
to be like this.

I had a weird dream last night.

[ bird squawking ]

I was moving into a house
that I've lived in before,

but it was my brother
who I was moving in with.

You know, I haven't
seen him since he was 15.

He would be much
older now. He'd be 31.

So, my brother says, "go."

he said if I was to leave
here, it's okay, you know?

"don't be ashamed."

[ sniffles ]

the medic says I'm okay.

But I don't feel comfortable

when my organs
start to have problems.

'cause your organs,
you have forever.

I told myself I would walk
out of here a healthy man

instead of leaving
on a stretcher

or with some life-long injury.

So it's a decision
I'm making right now.

My choice is to
walk out healthy.

You're actually tapping out?

That's -- I think I'm done.

Honestly.

Michael: It's day 12.

It's, you know,
officially, nine days

past my partner
being here -- ashley.

I'm not the kind of person
just to throw in the towel,

but botswana has kicked my a*s.

My brother's probably
laughing at me right now.

He saw me suffer for
12 days, and is like,

"what the hell are
you doing, man?"

but he's also there
when I needed him.

I mean, it's -- we're family.

It's like -- [ laughs ]

if I could see him right now,

he'd probably just
be laughing at me.

This is, like, one
hell of an adventure.

Michael: Energy's low.

And then, my kidney's
still the same, though.

Muryoro: Okay.

Mike has been complaining
about his kidneys.

Narrator: After being treated,

michael was given
the okay to go home.

Michael: Everything
about botswana was harsh.

You could play
the fool man's game

and just do it just
to say you did it

and then, you know, deal
with the problems later on

or just succumb to it and
know you did your best.

This is like heaven right now.

I was looking forward to
him completing the challenge,

but it is a really
harsh environment.

You know, at the end of the day,

it's a very, very
personal experience,

and he's doing
what he needs to do.

This is for our
dirty survivalist.

Michael: You know, it's
one of those things in life.

You have to be proud
of what you accomplish.

I quit when I knew that
my body needed to quit.

This is what I
did, and I'm proud.

Man: How do you feel?

Pretty clean.

Narrator: Michael and
ashley failed in their attempt

at surviving 21 days on the
barren plains of botswana.

[ sobbing ] I just want to

get the [bleep] out
of here right now.

Narrator: During 12
days in the wilds of africa,

michael lost a
total of 20 pounds.

Based on their performance,
their psrs were reassessed.

Even though michael
exhibited solid wilderness skills,

failing more than a
week short of his goal

causes his psr to
fall from 5.9 to a 5.7.

Ashley was hit by physical
problems very early on,

forcing her medical
evacuation on day three.

Her psr drops to a 3.7.

Michael: I'm homeward bound.

It's gonna be a long
trip home tomorrow.

I still feel like I made
the right decision.

I'm still proud of myself.

I'm sure somebody can come
out here and do better than me,

but my friends and family,
they're gonna be proud, too.

No more africa,
no more botswana,

no more adventure.

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

Ashley: All right.

I'm back to civilization.

Feels nice.

There's a bed and blanket,
and I'm not naked in the woods.

I'm sure people wonder if
I regret leaving when I did.

And honestly, I don't.

And people will say
what they're gonna say,

but, at the end of the day,

I don't know anybody that
would have even tried what I did.

Narrator: In the end, michael
and ashley gained new respect

for the wild and
their own limitations

as they learned
how difficult it is

to survive...

Yeah, it's africa.

Africa was a lot
harder than I thought.