06x06 - Contamination

[bunniefuu]

Man: ugh! Oh, my god.

I will never eat a skunk
again in my life.

Woman: my body's broken.

My head hurts.
My stomach hurts.

Don't even know how I'm here
at this point.

Man: I'm havin' stomach problems
and diarrhea.

I'm sick from skunks.

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

Narrator: one man...

One woman,
exposed and alone...

She's scary.

...at nature's mercy
for 21 days...

Ah!

There's a bear
outside my shelter.

Narrator: ...with no food...

I'm so cold!
...no water...

I'm hurtin' real bad.
...no clothes.

There's an alligator down here!
Do they have the skill...

-Fire!
-Ah!

...and the will to survive...
Ah!

"Naked and afraid"?

Woman: I just really feel
like I'm about to die.

All right.
We are on the river.

I grew up around here
in the swamps.

I can do a little bit
of everything, from shelter

To, you know, huntin' down food.

I got -- I got a, uh...

One of my heathens
is with me today.

That would be a little goat.

She comes everywhere with me.

Okay, so here I am today
at my normal haunt, the gym.

If you were to characterize me
maybe in one way,

You could say,
"control freak."

Ultimately, I hope to show
my two wonderful kids

That mom does
whatever she sets her mind to.

So we're gonna rock it today
at the gym.

I'm matt alexander.
I'm 33,

From jennings, louisiana.

This is just
second nature to me.

I've been out in the woods,
livin' off the land.

I don't get scared of nothin'.

Think a guy would survive better
out here than a woman.

Women would probably
be pretty good

At huntin' down fruits to eat.

A lot of people think
I'm arrogant and a jerk.

But, really, I'm a nice guy
once you get to know me.

I haven't done much
to prepare for this challenge.

Ever since I was a kid,
I was in the woods huntin'.

Pretty confident in myself.

Won't bother me.

You know, just another day.

Narrator: living close to
the land for much of his life

Will give matt
an advantage in the wild.

But his chauvinistic mindset
and laconic attitude

Could cause communication
problems with his partner.

His initial
primitive survival rating,

Or psr, has been set at 6.6.

I'm karen coffee.

I'm a happily married
mother of two

From chapel hill,
north carolina.

I have a lifetime
of self-taught orienteering,

Fishing, hunting.

I wanna be treated as an equal.

I'm 51 years old.

I really want to inspire women
or, actually, anybody

That age and gender do not need
to create boundaries in order

For somebody to tackle
a challenge like this.

Hell yes, I'm making it 21 days!

Narrator:
karen is a suburban mom

Who brings excellent
interpersonal skills, tenacity

And outstanding physical stamina
into this challenge.

But her need to be
in control leaves her

With a psr of 6.3.

So much for clothes!

Here's to fulfilling
a lifelong dream

Of surviving in the woods.

Didn't know it would be naked.

Here we go.

Ready to get this thing started.

Karen: I've tried
to envision the moment

When I meet my partner naked.

And yes, there's gonna
be a bit of shock.

But I think I'll get
over it pretty quickly.

Uh, hello there.

-Hi.
-Hey.

It's so good to finally see you.
Nice to see you.

-I'm karen.
-I'm matt.

-Good to see you.
-Good.

-It's finally arrived.
-Yeah, really.

I can't believe we're here.

This is amazing.
It seems like forever.

When I first saw my partner,

He was just shorter and smaller
than I thought he would be.

Looks like we have
our bags here.

Narrator: in addition to
a shared machete, karen and matt

Have each brought one
survival item.

What did you bring?
You go first.

I brought a slingshot.

You brought a slingshot?

I mean, how long have you been
using a slingshot to hunt?

Well, ever since I was a kid,
I had a slingshot.

-Mm-kay.
-I haven't used one in a while.

But it don't take me no time
to get used to it.

I'm hoping that he's really good
with a slingshot.

It does take practice.

So I hope he's as good
as he thinks he can be.

What did you bring?

I brought the good ol'
glass match, fire starter.

There's nothin' wrong with that.

-Yes.
-So do you have a map?

Because I sure don't have one.

Oh, yeah, I do.

All right. Wow.

We are here.

We have a creek,

A trail, monkeys...

-Monitor lizard.
-And some snakes.

These macaque monkeys,

You don't wanna stare
those things in the eye.

You know, I'm not really afraid
to look nobody in the eyes,

You know?

You ready to get goin'?

-Let's go.
-Okay.

Narrator: the survivalists will
attempt to endure 21 days

Deep in the backcountry

Of the philippines'
marsila jungle,

Where rock-strewn hillsides

And gigantic hardwood trees
dominate the landscape

And deadly animals
lurk in the shadows.

As matt and karen trek
to their campsite,

They must keep a close watch
on the jungle's wild boars,

Poisonous toads

And the hyperaggressive
philippine spitting cobra,

Whose venom
is 15 times more lethal

Than that of a king cobra.

I am gonna keep my eye open
for rocks for my slingshot.

How far can your slingshot
hit somethin'?

Oh, about 20 yards max.

First impressions
of my partner --

Um, not bad.

I didn't realize her age.
She don't look 51.

You know, I don't know
how she'll get further

Down the road.

Guess time will tell.

-Something liquid!
-It's pretty clean.

I'm gonna pick up
some ammunition.

Great.
Karen: we have plenty of water.

All right.
Slow goin' here.

Ugh! These rocks are so hard
on my feet!

Okay, lookee here.

This looks like a pretty
good camp spot right here.

Ooh! Oh, wow.

This is soft ground.

Um...
Soft and wet.

So we definitely don't wanna be
sleeping in this moisture.

No.

Karen: it started out
pretty hot today.

But the temperatures
are dropping.

And we're nude.

So we definitely have to get
a good shelter

And fire going tonight.

What about this flat,
little spot right here?

We just need to find a set
of rooted trees.

Then we need to find
longer pieces of wood.

Uh, it don't matter.
We gotta find bamboo.

Let's go back down
and go look at that.

We'll need some bamboo.

Oh, my gosh! Aah!

You okay back there?

Every step is excruciating.
God.

Narrator:
matt and karen's feet

Are especially vulnerable
to injury,

For when a super typhoon
recently hit the philippines

With 200-mile-per-hour winds,

It shredded trees
and flooded the area

With razer-sharp rock
and wood debris.

Matt: I'm not excited
about no big bamboo bein' here.

So we're sort of
at a standstill.

I mean, we can always move on,
but...

Yeah, but do we wanna?
I mean...

-No, we don't wanna...
-I like to touch things once,

If possible.
-Yeah.

It doesn't have to be a palace.

It just needs to be,
um, serviceable.

Matt's not the best communicator
I've ever met.

I'm doing most
of the talking here.

So it's hard to know
what he's thinking.

I'm really conflicted,

I guess I would say.
Yeah.

Um...
You...

But I -- I don't wanna muss
with this too much longer.

I might have to go back down
and get bamboo.

I'd say we make a decision,

You know, here
in the next 20 minutes.

When you're surviving,
the worst thing you can do

Is make no decision at all.

If you make a bad decision,
at least you've made a decision.

Matt: karen's gettin' a bit
bossy. Whatever.

I was easy come,
easy go, you know.

-Karen: I hear chopping!

Uh, I might have found a spot.

I'm gonna let you look at it.

Okay, I'll be there.

Woo! All right.
What are you thinkin', buddy?

We can take our sticks

And lay 'em across.

Mm-kay. Yeah.

So you've got
a natural platform.

Uh-oh. *Bleep*

Trunk, trunk, trunk,
trunk, trunk.

Is that what you're thinking?
No, just two trunks.

One here...
I still don't get it, sorry.

And one here.
Okay, then what --

What are we laying on?
Run it across.

Then we gotta take bamboo
and run 'em side by side.

We have not made
very much progress at all.

Matt keeps talking
about bamboo.

But it's not mysteriously
appearing for us.

So we've gotta get past it.

I'm gonna go see if I can
find a piece of bamboo.

Okay.
And, uh, I --

I expect a fire
when I get back,

'Cause I'm gettin' thirsty.

How far you goin', matt?

Uh, not too, too far.

I'm not feeling too great.

I'm gonna continue to work
on this until he gets back

And then probably switch gears.

Here I am by myself.

Um, went to get some bamboo.

God --

I don't really think I know
if I'm goin'

In the right direction
or not.

I may get high.

It smells like freakin'
marijuana.

Matt's a little different
than I had envisioned.

He seems maybe a little
indecisive.

But let's see how we --
we warm up together

And see how it goes.

I'm not sure where matt is.

Got my bamboo here.

Gonna put water in it
and boil it.

That way, it's safe to drink.

The streams aren't that clean.

Um, just to purify it.

That way, we don't get sick.

But hopefully,
I can find my way back.

Uh, everything
I'm lookin' at now is new.

Smells like smoke!

Matt!

Oh, yeah.

Here, I'll bring you...
I need help.

I can't do this all by myself.

I know you were doin'
great work over there.

I'll bring you some--
but I need help feeding it asap.

I'm bringin' sticks right now.

I know you were doin' good work,
but hurry up!

Should we high five yet
or save it?

Nah, we'll save it.
Can we... Aw, really?

You wanna save it?
Okay.

Matt just went
over the water spot,

Fetched water

So we can drink tonight
before we go to bed.

-Mm-hmm.
-Wait, what day is today?

-I don't know.
-Day one.

Oh, today is day one.

And what do we have so far?

We have a fire.

We have a, um, a bed

And some kind of a canopy.

But it's not ours.

But it'll work.
But we do have water.

And water.
All right, hang on.

Cheers.

Woo, teamwork!
Mm-hmm.

I don't have a whole lot
of energy right now.

Hopefully, we get a great
night's sleep tonight.

Ooh!

I'm starting to get a headache,

So I'm really concerned
about that.

I'm either gonna puke
or my head's gonna fall off.

Ugh!
I mean, I don't mind puking,

But my head is just ridiculous.

Oh, my god.

I think I overdid it today.

Just have a really,
really bad headache right now.

My head is k*lling me.

Oh, my god.

I feel pretty bad.
I'm nauseous.

I'm thinking
of calling it quits.

This is way harder
than what I expected.

I just really feel
like I'm about to die.

My head's k*lling me.
My feet are k*lling me.

This -- the bed is terrible.

I'm feeling maybe
a little overwhelmed.

I pushed myself hard yesterday.

And unlike back home, it's hard
to recover your energy out here.

If we don't get some carbs,
fats or protein,

We're not gonna make 21 days.

What are you thinkin' for today?

I want food.

Maybe we can marry that up
with gatherin' water

At the same time.

I don't even know
what's up the hill.

I didn't go far enough to --
to look at nothin'.

We need to make some good
forward progress today.

We're gonna look
for food this morning.

We got plenty of water,
just need food.

This plant here has got lots
of thorns on him.

Last night was rough.

I had a terrible headache.
My feet are k*lling me.

But I'm tryin'
to just rise above it.

-Karen, you still comin'?
-I'm comin'.

Every step hurts.

Look at all the bananas!

-What?
-Oh!

Bounty! Woo!

They're awfully high.
How are we gonna get them?

Uh, your job is...

Handin' me the machete.
Okay, I gotcha.

And I'm gonna use this to
protect my mating parts.

I figured my partner would be
the one collecting fruit,

But couldn't see
a woman climbin' a tree.

I've never climbed
a banana tree in my life.

Oh, my god!
You're doing it!

You are so doing it!

Oh, my god!

I'm so proud of you!
Well done!

Catch them!
They won't break.

They're fine.
Okay, where you at?

Well, yeah, I'm good.

Woo!

Oh, my gosh.

We got this whole entire thing
of bananas for camp.

So awesome.

Mwah!
All right.

Let's head back this way
and keep goin'.

-Yeah.
-Ay, yi, yi.

I cannot walk over these again.

There's a rock
every single step.

It's slow goin'.

Matt: I know her feet hurt,

And she's makin'
a big deal of it.

But she's gotta push through.

*Bleep*
I'll be there.

I need to make some shoes,

Or I'm not gonna
be able to go anywhere.

This is way harder
than what I expected.

Right here, right now,
21 seems sort of...

Extremely difficult.

Karen: day three.

Ultimately, today,
or at least for me,

I don't mean to be,
like, not helpful.

But I -- I just n--
I can't walk quite as much

As I did yesterday,
'cause I walked too much.

And I really paid for it.

So I just don't
feel very well.

Out here on my own,

It'd probably be
a little bit easier.

You know, I wouldn't have
to fend for two people.

She's not doin' nothin'
but goin' along for a free ride.

At night, the wind
blows pretty good.

And it gets chilly, so...

This is gonna be
our windbreak.

Are you gonna lay down
over there?

Nah, I'm gonna
lay down right here.

Oh. Ooh, hold on.

I see meat.

Damn, that...

It's a lizard.

You little sucker, you.

You little b*stard!
*Bleep*

Damn it, he crawled on my foot!

Oh, wait, here he is!

Oh, no!

Wait.

Maybe that's a monitor.

He must have went in a hole.

Nope.

Here, lizard, lizard,
lizard, lizard!

Karen: I'm a little dizzy.

Why does our water source
have to be through rocks?

I hate to keep
mentioning my feet.

But that's really what's
top of mind right now.

Matt: we're gettin' some bark
so she can make some shoes

Out of a banana tree
'cause rocks hurt my feet, too.

But for us
to last 21 days,

I need to make
her some shoes 'cause

I can't take her whining
about her feet all the time.

Oh, my gosh.

Is that the banana tree?

Yup, shoes.

Oh, my gosh.

What a joy.

He's a workhorse, no doubt.

Absolutely amazing.

Maybe it's got
medicinal qualities, too.

That would be lovely.

-You're only using one shoe?
-Yeah, I don't have --

I don't have cordage
for the other shoe yet.

This is the fastest
I've moved in 5 days.

Don't wear your shoes
out too quick.

I hear ya.

Now, I just feel so happy
I can go somewhere!

-Yeah.
-It's really, really,

Really, really exciting!

A big, fat banana here, boy.

Feed me right, feed me good.

We've been surviving
on the bananas.

We've been dryin' 'em out,
you know,

Eatin' 'em as dried fruit.

And they've been pretty good.

But I want some kinda meat,
protein, to eat.

Maybe we could try
to find an animal path

And make a snare trap
and set it?

Maybe we'll have some success
'cause that would --

That would just
push us so far

If we got some
serious protein.

Yeah, that would.

And we're just gonna have to...
We can outsmart these animals.

We can do it.

Oh, my gosh.

I don't think I got the energy.

Not easy.

I wonder where the game
trail's at.

When I was walkin'
the other day,

I thought I seen one.

I've heard wild chickens.

I think I might have
heard one here this morning.

Look for wild chicken scat,

Which would be white.

Okay.
Lookee here what we got.

What do you see?
Fresh hole.

Um, try not to touch that.

I think that's an active trail.

Okay.

Well, do you --

We think we wanna
set a trap here?

-No. Not for a chicken.
-Yeah.

Yeah, I think we do.

-Well, we'll roost 'em.
-We'll what?

Chicken's gonna come up here
at around 5:30.

Yeah, so why don't we
set a trap?

So...

Why set a trap
when we can sling one --

Something at 'em like this?

I guess I was sort
of thinkin' snaring,

Setting a snare trap
for the chicken tonight,

Like, right now.

But if we set a snare,

The snare, you know,

Is not gonna work at night

Because they're not gonna be
down on the ground at night.

They're gonna be in the trees.

You'd have to sit here for,
like, 2 hours, at least.

Yeah, I think --
and wait for 'em.

Um... I feel like
the, you know,

Possibility of
catching one in a --

In a -- in a snare
is better, maybe, not --

Not to undermine your slinging
capabilities, but...

Yeah, the only time it works
good is in the evenings

And in the mornings.

My method would be
to take a, um...

A smaller --
not this small

Because it won't
have enough pull,

But pliable, you know,

Living branch.

Matt: slingshot --
that's the method I use.

Hers seems like it's
too many parts.

I feel pretty confident
that I can get somethin'

With the slingshot.

Line it up so it's
straight down.

Is that gonna pick
the chicken up?

Yes.

Is that gonna really
pick the chicken up?

Yeah.

Everything's so
*bleep* damn hard.

This is aggravating me.

Well, we're --
we're at a standstill.

I've been huntin' birds
my whole life.

I think I know what I'm doin'.

I like to be controlling
within the known facets

Of my life.

But with matt,
there's no control to be had.

He could respect me a little bit
more in that regard.

There's a bird up there.

See him up there?

Uh -- oh, well.

Rock's too heavy.

Bird's too far.

I'm gonna see if I can lob
this one up there, but...

See where he went to now.

Hmm.

I wanted the slingshot to work,

But it didn't.

So we'll go ahead
and try karen's idea instead.

So we'll set the snare
and go from there.

Here we are, top of day seven.

We are gonna get, um,

Going and lay a snare trap.

I'm really glad
matt came around.

And hopefully, these snares
will get us some food

Without wasting too much energy.

He's attaching the bitter end

Of the spring trap
to the spring tree.

And you can see the lasso
here at the end.

Hopefully, we catch our chicken.

Matt: hopefully
we can get some meat

Because, if not,
I'll be goin' downhill...

Me, too.

Matt: quick.

Know what that means?
I get grumpy.

And I don't wanna do *bleep*
and I don't wanna talk.

This is unfolding
unpredictable environment.

Things are getting a bit tense.

So hopefully, finding
some food will cure that.

Narrator: deprived of protein
for a week,

Matt and karen range farther
and farther from camp

In search of game.

Matt: I smell somethin'.
Karen: what is that?

Hey, look what I found.

-Where?
-All right, karen.

Here is the skunk hole.

Might have to pass out
in this heat.

Skunks are a bit skittish.
You can't really stalk them.

So I'm setting this snare
on this root.

And when that skunk walks out,
he'll get in it.

That looks good.

All right. Let's go.

All right. Good job.

-Got your knife?
-Yeah.

Matt: I've never snared a skunk
before in my life.

If we can't get through today
or tomorrow, then -- then --

Then it's done.

Narrator: matt and karen
started the challenge

With little body fat.
Oh, my god.

Without stored fat
or glycogen reserves,

They struggle as their bodies
consume muscle

In order to conserve
their energy levels

In the freezing nights.

Here we are at the evening
of day nine.

We're runnin' out of firewood
and we're really cold.

At this point, I don't know
if I can get through this.

Morning 12.

And, uh, been awake
since probably 1:00 or so.

We've been cold all night.

Matt: the cold has kept
us close to camp.

And it hit karen hard,

Which means I'm doin'
double the work.

And it's wearin' me out.

Night of day 14,
layin' in bed early,

Feelin' weak,
kinda have the chills.

I'm not sure what it is.
But I'm gonna go ahead

And lay it down for tonight

And see -- see, uh, see
how I feel in the morning.

I'm a little worried about matt.

Um, he feels something
coming on right at this moment.

He's got some chills.

If he takes ill, I'll do my best
to pick up all the slack and --

And do, you know,
whatever he's been doing

'Cause I don't wanna
finish this without him.

See if there's anything
in the skunk trap here.

We've been smellin' skunk
and just wanna see

If there's anything
in here today.

Mm, nope.
Nothin' in there.

-What you feelin' like?
-*Bleep* I'm weak.

-Everything hurts.
-I know.

Kind of like the flu.

I've gonna try to drink
some water, plenty of water

And, um, go ahead
and pray about it.

And hopefully, I get better
within the next day.

You should get in the sun,
get up and move around.

Matt is really hurting.

And I can't let him go
into a free-fall.

Being a mom of two, you know,

I've been through this
with the kids.

It could be a self-fulfilling
prophecy if --

If you're sort of
spiraling downward

And you're not feeling well.

I sort of engaged him
to tend the fire.

I certainly could have
gotten up and done it,

But, um, I just thought to take
his mind off of it

Just a little bit,
give him a little bit of purpose

For the day.

This might be
really wishful thinking,

But we smell skunk.

The wind is coming
from the direction

Of our skunk traps.

So maybe he's in our trap.

How are you feeling, matt?

Feelin' pretty bad.

After I stood up
and sat down.

It made me dizzy.

I wanna see if there's anything
in the skunk trap.

I think it might help you
with your headache.

Matt's not getting any better,

So I need to step up and see
if I can get us some food

And pull him out of it.

Nope, nothin'.

Yeah, wait.

No.

Yes.

No.

What the *bleep* is that?

Could it really be?

Is that a skunk?

Oh, my god.

Skunk!

It's all nestled up in a ball.

Okay, it's still breathing.

I don't want it to come
and attack me,

So I am going to stab it.

Whew! Ugh!

Ugh. *Bleep*!

Oh, my god.

That *bleep* stinks!

Oh! My god!

Ugh.

Whew! Ugh!

Ugh. *Bleep*!

Oh, my god.

That *bleep* stinks!

Oh! My god!

Game changer. Woo!

As stinky as it might be,

Hopefully it'll push us forward
over the next 3 days.

-Matt!
-Yeah?

Come here!

Oh, you got a varmint.

You ready to do some handiwork?

I guess.
Does it stink?

*Bleep* yeah.

Did it spray you?

No, but I'm full of it.

I'm -- it's in my mouth,
everywhere.

Matt: hopefully, this meat
here will get me goin',

You know, at least
for a couple days.

And then we'll have somethin'.

Is there a liver in there?
Mm-hmm.

Narrator: skunks use secretions
from their a**l glands

To ward off predators.

The toxic chemicals in the musk
have a similar effect

On humans as tear gas.

Matt and karen need
to skin it carefully

Without damaging
the a**l glands,

Which would contaminate
their meat.

Skunks are particularly
susceptible to rabies.

So matt and karen
must cook the meat thoroughly

And avoid eating brain
or spinal cord tissue.

So we doin' it?

Well, tastes like skunk.

We have to eat it.

That's kind of skunky.
It's tender...

-Chewy.
-Mm-hmm.

I'd definitely
eat another one.

Yeah. Cooked it really well.
Mm-hmm.

This is actually good.

Mm, mmm. Yummy.
Really good.

Oh, this is definitely
a boost of confidence.

If you wouldn't have been here

To kind of get me
out of this slump,

I would have been in a bind.

I'm very thankful of that.

I feel better.

Praise the lord.

Yeah! So happy.
Yoo-hoo!

Woo!

What?
What the *bleep* was that?

I don't know.
Was it your hand?

-No.
-*Bleep* dang.

What was it?

I don't know, dude.
Like, a fly or...

No, it was crawling.

Okay, I just got freaked out
big time.

Some creature lands on my head.

Here, I'm thinking
it's a tarantula.

So I wake up screaming.

And I think...

It's one of
those poisonous toads.

I wish we could eat it,

But the toxins would k*ll us.

*Bleep*

Ah! What is it?
*Bleep*

k*ll that *bleep*!

*Bleep*

Well, he's sittin' right there!
Missed him.

-Where?
-You see him?

His tail's right there.

I need to stab him
in this bushes.

-Hurry.
-Okay, I'm comin'. I'm comin'.

I got his tail pinned.
Okay, where, where?

Where do I go?
Look where his tail's at.

-Over...
-Around you, here?

*Bleep* no, no, uh-uh.

-You gotta stab his head.
-I know!

That's why I'm asking, "where?"

You're gonna have
to start movin' *bleep*.

Hold on.

-I got his tail.
-Is he gonna break off or...

I don't know.
I'm not letting go.

Oh, wait! Wha-ba-ba-ba!
I've got his head.

Hit that knife with this rock.

-The knife won't go through!
-Okay.

*Bleep* go at that bamboo
and listen.

Grab this rock.

Put this rock
on top of that knife and hit it.

There. You're doin' something.
I think you --

You did something.
Pull your knife.

Wiggle it.

And it's in the head.

Twist. Pull.

You got him.

Okay, he's got a big gash
in his head, so...

I'm about to -- I'm about
to whack his head off.

Well, that woke me up.

Matt, you did a fantastic job
of -- of...

I whacked -- luckily, he went
in that hole.

You got it by that 2-inch tail.

-He's... Luckily...
-That's all you got.

He's... Luckily,
he went in that hole.

-That's a dead end.
-That was unbelievable.

I've never seen hunting skills
like that before.

He won't come
through camp no more.

That's what we've been
hearing at night, I betcha.

Narrator: monitor lizards often
feed on carrion.

So when cooking them,
it's safest to eat only leg

And tail meat.

Their organs can be contaminated
with deadly bacteria.

Our lizard is phenomenal.
If I had to compare it,

It'd have to be compared
to filet mignon.

But as I'm eating this lizard,

A piece of skunk taste run
through my mouth.

When we cleaned the skunk,
we got the guts.

So I'm wondering
if that lizard came

And ate our skunk last night.

Narrator: if bacteria or
parasites from the skunk carcass

Were passed
through the lizard meat,

Matt and karen could come down
with amoebic dysentery.

I can't sleep.

I know. Me, too.

Matt: I feel weak.
My head's spinnin'.

Not sure what's goin' on.

I've decided to sleep outside.

And so,

Hopefully, I'll be okay
in the morning.

Ugh, god.

At this point,
we have both joined forces

With diarrhea.

We're hoping to get
through the night

And not deplete our, you know,
hydration level too much.

Matt: how are you feelin'?
Karen: I'm barely hangin' on.

I don't plan on tappin' out.
Me neither.

But I don't know
how we're gonna walk out.

I know.
Don't get ahead of yourself.

Just be right here,
right now.

That's all you can do.

Feelin' pretty whooped
right now.

Um, the diarrhea has got me.

The thing I'm nervous about most

Is being forced
to tap out for somethin'

That's out of my control.

*Bleep*

I'm having gas in my stomach.

Uh, feels like it wants
to come out of both ends.

And karen's pretty w --
pretty weak herself.

Matt and I are in it together.

So he's there for me.
I'm there for him.

And, uh, you know, w --
we'll get through it.

I have no clue

What it's gonna
feel like if I h --

If I'm sick comin' out of here.

Matt's really not feeling well.

Been concerned about him, uh,
pretty much all day.

Just a little worried
that he's sort of plummeting.

Here we go again.

Okay, definitely wants to come
out of both ends.

But the bottom's looser.

Too bad I got no *bleep*
toilet paper.

*Bleep* four times
in the last fifty hours.

I'm havin' stomach problems
and diarrhea.

I'm in terrible shape.
My legs are killin' me.

But what I'm scared of most
is havin' to tap out.

Narrator: nineteen days ago,

Karen and matt
began their challenge

In the typhoon-wrecked
marsila jungle.

With primitive survival ratings
of 6.3 and 6.6,

Karen has suffered
from ongoing foot problems

But has shown her mettle
when harvesting a reeking skunk

To help her partner.

That *bleep* stinks!

Narrator:
matt's initial disregard

For his partner
threatened their success.

But he has tapped
into his backwoods skills

To survive unfamiliar terrain.

Their biggest challenge
lies ahead, however,

Escaping the jungle

While suffering
from crippling diarrhea.

Their final psrs hinge on
whether they succeed or tap out.

Narrator: near the end
of their challenge

In the philippine jungle,
matt and karen struggle

To overcome
debilitating stomach illnesses.

I had an upset stomach
yesterday.

You know, it would hurt
for me to walk.

I don't know if it's more
mental than anything.

But I'm ready to go now.

Just a little bit left.

Then we'll be gettin'
outta here.

My body's broken.

I've no energy.
My head hurts.

My stomach hurts.

I can't take a deep breath.

It's awful.

And plus,
I can't get comfortable.

All my joints hurt.

So just don't even know
how I'm here at this point.

We're here.

So would you rather
a little hike uphill

Or a long hike
around that's gradual?

Let's take it on the chin.

Narrator: already emaciated
before their diarrhea,

Matt and karen now
verge on collapse.

So they forgo a gradual hike
to extraction

In favor of a steeper
but much shorter route.

Now, we gotta go up.

Their path out ascends
a merciless 16% grade

Over razer-sharp typhoon debris,

Which may also
conceal deadly cobras

That could take them down
with one false move.

Matt: this hike is gnarly.

I mean, this is a straight
uphill.

Whenever you wanna stop
and break, tell me.

I will.

Karen: I can't even stand up
straight.

My heart rate's really high.

I'm trying to plant my foot
somewhere where I --

I don't feel like a h --
hot dagger's going through it.

-My foot's bleeding.
-Where at?

Toes.

How are you feelin'?

My lips are tingling,
I'm dizzy,

About to fall over.

What, you want me to stop?
You gotta tell me to stop.

-No, I mean...
-Communication.

You tell me to stop
if you need me to stop.

Okay, just stop.

Now we're in the sun.

Matt: karen's attitude
changed completely.

You know, her communication
kind of stopped.

One step at a time, karen.
Yep.

Karen: every single step
is painful.

I'm short of breath.

I'm just pulling at everything
I've got to make that next step.

Mm.

Oh, my god, my feet! Ah!

I know how mentally
and physically strong I am.

But I'm getting frustrated

Because, whenever I've asked
my body to do something,

It's always been there
for me more.

I can't...breathe.
I'm gonna pass out.

Look, karen, we still gotta get
to the end of the trail.

We're not done with this yet.
*Bleep*

It's way down there.

You'd think our feet
would be used to this stuff.

I guess I just don't
have anything in my quads.

I hear it!

Karen: our walking sticks feel
like they have 100 pounds each.

Don't you stop
when you get here.

Let's go. Come on.

-All right.
-Don't stop.

Here.

-Guess what? We done it.

We did it. Whew!

-Twenty-one and done.
-We did it, buddy.

Yes!

I've come to rely
on letting it go

And trying not to be in control

Because you cannot be in control

In a constantly unfolding
and unpredictable environment.

So here I am, 51,
and I did it.

Matt: my biggest lesson
I learned out here --

Having a female
like karen is phenomenal.

After a few days,
I might have thought

I could survive by myself.

But I wouldn't be able
to tell you

What kind of partner
would be better than her.

This woman here is stronger
than most men I know.

Narrator: over the course
of 21 demanding days

In the philippines,

Matt subsisted on bananas,
skunk meat and lizards.

He lost 25 pounds,

Nearly 18 percent
of his starting body weight.

Even though his chauvinistic
attitude initially

Threatened the partnership,
matt's resilience

And problem-solving mindset
got him through the challenge.

As a result, his psr rises
from 6.6 to 7.2.

During her 3 weeks
in the jungle, karen

Lost a total of 12 pounds.

Though she initially
struggled to exert control

Over the jungle,
karen's mom-inspired tenacity

And fitness were a big reason

This team
was ultimately successful.

Her psr increases
from 6.3 to 7.2.

The philippines' marsila jungle
survived a devastating typhoon.

And in turn,
matt and karen

Survived the marsila jungle,
"naked and afraid."

I'm alive.
Uh, first morning home.

I'm gonna check
on my animals

And what all my critters
are doin' now.

Back to the normal daily life,
which I love.

I've had a pretty rough time
since I've returned home.

I've got some sores on my legs

That won't let me forget
our challenge.

They should be healed
in a couple weeks.

But right now, you can take
the girl out of the jungle,

But the jungle is not coming
out of the girl quite yet.