09x06 - Thieves in the Night

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

Larry: it's very hot
and muggy out here.

It's horrible.

Worse than I thought.

Ahhhh! Oh.

Something's going on
not right -- chest pain.

I can't talk.

Larry:
the pain's getting
pretty bad now.

♪♪

Ah.

♪♪

Narrator: one man...

...one woman...

Whoo!

...alone for 21 days
to face the wrath...

Woman: stop raining!

...and fury

Of the most hostile environments
on earth.

Aah!

They have no clothes,
no food, no water.

I want water.

Do they have the skill
and the will...

Fire!

...to overcome the most
brutal survival challenge

Of their lives...

Naked and afraid?

Ava:
I need to eat really soon.

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Narrator:
under a blazing caribbean sun

In the southeastern region
of mexico

Lies in the inhospitable
mayan jungle of the yucatán.

No one has been able
to survive here

Since the ancient maya
disappeared

Over 1,000 years ago.

The heat is oppressive,
reaching 100 degrees,

And the thick vegetation

Provides an excellent
hunting ground

For one of the largest cats in
the western hemisphere --

The ferocious jaguar.

This deadly predator
usually attacks

From its prey's blind spot,

And its powerful bite
can pierce directly through

The bones of a large skull.

Beneath the canopy, the ground
is razor-sharp limestone

And conceals thousands
of deep sinkholes, or cenotes.

Many cenotes are sheltered
by limestone caves,

Which are breeding grounds

For legions
of disease-infested bats.

♪♪

Larry: I'm feeling
real nervous right now.

The weather here
is very, very humid.

It just feels like
it's just taking

All the water out of you
at once.

My name is larry, I'm from
kentucky, and I'm a paramedic.

I've been a survivalist
for as long as I can remember.

You know, as a kid growing up
in eastern kentucky,

You know, we used to
go up in the hills.

We'd hunt for possums
because we was poor, you know,

Didn't have much more to do.

We learned how to build fires,
shelters.

That was just how I lived.

♪♪

First thing I want to do
is go straight to water

'Cause I can see I'm gonna
need a lot of it out here.

I'm a big guy.

The real reason I'm doing
this challenge is because

I've got daughters at home
and my son,

And I want to show them

That if they
put their mind to something,

That they can finish it,

That they can do it
no matter what.

Narrator: larry's fire-making
and trapping skills

Give him an edge,

But his need to sustain
a high-caloric diet

Could prove challenging
in this harsh terrain.

He begins with a primitive
survival rating of 6.8.

110% I'm gonna make it,

And I'll push my partner, too,
if I have to,

'Cause she's gonna be coming out
right with me.

♪♪

Ava: this is the first time
that it's sinking in

That we have nothing

But what's in the jungle
to support us,

And I'm nervous and excited
all at the same time.

I'm ava from seattle,
and I'm a fashion producer

And a wildlife conservationist.

When people see me,
they may think that I am

A fashion diva,
but when they get to know me,

They always realize that
I have this other side of me

That's obsessed with nature
and loves being outdoors.

I grew up with a survivalist.

My father is a teacher
in survival training,

So I've been around
survival skills

And survival training
my entire life.

♪♪

I feel like this is
the most far-off thing

From what I do
in my day-to-day life now,

That being able to do this
really proves to myself

That I can do anything.

Narrator: thanks to
the training she received

At her father's school,

Ava comes into the challenge
with a strong foundation

In plant identification
and weaving,

But her lack of hands-on
experience hunting and trapping

Could make her overly dependent
on her partner.

Ava's initial psr is 6.3.

Okay.

Okay, here we go.

It's time to get naked and wild
in the jungle.

♪♪

See ya.

Ava:
and that's it.

♪♪

Larry:
you know, I'm a kentucky boy.

This is the jungle.
This is totally different.

It's very dense out here.

The rocks are unbearable
on your feet.

They're just trying to
gash them every time.

If it wasn't for the leaves
over top of them,

I don't see anybody
could walk out here.

I don't care how tough
your feet are.

♪♪

Hello. Hey.

Whoo! I just
fell in a hole.

-They're everywhere.
-They're everywhere.

So let's try to
avoid those. Ava.

Larry.
Nice to meet you.

Cheers.

It's very hot
and muggy out here.

Where are you from?
-Seattle.

-Seattle?
-Most recently, yeah.

-Kentucky.
-Awesome.

-Hillbilly, so...
-So you're ready for this?

-Oh, yeah, I'm perfect.
-You're trained for it?

-I'm good.
-Okay.

I'm great, and plus
I'm a paramedic...

-Oh, great.
-...so if you get hurt I'm good.

So my thing is
that we should get

As much firewood
as possible

And start a fire
as soon as possible

And keep dry.
All right.

That's exactly
what I was thinking.

-All right, let's do it.
-It's gonna be awesome.

Fire, then shelter.
-Fire, then shelter.

-Then we'll get water.
-That's perfect.

I'm assuming
this is your bag.

Oh, yeah, that's mine.
Here's yours.

Narrator: in addition to being
given a stowaway pot,

Larry and ava were each allowed
to bring one survival item.

-I brought a machete.
-That's awesome.

-Yeah. It's double-sided.
-It's gonna be great.

-I got a fire-starter.
-Perfect. We're gonna need that.

It's gonna be
so damp out here.

Right.
So here's my map.

Looks like...

Okay,
we're right here.

That's where we are?
In the clearing?

Looks like the only
kind of water around

Is the cenotes, and so
I think if we walk

Kind of more
to the left straight,

We should run
into that one.

I agree. Let's sh**t for
that one, check it out,

And we'll go to
the second one,

And we'll choose
the best one. Okay?

-That's cool.
-All right, let's do it.

Let's do it.

♪♪

Whoo!
Sharp rocks.

-Ohh.
-Sorry. Here.

Larry:
it's like walking
on lava rock.

230 Pounds doesn't
do too good on rocks.

Yeah.

Larry: me strong
like bear but...

Ava:

...feet like baby.

♪♪

Hold up, ava.

Watch that hole --
big, old hole.

Oh, I see it. Wow.
That's really deep.

It's like freakin'
razor blades

All the way
down through there.

Ava: that's like
a jaguar trap right there.

They don't
need to hunt.

They just sit around

And wait for you
to fall in the hole.

Wait for dummies
to fall into the hole.

Let's try to not feed
the jaguars this time.

♪♪

Here,
hold up a second.

Let me
catch up with you.

Ava:
I'm annoyed that this process
is taking a little longer

Than I thought it might.

Keep having to wait
and keep up with him,

And I hope that
his feet get tougher.

Otherwise, it'll slow us down
a little more than

I like to be slowed down.

Rocks, thorns.

Rocks, thorns.

I think we're --
we got to be almost there.

I'm gonna go ahead
and look.

Do you mind if
I run up, just in case?

Go ahead.
Just keep in shouting --

Where you can
shout at me.

All right.

Larry:
my partner -- awesome.

We need to find
the water source.

That's what we're going for.

Ahhhh. Cuts.

I can already tell the first
dehydration's coming on.

I'm starting to get leg cramps.

I guess it kind of helps
and kind of sucks

That you're a paramedic
'cause you know what's going on.

♪♪

I'm making him some shoes
so he can keep up with me.

♪♪

Let's see if
wrapping this works.

Would that make
sense, if it could
stay like that?

Yes.

♪♪

Hold on. Let me do
one more thing.

You got it.

She uses her hair
for my feet.

That is a partner --

Using her hair
for my feet.

How's that?

Oh, yeah,
that's so much better.

♪♪

Ahhhh.

Here's something,
let's go check it out.

That's definitely
the bigger cenote.

Whoo-hoo!
-Yay!

-There's water there.

I'm so thirsty.

We definitely don't want
to drink that water

Straight out of there.

No.

The sun is currently setting,

And we haven't had our shelter
or fire built.

I'm just looking forward
to finding a place

That we want to be.

-Oh, that feels so...
-We're lucky.

It's dark,
and we found a place

With natural shelter.
We're really lucky.

Larry: it feel so much
better right here.

Ava: we have water,
and the thing is

It needs to be boiled.

Now we just got to
try and make a fire.

Well, let's get our
materials together, yeah.

♪♪

Ava: let me know if there's
anything I can do to help.

-I can't see nothing.
-Can't see anything?

No.

It's day one.

We're still hoping to
get a fire started.

It looks kind of bleak.

It's getting
very, very dark in here.

♪♪

♪♪

It's not gonna work.

It's kind of damp
a little bit, feels like.

Definitely damp.

Well, the other tactic
is that

We just sleep and
wake up in the morning.

I think that's the
only thing we're
gonna be able to do.

It's gonna be dark
as hell down here.

It's definitely
not ideal,

But we'll make
the best of it.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Ava: you hear
that growling?

It sounds like
something big.

Larry:
I hear that.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Ava: I didn't sleep
very well last night.

Kept waking up 'cause you hear
lots of stuff at night.

You hear bats.
You hear a lot of animals.

I want a fire, so I'm getting
as much dry stuff as I can.

First night -- kind of crazy.

I'm gonna try to drink at least
a gallon of water today.

We really need to
get that fire going

So we can re-hydrate
and protect us from predators.

♪♪

Burn that, too.

♪♪

♪♪

Ahhhh. Oh.

♪♪

Ava: larry?
Hey, what's going on?

We need a medic!

♪♪

♪♪

Yes.

It's like someone's pushing
on my chest right now.

Like, my heart stops
for a second,

Then it starts back up.

The only thing
that scares me is
most of the time

When you wake up
with chest pain,

It could be a sign
of a heart attack.

♪♪

You know, I want to
finish this challenge.

That's what I came here for,

But I got five kids at home,

And I can't sit here
and have a heart attack and die.

♪♪

It's really sad,
too, for me, so...

It kills me
to leave you out here.

Ahhhh.

I feel so bad.

Narrator:
only two days in,

Larry is suffering from
heat exhaustion

And an irregular heartbeat

And is removed
from the challenge,

Dropping his psr

From 6.8 to 4.2.

Because larry tapped out
within the first 48 hours,

Ava is informed
that a plan is in the works

To bring in a new partner.

Okay.

Ava: losing my partner
is devastating.

The game just changed entirely.

I don't know if
I'll be able to make it,

And I just hope
I get another partner soon.

♪♪

I'm alone.

There's no one to check in with.
There's no one to talk to.

It's gonna be interesting,

But I think most of the mind-set
once you get out here

Is just,
"what can I do to survive?"

So I need water, I need food,

And I know that the answer to
those things is to get a fire.

♪♪

♪♪

Damn.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Hello?

Being out here by myself --

It's super dark out,
so it's scary as *bleep*.

♪♪

♪♪

Super, super, super tired.

I couldn't sleep very well
last night 'cause I had no fire.

♪♪

And now I'm just
gathering things,

Whether it's plants
that I can eat or firewood.

This place is so hot and humid,
and I need water badly.

♪♪

♪♪

Ava: I just hope I get
another partner soon.

My brain is just so dried out
from not drinking water.

Narrator:
since the human body can lose

Up to three liters of water
per hour,

In hot and humid
environments like this one,

Obtaining water is now paramount
to ava's survival.

♪♪

Ava: I've never been so
dehydrated in my entire life.

♪♪

♪♪

Whoa.

I can't talk.

Wow.

♪♪

I just blanked --

Like completely blacked out
for a second.

And then I woke up,
like, shaking.

My whole body, like, has
that feeling that when you're --

When a part of your body is,
um...

...like when it goes to sleep
and it's coming,

And you can, like,
start to feel it again.

My whole body
feels like that right now.

My lips, my head --

Everything's, like,
shaking back into feeling.

And it's a shock

'Cause it's super shocking
to feel like that.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Hello?

♪♪

Holy *bleep*.

-I see a naked person.
-Oh, my gosh.

You must be
a second partner.

-The second one, huh?
-What?!

I look up, and I just see this
super buff guy

Who is also naked,
and I'm assuming like,

"Oh, that's my new partner."

Hey.
-Hi. I'm steve.

-Ava. Cheers.
-Nice to meet you.

You're really kicking a*s.
Let me give you a hug.

So what day is this
for you, by the way?

-This is day three.
-Oh, okay.

Narrator: like ava,
steven will have to complete

His own 21-day challenge,

And ava can complete
the challenge with him.

-So this is home?
-This is home.

Steven: my partner,
from what I understand,

Has been out here already
for a few days,

Kicking it
and holding it down on her own,

So hopefully I can help
pick up some of the slack.

My name is steve.

I'm a scuba instructor
and a personal trainer

From orlando.

I would describe myself
as an adventurous,

Outgoing, outdoorsy person.

And I'm from the marine corps.
Our skin is thick.

Narrator:
an athletic former marine
and skilled hunter,

Ava's new partner
has what it takes

To help provide for the team,

But the unfamiliar terrain
could hinder his efforts.

He begins with
an initial psr of 7.2.

Ava: all right, well,
what did you bring with you?

I brought
a big, old mesh tarp.

Awesome.

I thought there would be
multiple purposes for this,

Even if there was bugs

Or help
in making the shelter.

So that will be
really helpful.

I'm really excited
about that.

So when's the last time
you had some water?

48 Hours ago.

Holy hot hell.

Well,
there's tons of water.

The thing is
it needs to be boiled.

So right now I'm working
on getting a fire.

Steven: the fact that my partner
has been two days already

Without water
is pretty hard-core.

So it's primary right now
to get a fire

So we can get some water,
especially for her.

Got some dry leaves.

Usually they're good
for a quick spark.

Yeah, baby.
-Oh, hell, yeah.

-I see it. Right there.
-Is it?

-It's there.
-Go, go, go, go, go, go.

Ava:
perfect. It's good.

Keep the little heat
high.

Steven: looks like
we got it going,

So, yeah,
there you go.

-Burn, baby, burn!
-All right.

-Whoo!
-Roaring.

Roaring.

I'm really grateful
for the fire.

I'm really grateful
that he's here.

He is keeping me going,
he's energetic,

And I'm just so excited
to have him here.

♪♪

I am super, super, super, super
thrilled that we have water.

Today it's about
stocking up on that firewood

And getting our fire
really organized

So it's sustainable
for the next few days.

♪♪

♪♪

Let that fire be,
girl.

Do you want to try
to fish?

Just time management?
No?

I want to focus.

This fire
is everything.

Just worried that
there's not enough flame.

We should do one more
firewood run.

What do you think?

I think right now
she has blinders on

Because she's been
without fire for so long.

Firewood is a necessity,
but so is food.

While hunger is not
extreme right now,

If you don't eat anything,

Then you're not gonna get
very far.

So while I still have energy,

I want to find food
while we do have the fire.

Ooh.

♪♪

Want to
grab those guys?

Perfect.

♪♪

Steven:
look what I found here.

Got a nice little
snake right here.

-Really?
-Yeah.

We can keep him
in the pot.

Narrator: the blunt-headed
treesnake's thin body

Will amount to no more
than 42 calories.

All right. All right,
we got dinner in a pot.

Boom.

Let's work on
getting it cooked.

He found a snake,
so that was super exciting.

I hadn't seen any snakes
up until that point.

Sorry, buddy.

I really hate
doing this like this,

But there's that.

Not much to him.

I think this is all you,
my dear.

Ava: is there any way
to de-gut it,

Or you just eat
the whole thing?

I think we should just
do him straight up.

-Stick him on a stick?
-Yeah, and pull the skin off.

♪♪

This is a snake
that my partner caught.

It's gonna be my first protein
in five days,

And I'm really pumped to eat it.

Mmm.

Tastes good, actually.

♪♪

Steven: ava had been here
without eating,

So I let her eat the snake.

It was about a morsel for her,
so I need protein.

That's my goal,

So I think I'm gonna try
to shimmy a fishing pole

And catch us some catfish.

They seem to be
pretty active right here.

So what I got on here --
it's really crude.

It's two thorns.
One has my grub on it,

And they're just tied to a vine,

And I used some of the vine
to wrap around a rock

So it'll put the weight
just below the surface,

And hopefully we'll catch
something with that.

They are a-ggress-ive.

The bait fell off.

♪♪

Ohhh.

He got it right off of the hook.

Son of a b*tch.

♪♪

Well, I'm gonna leave that
here for now...

...and try something new.

♪♪

There we go.

We got plenty of wood.

I think this will
last us one night,

So whenever you're ready --

I do.
Whenever you're ready --

No.
This has got to last us

More than one night,
my dear.

Steven: her method is gonna
run us out of wood in no time.

The material's
being burnt up aimlessly.

Steven: ultimately,
this should last us

Way more than one night

Because we have wood
over there.

We have wood right here.

I think we should
get three times
as much of this,

Which is totally
possible today.

Steven: we're gonna have to chop
down this whole *bleep* forest

To sustain the fires
that she wants.

That's just not doable,
especially without food.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Ava: last night I had
a lot of time to think.

I want to say sorry
for burning so much wood.

Definitely my fire ptsd
has gotten me.

I'm like,
"just put it on."

So I will collect
some more firewood today,

But I'll try to be
more conservative with it.

Steven: all that we need
is those coals.

As long as we're
making coals,

We'll continue
to have fire.

Got it.

I think I was just
so burnt out

From trying to get fire
for almost three days

That my heart just is like,
"no, don't let it go out.

It's my life source."

So I'm gonna try to
back off a little bit,

Conserve more energy, anyway.

♪♪

We got to
get through it.

-Thank you.
-For what?

All the things.
Everything.

You're welcome.

She's a sweet girl.
I know she is.

And I know she means well.

And let's keep pushing on

In order to find
the sustenance or nutrients

That we need in order to
make it to day 21.

♪♪

Are you feeling okay?

You okay?

Yep, just got a break
every once in a while.

Standing up, huh?

Gets lightheaded
real quick.

Ava: definitely notice
some physical changes --

Um, consistently
a little bit lightheaded.

My whole body starts
shaking violently,

And the blood
drains from my head,

And I know that's not
a small deal,

So I'm gonna go get some roots

So I can give myself
some energy,

And I just hope
that it goes away

'Cause it's definitely not,
like, a safe thing

To walk around the fire
and, like, almost pass out.

Not much.

Narrator: since she began
the challenge 12 days ago,

Ava has expended
200 times more calories

Than she's taken in.

These starchy tubers are rich
in iron and potassium,

But will only provide
35 calories.

Steven:

Ahh.

They taste like
desperation.

Mm. They taste like
surviving to me.

Yes.

♪♪

Steven: been trying to
think of a few ideas

To get some larger
sources of protein.

There's another
cenote nearby

That I came across
on one of my treks
through the woods.

Protein is protein.

Want try a bat or two?

Think a net
out of my mesh tarp

Will be one of
the best methods

Of attaining one.

So I've cut a piece
of the tarp out

That I can use to
roll up

And insert a vine in
to hoop it,

And I'm gonna
tie off the sides,

Tie off the bottom,

And make a nice little net
with a nice little pole.

Before I make a mecca
to the bat cave,

Um...

How do you feel about
eating these?

Feels a little
nerve-racking --

The same kind of bat that
gives you nerve damage.

I'm thinking we stay away
from the spine

And the brains,

Cook it well
through and through.

I'd be willing to try.

Go and getting
some shoes here.

These limestone rocks
are no joke.

♪♪

♪♪

It's very dark.

Light is so limited.

I can't even tell
if it drops off

And just falls to *bleep* hell.

I'm gonna toss this log in there
to see if that will

Stir them up.

♪♪

It's got an eerie feel,

Pungent smell.

Phew.

Hope my hands aren't covered
in bat *bleep*.

Narrator: while some bats
are safe to eat after cooking,

Most can transmit
an insidious disease

Called histoplasmosis.

Found in airborne spores
from bat droppings,

It can lead to
neurological diseases

And even death.

Steven: sounds like
there's hundreds of them

Somewhere flying.

Whoa!

You can't see *bleep*.

Holy *bleep*.

♪♪

It's hard to...

Isolate just one.

Just not gonna be able to
just snatch them out of the air.

Yeah, this is a lot more
difficult than I was expecting.

I hate to say it,
but I think my bat trip

Is a wash.

The dilemma remaining is
we still have no protein.

I just don't want to
go back empty-handed.

No bats.
-No bats?

No bats.

Geez.

♪♪

Want to sit down?

♪♪

If you're feeling
lightheaded,

Standing by the fire
is probably

Not the place
you want to be.

Come on over here and
have a seat or something.

I will as soon as
I can move.

Steven: if she doesn't get
anything significant,

I got a feeling
she's gonna be doing harm

To her body in the long run,

So I'm gonna support her
as best I can

And help her see her way
through the 21-day challenge.

♪♪

You okay?

Ahhhh.

*Bleep*

Yeah, I can feel my
energy level going down.

♪♪

That's a frog.

♪♪

Oh, my god.

It secreted some kind of
white, milky poison.

Means "don't touch this."

There are a lot of things
out here

That have an awesome
defense mechanism

That I'm just not ready
to rival with yet.

Glad I didn't try to touch him.

♪♪

♪♪

Ahhhh.

*Bleep*

Ah, *bleep*.

Oh, my god.

*Bleep*

She stood up, and she rested
her arms on the ceiling.

You know, I watched my buddy
just collapse

Like a sack of potatoes,

And she fell towards the fire,
which really scared me.

Hopefully it's something
that she can stay here

And we can find
a better source of protein.

♪♪

I have a genuine concern
and care for ava.

It's your only buddy out here.
It's your only friend.

That's your only support,
your only confidant.

Ava: just feel like
we know each other

A lot better than I would have
ever known someone

In this short amount of time.

Steven:
our bond is definitely strong.

I thought about it last night --

If she wasn't able to stay,
I'd miss her.

I know my partner
needs nutrients,

And I'm gonna get out
and scout around

And see what we can find.

♪♪

It's tough.

Hopefully I can come across
some real protein.

Don't want my partner
to keep dropping

And having spells
where she's falling out.

I don't like it.
It's awful to look at.

So many crevices.

It would be a great hole
for rodents...

Snakes...

'Possum.

♪♪

Not sure.

I've run rings
around this jungle,

Seeing the same stuff
and finding nothing.

Holy *bleep*.

♪♪

That's the tent.

That's interesting.

♪♪

Steven: I don't want this
to be the turning point

For us going home,

But I'm desperate.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Come on.

I want to show you
something I found.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
as day breaks on day 17,

Medics call in
the production team

For an emergency meeting.

Just go ahead and
tell me what happened.

All right, I will go in
and notify them,

And I will pull them
out of the challenge.

♪♪

Steven:
what's up?

Hey, guys.

The medic told me
that steven

Tried to steal food
from the tent last night.

You knew the rules,
and you broke them.

You're being extracted,

And that's gonna be
effective immediately.

I'm sorry, but your
challenge is over.

Wow.

It's a no-tolerance
policy,

So we got to
pull you guys.

♪♪

Steven:
got to do something.

My partner was really hungry,

And ultimately what I did
was just for her.

I've really grown
to care for her,

And it sucks to see someone
you care for fall over.

I apologize that this is
affecting you, too, so...

No, I take
full responsibility

For going along with
that trip

That I knew I should
not have gone on.

Ava: steven has,
every single day,

Provided support
that is so much more

Than I probably
could have given myself,

And honestly,
he has cared for me

In ways that I have never had
anyone care for me

In my entire life.

That definitely makes me, like,
admire and appreciate him.

Once I was in the act
of going forward

And looking for the food,
it was like switch.

You know,
it was like objective --

Find and acquire.

That was it.

At that time,
it was no thought of

What could possibly happen
if I got caught.

Always something, steve.

Can never just be the hero.

You can never just be
the good guy.

I don't think
I was thinking clearly

Based on my lack of food,
lack of nourishment,

And I think it did definitely
affect my mental choices,

So biggest apologies,
most sincerest to everyone.

Game over.

Ava:
I would do this again

If I was given the chance,

But I also understand that,
you know,

You make some mistakes,
and they're irreversible, so...

That's totally...

Totally makes sense to me.

♪♪

Narrator:
surviving 17 days

In the mayan jungle
of the yucatán,

Ava lost a total of 25 pounds.

She battled severe
dehydration and hunger,

Pushing her to make a decision

Which ultimately cost her
the challenge.

Disappointed
in myself.

Ava's psr drops
from 6.3 to 4.5.

Steven came just a week shy
of completing the challenge

And lost 20 pounds.

Desperate to keep his partner
in the game,

He made a disastrous decision

And ultimately suffered
the same fate as ava.

His psr drops from
a 7.2 to a 5.4.

The survivalists
entered the challenge

With hopes of conquering
the mayan jungle

But didn't have
what it takes to survive

Naked and afraid.