♪♪
It's right there.
Ah!
♪♪
Narrator: one man...
Narrator: one woman...
Whoo!
Narrator: ...alone for 21 days
to face the wrath...
-Stop raining!
Narrator: ...and fury
Of the most hostile environments
on earth.
Ah!
Narrator: they have no clothes,
no food, no water.
I want water.
Narrator: do they have the skill
and the will...
Man: fire!
Narrator: ...to overcome
The most brutal survival
challenge of their lives?
"Naked and afraid."
Man: hell, pure hell.
Captions paid for by
discovery communications
♪♪
Oh, my god.
It looks so thick.
There's bull sharks in here,
freshwater bull sharks.
It's got me a little nervous
even for the boat ride.
Narrator:
this is lake nicaragua,
The largest freshwater lake
in central america.
In this desolate, foreboding
corner of the world,
The only freshwater bull sharks
on the planet
Attack with an aggressive bite
stronger than the great white.
In the middle of this massive
lake sits east la zapatera,
An inhospitable island forged
from a volcanic eruption
And covered
with razor-sharp lava rocks.
Cloaked in mystery,
it was once inhabited
By pre-colombian tribes,
But it has since been reclaimed
by poisonous plants,
Swarms of mosquitoes,
and vicious vampire bats,
Who can gorge up to half
their body weight in blood.
Prowling in the undergrowth
are jaguars,
Deadly coral snakes,
And central american
rattlesnakes,
Whose venom can cause paralysis
and respiratory failure.
Unforgiving, treacherous,
In this deserted land
of unrivaled peril,
Only the strong-willed
can survive.
Leah: I love challenges.
I'm looking forward
to getting out there.
I'm really excited
more than anything.
My name's leah.
I'm from northern arizona, and
I'm a grand canyon river guide.
I get to take 28 strangers
Down 288 miles of wilderness.
It's up to me to be able
to guide them through it
And take care
of their well-being.
I was exposed to outdoors
as a kid.
My dad would always take us out
And show us fire building
or how to trap small animals.
Put me anywhere for 21 days,
and I know I could do it.
Narrator: as a seasoned river
rafting guide,
Leah is able to adapt
in unpredictable situations,
And while her skills
have only been tested
In a desert environment,
Years of outdoor experience
Have honed them
to an expert level.
She begins with a psr of 7.0.
Wes: there's a ton of jungle
surrounding us.
Even on the boat,
it's still pretty hot.
I'm already sweating.
It's going to be tough.
I'm wes.
I'm from white salmon,
washington.
I'm a former ski patroller.
I've become a mountain man
And taken it
to a whole new level.
I can make a fire with steel
and flint and using a bow drill.
I can hunt. I can fish.
I can track animals.
I'm a free spirit
who loves adventure...
Ah!
I've been an extreme
kayaker for years.
I'm a mountain badass
with the skills to do
Just about anything
in the outdoors.
I haven't found my limits.
I think it's time for me
to come out here
And be tested by the elements.
Narrator: wes is an avid
outdoorsman with experience
In a variety of terrains.
He brings a strong
set of primitive skills
To the challenge,
And has the instincts
and stamina required to survive.
He begins the challenge
with a psr of 7.1.
About to take my clothes off
and get naked in the jungle.
I've been chasing waterfalls
for many years,
And white water has
a way of teaching us
How to go with the flow.
Freedom.
It's a matter of setting
aside the fear
And realizing that we just have
to get through this now,
And this is without a doubt
going to be the deepest canyon
And hardest rapid
I will ever run.
♪♪
All right.
Here's what I came for.
I hope to meet someone who, even
though we don't know each other,
Just has that quality
of working as team.
Keeping a positive attitude,
A team dynamic is
really important to me.
You have to have someone there
in the clutch moment,
And if you don't have that
person, it just doesn't work.
♪♪
♪♪
-Hey!
-Hi, how are you?
I'm good.
Fancy meeting you here.
-Watch it. You're barefoot.
-Nice to see you.
-You, too.
-I'm wes.
I'm leah.
-Nice to meet you.
-Nice meeting you.
And he looks like tarzan,
and that's really good.
Awesome.
Well, here we are,
in the jungle.
Yeah. Finally.
I'm definitely out
of my comfort zone.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
-Awesome.
You want to see
what's in our bags?
Sure.
All right.
Well, I brought
my trusty machete here.
That ought to handle
business out here, huh?
I have fire starter.
Oh, nice.
That'll come in handy.
Yes.
It looks like fishing
line and some hooks.
Awesome.
Be able to catch
some protein out here.
-Fish on.
-Yee-haw.
And I also have the map.
Oh, look.
There's snakes and sharks on it.
Wonderful. Jaguars.
Want to stay far away
from over there.
Oh, I would love
to see a jaguar.
So, well,
where should we go?
We should probably go
check out what this water is
And see if we can
make camp over there.
See if we can find a better
water source than the lake.
And something without
bull sharks in it.
All right.
♪♪
Leah: I feel like we are deep
in the jungle now.
-Ouch. *Bleep*
-ow. *Bleep*
Wes: lots of pokey things
on the way.
Narrator:
the island is overgrown
With bullhorn acacia trees
That house thousands
of ruthless stinging ants
Within its hollow thorns,
And the dense canopy
teems with tarantulas
And venomous banana spiders.
-What you got?
You're probably gonna
think it's beautiful.
-Oh, yeah!
-Okay.
-Is that a banana spider?
-Yeah.
Yeah, I definitely don't want
to accidentally walk into that
And get it on my face.
I'm glad I'm short,
and you're taller than me --
Oh, nice.
...so you have to walk
in front all the time.
There you go.
I'll just take one for the team.
-I love these vines.
-Yeah.
I think the vines are gonna
come in handy.
I'm gonna start swinging
from them like tarzan.
That's exactly what
I wanted to hear!
Wes:
she seems strong and friendly,
And she's super hot.
Yeah.
Leah: how do you think that
we're gonna work together?
Wes:
well, I mean, so far, so good.
I think we move close
to the same pace. Ouch.
I think we're gonna work
really well together.
I play well with others.
Until he starts being
a *bleep*.
If you start being a *bleep*
then I'm not gonna play nice
With you anymore.
-Copy, I guess ditto.
Leah:
wes seems pretty confident.
I haven't run the idea
of jungle love past him yet,
But it could be
a possibility for me.
How do you feel about
your primitive-hunting skills?
I'm an archery hunter
for elk --
-Are you?
-...and deer.
-Oh, yeah.
-My dad -- I grew up that way.
-Oh, really? Nice.
-Yeah.
I'm pretty confident at k*lling
and cleaning animals.
I would like to set
some fish traps.
Nice.
Oh, my god. How pretty.
It's a real life lagoon.
The lagoon could be
a good source of water
And certainly has lots
of animals nearby
So it might
a great spot to camp.
Especially if the fishing
is good in it.
♪♪
And...
No, it's totally sulfur.
-Huh. Well...
-So not a good drinking source.
Narrator: drinking water that
contains high levels of sulfate
Can cause severe dysentery
and dehydration,
Which depletes the body
of vital nutrients.
I'm gonna say, "no."
We don't have a pot,
So we're hoping to find
a fresher water source.
Plan b, go back towards
the freshwater lake
And then we can
make camp somewhere.
Yeah.
I believe over here somewhere.
That's a bummer.
Certainly could have
been a nice area,
But got to have clean water.
-Yeah.
'Cause we're not gonna be
able to do much without it.
♪♪
Oh, look it, a bird nest.
No, eggs, but you know
what that would be good for
Is tinder.
-Oh, yeah.
Birds make the best tinder
'Cause it's all different
kinds of dry stuff.
Good tinder. Good eye.
Ooh, ow.
One of those
chichicaste things got me.
Just like everything else
here in the jungle,
It wants to hurt you.
Narrator: plants known as
chichicaste blanket the island.
Just brushing up
against the leaves
Releases hundreds of tiny hairs
That pierce the skin
and inject a poison
That causes an excruciating
burning sensation.
-Ow!
-I know. It hurts, huh?
Things are starting
to sting and burn now,
And it's just the realization
Of how uncomfortable
it's gonna be.
Ow. Oh, *bleep*.
That hurts.
*Bleep* ow.
Ow. I shouldn't have
followed you in there.
Ow! I'm sorry I'm leading you
the wrong way.
-Ow.
-*Bleep*
Oh. Okay.
Well, that'll piss a man off.
♪♪
Yeah, it is, eh?
Yeah, I can already feel my body
using up its water.
The heat's really
taking it out of me,
And we haven't drank any water
since we got inserted.
I'm sweating.
It is hot out here.
At this point, I'm just
hoping we find clean water.
One thing's for sure,
the jungle is itchy,
Very hot, very nasty,
very smelly,
Not a very hospitable
environment.
Oh.
Ooh, is that the shore
we can see?
Well, we're back at the lake.
Now we have bull sharks
to deal with.
We do have water, though
it doesn't look very clean,
But it's getting late
in the day, and yeah.
Here we are.
Leah:
well, we wasted so much time
Trying to find a better
water source than the lake.
Now it's gonna be dark soon,
And we still have to get
shelter and fire built.
Oh, those are beautiful.
They're totally looking at us.
Oh, yeah.
Definitely don't want to be
too close to the water
Because all the wildlife
is going to come on down here.
It's really moist in here.
There's lots of mosquitoes.
Okay.
Here's a more
flatish spot up here.
I mean, we'd have to move
some major rocks out of here.
-Oh, I see.
-Nothing looks soft.
We don't want to be
near ants' nests.
Monkey, show us where
we should put our camp.
I think everything's gonna just
look the same where we are.
So we can pick the lesser
of the worst.
I'm gonna look
every direction
Until I find something
that looks good.
I don't like this.
I don't really know wes,
so I'm kind of just giving him
The benefit of the doubt
that he doesn't mean
To sound abrasive or anything.
I think that's just maybe
his personality.
There really is
no soft ground here.
We've got nothing
but lava rock as bedding,
And yeah, so right now
I'm just trying to wrap
my head around it.
Leah: wes is, I think,
Maybe dehydrated
and out of his element.
I'm gonna be
super supportive.
Keeping a positive outlook
is gonna be the thing
I focus on more than anything.
I don't know, if we,
like, say,
"Okay. This is
where it's gonna be,"
Then we can just evolve this.
Yeah.
We've got the things we need
to survive at the moment, so...
-Perfect.
-Okay.
Wes: the jungle is everything
I expected and more.
It's already thrown
lots at us today.
Nothing was gonna be
handed to us out here,
And it's sure not being.
At least we're really
close to the lake.
Fair enough.
Bull sharks.
Bull sharks are in the lake.
♪♪
So many ants.
With that super
awesome bird nest,
I will attempt
to make our fire.
Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo, ant,
you little *bleep*.
Oh, my god.
That is so uncomfortable.
You little b*stard.
I'm gonna get this
on there because
That will burn for a while.
-Whoo!
-Whoo!
Yeah! We got fire.
Nice work, wes.
Well, it's a team effort, man.
At this point,
with the fire started,
We at least have one success.
I feel like, you know,
that's a big hurdle,
Especially out here with
the wet wood on the ground.
I suppose it's all
we can ask for.
Now the question is,
what are we gonna do about
Drinking water?
I say tomorrow, I mean,
we're gonna be up
*Bleep* early anyway,
so let's go down to the lake
And dig a well close
to the shore bank.
We've had enough water this
morning to last us all night.
♪♪
Drink your pee.
I don't really like
that answer.
I don't really like
that answer.
Okay, just an idea.
♪♪
Night one, and here we are.
Didn't know what to go
into the day expecting,
But really kind
of uncomfortable.
I've been bit by 1,000 bugs
all over my body,
Including my nether regions.
So hopefully we get
through the night.
The bugs...
♪♪
Let's go see about finding
some clean water.
Feeling really,
really tired this morning.
Bugs crawling on me, spiders,
And mosquitoes
buzzing in my ear,
So needless to say, they kept
my attention all night,
And I stayed up all night.
♪♪
Look, water.
That is really,
really pretty.
Let's see how deep
we can even dig.
Let's find something
to dig with.
Well, I imagine, actually, that
this is probably all sand beach,
And the reason
why it's even here
Is because both of
these places have met
During the rainy season
and flooding
And created
a sand beach here.
Cool.
Where do you want to dig?
Mid, like four feet,
five feet away?
Yeah, why don't
we just dig right here?
See what we get.
♪♪
Leah: one thing that we do know
is that the lake is
A good, clean source of water.
So if we could just
filter it a little bit
And make it that much better,
then this is a really good idea.
Narrator: digging an indian well
near a freshwater source
Helps to filter out
potential contaminants.
As the water passes
through carbon in the dirt,
Impurities are left behind
Greatly reducing the risk
of serious illness
From animal feces
and mosquito larvae.
Awesome, and it's already
filling up with water.
I'm gonna try it just now
just to see how it tastes.
Mm. It tastes really good.
This is gonna be our best
source of water definitely.
It just needs the layer of junk
pulled off the top of it.
I was little concerned with
the color of the water
What might be in it.
It's hard to say, but hopefully
it doesn't make me sick.
Are you going to drink --
try it right now?
Oh, no. I'm gonna let it settle
for a bit first.
Until it's clear on top?
Yeah, let the sediment settle.
In the meantime,
well, we have water.
Yeah, so we have the water.
We have fire going.
I feel way better
about being down here.
I'm sure a lot of the animals
that are here
Come down to the beach,
But I like being by the water,
And I like the idea
of the well here, too.
Yeah, I think this might
be a better spot.
-I agree.
-Here it is.
Cool. I'm gonna go grab some
coals from our fire up there.
-Copy that. On it.
-Awesome.
Okay.
I'm gonna go maybe see
about getting myself
A little bit of...
Oh. *Bleep*.
Just messed up the well.
I fell in the well.
*Bleep*
trying to go get water.
Fell in the well.
Do you want to try and build
some kind of shelter
If it stops raining a little?
Or do you just want to bank
on it stopping the rain?
Oh, I don't know that we can
bank on anything in the jungle.
I mean, I guess I don't see
a need for a structure.
I'm still trying to get to know
Wes and figure out
communicating with my partner,
Seeing what he wants to do.
We might be on different
pages of stuff.
I just hope the team dynamic
thing comes into play soon.
Oh, yes.
This is going to be
so comfortable
Compared to last night.
I decided that the canopy
of trees above us
Was probably sufficient
enough for shelter.
Certainly not going to
put energy into something
That is not going to be
of use to me right now.
Leah:
let's chop some trees down.
♪♪
Wes is fine sleeping
in the sand,
But I don't think I am,
So I'm going to build
a short, small platform
Just to keep me off
the ground a little bit.
Awesome.
♪♪
I'm just making divots in here.
Perfect.
Maybe add a couple more cross
beams and then call it good.
♪♪
-The sun's out.
-How was your nap?
It's exactly what I needed.
-Good.
-What are you making?
I'm just making a raised bed
To get myself off
the ground tonight.
Oh, yeah.
Look at you being
little suzy homemaker.
♪♪
Is it only day two?
I have lost my belief
in jungle love.
What are you gonna do?
Just make it another day
and then hopefully another one,
Another one until 21.
♪♪
Hopefully that burns slower.
I just want the night
to hurry up and go by.
It's right there.
♪♪
Ah!
♪♪
It's right there.
♪♪
Ah!
♪♪
I think he might be gone.
He was close.
Do you think you're gonna
be able to sleep tonight?
-Nope.
-At all?
Nope.
♪♪
♪♪
Leah: last night, we heard
noises, and it sounded like
It could've been a jaguar.
This would alert us that
there are predators around.
So it makes me a little nervous.
It makes me want to keep
the fire going for sure,
Keep them from being
too curious.
My body is starting
to feel weak.
I think I need
to find some food.
I'm hoping we'll find
some protein.
Leah: maybe that will lift
wes' spirits a little.
♪♪
Wes: I got my fishing line,
And I need to find something
to tie this onto for a pole.
That's not gonna work.
I think one of the next goals
it to locate some protein
And get it in the system.
I need a worm.
Do you want to find me a worm?
Did you look for a worm?
No, I've just been busy
tying the line up.
I don't necessarily carry
a whole lot of extra weight.
My metabolism's super high,
So I have to make sure that even
if it's a little bit every day,
I'm taking in a little bit.
Leah: ah, chichicaste.
Find a worm?
Oh, you're not even
looking for a worm.
Yes, I am!
It's hard when you want to be
in a really good mood,
But you're working with someone
Who is salty all the time.
♪♪
Got him. All right, bud.
Let's go catch a fish.
Leah:
maybe we'll split up the duties.
I don't think we need to do
everything together.
I think we're already spending
enough time together,
So the least amount
of time we're actually
Together is probably good.
♪♪
Wes: ooh.
Hopefully no bull sharks
lurking.
♪♪
I would say I've always had
a bit of a fear of sharks,
But I'll rise
to the occasion.
My biggest fear is not being
able to catch the protein
I need to survive.
♪♪
Narrator: aggressive
freshwater bull sharks
Can grow to over 11 feet.
Since they hunt
in very shallow waters,
They are the most dangerous
sharks to humans in the world.
These deadly hunters can feel
the heartbeat of nearby prey
And use 50 rows
of over 350 teeth
To rip apart their victims.
Come on.
Come on, big one.
Come on, big one.
You little *bleep*.
♪♪
It's amazing how the comforts
of having the things at home,
Our methods of fishing,
seem to be really efficient
And sometimes more about fun
than catching fish for food.
Um...
The jungle's really humbling.
Maybe the only way to catch
a fish is to go swimming
And hopefully you get
eaten by a shark.
♪♪
Leah: I'm going on a little walk
to see if I can find some fruit.
Trying to do my part as partner.
It's, like, I thought
he was gonna be
A really upbeat person,
But it turns out
he's just kind of mopey,
And it's really, like,
Playing on my, like,
mental part of everything,
But we'll see.
Just got to stay positive.
Ow. *Bleep* oh, my god. Ow.
I don't know what I just stubbed
my toe on, but it's burning.
Oh, my god.
It was chichicaste in my foot.
Wonderful.
I totally broke
the plant in half.
Oh, my god. It's burning.
*Bleep*
Ow.
God.
♪♪
Okay.
We got this.
♪♪
♪♪
It's a big *bleep* spider.
♪♪
I'm looking for animal sign.
♪♪
Not really seeing any tracks.
*Bleep* a.
Oh, man, this chichi stuff
is everywhere over here.
Nothing has come quite easy yet.
You know, I don't know if I was
expecting abundant wildlife
And that essentially,
We'd have tons of things
at our fingertips.
It's frustrating and humbling,
But now it's imperative
for me to start eating.
These wasps are not
gonna be pleased,
And there's a lot
of ants around.
Man.
Walking by you guys without you
getting pissed, or what?
Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.
Ugh, *bleep* ants.
Hell, pure hell.
♪♪
Narrator: as night sets in,
The island becomes
a hunting ground for jaguars
But also tarantulas,
Whose sharp barbed hairs
Can hook into the skin,
causing extreme pain.
Wes: another buggy evening here
at the beach camp.
Taking little pieces
of my heart with them
*Bleep*
Ow!
*Bleep*
Something just stung
The *bleep* out of me,
And my shoulder is
on fire right now...
Fire.
Ow. *Bleep*.
♪♪
The jungle's tough.
I think being naked
in the jungle
Is a little tougher than me.
♪♪
Leah:
there's more and more ants.
Oh, there in this whole area.
Whoa.
How are you feeling?
Uh, what do you mean?
In general.
You don't seem very upbeat.
No. I'm not very upbeat.
I got about, oh, I don't know,
Five minutes of sleep
all night long,
Spiders, ants
crawling all night long,
Biting me all night long,
Mosquitos
swarming all night long.
The lack of sleep,
the lack of food,
I've been pushed at this point.
We're still dealing with
the bugs and stuff,
Which I think is gonna
be this whole time,
But I feel like if wes was
just a little more positive,
It would help with not
just morale but everything.
♪♪
I am going to make a windscreen.
And it's just gonnaa be
a little windshield
Because I sleep
right by the fire.
I'm hoping that the wind
is blocked
Just in this little area.
♪♪
What are you making?
-A thing for the wind.
-Nice.
♪♪
Leah: there are tasks that need
to be done for our survival,
And he's just not helping.
He needs to let his head
get in the game
Because I need a partner
who's going to be able
To last with me.
It totally works.
I feel very minimal wind.
♪♪
Morning four, and, uh,
Yeah, what can I say? I, um...
Yeah.
I just, uh...
You know, I definitely
came out here feeling like
I could do this
And wanted to do this,
But, uh...
Being bit by mosquitoes
And ants all day
and all night long,
I, um...
Yeah, I'm not sure
what else to say.
♪♪
Leah.
Leah!
Yeah?
Yeah. I've seen
and done enough here.
♪♪
I think I'm good to go home.
♪♪
♪♪
Oh...
What's up?
It gives me a lot of anxiety
to think about being out here
At night by myself,
And even I lived through it,
It would be mentally
*bleep* hard.
Well, I'm truly sorry for
putting you in this position.
It certainly...
It certainly puts
some weight on me, but...
I, you know...
It makes me feel something,
And for that,
I am, yeah, just a little --
I suppose I'm just feeling
a little remorse about it.
I mean, I personally think
you're a strong woman,
And you've got this.
Leah: I didn't even want to try
and convince him to stay.
He's just not bringing skills
and motivation to the table.
Narrator: wes informs production
that he has decided
To leave the challenge.
Oh, I'm tapping out, dude.
-Yeah.
-You are making
100%, This is your decision.
You're leaving the challenge?
All right.
♪♪
Yeah, take care.
Have a good meal.
Wes: I think leah certainly
has the skills,
The resolve and the intelligence
to make it through.
She's a strong woman.
I came here,
and I learned my lesson.
Narrator: after surviving only
four days on isla salvaterra,
Wes is unable to find
the mental strength
To complete the challenge,
Leaving leah to face
the next 17 days alone.
As a result,
his primitive survival
Rating drops
from a 7.1 to a 3.8.
♪♪
Leah:
there's a feeling of relief.
You don't have to
carry the weight
Of someone else's
emotions and energy.
Going into this alone
is extremely difficult.
The workload is gonna be
harder and more difficult,
But I'm here,
Spending the night alone
in the nicaraguan jungle.
♪♪
♪♪
These ants are, like, crazy.
Oh, this is terrible.
There's, like,
more and more ants.
They are all up in --
oh, my gosh.
There's thousands of them.
Oh...
♪♪
It's hard to focus on anything
else when you're uncomfortable.
Oh, god.
But I'm just gonna
take it day by day
And see what happens.
♪♪
I feel like I was limited
when wes was here
Because his negative energy
kind of messed with my head.
If it was hard
doing it with wes,
It's gonna be 10 times
harder doing it by myself.
I think I'm just scaring
the fish away.
Okay, new method.
One of my main projects today is
going to be making a fish trap.
♪♪
It's going to be a cone-shaped
fish trap made out of vines,
But it's gonna have
a very narrow hole at the top
So they'll be able
to swim into it
Or the current will
take them into it,
And then they're not gonna be
Able to figure out
how to get out.
Ow!
Ugh, I didn't know
grasshoppers bit.
He has, like, fangs.
That will be good bait.
♪♪
I really like the idea
of setting it over
In kind of the rocky area,
Making it way heavier
So that way it really kind of
Just sinks and rests
down by the rock.
So he has his fish hook in him,
so then if a big fish comes in
And swallows it, the hook
will get lodged in his throat,
And he'll be stuck.
He's still kind of alive.
He is a tough dude.
I haven't had any protein
since I got here,
So it would be so amazing if
this fish trap actually worked.
All right. Let's see what
happens with that.
♪♪
My god.
This is terrible.
The highs and lows
have been extreme for me.
The mental part
is way harder than
I thought it was gonna be,
10 Times harder than
I thought it was gonna be.
♪♪
I just found a scorpion,
a really big one.
Oh, my god. He's huge!
He moved so fast.
Narrator:
scorpions camouflage themselves
Within the jungle landscape,
And their sting
causes intense pain
That can send victims
into anaphylactic shock.
It's just too much of
a mind *bleep*,
And...
I'm just feeling
really low-energy.
And I have to, like --
there's stuff I have to do,
Like check my fish trap.
Go collect firewood.
♪♪
This part really sucks,
doing everything by myself.
♪♪
Ow. *Bleep*.
I can tell that
my calorie intake
Is definitely affecting me.
Oh.
Oh.
♪♪
Ugh, everything is so
uncomfortable.
Whoo.
♪♪
Oh, my god.
Did you come early
to make camp or something?
♪♪
Did you come early
to make camp or something?
Oh, my god.
Just when I really just
hating being by myself,
I see a naked man in my camp.
Crazy.
I totally thought I was gonna
be alone the rest of the time.
Wow, and I thought I was
coming in green with someone
Who was just
as green as me.
-Awesome. I'm leah.
-I'm james.
-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
What a surprise.
Narrator: when leah's first
partner surrendered
To nicaragua's harsh
jungle on day four,
She was left with
the harrowing prospect
Of surviving alone
for 17 more days
In one of the most inhospitable
environments on the planet.
Now a new partner has been
brought in to join her.
It's a lot denser than I thought
it was gonna be.
You can't see 10 feet
into that jungle,
And I hear that there's puma
and there's jaguars.
It's gonna get dark
and spooky, I think.
My name is james.
I'm from tallahassee, florida,
And I've been waiting
35 years for this challenge.
I have been telling
everybody for 35 years
That I could take
on a challenge like this,
And now, I'm putting
my money where my mouth is.
I absolutely consider myself
to be a survivalist.
There. I feel better now.
I have tracked fish down rivers
successfully,
Real good at hunting.
Lunch!
I can do fish traps,
building an elevated platform.
All those things,
they're gonna work out here.
If I make it to day 21,
it'll be my birthday.
I'll be turning 50,
And this challenge is gonna
be a great test
To see how much fuel is left
for the rest of my life.
I'm ready to get going.
I'm gonna be the master
of nicaragua.
Narrator:
james' shelter-building skills
Will be a huge asset
in the rain-soaked jungle,
And his high level
of determination
Will be put to
the ultimate test
As he takes on the most
difficult challenge of his life.
James begins with a psr of 7.9.
♪♪
-How long you've been out here?
-Six days.
-Okay. Well...
-Two by myself, so...
So you've been surviving
on your own.
Two nights.
Where have you been sleeping?
This is it.
My last partner really wasn't
into building a shelter.
She has been here for six days
And not had
a successful shelter.
It did concern me a little bit.
It's gonna rain on us,
and we need to be prepared.
I have made a very
Unsuccessful fish trap
And have not caught anything
on the fishing line.
Okay.
But the food thing,
if we can figure that out,
I think it's gonna be huge.
I don't know how
the fishing line's working,
But I brought
a fish castanet.
Ooh...
I also have a beat-up, old metal
pot we can boil water in.
Oh, wow.
Now that james coming in with
a seemingly awesome personality,
That is gonna be way better
than me just being alone,
And it's -- I mean, this
actually might be the thing
That helps me
get through this.
I'll take a throw
and see what we get
If you're ready to have fish,
assuming I catch some.
I am ready to have fish.
♪♪
♪♪
-I already see one.
I see two.
Oh, my god.
This is so awesome,
my first protein
Since I've been here, six days.
Here's another fish.
Oh, my gosh!
This is so awesome.
I don't see any point
in catching any more.
I mean, we do have to make
the source last, well, for me,
21 Days, for you, 15.
Yeah, no.
I think that's good.
Three big fish, two little
ones compliments of james.
This guy,
I think he's a keeper.
♪♪
That is definitely done.
I needed my hero to come in
to catch me fish.
All right.
First impressions of leah,
she's been here for six days,
And she's been having
a real hard time,
And I'm hoping I can
make the situation better.
♪♪
Oh, my gosh.
That is so good.
I feel like he's been
my saving grace right now
Just 'cause I've been
struggling so much.
♪♪
Mmm.
♪♪
♪♪
Leah:
I just went to the bathroom,
And I heard something over here.
♪♪
Oh, my god.
It sounds like it's coming
right through here.
This makes me want to go home.
I am not cut out for this.
♪♪
Oh, my goodness.
♪♪
It's something really big.
It's definitely a cat.
This thing has a bar.
Oh, my god.
♪♪
James:
after a very rough night,
Could keep hearing
something in the trees,
In the woods over there,
and something --
Wait. Wait. Wait.
I hear something.
Leah: ow, *bleep*.
♪♪
I don't know.
*Bleep*.
I think it's gone.
♪♪
During the night, we've got some
kind of wild cat coming through.
We know we've got snakes around,
so I'm making myself a weapon.
It's a spear on one end
and a snake gig on the other,
And that way, we've got
a little bit of protection
Because today, it's about
searching out the resources
And trying to avoid
being attacked.
♪♪
Leah: so the howler monkeys are
closer than they've been.
That came from something
last night.
That came from a big animal.
It looks like a giant cat turd.
-Oh...
-He's close or she.
Narrator: jaguars are
extremely territorial.
Normally, they are nocturnal,
but if they feel threatened,
They will come out during
the day to protect their domain.
That was not there yesterday.
♪♪
-Wow.
-Oh, my god, terrible.
James seems like
a really driven,
Energetic person that just likes
to go get stuff done,
But it's been a week,
and it feels like forever.
I feel dizzy
And very low-energy.
James:
right now, leah seems tired.
I really don't wanna have
a partner tap out
Because we didn't get
enough resources.
There's got to be
something out here.
Yeah.
James: we need to find something
else other than the fish
That are in the pond.
After about three or four days,
I think they're gonna be gone.
Ow, *bleep*.
Oh, my god.
I'm getting so bitten up, bad.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
God, I feel so tired right now.
This exhaustion has just
really caught up with me,
And I really,
really feel it today.
♪♪
I think this may be
a papaya tree.
No.
I see no fruit.
They're around.
We just can't find them.
Ugh.
Okay. I'm done.
♪♪
-*Bleep*.
-Did you see something move?
Yeah.
Be careful.
Get back.
-Get.
-Leah:
Oh, my god.
Get back.
Get.
That made me want to go
back to the beach.
You want to circle back around
and back towards camp?
Yeah.
-Yes.
-Okay.
♪♪
James: oh.
♪♪
♪♪
I want to go hunt
for some vines for lashing.
Do you think you'll need
to just hang out here?
I don't know what
I'm thinking yet.
When we woke up,
it was fairly cold,
And I'm thinking how
leah was a little slower.
She seemed to be a little
quieter and that troubled me.
Oh, my god.
You okay?
I feel like
I can't even sit up.
Night after night
and day after day
Of just being completely itchy
And sleeping in the dirt
and bugs crawling all over you,
Those total discomforts
are just hard.
James: last night,
we did not have any kind of roof
For shelter,
So we're literally
just laying there
With the rain drops hitting us,
So I got to reinforce
the shelter,
Build some type of roof
for protection.
♪♪
♪♪
*Bleep*
No, rain.
Oh, my god.
♪♪
Well, this is miserable.
James: my fear is this big,
torrential downpour,
That'll cool us
off way too quick,
And it'll put the fire out,
And that could create
a serious problem.
Oh, my god.
♪♪
♪♪
But the shelter is
actually starting to work.
You can actually
count the drops.
I mean, that's how
much it's helping.
It's only drops now
getting through.
The rain will stop.
-I am not this tough.
-You've already done eight days.
If you think about what it was
That made you want to do this
in the first place --
Wanted to see if I could.
That's it.
There's, like, no -- that's it,
and I can't, and I want to.
So I'm absolutely confident
you can do this for 21 days.
This is not something
I have any desire to do.
♪♪
We'll make it work,
make it happen.
No, I just want to go.
I'm just done, over it.
♪♪
I came out here to do this
and do the 21-day challenge
And see what my body could take,
But I have two weeks to go,
and that feels like an eternity.
I'm sorry, james.
Narrator:
eight exhausting days in
The wiles of nicaragua have left
Leah emotionally
and physically drained.
With james unable to turn her
around, the producer comes in.
I've decided
that I'm ready to go.
I have no desire left in me.
If that's your decision,
we can get you on out of here.
Do you want to say
goodbye to james?
I'm sorry to leave you here.
It'll be all right.
It'll be all right.
There is badasses
who have finished this,
And then some people just can't.
I don't think I've ever hit
my breaking point like that.
I feel really bad
for leaving james.
Bye, leah!
I wish I would've
started out with james.
It would have been
completely better.
It was hard to leave him.
He was awesome.
He's the most perfect survival
partner you could ask for.
I tried my hardest,
and it was just way too hard.
I gave it my best day after day.
Narrator: after only eight days,
The harsh conditions of
nicaragua's isla salvaterra
Prove to be
too overwhelming for leah.
Her early departure drops her
psr from a 7.1 to a 5.2.
My first thought after
leah left was,
"Okay. I thought she was
a pretty good badass
"For being on here
for two days by herself,
"And now, I'm going to
have to find a way
To do it for 18 days."
So even though
I'm being left alone,
I'm going headfirst
into this challenge,
And I'll survive the 21 days.
♪♪
♪♪
*Bleep*
There has been a bat
flying into the shelter.
He's come in three times right
over there and right above me.
♪♪
I mean, he's just about
landed on my head.
I have felt the wind
from his wings.
*Bleep*
Get.
Now you're standing in
front of my shelter,
And I'm getting
attacked by the bat.
That really,
really ticks me off.
Gosh dang that bat.
Fricking leave me alone.
It's not what I wanted,
but it has started to rain.
Now I'm going to pile
on some wood
Keep it going.
The last two days,
I've had nothing but rain,
So I was looking forward
to the morning
So I could start a new day,
but the rain came again.
♪♪
Narrator:
unbeknownst to james,
A powerful hurricane is blowing
through central america,
Which could cause weeks of rain
And flooding around the island.
James:
the rain is controlling a lot.
*Bleep*
Puts out the fire,
Makes getting firewood
much difficult.
And then, when you have rains
like this where it's a downpour
And gets you wet,
Makes you cold, so miserable.
It is just absolutely miserable.
If this keeps up, I'm gone.
I can't do this.
It's hard.
♪♪
Yeah! What's that?
I don't freaking care!
I hate this jungle.
♪♪
♪♪
What a morning. What a morning.
You cannot predict
the weather out here.
You can see those storms sitting
out in the middle of this lake
As large as this lake
is and say,
"Oh, it'll never
make it here."
Two hours later,
it's on top of you.
Never know.
One day at a time.
♪♪
I have found some sincuya fruits
laying on the ground here.
Narrator: rich in vitamin c
and potassium,
One sincuya fruit,
or sugar apple,
Will provide james with
a much-needed boost of energy
And almost 150 calories.
♪♪
Like a mango, really soft
and really sweet.
♪♪
That sounds like
wind-blown rain.
Something is coming
through the trees.
That sure sounds like rain.
I have been in the woods
before and heard that.
It's not a light rain.
That's a heavy rain.
It's got to be less than
100 yards away.
♪♪
There's an embankment here
Between the lake
and on the lagoon,
And if that starts rising,
oh, my shelter is flooded,
So I'm basically digging
the panama canal for nicaragua.
♪♪
Narrator: james' shelter is on
the low point of the island
At the bottom of the creek bed.
During heavy rains,
water rushing down
From the top of the island
Can cause the area to overflow
and quickly turn
James' shelter site
into a flood zone.
♪♪
It's coming in faster
than it's going out.
It's still coming up.
Crap.
This may be a little
too little, too late.
Water is already moving
into the shelter
Literally six inches
from the fire.
*Bleep*
♪♪
The canal's dug now.
This should be it.
It should not get
any higher than this
And just head out into the lake.
I couldn't have dug
that on day 20.
I guess,
if it's gonna happen,
It's better to happen
now than later.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
*Bleep*
Pretty sure I just
heard something.
It's right over there.
♪♪
The howler monkeys
just continue to go crazy.
-*Bleep*
Go on. Get back. Get.
Get.
♪♪
And I think it's gone,
But it was definitely a cat.
And he's got the advantage.
He can see in the dark,
and I can't.
We're only a couple hours
into this night.
I wonder how long this
is gonna keep up.
Heck, I don't know.
Just stay the heck
out of my shelter.
♪♪
A larger cat was walking
within six feet.
Sure enough,
you can see the pads.
You can see the toes
and actually see the stride.
The stride is about
that wide walking.
Narrator: the recent storms have
displaced many of the animals
That jaguars prey on.
The disruption to their
hunting patterns
Makes the big cats
more unpredictable.
I got to do whatever I need
to do to protect myself.
That was crazy,
Absolutely crazy.
♪♪
♪♪
More and more,
I'm thinking about food.
My energy level
is extremely low,
And I got to have something
to give me some energy.
A lot of debris. *Bleep*.
But the areas where
I was getting fish,
There's nothing,
Absolutely nothing.
Afraid it might be
a blank today.
This morning, I've been
watching the same bird,
And I've started
noticing a pattern.
Either in the morning
or late afternoon,
It comes down, and he rock hops.
He doesn't walk in the water.
He hops on the rocks.
He seems to not like
to get in the water,
So important preparing
some snares, works for an arm,
Which is real
difficult on a bird
Because a bird's leg
is so very small,
But he's a big bird,
And I'm setting these
snares out on the rocks
That he was hopping on.
We'll see what happens.
♪♪
It's a battle.
Your body and your mind both
feel like they're being beat,
You know, just going on and on,
beat you down, beat you down.
No, I'm not gonna be beat down
Because there's still
that push that says,
"Complete the challenge."
I've found fruit laying
on the ground here.
This is jocote fruit.
They just fall out of the tree.
It's now been days since
I've had anything to eat,
And there's fruit here,
but sincuya I can't get to.
It's in the top of the tree.
The jocote, again,
is at the top of the tree.
I can only get what falls,
and everything has been so old.
It's been rotting.
You can't eat it.
It's so decayed.
It's putrid.
I'll starve to death
before I eat one of these again.
♪♪
There's the bird.
He's walking right
towards the snare.
He's six feet from the snare.
Oh, man, he stepped right
in the snare
And right out of it again.
Cannot believe that.
That was crazy.
His foot went right
in the snare.
Well, you never know.
Maybe the stupid bird
will stick his neck in it.
♪♪
No dinner tonight again.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Wow.
Drained, very low energy.
♪♪
I haven't eaten anything
in several days.
This jungle is just zapping
the energy out of me quickly.
Right now, it's low.
Five days until my birthday,
this is so hard
I don't know if
I'm gonna make it.
Every day that there's
a day of sunshine
Is another day
closer to a rainstorm.
It's gonna rain and that's
when I'm gonna be in trouble,
So what do I do?
I'm not getting the food
resources that I started with,
And I have to be creative
And come up with
different solutions.
♪♪
Oh.
There's a possibility,
now that our dry creek bed
Is a flowing stream,
Some of the fish from the lake
may have been going in there.
On a whim, I'm burning calories
to go check on something
I'm not 100% sure of.
♪♪
♪♪
No fish.
One more pool and I'm done.
This is wearing me out.
♪♪
Oh, oh, oh, my gosh.
Wow. That was big.
Let's try that again.
♪♪
Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.
Are you kidding me?
Are you kidding me?
Are you kidding me?
Are you kidding me?
I don't know what kind of fish
that is, but, boy,
He's got some teeth on him.
Narrator:
james has caught a machaca.
Related to the piranha,
It's one of the most aggressive
freshwater fish
In central america
But also very high in protein.
Wow.
I feel like I'm back
in the game again.
This fish is very
important to me,
How few opportunities there are
now to get some protein.
This is great.
I mean, this is like
a game changer.
I get this in my stomach.
I feel like it's a reset button.
♪♪
That's so good and no bones.
♪♪
♪♪
Oh, man.
♪♪
Well, there's some
major rainstorms,
Thunderstorms out
in the middle of the lake.
The lake water has risen
about 12 inches.
That's water. See that?
That's my bed. That's water.
There's a fire.
Bed, water, and fire
all together doesn't mix.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
I am not enjoying this at all,
Cold, wet, hungry.
I feel absolutely beat,
and this is where
I was sleeping just
a little while ago,
So we got three inches
of water there.
Holy crap.
Can hear it roaring
as it's rushing down,
That water coming
through right there.
May be the most water
coming out of that creek yet.
That is absolutely crazy.
That is insane.
♪♪
Narrator:
the biggest part of the storm
Has hit the island hard.
The raging runoff from the top
of the island is causing massive
Flooding and threatening
to wipe out james' shelter.
Ah!
♪♪
♪♪
Oh, weird.
Gross, disgusting bones.
I don't know what these are,
but they look pretty disgusting,
And I'm sure I can
use them for something.
It's a vertebrae.
Might be some kind of fish.
I got up really early
this morning, and I saw them,
And I noticed that my hair
was almost dreadlocks,
And so I just broke them
off a little bit
And used it as a toothcomb.
The bones are so tough, so even,
like, going through my hair,
Like, they didn't break.
So I'll be using
this the whole time
I'm here as my comb,
jungle cosmetology.
♪♪
Everything is washing away.
Ah!
My shelter is gone.
Even the highest spot
on this beach is now submerged.
It's water everywhere.
I don't have much of a plan.
I didn't plan for this.
♪♪
Narrator: james has been hit
by his second flash flood
In 10 days.
With torrents of water
wiping out his shelter,
He's forced to move
to higher ground.
Really got to try and rebuild
some shelter up
On the rocks out of the water,
Got to make it through today
and tonight, just hunker down.
I didn't come here to tap.
Just hang on. Don't think about
anything else but hang on.
You let go, you die.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
And it's not raining.
Right now, it is not,
but I can't make a fire.
You know, I got to stay up all
night battling dang mosquitoes.
I'm gonna do it.
Need to get through
this night, one more night.
That's what I need to do.
-Mm, oof, ugh.
Narrator: as night falls,
the rain subsides
But leaves behind an insect
population that has exploded.
Dry mosquito eggs
need water to hatch.
The rain and the resulting
spike in humidity
Have created the perfect storm
For torment and t*rture.
Ugh. Oh. Ugh.
♪♪
I don't know how much
more of this I can do.
I've been swinging this bag
at least once every second.
It's been three hours.
That's 10,800 times
I swung this bag,
Can't keep this up.
Holy crap.
I can't keep this up.
♪♪
Day 21.
I got to get this body
moving again.
It's my birthday.
I'm now 50
And 95% badass.
Got to get that last
remaining 5%.
♪♪
Right now, I'm in the deep
section of this lagoon,
And I've got to get out
on the lake over here.
I'm gonna cross this island
So I have the shortest
possible swim
And then hope there's no big
bad bull sharks out there.
On extraction,
I have some swimming,
And I'm thinking
I'm gonna need this
To give me a little
bit of buoyancy.
I'm using this piece
of driftwood that washed up
As my personal flotation device.
I drill two holes in it and then
put some cordage through it
So I can carry it on my back.
I hope it works.
Narrator: james' two-mile trek
across the island
Will be more treacherous than
ever due to the recent rains.
The massive flooding has brought
out deadly coral snakes,
And the mud that's
been washed away
Has exposed more of
the island's sharp lava rocks.
♪♪
So these rocks are definitely
wearing on my feet.
Ow. I hate the little rocks.
Right in the center
of the ball of my foot.
♪♪
Oh, no.
Uphill.
After 21 days, every one
of these inclines is brutal.
♪♪
Oh, I feel every one
of these rocks on my feet.
Oh, my gosh.
Ugh. Ow.
Oh. Wow.
That's gonna be a tough swim.
♪♪
Oh. I've got to get in that.
I can't see what's in the water.
Bull sharks,
very unusual creature,
And I get to go swim with them.
Out of the jungle,
Into the shark-infested lake.
It floats.
♪♪
♪♪
Where is the freaking boat?
♪♪
Get me out of here.
Over here!
He's turning! He's turning!
That's my ticket out of here!
♪♪
Whoo-hoo!
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
I did it!
I finished the 21-day
"naked and afraid" challenge!
Let's go!
Whoo-hoo!
This is absolutely
the hardest thing
I've ever volunteered to do.
I wanted to take something way
beyond what I thought
I might be able to do
and push it to the limits,
And this challenge
absolutely did that.
I will forever be
a changed person
Because of this challenge.
This was the challenge
I've been preparing for.
It's done, a 35-year
dream accomplished.
Came into this challenge
a 49-year-old.
I'm leaving a 50-year-old
100% badass.
No doubt about it!
Whoo-hoo!
Yes! Ah!
"Naked and afraid,"
nicaraguan jungle!
Whoo!
Narrator: after 21 days battling
the brutal conditions
Of nicaragua's isla zapatera,
James lost a total of 54 pounds.
Alone for 2 1/2 weeks,
He bravely endured the deadly
threats of the jungle...
James: go on. Get back. Get.
Narrator: ...and all that mother
nature could throw at him.
Everything is washing away.
Narrator: as a result, his psr
increases from 7.9 to 9.1,
Earning james one of
the highest psrs of all
Who've survived
before him naked and afraid.
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09x07 - Love at First Fight
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Each episode chronicles the lives of two survivalists who meet for the first time naked and are given the task of surviving a stay in the wilderness for 21 days.
Each episode chronicles the lives of two survivalists who meet for the first time naked and are given the task of surviving a stay in the wilderness for 21 days.