12x08 - Monkey Business

[bunniefuu]

I am ready to take
on this challenge.

My confidence level is strong.

I'm right up there at the
top with the best of them.

It's just about
go time, but yeah.

Third challenge,
all stars, ecuador...

I'm coming after you.

Just 50 miles
south of the equator, nestled

in the foothills of the
andean mountain range,

lies cotopaxi, ecuador, with
an elevation of 3,500 feet.

This remote jungle is blanketed
by unending cloud cover,

often plunging
temperatures into the 50s.

During the wet season,
oppressive 100% humidity

and nearly 9 inches
of rain each day

saturate every square mile
of the dense jungle terrain.

These damp conditions
are breeding grounds

for mosquitoes, red ants,
and ecuador's most relentless

biting insect, the chigger.

The bites of these
microscopic bugs

cause itchy welts
and painful blisters.

It's amazing that we're
actually up in the clouds

right now.

The environment is so damp.

A fire is going to be so hard
to get going and keep here,

and we need it with
rain every day.

I mean, you can get hypothermia.

The humidity is incredible here.

The temperature's dropping.

The terrain is really steep.

I can easily tell why
this place is uninhabited.

"naked and afraid"
all stars wes and suzanne will

attempt to survive this
ecuadorian forest buried

in the clouds, a
dank, unforgiving

environment that will test
their skills like never before.

I think I'm addicted
to the misery.

I really do.

I don't know, but I
love these challenges.

Hey, jessie, come here quick.

It's a rattlesnake.

My first challenge was
a 21-day in brazil.

We're about to eat, cuz.

It was excruciatingly
difficult. Come on, storm,

you're not getting us.

But we made it through.

Goodbye, brazil!

Goodbye, brazil.

The next challenge
was xl in africa.

I brought every piece
of food into this camp.

Oh, please... oh, god.

We're gonna need a medic.

I had an intestinal blockage,
an e coli infection.

Unfortunately, I got
medically tapped out.

That was a blow to my ego.

I don't like not getting
to the finish line.

This is a second chance
that I'm getting.

Very few people get a second
chance, and I'm taking it.

So coming here to be in
an all-star challenge...

I have to finish.

I'm gonna make 21 days.

So we're hidden
in a cloud forest...

Totally different from
the dry, arid spots

that I was in for my
other two challenges.

But I'm confident
I have the skill

set to survive any environment.

Please don't move.

I survived 21 days in brazil.

I just got a stingray.

I lost my partner on day
four, and that left me to do

the next 17 days by myself.

I have a wasp nest.

I knocked it down.

I got it.

Made it through a
lot of adversity.

I know that I can
take care of myself.

Oh, my god.

And my next challenge was
a 40-day xl in africa.

God, I love that.

Sick!

Making it through a 40-day
challenge in one of the most

inhospitable places
on the planet,

I survived a lot of adversity.

And that's what I'm
determined to do this time.

And now, I'm going
for three for three.

It's deafening loud
with the bugs already.

This is gonna be brutal.

And this is my stop,
and it's raining harder.

All right, this has gotta be it.

Here I go, off again.

All right, let's get moving.

Here I come, ecuador.

You got nothing!

There's nothing easy about this.

We got hail.

My heart's racing.

You don't fight,
you won't make it.

Fight so hard!

This is gonna first class suck.

Go find my partner now.

Out of everything
I'm gonna face,

the biggest wild card
could be my partner.

Your back is
directly in the sun.

In brazil, I felt the need to
be a caregiver to my partner.

In africa, seth required
continual emotional support.

Water.

Not doing that
anymore, and I hope

it's a collaborative
path towards the goal

of making 21 days.

So wet here already, and
I'm already getting soaked.

Suzanne has conquered
two grueling challenges in some

of nature's harshest
conditions, but her low body

mass could work against her in
this cold and wet environment.

She begins with a psr of 8.2

this environment is tough now.

It's wet and slippery, and
there are rocks everywhere.

Wes survived 21 days in brazil.

But after falling ill and
failing to make it the full 40

days in south africa,
are his mind and body

up for the challenge
of the cloud forest?

Wes begins with a psr of 8.0

oh, my god!

Woo!

So I come across
the hill, and who's

there but suzanne, which is
fantastic to see because we

were in africa together.

We'll see you.

Be good to each other, please.

She made the 40-day challenge.

It's very comforting to know I'm
here with somebody, you know,

who can handle themselves.

You're still
hiking out of africa.

Man, long time, no see.

I'm so excited!

Not really that long.

I really just wanted my
partner to be at least more

of an asset than a liability.

Yeah, so I'm teetering?

You're teetering.

I'm so excited I'm with a
partner that can not only pull

some weight but has my back.

I couldn't ask for a
better partner, so yay.

You wanna look at our stuff?

Yeah.

Wes and suzanne have
been given a fire starter.

As wet as it is,
we are going to need it.

This is your bag.

Perfect.

And each brought
along a personal item.

I have cordage.

Oh.

For making our shelter and
maybe some snares and traps.

Map.

Oh, yeah.

All right, so that's
probably us here at the rock.

Ok.

And there's food sources here.

Banana leaves... that'll be
good shelter making material.

Nice.

So that way?

That way, up into the clouds.

The survivalists have
chosen to trek seven miles up

river through slick
jungle terrain,

where they hope to find a
sustainable location to build

their shelter and gain access
to food sources and fresh water.

We're gonna have
to get a shelter

going the second we get to
where our base camp is gonna be.

Along with biting insects,

concealed within
the dense vegetation

lurks the andean puma,
the highly venomous

brazilian wandering spider,
and the deadly chili

pepper tailed coral snake.

The neurotoxin in its
venom has twice the potency

of a black mamba and can
cause paralysis and death

by respiratory arrest.

My feet are so waterlogged.

Hey, be careful.

Those are thorns... thorns.

Ow!

Some of those thorns?

Ow!

What the... what was that?

It wasn't nettle, was it?

Oh, yeah, they are.

You can smell them, actually.

Yeah.

You can smell the
stink of nettle.

My feet were so brutalized in
africa because of 130-something

degree ground with thorns.

Here, I'm worried about
them being waterlogged.

It really softens them,
cause us to cut our feet,

easily infect them.

Whoa.

It's like instant jungle.

We have to watch out
for those big a*s bugs.

Look at that.

One little slide
there, and it's over.

Be careful right there.

It is not solid.

This is really
sketchy right here.

Kinda hoping it
flattens out a little bit.

Yeah, this is rough.

You're still keeping an eye
out for snakes up there, right?

Yes, ma'am, I am.

I can promise you that.

Oh, and the nettles
are everywhere up here.

The terrain is very treacherous,
so it's a tough journey.

It's slippery, and it's
muddy, and it's really slow.

I've never seen
anything like it ever.

Just go easy on your feet.

Go really slow.

It's rough in there.

All right, we've
hit a little spring.

I'm pretty thirsty.

That's some fresh
water, I'd say.

Yep.

Would you have any
problem drinking that?

Nope.

It gets filtered through the
mountain, which purified it.

It's perfectly safe.

I bet there's more of these.

Oh, yeah.

And rainy as it is, I don't
think staying hydrated is

going to be our biggest issue.

The jungle is
getting lower, thicker.

Almost crawling now.

I really hope we pop
out of this jungle

sometime soon, at least a
clearing, something flat.

We're losing
daylight, and it looks like we

only have a couple hours.

Yeah, I'm a
little bit concerned.

We cannot get caught
without rain coverage.

Damn this jungle.

Feels like
it's getting dark quick.

And it's raining.

I'm already chilled.

Ok, clearing.

All right.

And I think at
this time of night,

we've gotta make a decision.

What if we took this
tree, this natural y,

put something down here kinda
as a little bit of a lean to,

and then just stack
branches up on it.

All right.

Wes and I are definitely
behind the eight ball here.

Ugh, nettles.

Getting out from
under the rain...

That's so important right now,
because it's getting colder.

And being wet and cold
is a hypothermia risk

that neither one of
us can afford to take.

Dammit, this thing... this
is gonna first class suck.

It's not even
close to a shelter.

It's just awful.

It's all wet, and
it's all nasty.

There's no way we're
gonna have a shelter

tonight at this point.

Consequences could be
leaving the challenge.

This is a big problem.

This is so bad!

Hey, suzanne, this is terrible
over here, absolutely terrible.

Nettles are everywhere.

Can I just come your way?

Let's fortify
something over there?

Yes.

This is so bad.

But what if we were to
hunker down in there?

I worry about being that
far in because of the snakes,

but I kind of feel like
we need to because it's

a natural kind of shelter,
and we're losing sun.

Yeah.

Our plan is to get
something on the ground,

separate us from the nettles.

And we're gonna use a little
bit of this natural canopy

and hope that it'll keep
some of the rain off.

I can tell that the
temperature's dropped,

and there's no hope of
drying the body at all.

So tonight's gonna
be a little rough.

Fortunately, wes has a
very can-do attitude.

Both expected the
challenge to be hard,

but I think we
both underestimated

how hard it would be day one.

I have no idea what the bug
is that is just tearing me up.

First night was brutal.

I think wes might
agree with that.

Horrible... absolutely terrible.

Take a look at all those bites...

Up my leg, down my leg.

I got some
waterlogged feet here.

I don't think we can take
20 more nights like that.

And I think today we
have to try to find

resources for shelter and fire.

Get shelter 2.0

this hill provides a natural
earthen back to at least

give you some structure.

How far out do we want it to go?

Our y stick is the opening.

The rest of it, we can
dig in the hill, go high.

Ok.

We're gonna stay
in this location.

We're just gonna put a
shelter 20 feet away.

We're gonna get out of
that kind of buggy area

we are just into
an open setting.

This is our y branch.

This is gonna support
our ridge pole.

It's gonna have all
the weight on it

for the top of our a
frame, and we'll shingle

it with these leaves up top.

All right, fire pit?

Yeah.

We're trying to get
a fire going tonight.

I'm putting a little wood
drying rack together.

It's so wet here,
you really need

to get things off the
ground so air can circulate.

So I've just got a couple
of big pieces on runners,

and everything else
just goes on top.

I am trying to strategically
make a fire pit for us that

has a rock bottom
to it, because it's

much more difficult to build
a fire on top of wet ground.

Shivering used a
lot of calories.

Yeah, miserable.

So our goal is to not
have that happen tonight.

It's actually
starting to rain now.

Yeah.

That's cold.

Yeah, it is cold, right?

It's cold rain.

Here... come on in.

Wes, don't lose
any more body heat.

There's no way I could
make a fire in this rain.

It's raining pretty
hard, as you can see,

and we discovered this.

This sucks.

It's like when it rains
here, it goes in the soil

and then just pops
up in a low spot.

Seems to have stymied
the flow a little bit.

This lasts into the
night, we're screwed.

So cold, so cold.

I mean, if it wasn't
for all these leaves,

we'd have been
freezing to death.

It's amazing we're
on the equator

and it's this chilly, right?

My feet are so waterlogged, I'm

trying to put them up and
get them off the wet ground

for a little bit.

You can see pretty much
really waterlogged.

And then when I
look at the bottom,

it's actually a
split in the skin.

But my feet are
really kinda too numb

for me to tell if I'm
having pain there.

Numbness and tissue decay

could be early signs
of trench foot,

a condition caused by prolonged
exposure to damp environments.

If left untreated,
it could result

in permanent nerve damage,
and in some cases amputation.

A fire will help dry out my feet

when we finally get one started.

You know, we're busy
drying all our wood.

To make a fire, it's like
trying to burn a wet sponge.

Ow.

How are your feet doing?

They're not drying out.

I am worried about
suzanne's feet.

Her feet are nasty.

They're wrinkled up like she's
an 80-year-old who's been

sitting in the tub for all day.

I mean, there's so much
moisture that my feet

are kinda falling apart on me.

That's definitely a problem.

Whoa.

There's so much
moisture that my feet

are kinda falling apart on me.

Whoa.

Watch where I'm walking here.

What we are doing is
drying our feet, which

is a very important task to do.

First time we've
had sunshine yet.

And if we don't try
to keep our feet dry,

we're gonna have problems.

Well, hopefully,
there'll be some firewood.

Got that setting
in the sun, too.

But it is soaked.

Not being able to get
a fire is terrible.

I think that was it
for the sun already.

Got clouds coming in.

No time to sit.

Weather changes on
such a dime, like it's

clouding up pretty thick.

It'll probably rain
within a half hour.

It's just unpredictable.

Things change, the
weather changes,

the temperature changes.

Everything in ecuador changes.

Never seen anything
like it, ever.

You gotta do your
absolute best to stay dry,

especially towards evening time.

I still am
concerned about making

sure that feet get dried.

I'll cut a whole bunch of
extras of these for blankets.

It makes a difference to
have a layer right over us.

Ok, I feel better about tonight.

All right.

Oh, hell.

Got nothing to protect
you against the bugs.

It's finally not raining,
and I've never been

bitten this much in my life.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Cold doesn't seem to
affect the bugs, whatsoever.

They're chewing me to pieces.

Night was really
cold last night.

I am just bit to death.

Them suckers are
just tearing me up.

The clouds are dropping on us.

Yeah, it's almost more of a
surprise if they don't drop.

Last night, we were
burning up an awful lot

of calories shivering.

My energy level is pretty
depleted right now.

So the plan for today
is to harvest some food

and bring it back here.

Did you see that?

Snake... hang on, because
it might be right there.

Well, it's gone.

There's trouble around every
corner for a survivalist.

Coral snake... if you get bit
by that, it's 100% fatal.

That scares me to death.

Oh, well, sweet mary
and joseph, look here.

Is this fruit?

Looks like an orange or a lemon.

That's awesome.

We can eat these unripe, too.

And I know I can
eat that horse fly.

Little bite of protein.

Part of it's rotten, but
this part might be good.

Oh, absolutely.

There you go. Here.

Thank you.

It works out pretty nicely.

Little bite to eat right now.

It's starting to turn
into cheap alcohol.

Woo!

Deal with it.

If it's edible, eat it.

Oh, yeah... oh, yeah.

Oranges are fantastic,
but very aware we

can't live off those alone.

They're so high in acid.

We're getting our vitamin
c, that's for sure.

But the acidic content
of that will rip

your insides up pretty good.

So you gotta go
real easy on those,

and you've gotta
mix in other food.

Wild lettuce.

And then bromelia.

Yes, sweet.

Here, try some of that.

It probably came
from right above us.

Here we go.

Bromeliads are native flowering

plants that grow on trees.

The leaves are rich
in fiber and calcium.

We can eat like the white part.

Yeah.

Nice, good find... balance
out the citric acid.

Doesn't taste like
anything, really,

but it doesn't taste bad.

Just putting a little
fiber in the system since I

got in a little
trouble in south africa

not having fiber in my diet.

Oh, the pain is so bad.

I have superstar suzanne
who can identify just

about any plant in this jungle.

She's a godsend.

Still kinda woody.

Yeah.

It's kinda like chewing
on a popsicle stick.

With no popsicle on it.

It's a win today.

Yeah, it is.

Slower journey back.

Yep.

No sense in hustling and taking

a chance on getting injured.

It's just really slick...

Slicker than owl snot.

All right, now we're in
some more treacherous stuff.

Oh, god.

Whoa, whoa!

Ow... ok.

Did you hit that rock?

Bent my knee.

Ow.

Dang it.

Like it feels like my
knee is gonna rip off.

Hey, can we get a medic in?

Hey, can we get a medic in?

The knee... it burns
right through here.

How are you on your
movement with this one?

I can do range.

It just like... it has a pop.

We need somebody over here.

I had a knee surgery
just two months ago

because I had a torn meniscus.

I just felt a pop in my knee.

You're doing great, doing great.

Yeah, that's tender.

Pretty sure everything's not ok.

I'm really sure
that it's not ok.

So due to your recent
injury and the surgery,

I'm gonna have to go ahead
and medically tap you out.

Why don't you go
get checked out?

Why don't you get checked out?

Let's just do that
this time, ok?

Let's just do that this time.

I'm so sorry.

Oh, don't... no, come on.

I feel so bad.

I'm sorry.

It's ok.

It's all right.

Suzanne, I'm gonna
have you lay back.

I feel horrible
about leaving wes.

He's been in this position,
so I think he's feeling

my emotional pain right now.

We'll see you.

Thanks.

Ok, good job.

Bye.

Bye.

All right, take
care of yourself.

Not completing 21 days
is a huge disappointment.

I came in wanting to
go three for three,

but ecuador had other plans.

Guess that's it.

Only four
days into the challenge,

suzanne's injury proves
too much to overcome.

Her early departure drops
her psr from 8.2 to 7.7

big bummer.

I feel really bad
for her because she

was a go-getter, man.

She's a tiger.

I'm in the thick of
it all of a sudden.

17 days to go...

That's all right.

I better get back to camp.

Now that I'm here on my
own, I'm sitting here...

I got nothing to do at all.

Only us idiots think this
is fun, I swear to god.

Ugh.

I've really gotta be a lot more
cautious now that it's only me.

I have to have a mind shift.

If you're gonna
survive an alone event,

you better be
mentally tough for it.

Because if you're not,
you're gonna fail.

I'm gonna be looking for
anything to replenish calories.

Little guanta.

Guanta are indigenous
nocturnal rodents that feed

on leaves and fallen fruit.

They grow up to eight
pounds and could

provide much needed protein,
an elusive commodity

in the cloud forest.

We'll see if we can
snag some protein.

I need some kind of frame
with a suspended rock.

This tripod will actually
act as a spring snare.

This is gonna be held in
place by that tension,

just like that.

That's set on a hair trigger.

And when the animal steps on it,
it's gonna release the tension.

When the rock falls, it's
gonna pull the rodent in there

and be suspended.

It's just a static snare.

I got a snare set.

I got a trap set, so
we'll see what happens.

Ow, get off!

Bugs out here are unbelievable.

Gosh.

Dammit... nothing.

I'm gonna really need to
get some protein here soon.

I don't know what kind
of form it's gonna take,

but it's gonna have to happen.

You can't just eat oranges.

Tagua fruit... see how this goes.

That's up there.

Tagua is a native palm
fruit high in calories and fat.

It's less acidic than
citrus and could provide

the nutrition wes needs to get
him through the next couple

of weeks.

There ain't no way up
except this one branch.

Damn it.

I don't think this
little task could

be done without undue risk.

Damn it.

I burned some
calories I don't have.

It is absolutely
pouring out there.

It's like a kid
peeing on a flat rock.

I mean, every day for
hours and hours and hours.

Compared to africa, where
you got no rain ever...

Yeah, this is mentally taxing,
more than any other challenge.

It is another cold night.

It's like every night
is a cold night.

Good lord.

Hey, my trap went off.

And he didn't get caught in it.

Oh, well that sucks,
because it went off.

Dang.

I'm gonna go ahead and reset.

I'm very optimistic
because something

is now engaging in the trap.

Hopefully, score
me some protein.

It's been tough
the last few days.

With all the rain constantly,
isolation, lack of food,

bugs constantly biting you...

I mean, yeah, it'll make
a mad man out of you.

Holy crap, I got
ants everywhere.

Son of a b*tch.

I cannot have a
night full of ants.

I just cannot.

I think I may want to
actually try and start a fire

and get some ash because the
ants won't go through ash.

I got all my stuff
out in the sun.

I haven't started a fire yet.

The wood is just too wet.

Well, that's a tad frustrating.

It's so moist that even when it
lights the branch for a second,

or the tender for
a second, goes out.

Won't even leave
any kind of a coal.

Gosh.

That'll do for now.

I'm not gonna sit here
and just get pissed.

Ugh.

Ok, reset.

Don't let this one
little setback get you.

You will get fire.

It's ok.

You didn't need fire,
you just wanted it.

So it's ok.

That's ok.

There are noises like I
have never heard before.

Crazy... I'm hearing
a freight train.

I'm hearing music.

I'm hearing, like,
car doors slam.

Just crazy stuff
that's not here.

15 days into his challenge, wes

has taken in less than
100 calories a day,

and he's only slept a
couple of hours a night.

The deprivation is
now starting to affect

the mood enhancing
hormones in his brain

and his cognitive abilities.

I got a crying baby.

I know.

It's driving me insane.

Whoa, will you stop?

Oh, please stop.

Stop!

All the citrus gives me gas.

I am farting up a storm.

There's nothing I
can do about it.

I've gone to the bathroom...

You know, big potty...

Twice.

No problems
whatsoever, so that's

really good,
especially since I had

such an issue in south africa.

Thank goodness I
don't have a partner.

Drive her out right now.

Ecuador is absolutely t*rture...

The lack of food, the lack
of sleep, the strange noises.

So far, this is the most
mentally difficult challenge.

It's really pushed
me to the edge,

but I can be as mentally
tough as anyone out there.

Got five days to go.

I'll make it.

I'm still 100% confident
that's gonna happen.

Despite his
struggles, wes is just days away

from completing the challenge.

But unbeknownst to him, the
coronavirus has been rapidly

spreading around the globe.

Producers are monitoring
the situation,

but it is escalating fast.

Things are going crazy.

We haven't seen a
spike here in ecuador.

There's no curfews.

I can get to wes in
case of an emergency.

We've only got five
days left to go.

I think we let him finish.

Ok, well, be prepared to
pivot and check flights because

things can change on a dime.

Yeah, ok.

Tiniest bit of food.

I imagine a lot of people
consider this gross.

You know what?

That's fine.

They're on their couch
with a bucket of popcorn.

It's cool.

I wouldn't recommend
eating larva to people

who aren't out in my situation.

If you've got plenty to eat
and a cold beer in your hand,

maybe it's not
the thing for you.

But it's exactly what
I need right now.

These little white berries
on the stinging nettles

are absolutely delicious.

Getting to 21 is
really important to me.

I had to leave south africa
early because of a medical tap

out, and I did not like that.

You know, when I commit
to finishing something,

I finish it.

And so here, I
committed to 21, and I

fully plan on making it to 21.

We're scrambling to get wes.

We are tapping him out
due to safety precautions

and the global pandemic.

We cannot be on the
road after five.

Tried to get him to the end,
but it's out of our hands now.

Hey, man.

Hey!

Want to come out here?

I got something to tell you.

All right.

When we started this
challenge 18 days ago,

you heard of the
coronavirus, right?

Yeah.

Well, in our 18
days, president has

declared a national emergency.

Borders are closing.

Plane rides are being canceled.

Get the out.

No way.

Roads are being
closed, so we have to tap

you out of the challenge.

Are you kidding me right now?

You won't be able to come back.

No, that, seriously.

I'm not gonna get my 21?

If there was an emergency and
we couldn't get you outta here,

there's no way we could
leave you in the jungle.

This is for real that I
gotta leave because of this

damn coronavirus?

Yeah.

Another thing I wanna tell you,
we have spoken to your family.

Everyone's fine.

I thank god for that.

We're really sorry, wes.

It's like having the rug
pulled out from under you.

I am just trashed, emotionally.

All my plans,
everything is on 21.

And then to have it
change that quick, it's

just got me in a bit of
a mind spin right now.

Feel like I gotta rush
home to see my family.

It makes me very
anxious and worried.

You know what I would like?

I wanna walk out like I came in.

Thank you.

All right, ecuador.

I guess this is
just really goodbye.

We were close, that's for sure.

In my mind, I
completed my challenge.

I did everything that
was asked of me and more.

And here I am on 18, and I
still got tons of energy.

So it's not on me.

I completed my challenge...

My third challenge and
the most difficult yet.

The world I'm going back
to is a little scarier

than when I came here.

I'm almost thinking back
there's a little safer.

After surviving 18
days in the ecuadorian cloud

forest...

14 of them alone...

Wes exits the challenge
21 pounds lighter.

But his will stayed strong,
raising his psr to 8.6

ecuador has not been kind to me.

Bit me and scratched me and
kicked me and made me bleed.

But at the end of the day, I
still rose to the challenge

and I still overcame
all those odds.

I set out on a mission,
and I accomplished it.

And it's now time for
me to go back to being

a good dad and a good husband.

Come here!

I'm really disappointed I didn't
get to cross that finish line.

Oh, my god!

What are you...

But I'm really glad to
see molly and the kids.

It's a crazy new world, but
we're in it for the long haul.

Good luck to all you
survivalists out there.