[narrator]
it's a naked and afraid first.
A 21-day challenge pitting
two teams of survivalists.
I'm so excited for this.
[narrator] not just
in a battle of the elements,
but one for the ages.
"the youngest person
to ever complete
the 21-day challenge."
that's the title I want.
My mom would
probably call me crazy.
But I want to prove to myself that
I'm okay with embracing the suck.
[rhonda] I'm know that I'm
one of the oldest challengers
but I'm physically super strong.
My age is just isn't
gonna come into it.
I'm 47-years old which makes me.
One of the oldest people to
attempt a 21-day challenge.
But I'm optimistic
and tough. I got this.
But yeah, I imagine the first thing
a younger partner might think is,
"get this guy a walker."
[laughs]
[narrator] in this challenge,
pitting youth against experience,
the teams will be dropped
deep in the sonoran desert.
Near the mexican border.
A land so unforgiving
and perilous,
you either adapt here or die.
Each team will have to
survive in two separate camps
for the first ten days.
If they make it to day 11,
they will merge and attempt to
complete the challenge as a single tribe.
My name's joe,
I'm from visalia, california
and I'm a residential
care provider.
I'm doing this challenge
because at my age,
I wanna see if
I'm still a badass.
I joined the military
in my late '20s.
I was deployed to egypt,
israel, kuwait, qatar and iraq.
So I feel confident in my
experience in the desert,
yet at the same time,
every desert is different.
[men laughing]
[joe] some people might think
that I'm crazy for doing this.
[laughs] but I'm really
into my nordic heritage.
And I do this annual event.
[man] go!
That's been inspired
by norse mythology.
[men exclaiming, groaning]
[joe] the loki run
involves a log of firewood,
tying a cord around that and then
tying it around your private parts.
The berries not the twig.
[man groaning]
I came in second the first
time and I won last year.
[laughs]
[chuckles]
I can tell you right now,
this is gonna be m*rder on my feet.
But, uh,
I'm ready for this challenge.
I'm feeling pretty confident.
[narrator] despite his age,
joe's military experience should
help him complete the challenge.
Joe begins with a
primitive survival rating
or psr of 7.1.
For me to complete
this 21-day challenge,
it's just gonna mean
the world to me.
My name is rhonda and I'm from maui,
hawaii,
and I'm a personal trainer.
Most of my clients are men.
For the most part,
I'm stronger than all of them.
I can do everything,
I'm on the move constantly.
If someone tells me, no,
that I can't do something,
I'm going to do it.
That's how I've always
done it and I always will.
I've been doing primitive survival
skills for 30 years on my own.
I enjoy going out,
hunting, fishing.
If I didn't do it,
I didn't [bleep] eat.
And that was my life.
We've got a nice
barrel cactus there.
I think all my ex
dare triathlons
require a lot of mental strength
which mostly pertains
to this challenge.
I wanted to take on this challenge
because I'm gonna be 50 next year
and I wanna be reminded
that I still have what it takes
to survive the way I
did when I was younger.
Nothing less that 21 days
for me is gonna be okay.
You can try a
lot of things in life
but if you don't succeed,
what have you accomplished.
[narrator] rhonda is two
years older than her partner,
but is determined to
prove age is just a number.
Rhonda sets out
with a psr of 6.6.
We're really gonna
have to keep our guard up
all the time out here.
I'm amanda,
I'm a wildland firefighter and emt
and I live in montana.
I've always enjoyed a challenge.
Just because someone's young,
doesn't mean they're incapable.
I've been a wilderness guide
for about three or four years
with people older than me.
I think in my experience,
younger people
can be a little more flexible,
into learning different things.
Seeing all the
plants I recognize
is definitely giving me a
little more sense of hope.
My survival skills would
be plant identification,
and weaving.
I can also build lean-tos.
But this will be my first time using
my survival skills in the desert.
I'm gonna have to keep my head in the game,
for sure.
I wanna take on this challenge
'cause I wanna prove
youth is as valuable
as experience.
I don't see myself
tapping out of this
just because I'm kind
of a stubborn a*s [bleep].
You're gonna have to
drag me out before I quit.
[narrator] she may be young, but
amanda already has a world of experience.
Amanda has been
given a psr of 7.1.
I'm pretty stoked
with this area out here,
it looks awesome.
My name is calvin,
I live in oklahoma
and I'm going to vet school.
I don't wanna be a
normal dog and cat vet,
I wanna work with
lions and tigers.
That to me is the next
level of becoming a vet.
The biggest misconception
that people have about me,
I'm not like most
other millennials.
I don't spend a lot of
time playing video games
or hanging out inside.
That's not me.
That is the best stuff
right there for hand drill.
That is the easiest
wood you can use
for hand drill fires.
My strongest survival
skills include fire.
I'm pretty good
at traps as well.
Those would probably
be my two strong suits.
[narrator] calvin's
youth and hunting skills
could bag him the title
of the youngest survivalist
to make it to day 21.
Calvin begins with a psr of 6.6.
Twenty-one days,
naked in the sonoran desert?
Challenge accepted.
[man howling]
there's nothing easy about this.
[man groaning]
we got hail.
[growling]
[grunting]
whoo! My heart's racing.
[woman] if you don't fight,
you won't make it.
[grunts]
why is it so hard!
[woman] what did I
do to deserve this?
This is my time to shine.
This is the moment of truth,
right here.
Stressed,
depressed and ready to get undressed.
Oh, my god.
All right,
let's get this party started.
Time to meet my partner.
[knocks]
let's show the world what I got.
[car starting]
[joe] I don't really care whether
my partner is a male or a female.
I pride myself on the ability to
kinda get along with anybody.
[rhonda] I hope my partner
has the same work ethic as me
and we can work hard
together to get this done.
- Hi there.
- [joe] hey, how are you?
Good. How are you? I'm rhonda.
- Hi. Joe. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too.
So, uh,
how'd you end up in here?
Uh... You know what,
I'm really into survival
and I think this is gonna
be a good experience.
Yeah, I agree.
You look like more of
a survivalist than me.
[both laughing]
but, trust me,
I'm gonna do my part.
- I'm your woman.
- [both laughing]
[joe] she's in
really good shape,
you can tell that
she's athletic.
And I think that's really
gonna help us as a team
to complete this together.
[drums beating]
[amanda] I hope my partner
has skills that compliments mine,
since I'm not much of a hunter.
Hopefully, my partner is very,
very skilled
in plant identification.
That would help me a lot.
- What's up. How you doing?
- [amanda] hi.
I'm good. How are you?
- What's your name? - Amanda.
- I'm calvin. Nice to meet you.
- Hi. Yeah, you too.
[calvin] yeah.
I know you're not supposed to ask
a woman her age, but I gotta ask.
[amanda] I'm 23.
How old are you?
I'm 22.
Is this weird for you?
Little bit.
It is a lot less awkward
than I thought it would be.
Yeah.
You gotta be a different breed
to do something like this, huh?
[calvin] she's pretty cute.
Not gonna lie. [chuckles]
[exhales]
I'm single and ready to mingle.
Do you wanna go take
a look at what we got?
- [amanda] yeah.
- [calvin] all right.
[narrator] both survival
teams brought blades...
I've been using this thing for,
like, 15 years.
...And a fire starter.
Nice, huh?
That's gonna be crucial.
I was worried about that.
[narrator] and because
the extreme desert heat
can quickly bring
on dehydration,
each team has been given a pot.
It's gonna be super important.
I also have my glasses.
I just need these at night.
[calvin] all right,
let's figure out the map right here too.
Let's take a look
at that real quick.
- [rhonda] we're here.
- [joe] and there's that saguaro.
[rhonda] okay,
we got some critters to worry about,
but we're gonna have to head
toward this water, right away.
- So should we start heading towards the water source?
- [amanda] yeah.
[narrator] calvin and
amanda will be trekking
two and a half miles south-east
to their water source.
- We should definitely start looking for a snake stick.
- [amanda] yeah.
[narrator] on the way,
they'll have to watch out for black bears
and venomous snakes,
including 13 types of rattlers.
Making matters worse,
it's mating season,
when males are more aggressive.
And when most
humans get attacked.
[calvin] there's a lot
of big boulders here.
[amanda] yeah.
[calvin] so we're gonna
have to be careful.
[rhonda] holy [bleep].
This is, like,
freakin' hot, man.
[joe] water out here is
gonna be a challenge
and then, ironically enough,
staying warm at night is
also gonna be a challenge.
Argh. Thorns.
[rhonda] ow!
[narrator] once they
reach their water source,
two and half miles west,
joe and rhonda will be surviving
in an equally
threatening environment
alongside mountain lions.
With jaws so strong...
...They can bite through
a desert tortoise shell.
[joe] a mountain lion will generally
ambush you from the back,
and cut off your oxygen supply.
That's definitely
not how I wanna die.
[rhonda] look at the size
of the freaking spiderweb.
Not to worry,
I can deal with it.
How are you at identifying
plants and things like that?
[amanda] that's kind
of my best skillset.
Fires and traps are
probably my strong suit.
Okay,
cool. What kinda traps do you use?
[calvin] snares
probably work the best.
[amanda] I don't have
much hunting experience,
- 'cause I am a vegetarian.
- [calvin chuckles] oh, man.
[amanda] but that doesn't mean,
like, I am opposed to eating meat.
[calvin] well,
whatever I catch in my traps,
you won't have a problem with me
butchering it and eating
it in front of you, right?
[amanda] well, I might join you.
[calvin] that's cool.
[laughs]
- [calvin] ooh, look at your foot.
- Yeah, I know.
[amanda groans]
[rhonda] I have done a lot of
endurance challenges, and xterra triathlon.
- [joe] wow, really?
- I think, mentally, it trains you
for something like this.
[joe] I was worried about... Like,
I did not wanna
be paired up with
a young female.
- I think we're tougher than they
are. [laughs] -[rhonda] oh, I hope so.
[rhonda] this is definitely
treacherous terrain.
My lips are drying
up. So hot out here,
you can't even stand in the same
spot for more than ten seconds.
Water is a priority. It's
definitely the priority.
[amanda] this is [bleep] hot.
Every step feels like I am
doing one of those coal walks.
[calvin] yeah, I knew it would be
hot but my feet are actually cooked.
They are well done.
[bleep]
[amanda] I think I definitely
underestimated the insertion hike.
[calvin groans]
[amanda] biggest concern right
now would be getting out of the sun.
[calvin] something about this
area just screams "water" at me.
Water! We got water!
- [chuckles] really?
- That is awesome.
Look at that. And there is a
[bleep] ton of bees right there.
We're gonna be have to be
very careful getting that water.
But water is water,
and we need it.
We just gotta figure
out shelter now,
as our next priority.
You know, this place has a lot of prickly...
lot of thorny bushes around it already.
Rattlesnakes are gonna have
a hard time crawling up in there.
[amanda] it's like
a pre-made boma.
- Doing half the work for us.
- Yeah.
- [calvin] you relieved? - Yeah.
[chuckles] I was really
over that walk already.
I know,
I could see it in your face.
[amanda] the insertion
hike really beat up my feet.
It was exhausting and
dehydrating being out
during the hot sun.
- That was rough, that was pretty rough.
- Yeah.
We're just gonna chill out tonight,
we'll make a shelter tomorrow.
[amanda] we just figured
that we'd tough it out.
And just gather
firewood for the night.
And hydrate and lay low...
That's our little
firepit over there.
I don't feel like walking
it over there every time.
A lot of green,
the air seems cooler too.
I think we're getting,
maybe, closer to the water.
Yeah,
there's some water down here.
- [rhonda] oh, that's beautiful.
- [grunts]
[joe] we have found water.
Start thinking about shelter.
There is a bit of a flat spot,
right against that rock.
It's got a nice
little flat patch.
It's super close to the water.
Gives us a clean
view of this too.
- Yeah, it's super close.
- You know what? I like that. Let's do that.
Now, we were lucky enough to
find a really good shelter area,
that we can use the back of the
rock face as part of the shelter.
And just kinda build
onto that and add on to it.
And as hot as it gets here,
it gets just as cold at night.
- [joe] we're here.
- [rhonda] we're in home sweet home.
Phase I complete,
and that's really encouraging.
We don't have any bedding yet, though,
so that's kinda gonna be a struggle for us.
Because our feet are
kinda pooched right now.
The work that we have left to do,
we really need shoes to get it done.
[rhonda] what about
the prickly pear pads?
You know what? Yeah,
that's actually not a bad idea.
- Okay.
- And they are edible as well.
Okay, closest prickly pear...
I'm gonna say over there.
It's super-hot right now.
It's a bit of a climb up
the side of the rock face.
Oh...
But there's nothing about me
that's just kick back and chill out.
Need something
big enough for shoes.
And something
small enough to eat.
[joe] yeah, I'm pretty tough,
but that woman is tough as nails.
[rhonda] prickly pear pads for
shoes might be a really stupid idea
but I'm gonna give it a go.
Definitely don't wanna
touch these prickly pears,
you'll never get
these thorns out.
I can tell already,
there's just nothing easy about this.
[sighs] oh!
Okay,
I don't know if you can see these,
these are thorns,
and they do not come out.
I still gotta get back
to camp with this stuff.
Oh, man. Oh,
my feet are full of thorns.
Oh, my god.
What have I done?
These thorns are
everywhere on me right now.
Everything has come to a
grinding halt for me, all of a sudden.
I'm bruised,
I can't get them off.
[sighs]
ow. Ow! Ow.
I can't believe I did
something so stupid.
Everywhere.
Now I have it everywhere,
on my legs, my hands, my arms.
Ouch!
[sighs]
[bleep]
feel like all the hairs on my
body are those thorns right now.
Well, they are actually.
Ow, ow, ow!
I'm sorry that... that
you're struggling so much.
I wish that there was something I
could do that... Make it better for you.
The prickly pear
harvesting was a disaster
and I'm still suffering from it.
Well, I appreciate you
doing that. You've done a lot.
I mean, you've gotten us food,
you've gotten us water.
You know,
gotta stay positive out here.
There's not a lot you can say to
someone when they are struggling.
I really felt for her
in that moment.
Think twice about going up to
harvest prickly pear. It's deadly.
[joe] forget prickly pear pads.
Let's start over. Let's try
some yucca for sandals.
There's a small part of me that's happy
that I got enough for a few bites of it.
- All right. Cheers. - Cheers.
And it tears apart like beef jerky,
but it doesn't taste like it.
[laughs]
[rhonda] it doesn't taste good. It
taste like eating rotten cucumber.
[joe] despite all the challenges,
it's been a very successful day.
We have fire, we have water
we have shelter,
we've even had something to eat.
It's like chewing on
the bottom of a shoe.
How you feelin' now we got to
our shelters? Still pretty crazy, right?
Definitely didn't expect the
ground to beat up my feet so much.
I also did not expect to have water,
on the first night either.
After you drink some water,
you can start making some yucca sandals.
I might have to go over there
and hack off some leaves.
[amanda sighs] [bleep]
feet are already sore again.
Oh, god, they are barbed.
Things are gonna be a lot easier,
once we have these sandals made.
[amanda] so if you take
the thorns off of the yucca,
you fold one in half,
and then you fold another one and,
kind of, like...
Under one, over two.
Look at that,
it's coming along. [clicking tongue]
I wonder if our other
partners don't have these.
- Oh, we're gonna [bleep] flex on them.
- [laughs] yeah!
- 'sup, nerds. - [chuckles]
I think,
probably another thing with water...
- Yeah, for sure.
- ...And some firewood and then rest.
[sighs]
[amanda] should have
brought the walking stick.
Big mistake.
I feel like my body's been in
the challenge for 21 days already.
[bleep]
but again, it's the first day,
and it's still shock, right now.
You're just thrown
into the middle of it
and you've just got to
adapt. You sink or swim.
- Okay, fresh water. - Nice.
[joe] everything gets twice
as hard when you're thirsty,
and this is the most
comfortable I've been all day.
- [laughs] - wish I
could say the same.
[joe] I'm happy with
what we've accomplished.
[rhonda] yeah.
[joe] best part of this day was
- I got a good partner my own age.
- Definitely. Right, right.
How would you feel about
being paired up with a millennial?
- [rhonda] it would just be weird.
- [laughs]
[calvin] I don't know
what to do right now.
So, we probably should have
built some sort of shelter tonight
but we chose to
just have a chill night.
[amanda] I'm already
starting to get cold.
I started shivering because it
wound up getting quite a bit colder.
[calvin] put my arm
under your neck.
[amanda] I was pretty happy when
he asked if I wanted to be little spoon.
I was just like,
"yes, definitely."
[calvin] I gotta say,
I'm glad you're not some 40-yer old woman
that's gonna boss
me around all the time.
[amanda] really? [laughs]
[rhonda groaning]
you may think this
is just rock here,
but this is all prickly thorns.
[sighs] nothing like a
bunch of thorns in your a*s.
Ouch! [groans]
at this point,
I'm resigned to the fact that
I'm gonna be freezing cold by
the time 3:00 or 4:00 rolls around.
It's a lot more
tough than I thought.
- [joe] move your foot for a second.
- [amanda] yeah.
[joe] this morning we noticed
we've got yucca in our camp area.
[amanda] joe and I are just
making our sandals this morning.
[joe] this might
be more effective
than the prickly pear
cactus for sandals.
Our feet are just scuffed up
and still tender this morning.
We got about, what,
20 minutes sleep last night?
[joe] yeah,
less than an hour of sleep.
Last night, of course,
we didn't sleep at all.
And I think I'm just gonna
have to give myself time to adapt.
The way that I have done
this with the two layers,
it's made it pretty thick.
It's really gonna function,
basically, like a flip flop.
It looks like it'll fit me.
How do you think the other
guys are doing right now?
They're gonna have b*mb sandals,
and I'll be like,
"oh,
I should've thought of that."
[calvin] last night,
we got, like, no sleep.
It was very miserable.
So we're gonna build a shelter today,
like, first thing.
I'm gonna go grab some
of these long yucca st*lks.
That is a good
yucca stalk right there.
It'd be nice to get this done
before the day gets hot, too.
It's a nice temperature
out right now.
We're gonna tie a
couple of these together,
and set up a frame,
like a doorway.
[amanda] I don't want it to be too tall,
'cause it'll
let too much body heat escape.
- [calvin] starting to sweat, getting hot.
- It's getting warm.
[calvin] we did
built it a little bit low,
but that will be better
for the body heat at night.
[wolves barking]
[joe] first pair
should be good to go.
It's not bad,
that's my first one.
We'll get some better yucca
to get started on more sandals,
- for you. - Totally.
Just got hot all of a sudden.
[joe] that feels amazing!
Sandals are definitely
a game changer.
So the goals for the rest
of the day is firewood,
more yucca, and bedding.
Bedding is a really critical issue.
For rhonda, and for myself,
that's one of the
hardest parts of this,
is that there's nowhere to
lay down that isn't painful.
And anytime you moved,
you got stuck with a thorn.
[grunting and wincing]
- here, take this. - Ouch!
[joe] it's all about pace. Slow is smooth,
smooth is fast.
[mumbling] frigging things.
[groans]
joe, I'm having doubts. I
feel like I can't do anything.
I can't sit down,
I can't stand up,
I can't leave the spot,
'cause of the sun.
Everything you touch is,
like, painful.
Oh, my god.
Just the thought of no sleep tonight,
and this frigging patch of thorns...
I feel this anxiety
because of that.
You know, another day,
we can have... we can have sleeping mats.
And I think it's encouraging.
I just think that we're still... The
elements are gonna restrict us
from doing most
of all those things
that keep up moving and busy.
And my idle hands and
feet are just not good for me.
- It's not gonna get easier.
- [rhonda] no.
We just have
to get better at it.
Yeah.
[amanda] I'm
feeling pretty hungry
after building the shelter,
so, right now,
I'm just looking around
to see what I could forage.
I've already been
seeing cholla berries.
This is a barrel cactus fruit.
When they're yellow,
they're pretty
close to being ripe.
[calvin] oh, thank you.
First meal of naked and afraid,
we got some cholla cactus fruit.
This is a cholla fruit
and then this is a
barrel cactus fruit.
Oh,
those are good. [chomping loudly]
those are kinda like peppers.
The barrel cactus fruit
is definitely a
lot more fibrous,
but the seeds on the inside
are actually really pleasant.
It's like chewing
into chia seeds.
We got food, water and shelter,
all in one day.
That is fantastic.
[ominous music playing]
[calvin] oh, my god,
a [bleep] mountain lion.
[amanda] where? What
are you [bleep] looking at?
[speaking softly]
- [joe] what's the matter?
- There's something out there.
- [joe] where?
- [rhonda] like, listen.
[boars groaning]
[calvin] oh,
my god. It's coming down in the wash.
It's standing up. That's a
[bleep] black bear, amanda.
- [imitates boars] -
[amanda] hey bear! Move!
[dogs barking]
[calvin] it's standing up. That's
a [bleep] black bear, amanda.
That's [bleep] scary.
- [amanda] hey bear! Move!
- [metal clanging]
we haven't heard
anything moving.
[calvin] I don't
see nothing at all.
[amanda] then I
hope that it's gone.
[loud animal sounds]
[rhonda shouts]
- that was me. That was me. I threw a rock.
- [rhonda cursing]
looks like we'll be getting
very little sleep tonight.
I'm starting to get
a little bit hungry.
Yeah. If we get an animal to eat,
that'll help.
I definitely wanna go after
some rabbits and some quails.
This morning,
I'm gonna go explore
little farther back
and see what kind of wildlife
we got going on back there.
There's some more rabbit holes.
See, this is a good spot.
There could be
snakes in there too.
[amanda] calvin said that
his best skills were in trapping,
but he hasn't done
any of that yet.
I've been the one going
out and gathering food.
These are dried up old pods.
Crack it open,
there's some beans inside.
[calvin] I wanna grab this
and stick it in a couple of holes
and see if I hear a rattle.
There could be a rattlesnake,
there could be
a rabbit in there.
They seem pretty
much abandoned though.
[inhales sharply] damn it.
So, I'm definitely gonna
take a nap in shelter today.
- [joe] last night... - Yeah.
There was a bar fight
over there in the bushes.
That scared the hell out of me.
Firewood, obviously,
is one thing that has to happen today.
Okay. That's important,
but I gotta get some sleep,
so I don't know what
to do about this bedding.
Yeah. That's not good,
two days and no sleep.
My partner's only gotten
20 to 30 minutes of sleep
in the last two days.
I'm really worried about her.
This is just plain hard.
My brain's already telling me,
"you're just gonna have
another sleepless night."
and things just
get out of control
when you get to that level.
I've never seen or
felt anything like I have
in just these last
short three days.
I really think if I get
you a mat to sleep on
so you're off the ground,
I think you'll be
more comfortable.
[rhonda] I go from one minute thinking,
"I can do this,"
to feeling nauseatingly
hot and thinking,
"get me the hell out of here."
[groans]
I've never been so
immobile in my life.
Ow. [sighs]
keep picturing, you know,
if I feel this crappy right now
then what am I gonna
feel like five days from now.
[groans]
I'd really be letting
my partner down
if I left.
Oh, my god. [straining]
joe,
I can't embrace the suck. I just can't.
I'm not gonna be to do this.
I've given up.
If you tap,
dealing with the regret,
I mean,
wouldn't that eat away at you?
That's gonna eat at me
more than anything else does.
Like, 100%.
I have to,
'cause I know I can't do this,
so I'm just gonna
have to get over it.
I knew right way,
there was no talking her out of it.
[rhonda] obviously,
I bit off more than I could chew.
[joe] I saw the fatigue and I
saw her standing up all night,
I started seeing
those things and going,
"okay, I think she's gonna tap."
sorry, joe.
Like,
I'm so sorry for letting you down.
- [phil] what's going on, rhonda?
- Tapping.
I can't take anymore.
- [phil] are you sure?
- Yeah. Challenge was just too much for me.
[phil] all right, rhonda,
let's get you out of here.
- I'm gonna miss you.
- I'll miss you, too.
You were the best partner
that anyone could've hoped for.
[joe] it was a little sad
to see her walk away.
That whole walk of shame,
defeated thing.
I know she's feeling that.
But it was the mental game is
really what she struggled with.
[rhonda] people might think
I'm leaving because of my age,
I don't feel that that's case.
But, um, I could be wrong.
Three days in and I'm tapping. I mean,
that's pretty bad.
I thought I had a lot
more in me that I don't.
This is a pretty
tough environment.
It's tougher than I thought.
And I thought it was
gonna be really tough.
[narrator] rhonda's
early departure
drops her psr from 6.6 to 3.8.
[grunts]
[joe] I didn't wanna be prepared
to survive alone for seven days,
but I know I can do it.
This isn't the way
I wanted to do it,
but now that I'm alone,
I am really looking forward to meeting
the other team and emerging as a tribe.
[amanda] did you get anything?
[calvin] no,
there's really nothing out there.
[amanda] I am getting a little
frustrated with my partner right now.
He sleeps the entire day.
He told me in the beginning that his
big two skills were fire and hunting.
He still hasn't setup a trap.
I got a [bleep] ton of beans.
[calvin] see, I was looking for those
yesterday, too, and this morning.
Even if we don't finish
them all before merge day,
we can just bring them with us.
And hopefully we got some
protein in our stomach by then.
Yeah.
[calvin] today was the first sign
that things could go sideways.
Because amanda,
she hasn't talked a lot today.
And I got the vibe that
she was a little bit irritated
that I was sleeping
most of the day.
Some of my friends didn't
think I could do this challenge.
And one of them bet me $1,000,
so after day 21,
I got a cool 1000 bucks
waiting for me when I get home.
I think that he's here
more for bragging rights.
I feel like I'm out here
for much different reasons.
I'm drawn into the rawness,
but I think maybe his ego was
enough for him to overshoot his skill set.
I'm definitely making it to day 21,
that's no question.
[wild dogs barking]
now it's a totally different
game. It's just mano-a-mano.
[barking continues]
but I'm not feeling
my age yet. Not yet.
I am resilient. I
will figure it out.
My hunger level this
morning was pretty high.
I'm starting to feel the
growling in the stomach.
I'm gonna go see
what I can forage.
Everything that you do
requires a lot of energy,
a lot of calories,
you lose a lot of fluids.
It's hard to get that stuff back
with a limited water supply.
Everything is a struggle.
This is where the
snakes are hanging out.
In the morning like this
is when they're active.
If I hit the rocks, that vibration
in the ground, they'll feel that.
Which gives them time to let them
know I'm here so I don't surprise them.
Think I see a barrel cactus.
Barrel cactus has a
fruit on the top of it.
They're pretty easy to get off.
Oh, wow!
[chuckles]
[laughs]
tastes like kiwi.
First thing I tasted
was moisture.
This is probably the first
thing I've actually bitten into
and enjoyed since I got here.
Oh, man!
It's one thing to
hydrate with water,
but there's all the, you know,
electrolytes and sugars
and salts and all
those other things
that you just don't
get from the water.
[laughs]
another barrel cactus.
I'm stoked about all
the fruit that I found.
But I'm really worried about
how much fluids I spent getting it.
[amanda] I'm starting
to feel a little weaker,
especially when I'm in the sun.
I'm feeling pretty hungry.
[calvin] we're both exhausted,
we're both kinda losing energy.
Anything to eat at this
point would be good.
It's just getting harder
and harder with each day.
[bleep] it's right there.
Got him. Look at that guy.
That guy's gonna be delicious.
[amanda] he did
catch a grasshopper.
But otherwise, calvin,
he hasn't done much.
Makes me question the
integrity of my partner.
[calvin] it's really what I
wanted. Some good protein.
[amanda] it tastes
like fatty chicken.
It's pretty good. Yeah.
[joe] woke up thirsty.
I'm too dehydrated.
At my age of 47,
I'm getting cramp in a finger
when I'm trying
to hold something.
Probably my biggest
concern out here right now is
the water that I have is not
gonna last me to do the merge,
because I'm dipping into
it too quickly for it to refill.
I'm gonna hope
that it's a spring,
because so long as that
water supply doesn't run out,
I got this.
But you can't do
it without water.
I was gonna set
some traps tonight,
but I think I'll do that
tomorrow morning.
I'm feeling very,
very exhausted.
So,
I'm on my way to the water source.
I'm gonna put some
water on my face
and get some wet water
in my mouth and spit it out.
[calvin groaning]
I'm so [bleep], man.
My stomach is
really [bleep] hurting.
It burns really [bleep] bad.
[calvin] I'm really pissed at myself
for putting that water in my mouth.
[grunts]
ooh,
ooh. [bleep] it [bleep] hurts.
I can't even [bleep] move. Like,
it hurts.
This is really [bleep] bad.
[calvin] oh, [bleep]. It's getting
worse every [bleep] minute now.
This is really
[bleep] serious pain.
I shouldn't have swished that
water in my mouth without boiling.
Oh, [bleep].
- [calvin speaking] -[amanda]
you want me to call them?
- [calvin] yeah.
- [amanda] medic?
Calvin thinks he'd
like to call the medic in.
Oh,
it just hurts so [bleep] bad.
- Yeah. - [bleep] damn it.
[medic speaking]
[bleep.] it really [bleep] hurts,
man.
[medic] one to ten
scale. What's the pain?
Like a nine.
I can feel it on the other
side of my stomach,
but it's right here
under this rib cage.
- Everything's been boiled?
- I didn't swallow anything that's not been boiled.
[randy speaking]
calvin, putting anything
with bacteria in your mouth
gets absorbed into the body.
From parasites to bacterias
that are introduced
into the gi tract.
[calvin] oh, [bleep]
[medic] calvin was
in a great deal of pain.
In order to provide calvin
with the best medical care,
we need to move him to a facility
where we can actually find out
exactly what's going on.
We're gonna need to medtap you
in order to get
this checked out.
[calvin] [bleep] I
really don't wanna go.
[erika] this challenge is over.
- [amanda] calvin, don't be ashamed, okay?
- [calvin] [bleep]
[grunts] I'm good.
Slow down.
[bleep]
[amanda] I'm gonna miss calvin.
Just being alone here
is going to be really hard.
Now, I am my own responsibility.
[narrator] leaving
after just six days,
drops calvin's
psr from 6.6 to 4.2.
I really did want that title of
being the youngest person
to complete the
21 day challenge.
I know, amanda,
this is gonna be pretty hard,
but you are a very
strongminded person.
Just finish out the challenge.
'cause that's what you came here for.
[amanda] at this point,
I have everything I need.
I have fire and water.
So, going forward, anything I'm
doing it's just to get myself through
until the merge day.
[wild dogs barking]
right now,
I'm looking for snakes.
So I'm seven days in,
no protein,
and I can feel the
fatigue in my body.
How many people do you know that are
actually looking to bump into a rattlesnake?
I got a hike ahead of
me in a couple of days.
The vegetation, it's got some vitamins,
it's got some nutrients in it.
But the lack of protein is
really getting under my skin.
I have to say,
I'm a little surprised.
Have yet to see a snake,
or see evidence
of a rattlesnake.
My ability to defy gravity
seems to be diminishing.
[grunts] and the sun's
already hitting me hard.
I'm already getting
a little lightheaded.
So I think I'm
gonna... Call it a day.
[amanda] right now,
whenever I get up and walk around,
I'm feeling very lethargic.
The combination of probably
being a little dehydrated,
not eating enough,
and then losing sleep every night.
It's like the
trifactor of things
that I think are definitely
affecting how I feel.
It's a little scary.
I feel like if I can
get to merge day,
then it'll be easier,
because I'll have people there to help me.
It's hard to kinda
stay motivated.
[twigs snapping]
[shouts]
I'm hearing a lot of movement.
Slow heavy movement.
- Bushes. Twigs snapping.
- [twig snaps]
there. You here that?
There's something right
over there somewhere.
It bothers me. [metal clanking]
it's time for my
norse battle cry.
[metal clanking]
[growling]
[growling]
[metal clanking]
I think it's quietened down.
Haven't heard anything move.
I'll try to get some rest. I
got a big day tomorrow.
Last night was the first night that
I had something sneak up on me.
Something was out there walking
around with very heavy feet.
There's a lot of
big cats in this area.
And when you're naked,
alone in the middle of nowhere,
everything's a threat. [laughs]
day nine,
I have two days until merge day.
I'm definitely missing
out on food and hydration.
So I need to drink water,
but I've noticed that the water
source is starting to smell bad.
It's definitely worrying me.
Especially since
calvin got sick from it.
But I have no choice.
There's a little wormy guy
swimming around in there.
It's just nasty water.
I'm not a complainer,
but I tell you what, I'm hungry.
I really, really,
really want a piece of meat.
Flat tire.
[groans] I blew out my sandal. Damn,
that's some [bleep].
So at this point,
not seeing snakes.
I'm gonna shift gears and
my next goal is gonna be
catching a couple of birds.
I'm looking for a
decent sized flat rock
to make a trap or
snare or dead fall.
The merge is gonna
be in two days.
The merge is a real big
hike. It's gonna be rough.
It just makes protein
that much more important.
Maybe that one.
It's worth the
time and the effort
to look for the best
rocks that you can find.
It's gotta fit the scenario
of the way the trap works.
And you need something
flat and a little thick.
This is what I was looking for.
That's money right there.
I'm working on the
pillar for this dead fall.
I want it to be really thin,
but yet strong.
I've had birds around my
camp and even in my camp.
And I'm gonna use my
spear as a trigger mechanism.
This is my spear that
goes into my boma.
When they come to get
the bait from the dead fall,
all you gotta do is just give
that just a gentle little tap,
and it'll drop the rock on 'em.
And now I'm just gonna sprinkle
some barrel cactus seeds.
And I'm hoping that they'll
come down to investigate,
and stick their head in there.
And that thing's gonna
come right down on top of 'em.
And feed joe.
[grunts]
[sobbing]
I drank about
half a pot of water
before going to bed,
it made me sick
almost immediately.
[sobbing]
oh,
gosh. I'm feeling like [bleep].
[groaning]
this has knocked me
off the horse pretty hard.
I really don't wanna deal
with it on the merge hike.
Right now, I'm a little worried
about making it any further.
[groans, sobs]
[whimpering]
[amanda] sometime in the
middle of the night, diarrhea started.
Oh, gosh.
I've been feeling like [bleep].
[narrator] with the
merge two days away,
and having lost her
partner on day six,
23-year-old amanda finds herself
fighting to stay in the challenge
after drinking
contaminated water.
[shouting]
[narrator] seven miles away,
47-year-old joe,
who's also lost his partner
is struggling to get
through the next two days
with predators moving in.
Still don't know what it is that
comes creeping around here at night.
[thunder rumbles]
[amanda groaning] what
did I do to deserve this?
Oh, god, just k*ll me now.
Last night was horrible and I
couldn't really get any sleep.
Today I'm still
feeling pretty queasy.
I'm worried that it's the
water that made me sick.
So gross.
But I definitely still
need to drink water
'cause the merge hike
is gonna be really taxing.
Really gotta make sure
I boil it for a long time.
I hope it figures itself out.
[joe] been laying
here for a while.
I got this bird
right at the trap,
eating the seeds
that I laid out for bait.
All I have to do is
pull on the trigger stick
and that rock will fall down.
Whoa. I got it.
Holy crap. I need this.
I see a ton of feathers. Oh, my god,
it's all about breakfast now.
[laughs] ah!
Ah! Bird got away.
[sighs]
yeah, I'm not gonna lie.
It's... It's a little disappointing.
The idea that all these
feathers are right here.
And the body's not, you know.
It would have been nice to be
having a little roast bird right now.
I'm gonna burn a lot of
calories and a lot of brainpower.
I'm just gonna burn a lot of
fuels just getting to the merge,
so I need protein.
[bleep]
damn.
[amanda] definitely
feeling a lot better.
I'm bringing a lot of water so I can
stay hydrated on the merge hike.
It's a good feeling
to be leaving here.
I'm a little worried
about the walk.
But I think it'll be
good to start anew.
Two minds could be a
good resource for the team.
Especially two older people who probably
have a lot more experience than me.
I just hope they don't belittle me
just because I'm younger than them.
I'm here.
I need to go up over this hill.
[bird screeches]
looks like a pretty long walk up to here,
where we merge.
I have been looking
for a big old rock
with a couple of people
standing around it.
The fatigue that's hitting
me is draining my body.
[grunts]
the ground is just filled with thorns,
and sharp rocks.
It's gonna be rough.
Ouch.
It's me against this northern
desert for the next couple of hours.
[narrator] to reach
their merge point,
joe and amanda will have to travel
four miles from their respective camps,
along a landscape
littered with cactus thorns
until they arrive at a large
boulder at the base of a mountain.
In their weakened state,
joe and amanda will be easy targets
for the rare but dangerous
north american jaguar.
The biggest cat in the
western hemisphere.
They'll also have to be on
the lookout for gila monsters,
that attack with an
extremely painful bite.
Smell their prey
with their tongue,
and use sharp curved
teeth to chew on their victim
while delivering
venom into the wound.
[amanda] nothing is gonna
stop me from getting there.
[panting]
[joe] this merge hike is brutal.
Sun's up, it's beating down.
[bleep]
[breathing heavily]
I'm really looking forward to getting
on that hill, and meeting my new tribe.
- I know they'll be a lot younger.
- [grunting]
I just hope they are not typical
millennials, all spoiled and entitled.
If they don't have
their [bleep] together
this is gonna be a long 11 days.
[grunting]
this is the time of day rattlesnakes
will be coming out looking for warmth.
And this is definitely prime
territory for them, in all this grass.
Hopefully,
they bite the stick before they bite me.
[joe] the yucca appears,
a lot of razor sharp blades.
[groans] just in a sec.
[amanda] the heat sucks.
Still a little queasy
and nauseous.
If I can just make it
to the merge point,
it'll be easier because...
Even if I am still feeling sick,
I'll have people there to help me.
[bleep]
I think I see the
top of the hill.
[groans]
I'll tell you what,
this keeps on dragging.
[exclaims]
the good news is,
it's downhill from here.
But that could work against you.
Gravity, try to take you down.
[groaning and grunting]
the heat's just sucking the moisture
out of my mouth and my nose.
I'm sweating like a dog.
I can feel my heart pounding.
[amanda] I feel like I'm
in the middle of nowhere.
My body's, like, burning.
That big boulder's
the merge point.
Where the hell is everybody?
Did they both tap out?
[breathing heavily]
[joe] I can see what
looks like the merge rock.
Looks like I'm about to
find me some naked people.
Whoa, there's only one person.
[amanda] what the [bleep].
My new partner is father time.
[amanda] what the [bleep].
My new partner is father time.
- Hey! - Hi.
You alone?
- Yeah, you too? - Yep.
- Hi. I'm joe. - Amanda.
- Amanda, nice to meet you.
- You too.
[amanda] definitely surprised
to see just one person.
And he walks with two canes?
[sighs] what happened
to your partner?
He got a med-tap on day six.
Yeah,
mine tapped out on day three.
Oh, wow. [chuckles]
[joe] is she even 18? Three of
my four kids are older than her.
I'm 47, about to be 48.
- Okay.
- And my partner was just a little older than me.
Yeah, my partner... We're actually...
I'm only a year older than him.
- I'm 23.
- Well, you still get points for being
one of the younger
ones and completing.
I'm still gonna take the win
for being one of the older ones.
- [chuckles] yeah. - [chuckles]
joe looks surprisingly well
for someone as old as he is.
So, hopefully,
it's not too weird.
The merging of two
generations. We're gonna...
Well,
we'll make a landmark of our own.
- Yeah, I think so.
- Sounds good.
[joe] I have reservations about
surviving with a millennial partner.
But I hope she can carry
her share of the weight.
All right,
so do we know where we are going?
I have a map.
This is where we are right now.
That's the big,
giant boulder, right there.
- I think, make it to that water source.
- Yeah, that sounds good.
- Do you wanna lead the way, set the pace?
- All right.
[narrator] from the merge point,
the newly-formed
team will hike north
to a small pond,
over three miles away.
The largest water
source for miles,
it attracts thirsty predators,
and scavenging packs
of hungry coyotes,
who are most
dangerous after sunset
because of their
excellent night vision.
- How'd you do for food?
- Well, you now, cactus fruits and things.
- And... - [joe] yeah.
[amanda] my knowledge of the
plants in this region is pretty good.
- [joe] that's good.
- [amanda] how'd you do?
Oh, not as good as I wanted to.
I set up a bird trap.
Caught one, but it got away.
Oh, no.
I think it's pretty clear that joe
has a lot more experience than I do,
but I don't know if I can handle
another partner who can't catch any food.
This isn't good.
So, yeah,
I haven't really eaten much.
- Sorry, I'm slowing you down.
- No, you're okay.
[joe] I'm not sure what
amanda thinks of me.
Probably that I can't keep up
with a younger, millennial partner?
But my age hasn't
slowed me down.
This old guy's still got it.
Hey, joe,
we're at the water source.
- Yeah! - It's huge.
[joe] oh, this is the best
thing I've seen in 11 days.
[amanda] it's like a pond.
This location is so much
better than the last one.
Obviously a huge water source...
And the ground is
really spongy and soft.
Oh, that was worth the trip.
[amanda] a lot of really
nice shade trees all around
we gotta find a
place to call camp.
Something flat in the shade.
- [amanda] like, right here?
- I like this spot.
I'm not feeling a lot
of breeze right here.
[amanda] how's
it going over here?
So far so good. We have fire.
[amanda] way to go.
[exhales] this makes
such a big difference.
- [amanda chuckles] -and I don't
think we need to build a shelter
if we're both just good with
spooning by the fireplace.
I get cold pretty easy at night,
and it's windier here,
so I'm gonna build up a
little windbreak wall here.
Yeah,
that sounds good. Let's do that.
[narrator] joe and amanda are placing
boulders around their sleeping area
to block the wind at night.
The boulders will also
serve as a reflecting wall
to draw more
heat from their fire.
[joe] well, so far amanda I
are really working well together.
[joe grunts softly]
she's young,
but she's a very hard worker.
Maybe I was wrong for
judging a millennial too quickly.
- Looks pretty nice.
- This works.
[coyotes howling]
[amanda] coyotes
are out tonight.
We're at the bottom
of a little bank,
up against some rocks,
so it's a really good wind-break.
The problem with it
is we can't look back
- and see what's above us.
- [coyotes howling]
if some predator comes
barreling out of the darkness at us,
I grab this thing,
I hand it to amanda
because I know she's
gonna jump up and defend me
and protect me from anything
that darkness can unleash upon me.
- [joe laughs] -
[amanda] of course.
Use me as you shield.
We need to help each
other to survive out here.
[joe] my partner and I will
be surviving here for ten days.
We're gonna need some protein
if we're gonna be able to do this.
So, there's a lot of quail
that come in from this area.
I see 'em running
across this ridge.
From about here to here,
this is kinda like a funnel.
[grunts]
so I think this is probably
the best place to setup a trap.
I'm making a figure four.
The birds peck at the
seeds and the stick,
and that's what'll
set off the trap.
Kinda seeding the area,
maybe that'll bring 'em in.
[amanda] the plan for today is
to find more substantial
edibles out here.
Hoping to find something
that I haven't seen yet
or maybe a big abundance
of barrel cactus or something.
But I'm not seeing
anything new so far.
I kind of hate the barrel fruit.
Do you want a
barrel fruit cactus?
I'll take one.
Something to nibble on.
Please and thank you.
Here's a big one.
Wow,
that's the biggest one I've ever seen.
The beginning of the challenge,
I actually... The
first half of it,
I really liked the barrel fruit
and I was enjoying
it. But now I'm like...
Choking it down.
I'm choking it down, too.
But I really appreciate
you getting this for us.
No problem.
So far, from what I can tell,
joe seems like a nice guy.
I haven't sensed any ego in you.
- Oh, I have none. - Yeah.
A lot of people come out here,
like...
Like,
the c*ck marine kind of thing.
And they're just like,
"oh,
I'm gonna make mother nature my b*tch..."
- [joe laughs] -
...And all of that.
I think we're on the same page in,
like, terms of, like,
- how to survive out here...
- Yeah.
Now, if we could just
get a pizza delivered here,
- well, we'd be okay.
- [chuckles]
[joe] kinda giving
up on the trap.
I'm watching the
bird movement...
And once that trap went up,
it was like giant stop sign.
All the birds still go to water,
they just don't go
anywhere near the trap.
Not even close to it.
Nothing walks
past it or near it.
I'm not familiar with
any of the birds out here.
You know,
I don't know what kinda seeds they favor.
Maybe it's just
the bait I'm using.
I know how to do this.
So I don't know
why it's not working.
Really, really,
really need some calories.
I'm just waiting
for it to lighten up
just enough to see
where I'm walking.
I'm gonna have to start
scouting out and looking for yucca.
I know the roots are edible.
The temperature is
really nice and cool.
Um...
So I'm gonna dig it out,
harvest it,
and bring back the heart.
Uh,
and we can make a fine meal of it.
Gonna go get some yucca.
And come back...
And we are gonna feast.
[amanda] I'll
start boiling water.
- I'll be back. - Godspeed.
[joe] being in a
survival challenge,
it's all about food.
It's all about
helping my partner.
I know amanda's hungry,
I know she's disappointed, too.
The yucca root, they got a
lot of starch and a lot of sugars
and starch and
a lot of good stuff.
And they're pretty hardy.
And that would be a big score.
Yeah, that's good one.
Definitely worth the trip.
Getting into it's gonna be a challenge,
though,
to get this done
and get out of here
before the sun tries to k*ll me.
Digging a yucca
plant out of the ground
is a complicated excavation.
You have to remove a
large portion of the blades
just so you can have access
to the base of the plant.
At that point,
you gotta start digging...
You just kinda start
clearing away the dirt.
It's just a hard game of
brute force to get in there.
This is a... This
is a rough one.
[exhales]
[sighs]
now I feel a little lightheaded.
[amanda] joe's been
gone for quite a while.
I know he's tough,
but he needs to calculate how
many calories he might be burning
versus how much we
might be getting back from it.
I hope he's just kinda
slow-rolling and taking his time
and not actually expending
that many calories.
[joe] the sun is finally up,
I'm starting to feel it on my back.
I still got to navigate all the way
back with this plant in the sun.
Ha! There she goes.
Oh, my god. That root's huge.
With the clock ticking
on the sun and everything,
that really kinda
intimidated me.
Felt like I bit off
more than could chew.
The good news is the
heart's gonna be twice as big.
And that's... That's
a big meal for us.
So let's get this
thing whittled down
and get it back to camp...
Get some shade
and get some lunch.
[grunting]
[sighs] oh, man.
This thing feels
like it's 70 pounds.
I'm chasing down 50.
And today I'm really feeling it.
[sighs]
[amanda] holy crap.
[joe] hello.
- [amanda] that's huge.
- Yeah, it is.
That's got all the succulent
leaves at the top of the heart.
That's massive. Thank you.
Oh, my god,
we really needed this.
The old guy finally
came through for us.
[joe] that's a huge gamechanger.
Not only is that a ton of carbs,
that's enough for both of us.
And if we're conservative,
and with our stomachs
being shrunken,
that might even be enough
for more than one day.
We're gonna, like,
hack that up I think.
[joe] at this point,
the plan is to chop it up,
shaving that root
down layer by layer
down to the actual
heart of the plant,
which is the part that's edible.
Cut that into two
or three pieces,
get that in a pot
and get it boiling,
really soften this thing up.
And we'll have something
that we can chew on.
- [joe sighs] - [amanda] oh,
my god.
We're eating good tonight,
I tell you what, yeah.
[amanda] got three
big chunks of yucca.
My body's like, "feed me."
- first course.
- Yeah, are you excited for the feast?
I am very excited for the feast.
Um, first piece of yucca.
It's real fibrous.
You wanna taste it.
[joe] mm.
Wow.
It's like mostly fiber.
You think this is
gonna be how it is?
[joe sighs]
man, that's disappointing.
All that work... Hard as a rock
and it's completely inedible.
Obviously that plant is ancient.
The most succulent part of the plant,
the heart,
is literally just petrified.
I'm definitely at
the point right now
where I don't have
much energy left.
- [joe] yeah.
- I feel weak just existing.
[amanda speaking]
[amanda speaking]
[joe speaking]
[eagle screeching]
[amanda] oh, no. Oh, no.
- [joe] what happened?
- Some animal took all of our barrel fruit.
Holy [bleep]!
She keeps her barrel
fruits stashed over here...
I keep mine here, back behind my head,
and it picked me clean.
All of our fruit storage,
they're completely gone.
Something got it.
[joe sighs]
that pisses me off.
Hey,
there's a roadrunner in my camp.
That's a big one, too.
There was a
roadrunner right here,
and he was almost the
size of a rooster. He was big.
- Yeah?
- I think that might be where our barrel cactus is going.
The idea that it
came in so close,
and it's been taking our food
literally while we were asleep.
- Right by our heads. - Yeah.
Um,
it's actually kind of encouraging to me
that, uh, it's not so much afraid,
it's just careful, and smart.
So setting up a figure
four somewhere back here.
If you did set one up,
do it right there.
Right there,
that little ledge would be perfect,
'cause there's this
flat space on that rock.
- Yeah. Obviously, it likes barrel fruit.
- Yeah.
I haven't had roadrunner before,
but, uh,
there is a first time for everything.
I kind of feel like wile
e. Coyote right now.
Just licking at the chops,
and biting at the bit,
trying to figure out
how I can get that thing.
Need to bust out
my acme credit card,
and go get some supplies.
Dead fall at my last camp,
had a kind of a gap in it.
So when this came down,
it didn't compress,
and that bird was able to
get his head out of there.
I don't want the rock landing on
another rock so it doesn't seat right.
I want it to seat as flatly
with the ground as possible.
I'm learning from my mistakes.
That's my wile e. Coyote trap.
I feel pretty good
about this one.
[birds chirping]
[fire crackling]
[joe] no!
[amanda] really?
It's not set off,
but the fruit's gone.
Somebody picked
the lock on my safe.
Man, that's some [bleep]
something stole the bait off the trap,
without setting off the trap.
We have been that
roadrunner's wile e. Coyote.
It's been taking us for fools.
That's so frustrating.
I mean, when you're hungry,
and you're trying to eat protein,
and that protein is stealing
the little bit of food you have,
yeah, that's no bueno.
[snake rattling]
[amanda] today is definitely the
worst I've felt during this challenge.
My muscles are kind
of like feeling sore,
my hips are starting
to hurt pretty badly.
It's just this lack of food,
and especially lack of protein.
Obviously, out here with probably
an average of 20 calories a day,
I'm really starting
to feel it now.
Feel like my balance
isn't as good as it was.
Even breaking tree
branches for firewood
has been a little more
dangerous than it normally would
where I break it and I
can't really catch myself,
or, like,
stabilize myself once the branch breaks.
I'm really getting my
a*s kicked out here.
[joe] I'm 47, about to be 48.
I'm feeling my age for
the first time in my life.
That lack of protein,
I'm feeling it in my joints,
everything's snapping
and crackling and popping.
Amanda is a really
strong-willed young woman.
I know amanda's hurting,
and, uh, it's k*lling me.
I want to be able to
do something for her.
And not 'cause she's a woman.
'cause she's my teammate.
The extraction is just
a couple of days away.
And it's a long hike.
I am just not having any luck.
I'm not gonna make
it without protein.
- We are gonna catch that little sucker.
- Yeah
so... That animal is back.
And I keep hearing it...
...Rustling around.
I'm waiting to see
if it triggers the trap.
[coyotes barking]
[amanda] the coyotes
are out tonight.
It's the wildest I've
ever heard the coyotes.
[joe] it's the closest I
have heard them too.
[amanda] yeah,
they're real close.
[amanda speaks]
I was thinking that if I get
a naked and afraid tattoo,
I feel like the best location
would be on my butt cheek.
Yeah, that would be cool.
I just feel like its apt,
for naked and afraid.
That's a more suiting place,
on your bare butt.
[joe] I don't I need a tattoo.
After sleeping on the
ground for three weeks,
gonna have all these
scars on my a*s.
[both chuckle]
- take that. - [laughs]
[coyotes barking]
[amanda] I keep hearing
an animal rustling around
on the rock ledge
right above us.
I'm waiting to see
if it triggers the trap.
[coyotes barking]
[amanda speaking]
[joe] last night was the first
night that I heard a coyote
that was what I would
call danger close.
[amanda] I didn't get any sleep.
[joe] all right, moment of truth,
I am gonna check the trap.
Holy cow.
- My trap has been triggered.
- Really?
[joe] yeah.
Let's find out...
Is there anything
underneath the trap?
Only one way to find out.
- Yes! Yes! - Oh. Really?
- [amanda chuckles] what did you get?
- Big rat.
- [amanda] not that roadrunner.
- [joe] no.
[amanda] wow. It finally worked.
[joe] yeah. That's revenge protein,
baby.
[laughs]
- oh, wow. That is big. - Yeah.
Rat's been taking our food.
[joe] bam.
Hard to say how
totally excited I am
to finally get just a
little handful of protein
and how validating it is to
have a trap actually function.
And here it is day 20,
and I finally, finally
got these [bleep]
figured out. [laughs]
to see the excitement
on his face where...
All of his efforts
finally pay off...
A nice feeling.
Got this thing all cleaned up.
Took it away from
the camp to clean it.
Might already have the guts
and the blood and the fur smell
and bring predators or bugs.
Did you see any barrel fruit?
I did find little
barrel cactus fruits.
Seeds and stuff in the
intestinal track. Yeah.
[amanda] I think it pretty
much solved the mystery
that it was
probably the culprit.
[joe] yeah.
Revenge protein
is a dish best served
slow roasted over the fire.
[amanda] I am
really happy for joe.
It is purely just from
joe's own patience
and fortitude to keep trying
things over and over again.
The engineer in me is like,
"yes!"
[amanda] it's just impressive.
[amanda chuckles] come on,
get your first bite.
Ah! [exclaims]
it means everything to get some
protein in my body before the extraction.
Even though I am vegetarian,
my first rat.
I really don't wanna say it,
but... It does
taste like chicken.
[joe laughing] it does.
- It's really, like, lean, white meat. Yeah.
- Lean, white. Yeah.
[joe] to share this meat,
this protein,
and to see her
smile and perk up,
that's gold,
that really makes me feel good.
After all those years
of being vegetarian,
and I broke it.
I'm actually excited
to try the organs.
Yeah,
I am pretty sure that's the testicle.
Oh, nice.
I ate the other
one. It's awesome.
It's very oyster-ish.
It's an expl*si*n of flavor.
Whoo-hoo!
Not only was I able to
provide a meal for both of us,
but I got a
vegetarian to eat a rat,
that was kinda cool.
And every part of it.
The testicles were good.
They were, huh?
[amanda] it's the
morning of the day 21.
We did it, joe.
[exclaims] ah! We're
about to get out of here.
Audi 5000.
[joe] it's a big one right here.
Bam.
Twenty-one.
Joe and I are like
greyhounds waiting at the gate
for the g*nsh*t and the rabbit.
We're itching to leave.
Ready to go?
- I am ready to go. You? - Yeah.
[joe] you know, it's not gonna be easy,
we got a long road ahead of us.
[amanda] shall we take
a look at the map first?
- Yeah. - Yeah. Got it.
We're here, and it looks like
we're gonna make our way
past this mountain to extraction.
- Might be some rattlesnakes.
- Bring it!
[narrator] as joe and amanda
begin a grueling three-mile hike.
They'll need to watch out for
western diamondback rattlesnakes.
That bite more
people in the u.S.
Than any other venomous snake.
After an exhausting climb over
a rocky steep 60-degree incline...
Their final mile will be a
painful trek across a landscape
of needle sharp
cholla cactus spines...
To a clearing where their
extraction vehicle will meet them.
[joe grunting]
- it's going to be a really hot day.
- [amanda] yeah.
[joe] and, uh,
this is where the snakes are hanging out.
[amanda] I'm kinda trying to
find the path of least resistance
and the path of least snakes.
Been seeing molts...
So I know they're here.
[joe] gotta be careful. The
wrong bite from the wrong snake,
that's the end of your life.
[rattling]
[joe sighs]
starting to feel real
sting on the skin.
The sun is just
searing into my body.
Man, am I feeling it.
[amanda] I already
feel like throwing up.
[amanda retches]
I knew coming into this,
it was going to be
primarily a mental game.
But if joe can make it at his age,
so can I.
[joe] these rocks are
so coarse and sharp.
Every step is painful.
[joe grunts]
[amanda groans]
[bleep]
[joe] ow, ow, ow!
[coyote barks distantly]
- you hear that? - [amanda] yep.
I've been keeping
my eye out for them.
Looks like a path is
up and over this hill.
[joe] really steep.
That fatigue over
the last 21 days...
Really kicking in right now.
My legs and my calves are tight.
But I came out here
to finish a 21-challenge.
The idea of not making it to the
finish line, that's not an option.
[amanda] starting to warm up.
[joe winces]
[joe grunts]
[joe] this place is
just havoc on the feet.
Every third step,
I get one of those tumble weeds.
[amanda] it's a minefield. They're
tiny and they blend in with the pebbles.
[joe grunts]
[bleep]
[joe] it's like
running on legos.
[amanda] I am fatigued,
dehydrated and feeling sick.
But under a high
stress situation...
[joe groans]
[bleep]
[joe grunts]
[amanda] I got to
embrace the suck and...
Just kinda push through even if
I have to crawl to the finish line.
[joe] these things are m*rder.
The finish line is right out
there in front of us somewhere.
I feel like we are
getting pretty close.
[joe] yeah, this could be it.
[birds calling]
[vehicle approaching]
- [joe] I hear a vehicle.
- Oh, I can hear it, yeah.
Oh! I think I see it over there.
Hell yeah!
Yeah.
Whoo!
Yeah!
I've never been so excited to
sit in back of a pick-up before.
- [joe] ah! - Yeah!
[joe] this challenge
is a punch in the face
and how you handle
that for 21 days.
Despite all the
lack of resources,
we made it. And we're
both going home winners.
[amanda] something I'll take
away from this challenge is
that I can thrive in
even unfamiliar places.
I think that's something
to be proud of.
I'm proud of us. We
did a good job out here.
We made a great team.
Talking about millennials,
some of the stereotypes, like,
how they act and
they're entitled
or they're this
or they're that...
But amanda,
she doesn't fit that mold. She's a badass.
The whole millennial gap,
I think it's a myth.
We're gonna be all right.
[narrator] joe is heading home 31
pounds lighter than when he began.
His psr goes from 7.1 to 7.9.
[amanda] I'm gonna miss joe,
- but...
- [joe] I am going to miss you, too.
I am not going to miss
here necessarily. [chuckles]
my partnership with
joe has been really good
even though we grew up
a generation or two apart,
I feel like I have
gained a good friend.
One of my many anxieties
in life is that life is too short
and I have all these
things I want to do
and I am going
to run out of time.
But joe is having the
time of his life right now.
I might find my
groove when I am 50.
[narrator] over the
course of 21 days,
amanda lost a total of 23 pounds
her psr rises from 7.1 to 7.7.
We did it. It's over.
We crossed that mountain.
[joe exclaims]
[speaking other language]
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12x11 - Come Hell and Black Water
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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.