04x04 - Edge of Madness

[bunniefuu]

I fear I might be
in over my head.

I don't know what that is.

narrator: One man
and one woman...

[ screams ]

...Alone for 21 days...

Aah!

I cut myself up
pretty good here.

Narrator: ...To face the
most primal survival challenge

of their lives.

Man: Mmm -- rat kabobs.

They have no clothes,
no food, no water...

Only their skills...

Oh, god, that [bleep] hurts.

...And their will to survive...

Whoo-hoo!

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

woman: I'm so scared right now.

Zack: All right. Here
we are at the airport.

Getting ready to go.

Lovely wife driving.

Hi.

Kristie: I get the
question a lot

about how I feel about zack
going into the wild naked

with some random lady.

And while I'm not
thrilled with the idea,

I know this is something

that he wants to prove to
himself and to his family,

so I support him all the way.

Good luck. Say hi to the camera.

[ chuckles ] hi.

Be safe. All right.

Love you.

Hey, guys.

I'm out here with my granddaddy,

and we're doing a
little target practicing.

Now, this is good for
k*lling any little rabbits

or little vermin you got
running around your yard.

[ g*nsh*t ]

and then, if a little
critter goes on the run...

...Get 'er done.

So, I came out here
to my grandma's house

to collect myself.

My son has been...

Pasquale!

I don't think it's gonna hit me

until I'm looking at a strange
naked man, you know?

Like, "oh, [bleep] what
did I just sign up for?"

I'm feeling pretty
pumped. I'm excited.

It's only 21 days.

b*tches pms longer than 21
days, so, hey, we can do it.

My name's afften.
I'm 27 years old.

I would describe myself
as a ball of awesomeness.

All the primitive
skills that I learned,

pretty much from my granddad.

My granddad has some
cherokee indian in him

and he taught me that surviving

is kind of just to go out
there and be one with nature.

Don't fight nature,
because she will win.

Narrator: Afften
has studied native a

for most of her life,

but her wilderness
skills are untested

in an extreme
survival situation.

She has been assigned

an initial primitive
survival rating, or psr,

of 6.0.

I'm down for the 21 days.

I'm excited for
this. I cannot wait.

I've never seen a
place like this ever.

It's crazy.

Hey, my name's zack.
I'm from st. Louis, missouri,

and I work as a
wilderness field instructor.

Guyana is the wildest
place on the planet.

It's untouched.

You're by the equator.

It's hot.

The sun's beating down.

The reason why I chose to
become a survivalist is really funny,

because I started watching

discovery channel survival
shows, and that got me into it.

Narrator: While zack is
motivated to prove he can su

his overall lack of experience

in an unforgiving
tropical environment

may hurt him.

Zack begins with a psr of 6.8.

Let's go!

Being naked with
somebody of the opposite sex,

the only thing that my wife
said as far as the naked rule is,

don't let my hoohah touch her.

So, as long as the hoohah
stays where it should be,

we'll be good.

Whoo! Blinded by the white.

Bam.

Just got real. Real [bleep] hot.

I'm not too worried about being
naked and afraid in guyana.

I think I'm gonna
be bare and ballsy.

I'm ready for this.

I'm doing this challenge

just to prove to everyone
out there that's, like, watching

if they think that
I'm gonna fail.

I just want to rub it in their
face, like, "ha, ha, I'm not."

I'm really hoping

that my partner is a ball
of awesomeness, as well.

I want him to be me, but a guy.

What up?

[ laughing ] how's
it going? Zack:

I'm afften.

I'm zack. Nice to meet you.

You, too.

So, are you ready for this?

I'm super excited. Yeah?

Are you nervous? Um...

This is crazy.

[ both laugh ]

a little bit. Little bit.

You want to get our
packs and get started?

Yeah, let's do it. All right.

Narrator: In addition
to a fire starter,

afften and zack have chosen
to bring a pot and a machete

to help them endure
three weeks in the wild.

I also have some glasses
here because I'm blind.

Oh. That's good to have, then.

Yes, yes.

And I also have a map.

Yeah, so it looks like
we need to get over here

'cause we're in the middle
of nothing, baking in the sun.

Let's go.

Severing all ties to
civilization, the survivalists

have been dropped into
the rupununi savannah,

a lost world of
untouched grasslands,

where the lethal
bushmaster, at 10 feet,

is the longest poisonous
snake in the western hemisphere.

In this dry tropical wasteland,

with oppressive heat
and suffocating humidity,

scarce rivers and creek beds

are patrolled by
aggressive black caiman

that can quickly overpower

even the most experienced
primitive survivalists.

Zack: See all the palm
trees on the horizon?

Afften: Yeah. That's the water.

Yeah, it's got to be some kind
of creek or waterway or whatnot.

The sun is, like,
baking us, literally.

So, are you married?

Yeah, I'm married. Cool, cool.

How about yourself?

I am married, and I
have a 14-month-old son.

Afften: It is hard to be
away from my family,

but I did also tell my
husband and my son

that I really don't want
to be thinking about them

because it's not gonna
do anything for me.

So, do you feel like
you're naked, or...

The only thing that makes
me feel like I'm naked

is not having, like,
my wedding ring on.

Uh-huh.

Otherwise, it's
just kind of weird.

I don't really --
doesn't really matter.

Yeah.

It's definitely hot. Yeah.

For sure. I can feel the sweat.

You care if we rub some
of this on our shoulders?

Go ahead, yeah.

Most dangerous thing is gonna
be, for me, is probably sunburn.

Look like a crazy
man after this.

[ laughs ]

narrator: Mud can act as a
physical barrier sunscreen

because it prevents
the sun's u.V. Rays

from penetrating human skin.

Zack: The heat here
is nothing to mess with.

Do you want to just go
get mud on you real quick?

I'll tell you if it gets,
like, too extreme.

My first impressions
of my partner,

kind of spastic with
making choices.

When I rubbed mud on me,
she didn't have any on her.

Just bad decision
making, in my opinion.

I can tell you're sweating.

Yes.

Dripping down me.

Afften: It's like set
your oven to hell,

and that's, like, what
we're on right now.

This is baking.

Baking.

The sun is [bleep] ridiculous.

I'm thinking we should just
set up a shelter right here.

Let's just walk and see,
you know, what's around.

Okay.

Hey! Water.

Afften: Nice. All right.

Sweet. I'm feeling it.

I sweated so much, and
I'm already dehydrated.

My piss already
smells and it's yellow,

and just an hour
ago, it was clear,

so that tells you
how hot it is out here.

I feel dizzy.

You feel dizzy? Yeah.

Okay. Chill out.

I'm sweating so much.

You want to sit down?

No, I thought I was gonna
throw up for a second.

Oh, wow.

Narrator: Only four
hours into the challenge,

afften is already exhibiting
the early signs of heat stroke,

where one's body
temperature rises so high,

it begins to cook the brain.

I feel like if I can
get this fire for you,

like, and get you water, you're
gonna be way more useful.

Here, just...

Yeah. There you go.

Little sticks. Put them on.

Good job, dude.

Yeah. You, too. You, too.

You want to go get water?

Yep.

You go, girlie.

Get yourself some. Okay.

Zack: Partner is
definitely getting

I know it's day 1, but
the heat's getting to her.

Just pray that she
doesn't pass out.

I'm dizzy and I'm fighting
not to vomit right now, so...

...I really can't wait
to get that water.

[ sighs ]

[ sighs ]

[ coughs ]

you're not feeling bad
because you're not d

you're good, right?

Afften: I'm getting slightly
frustrated with my partner.

You know, he's like,
trying to stifle me.

Like, if I need to
say something,

I need to [bleep] say something.

Zack: Pulling a little extra
weight is fine. It's day 1.

I have the energy to do so.

I probably will go down at
some point during this challenge,

and I expect her to
do the same thing.

I'm sure she will.

[ sighs ] tastes like fire.

How you feeling?

I'm still not
feeling that great.

Okay.

[ coughing ]

zack: You're not gonna
throw up, are you?

Yep.

[ coughing ]

you're losing more body fluid.

I know.

'cause the water
tasted like fire.

Zack: So, I'm watching
afften throw up,

and I'm thinking,
"oh, crap, man.

I might be down to one
person, and it's day 1."

[ coughing, vomiting ]

she's sweating a lot.
The heat's getting to her.

All I can do is try to
support and, you know,

try to get water in her
that she won't throw up

and just pray that she
doesn't throw that up.

[ animal growling ]

afften: We're
hearing weird noises.

I don't know what that is.

[ growling continues ]

zack: That's got to be a caiman.

No, I can hear it moving.

Get out of here!

Oh, oh.

Get out of here!

Zack: Get out of here!

[ creature growling ]

afften: Oh, oh.

Get out of here!

I'm struggling. I need to...

Hydrate, right? Yeah.

Yeah, me, too.

Zack: In the night,
we're right by the water,

so you've got lots of
animals, you got lots of bugs.

You got all these things

that come into play
not letting you sleep.

We really didn't
sleep at all last night.

Maybe, like, one or two hours.

We were pretty
much just up all night.

Just want to do
something, explore a lot.

Yeah, I just don't want
to go cra-- you know.

Afften asked if I wanted
to go explore right now.

And I'm like, "no."

don't really feel up to it,
but I'll do it, you know?

I just want to get [bleep] done
while we have the energy for it.

I mean, if we're
never gonna have

this amount of energy again...

And I'm probably never
gonna be this nice again.

Ouch. Go, go.

The sun's murdering me.

I don't like just sitting.

The sun's up, I'm up. I
have to do something.

My grandfather

definitely instilled a
little worker bee in me.

He's had cancer
for about 14 years.

His doctors tell him,
like, "just sit down."

he's like, "no, I'm cool."

he gets out there
and pushes himself,

and I admire that so much.

Are you looking for,
like, a water oasis,

or are you looking
for, like, food?

I'm looking for both.

Any signs of
coconuts or something.

Zack: You okay? Afften: No.

What's up?

Starting to think
this was a bad idea.

Yeah, I don't think
we should've done this,

but I mean, I was,
like, just trying to --

no, I just thought
it would be good.

I feel like I'm
gonna start gagging.

I got to go sit in
a watering hole.

Okay.

Zack: This was ridiculous.

It's not smart to
go out in the heat,

and she already
had heat exhaustion.

[ voice breaking ]
I'm so tired of the sun.

She's crying right now, and...

I just don't know how
to, like, break it to her,

like, the ideas that she has,

I'm like, "no, we
can't do that," and...

I don't want to be a [bleep]

I don't want to be
a mean person.

Zack: Let's not do that again.

Afften: Like, don't
tell me, "oh, d

just let me think how
I want to think, man.

Like, don't stifle me.

[ sighs ]

zack: My body's tired,

so right now, I'm crying.

I'm not, you know,
happy, mad, sad.

I'm more just, I guess,
frustrated a little bit

that I don't have somebody
doing as much stuff as I am.

I'm tired. I'm hot.

I'm cranky now
'cause I got my period.

Ugh, I hate being
on my [bleep] period.

Oh, my goodness.

My eyes are gonna
start sweating.

[ chuckles ]

hey [sniffles]

I'm just tired, so I think
my body's reacting this way.

I'm having problems
with my partner,

and the conditions
here are just brutal.

And we're starving.

We need a sign from god
things are gonna get better.

[bleep] afften: [ sighs ]

narrator: Setting off
in the cooler morning,

zack and afften continue
their search for food.

Careful of these
ginormous thorns.

Hey, come here. Come here.

I think I see a...A turtle.

I see a turtle in
here. Come here.

Are you serious?
Yes, I see a turtle.

You see a turtle?

Look in this hole, right?

Is that not a turtle shell?

Oh, he's a big boy!

Afften: Just be
careful of your hand.

Don't want your
hand get bit off.

Holy shenanigans,
that's some meat.

[ laughs ] yes.

All right, you have
to hold the turtle.

Okay. Can I just put him
down and pin him down?

No.

Afften: A little bit
nervous to grab the turtle.

I don't really deal
with animals like that.

He might run away, you know?

He's a real fast guy.

Just put him down.
I'll pin him down.

Wait, which way's his head?

I don't want the [bleep]
to come out running.

You don't have to
put your stick on him.

He's not going anywhere.

So, afften thinks this turtle's
gonna speed away from her.

Right here. Do not
come and get me.

Afften: I have seen
some big turtles,

so, I my mind, his head's
gonna come out and just bite me.

Dude, can you
come hold the stick?

[ gasps ] oh, that's a snake.

You got it. Here.

You take the machete.

This is gonna ge way
easier with two people.

Do you think it's okay
if I leave him or what?

Bring him over here.

[ shouts ]

[ chuckling ] oh,
my god. [ laughs ]

[ whimpers ] ew!

Ugh!

Come here.

All right, give it a hit.

Here. Yeah, switch.

I'm not used to your
knife. It's all right.

In the last 15 minutes, we
have gotten a turtle and a snake.

And one thing that
we haven't gotten yet

is some protein in our
diet, and it is freaking huge.

There we go.

I'm just gonna stay
here for a second,

try to catch my breath.

And not puke.

Zack: I am super stoked
to eat some food tonight.

I think it's gonna
taste like perfection.

[ chuckling ]
probably not to afften.

That's the snake?
Is it hard or...

You didn't cook him
too much, did you?

No. Okay.

Like jerky.

Are you sure you didn't
cook him too much?

I'm sure.

I'm glad you're doing this.

I'm sure you are.

I think some blood
splashed on me.

[ sighs ]

zack: I'm doing everything.

She's just thinking
about herself.

[ chuckles ] yeah.

Zack: Right now
I'm pretty tired,

probably the most tired I've
been since I've been out here.

Trying to gut this turtle,

and, you know, just do
everything we need, you know?

So...

We have eggs,

and they are more protein

than what we would've
had without mama turtle,

so we are thankful, right?

Yep.

I'm so hot.

Zack: Yeah?

Why don't you go
lay in the water?

Yeah, dude, I got
to go sit in the water.

Right now, I have
to cook the eggs.

Okay.

Afften's struggling.

We got all these
things we need to do,

and I feel like I'm doing a lot,

so I just have to
get used to that.

I cannot eat this.

You need to eat this.

Just, like, gum --

meaty gum.

You're being negative.

You finally get protein, you
should be thankful for this.

Yeah, I need water.

Zack: I'm just really
frustrated with my partner.

I've got, you know,
all this protein,

and I don't -- I don't know.

In survival, if it's dog poop
with nutrition, you eat it.

He's kind of getting
on my nerves.

[bleep] not always
rainbows and [bleep] bunnies,

you know what I mean?

I don't know, now I feel
like I'm just rambling.

I don't even know what
the [bleep] I'm saying.

Zack: I don't know
how long I can

she's driving me
absolutely bonkers.

Hey, sweetie. Hope all is well.

Right now, my partner
is having issues.

I'm having issues
with her, as well.

I remember you told
me not to be a [bleep]

well, I'm trying my best.

I want you to know
that I'm thinking of you.

I'm using you as my strength.

I'm gonna get
through this for you.

I love you so much.

Oh, my god, I'm so tired
of warm, smoky water.

I want to drink
this water so bad.

I can't believe
how hot it is still.

It's ridiculous.

I will literally punch
a kitten in the face

for a bottle of water.

No joke.

Cute little cuddly,
fluffy kitten --

I'll sucker punch that [bleep]

narrator: After five days of
braving the savannah plains of g

zack: Get out of here!

...Afften's poor
survival choices

continue to be a
mounting irritation

for her partner, zack.

Zack: Frustrated a little bit

that I don't have somebody
doing as much stuff as I am.

[ thunder rumbling]

[ rain falling ]

zack: You good?

No.

Everything's gonna be all right.

One way or the other.

Afften: I'm tired. Miss my kid.

The only people I can really
talk to to bring me out of this,

can't really talk to.

I can't really get out
of this up here, so...

I keep trying to think of what
my granddad would tell me.

Probably just try
to hang in there

and do what you think is best.

Zack: I'm really concerned
about afften's well being.

Throwing up every
day at least once.

Yeah?

It's just a tough place
to be sometimes.

Afften: I don't really
know what it is.

I don't know if it's my period
or what, but I just think I'm...

I'm gone and I'm done.

I'm just -- I'm ready.

I want to see my family
more than I want this.

Just feel like I'm just --
I'm out of here mentally.

I really don't care
anymore, and...Yeah.

I had no idea guyana was
gonna kick my butt so hard.

And the heat out
here is just unbearable.

I'm tapping out.

Okay.

Well, it's gonna be harder
on me. You know that.

Yeah. I know, and I'm sorry.

I'd appreciate any
prayers or anything.

Zack: I don't think that afften

really knew what to
expect coming out here

as far as the suffering
and the bugs, the heat,

all these things
that really got to her.

And then really what got to
her at the end was all that piling

on top of the mental aspect
of thinking of her family,

so who's to say, you know,

if she made a mistake
to come out here or not?

But she left on day 7.

Afften: I'm gonna tell my husband
and my granddad I left because, I m

it was just getting too
much on me mentally.

It's the bugs and the heat.

I'm so irritated that I
let guyana kick my a*s,

but this place is so hard.

It will eat you up mentally,

the bugs will eat
you up physically.

You got to be prepared.

I know it seems easy, you
know, sitting on your couch,

but it's not.

Zack: Let me tell
you something --

14 out of 21 days is
impossible by yourself.

You know what?

I'm gonna do it.

And my will is strong, and
I don't care what you think,

'cause I'm here for it and
I'm gonna be there at the end,

and I'll see you
on the other side.

Zack: Bugs are out.
They are swarming.

I'm gonna have some for dinner.

Narrator: With afften
having tapped out on day 7,

zack now faces the
daunting prospect

of surviving for 14
days in the wild alone.

There's an old saying --
"you can't pick your family."

well, you can't pick your
partner. She's gone now.

I'll just use the
thought of my wife

to get me through to the end.

[bleep]

they attack fast.

Holy moly.

Anyways, I'm gonna
have some for dinner.

That is ants.

Bottoms up.

Get your protein.

[ frog croaking ]

night one without afften.

First time alone alone.

Trying to ask myself, why
did I get the stinking partner

and why am I in
this situation now?

Having to do this alone sucks.

It's been a few days since
I've eaten anything substantial.

I'm starting to feel a
little foggy, a little hazy.

It's time to get the spear,
walk out, and find some protein.

It's a need, not a want.

If want to eat, you got to hunt.

[ thunder rumbling]

looks like there's
a storm coming in.

The winds are blowing
and everything's getting dark,

so I need to find
some protein fast.

[ thunder rumbling]

holy crap, that's an iguana.

That's protein.

[bleep]

oh, my god.

[ panting ]

I'm so thankful for this.

There's not words.

[ thunder rumbling]

right now, I am gonna
be cooking the tail fast.

You know, try to get a good
meal in because I'm tired.

Getting that iguana
is such a high for me

for strength moving forward.

This iguana tail is awesome.

Lack of sleep is a big issue.

I can deal with the hunger,
I can deal with the heat,

I can deal with the animals.

I cannot deal

with these stinking
mosquitoes buzzing in my ear

when I'm trying to
sleep all night long.

It drives me absolutely nuts.

[ mosquitoes buzzing ]

absolutely nuts!

You can't even realize how
hard this is being out here alone.

Time seems to be in
slow motion sometimes.

Psychologically, you
got to stay above it.

It's not an easy task.

I'm thinking about scrambled
eggs, bacon, pancakes, syrup,

mashed potatoes, gravy, steak.

Ooh, rib eye.

I woke up, and I can't get
my face out of this position.

Weird thing about
mashed potatoes and gravy,

but what kind of gravy, you say?

Well, maybe you
want some white gravy.

Maybe you want some dark gravy.

[ deep voice ] I'm watching you.

Psychologically, it's your mind
that's gonna make you tap out.

Narrator: All morning, zack
has been unable to move.

His body is burning up.

The combined effect of extreme
loneliness and physical hardship

have pushed zack to his limits.

And with just two
days until extraction,

a team medic is called
in to examine him.

Yeah, my head hurts
really bad. It's hot.

[ sighs ]

zack: I've never felt
like this ever in my life.

Lord, help me!

I need help so bad.

Lord, please help me.

Please help me.

[ voice breaking
] please help me.

[ crying ] please help me.

Afften: Got some
pizza, chicken wings.

Nom, nom, nom, nom!

[ laughs ]

I'm here with my husband, son.

Narrator: 12 days after
quitting "naked and afraid,"

afften has safely
returned to her hometown.

All right, I need to
make a few points here.

First off, I am so grateful
for the experience,

and I'm so sorry that I
[bleep] malfunctioned.

I mean, I did know some stuff,
and it shows you guys, like,

I wasn't just a bimbo out there,

[bleep] naked and afraid!
Like, "oh, I can do this

ha, ha!"

but honestly, like, I really
would like another chance.

Please don't forget
about my goofy a*s.

I'll take anybody.

Joshua bell, duct-tape boy --

we'll get at that [bleep]

like I said, once again,
I malfunctioned, guys.

I mal-[bleep]-functioned.

Narrator: Afften tapped out
after seven days in guyana,

but zack still has
two days to go.

Zack: I'm very worried that I
might not be able to walk out of h

and it's freaking day 20.

It's hard to walk. Nausea.

When I stand up, I
white out or black out.

Narrator: Overnight, zack's
condition has deteriorated.

His temperature has
been steadily rising.

If his health
continues to decline,

the medic team will be
forced to evacuate him

before he can
reach his extraction.

Zack: I'm gonna split
it up into two days

'cause I don't think
I can make it in one.

I'm definitely concerned.

I asked god, let me either
be okay or not be okay

and make the right
choice, and I trust in that.

Zack's two-day extraction

will begin with an
arduous five-mile trek

across the
sun-scorched savannah,

where he'll need to find a
safe place to spend the night.

In the morning, if his
illness has not overtaken him,

he will face a final push over
mountainous, rocky terrain

to get to the other side, where
he'll find his extraction point.

Zack: I need to
get to that cave.

Hopefully, I can get some sleep.

Breaking this up into two
parts is gonna help me,

even though I'm
feeling crappy right now.

I'm not sure if there's a water
source on the way to the cave,

so I'm gonna take a pot of
water with me and ration it

and also take some wood
that's got some embers on it

so that I can be
safe in that cave.

Haven't stopped yet.

It gets so hot out here.

It's a dry heat -- you cannot
even feel yourself sweating.

It's just baking you.

Whoa.

Bushmaster.

Get the heck out of here.

[ grunts ] [bleep]

so much for my water.

Sucks.

Narrator: Without
water, zack's body

will be at much greater
risk of dehydration.

With temperatures climbing
well over 100 degrees

and with no water
source in sight,

he'll be unable to replenish

all the fluids he's
losing from sweating.

Zack: I'm thinking
about my wife.

I'm gonna use her for motivation
and keep moving forward.

The cave.

Okay. Let's do this.

[ bats chirping ]

first order of
business is getting fire.

It's really important
that I have this fire

'cause of the predators
that are in the area at night.

Also have to stay warm.

So, caves are colder, and...

That's why we're going
through this trouble.

[ blowing ]

I think that this night
is gonna be a long one.

I'm gonna make sure this
fire keeps going all night

so these cats don't
come and get me.

[ bats chirping ]

I can't sleep.

Bats buzzing in my ear.

Driving me absolutely bonkers.

Tomorrow morning,
bright and early, I'm out.

It's day 21 in the morning.

I'm about to hike out of here.

I'm not feeling
very well right now.

Narrator: The medic
team is on alert,

and zack still has
another four miles to trek

before reaching
his extraction point.

I don't have water, and as far
as I know, I have a 102 fever.

I haven't had food in a while.

I don't know that I can do this.

I don't know if I have the
mental toughness to make it,

but I'm sure as heck gonna try.

I think this is the
extraction point.

I'm sick as a dog,

but there ain't nothing
that's gonna stop me now.

[ vehicle approaching ]

this challenge has really
shown me who I am.

You can push yourself

a lot farther than
what you think you can.

It's time to go home
and see my wife.

It's a very emotional
time right now.

This is the hardest thing
I've ever done in my life.

And I still got through
it, 14 days alone.

I couldn't imagine a more
satisfying feeling getting out.

Don't feel naked anymore.

[ clears throat ]

yeah!

Narrator: Over the course of
the 21 punishing days in guyana,

zack lost a total of 28 pounds.

Soldering on without a
partner for the final two weeks,

zack showed incredible fortitude

in the face of loneliness
and a dangerously high fever.

As a result, his psr
rises from 6.8 to 8.1.

Despite lasting only
seven days in the wild,

afften lost 14 pounds.

Her lack of skills

and inability to adapt to
the difficult environment

led to her early departure.

I'm tapping out.

This drops her
psr down to a 4.4,

proving once again

how difficult it is to
survive naked and afraid.

It's time for what
I've been waiting for,

which is to see my wife.

Hallelujah.

Zack: Look at happy dog.

Look at happy wife.

[ laughs ]

happy me.