Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing is changing the rules of the game. The latest spinoff of the Discovery Channel reality series Naked and Afraid takes 12 of the top competitors from past seasons and drops them in South Africa, where they’ll have to survive 45 days in the wild. At stake is a six-figure prize. But as the players learned in the May 7 premiere, this version of Naked and Afraid is unlike any other. Even some seasoned survivalists will question if they have what it takes to make it to the end of the competition.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing Episode 1.]
‘Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’ introduces new rules and challenges
Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing brings together a dozen players from past seasons for an intense six-week challenge in South Africa. But this multi-phase competition has a number of twists that make it different from previous versions of Naked and Afraid.
In episode 1, six teams of two survivalists were dropped empty-handed in the remote and punishing Oribi Gorge. The only tool at their disposal? A map that will guide them to essential tools and supplies. Each pair gets a pot, fire starter, and machete, provided they can discover the hidden items. But it’s finders keepers for the other caches, which include a bow and arrow, hunting knives, pelts, and fresh leopard kills.
Not only will the survivalists have to use their skills to find the caches before the other players do, they’ll have to deal with a few other wrinkles. One is that they’ll be spending just seven days in their current location before moving to a new spot that tests their skills in a different way. The second is that if one player chooses to tap out early, their teammate must also exit the game.
After the 21-day initial challenge, the remaining survivalists will compete in a group challenge before entering the show’s intense third phase, an everyone-for-themselves three-day journey to extraction.
Twelve ‘Naked and Afraid’ all-stars fight to survive
The six Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing competitor pairs are:
- Amber Hargrove and Wes Harper
- Waz Addy and Gary Golding
- Stacey Osorio and Jeff Zausch
- Gwen Grimes and Matt Wright
- Steven Lee Hall Jr. and Sarah Bartell
- Dan Link and Cheeny Plante
With just a few hours before night falls, each Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing pair races to find the cache that will help them start a fire and stay warm during the chilly African night. Fortunately, each team succeeds in locating the firestarter, pot, and machete. But building a shelter and locating the other caches proves challenging for some.
As the game progresses, Gwen and Matt quickly locate the bow and arrow. However, it’s nestled high in the branches of a poisonous tree. They’ll have to build some sort of ladder in order to reach it safely. But Waz and Gary have more luck when they find a second bow and arrow cache and are able to retrieve the weapons.
Sarah and Steven successfully follow a blood trail to the leopard kill. They arrive moments before Jeff – who is searching for caches on his own as Stacey focuses on constructing their shelter – and Waz and Gary. The 150-pound impala is far more meat than any two people can eat, so they agree to share it among the pairs in a gesture of goodwill (and in the hopes that some of the beneficiaries will later return the favor).
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By the end of the episode, several pairs have successfully located different caches. But in terms of collecting assets, the clear winner is Jeff. Though he and Stacey initially struggle to find items, by the end of day two, they’re in possession of two sets of two hunting knives and an animal pelt, as well as the meat from the impala. Jeff – whom Stacey describes as “cutthroat” – plans to barter the excess knives with other players to get the other tools he needs. But when he tries to trade a hunting knife for Waz and Gary’s extra bow and arrow, they rebuff him. They’ve loaned their extra bow to Amber and Wes and aren’t willing to take it back to complete the trade.
‘Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’ spoilers: Two competitors tap out in episode 1
All twelve Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing players are skilled survivalists who stand a chance of taking home the $100,000 in prize money. But after several days in the wild, some are starting to struggle in a serious way.
Gwen, who lasted 61 days on two previous Naked and Afraid challenges, develops a debilitating headache and body aches. Matt calls for the medic, who discovers the former police officer’s blood pressure is alarmingly high. With his partner’s health on the line, Matt – who is still trying to get the bow out of the tree – refocuses his attention on caring for her. But when the medic checks in the next day, Gwen’s blood pressure is even higher at 178/100.
Gwen’s worked as a paramedic, and she knows those numbers are no joke. When the medic tells her she has to leave the competition, she doesn’t object.
“I’m not willing to risk any more of this,” she says.
“Mentally I’m still here. I want to be here,” she says in an interview. “But my body is like, ‘Nah, sorry you’re done.’”
Gwen is being medically tapped out rather than choosing to leave voluntarily. That means Matt will be allowed to continue in the competition. But without a partner to rely on, he may be at a serious disadvantage in the rest of phase 1.
Gwen isn’t the only survivalist who faces a medical emergency in Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing Episode 1. With overnight temperatures dipping near freezing, Amber eventually develops signs of hypothermia. When a medic arrives, her core body temperature is just 93.3 degrees Fahrenheit. She’s also medically tapped out, leaving Wes to continue in the competition alone.
“The weather took me out,” Amber, who had previously completed a 60-day challenge, says. “I did not expect that.”
Two survivalists have already exited the competition early. Will more people tap out next week? Find out in the next episode of Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing on Sunday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.
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