Naked and Afraid XL (2015–…): Season 6, Episode 1 - Valley of the Banished - full transcript
Narrator: The ultimate group
survival challenge is back...
Africa!
I'm here for you!
Narrator: ...With a new vengeance
and a new law of the land...
We're going to banish you.
...in the deadly scrubland
of Mapungubwe, South Africa...
This is one of the worst
locations ever.
...where extreme heat...
I never felt so dehydrated.
...and nature's
most remorseless killers...
Is that what I think it is?
...have forced generations
of indigenous tribes
to survive
by one brutal principle...
There's no room in South Africa
for compassion.
Narrator: ...Banishing the weak.
It seems extreme, but this is
a very extreme environment.
Oh, my god. Ow!
Narrator: And now, to have any
chance to survive,
four teams of naked and afraid
all-stars
must adhere to the same rule.
We have to make
an executive decision.
Banishment and exile
are always on the table.
Narrator:
For 40 days and 40 nights
in a land where weakness is
the ultimate liability.
It just hurts so bad.
I don't want to tap.
Narrator: They will use their
skills to prove their worth...
- Yeah!
- Got that?
...or risk being cast into the
wild to fend for themselves.
Come tomorrow morning,
you've got to go.
That's [bleep]
In this hour, we will meet
the daring men and women
putting their lives
on the line...
What I care about is
the mission, not your feelings.
Narrator: ...Dig deep into their
strategies and motivation.
Hunting is an absolute priority.
- Beautiful.
- [ Groans ]
...and get an exclusive
sneak peek
of the epic obstacles
in their way...
Aaah!
...as they either band
together...
Give me a hug.
...or be banished to face
Africa alone.
We would like to see you go.
Woman: I'm in a no man's land.
Like there's nothing here.
Welcome to Africa.
Dispersed across 70 square miles
of ancient tribal land,
eight survivalists begin their
challenge in four groups of two.
Primitive man... the Basarwa
were here, right?
Yeah. Like 25,000 years ago.
And they didn't carry
any dead weight.
No, they didn't. They kicked
those guys right to the curb.
I don't wish banishment
on anybody.
I think I'm a little bit
more heartless.
I have no problem
banishing people.
I want everybody to get
through this,
but you know
whether somebody's...
Yeah, if somebody's
taking advantage.
Yeah, exactly.
I want to be with people that
want to conquer this challenge,
not skate by.
But they have no idea that they
will be joined
by a second group
of survivalists,
each with a rare opportunity
to prove themselves
after taking on their 21-day
challenges and coming up short.
I have just as much right
to be here as anybody else.
Narrator: First to enter
Africa's deadly interior
is the pair of Makani
and Bulent.
This looks seriously not cool,
but that's okay.
I'm here to be miserable.
Pain actually make me
count my blessings.
My name is Bulent
and people think
I'm just a complete ass [bleep]
What I care about is
the mission, not your feelings.
Narrator: But on Bulent's
first challenge in Colombia,
he failed the mission.
I'm sweating.
I'm dripping.
Bulent: The weather was
hot and super humid.
But my biggest obstacle
on my first challenge
was me not knowing what
the limitations of my body was.
Lower back is really bad.
I did push myself
more than I should have,
and that contributed
to my lower back injury.
Oh! Ugh.
It just shoots down the legs.
I can't do this,
not with this much pain.
I don't want to be here.
Not finishing
a challenge is painful,
but I learned to pace myself
on the physical activity.
I applied it to my challenge
in Mexico,
but Mexico had
its own struggles.
No wonder the Spaniards
couldn't conquer the jungle.
There's nothing to eat in it.
What I've found with the people
that I can't get along
is mostly millennials.
You've never made a fish basket?
I did. I just
want you to explain
why you can't assume that.
Why do I need to explain that?
You don't have to, but you can
continue not catch fish, either.
Just tell me
what you're trying to get at.
I'm asking you a question
because I want to know
what you are thinking.
And finding a solution
where we can meet
in the middle, work together.
That took quite a bit,
but we made it happen.
Ow.
Oh, my gosh.
Bulent, you got this.
Oh, my gosh. A few more steps.
And I got to know, to taste
that sweet victory
of finishing a challenge.
Whoo! That's right.
But this is a whole
different animal.
I seriously have mixed feelings
when it comes
to team atmosphere.
There's always strength
in numbers.
Also weakness in numbers.
More conflict, more dramas,
because it's not a place that
you can just sit on your butt.
It will break you.
It will hurt you.
It will get you killed.
If you're not prepared,
it will end you.
♪
There's a little guy
under this tree over here.
Right underneath the tree.
There's, like, a llama and a...
I don't eat meat, so I'm not
going to subtract
from the team fuel-wise.
I'm only here to add to it.
I'm Makani. I'm a student, and
I live in Venice, California.
I've got my warrior dots on.
Power, peace, and grace.
In my previous challenge,
I was with three people
in a rainforest environment.
Oh, my god. That is new.
Three is an uneven number,
so likely two people
will be closer than one person.
Woman: Sleep situation
is definitely difficult.
There's definitely
something going on there
beyond platonic at this point.
My biggest obstacle
was navigating my partners.
I'm glad that she's out here
having an adventure, you know?
I think that we should
probably have a talk
with her about communication.
Because, as a Buddhist,
I'm vegan and my survival style
is very minimal.
I'm in photosynthetic heaven.
So I more or less fasted
for the 21 days.
Woman: Makani's still sleeping.
We need to figure something out
that's going to work long-term
because I cannot
keep doing this.
I don't know how much
further I can go.
But I'm a peacemaker.
And after the other partner
left, towards the end,
we were able to come together
and make a team.
Here comes some rapids.
Oh, my god.
Hang on.
There's the boat. - Oh, my god.
Makani: I did complete
the 21-day challenge,
being true to my nature,
and I feel really proud of that.
We did it. - We did it!
And honestly, on the 21st day,
I felt like I could go longer.
But for a 40-day challenge
like this,
it becomes hugely mental,
and my mental is very strong.
As a Buddhist, they say
that life is suffering.
So I feel like that is my job
to embrace that
when it occurs for myself.
I wouldn't wish anyone to walk
around here on their own.
We have to stick together.
Narrator: But their partnership
will soon be disrupted
by an unexpected visitor
hellbent on proving herself
after falling short
on her 21 day challenge.
I do understand how this would
be a harsh environment
for tribes to want
to banish people
because, I mean, I would hate
to have
to carry the weight
of someone in this heat.
My name is Kate, and I've been
on a 21 day challenge
and I completed 13 out of it.
I am the screamer.
Get me out!
That was me. I screamed
my butt off on the beach.
Hair flip.
I own it.
Narrator: Kate's journey began
with a twist
on a four persons'
tribes challenge in Panama.
I wasn't expecting a female.
I wasn't either.
So for me, I am a survivalist,
so I do have things
to bring to the table.
We're actually going to set
a couple traps
so that we can make
getting a pig possible,
and if you can't be my equal,
at least try to do something
that can help me,
and I'll do my best to help you.
Badass. It's going to work.
But after the merge, we met
with two other guys.
We've got to get a shelter
off the ground.
Seth: Some protein
would be amazing.
Priority is shelter.
I did not like that.
I'm trying to go get some food.
It took a lot for me
to bite my tongue with Seth.
He woke me up three
different times last night,
and he elbow-jabbed me.
He told me to push over.
I mean, if you thought
I was in your way,
wouldn't you say, "hey, Kate,
would you mind scooting over?"
Instead of saying, "I need you
to move out of my way."
How do you think
I'm going to respond to that?
But the biggest obstacles in my
previous challenge
were the bugs.
I forget what it's like
to not itch.
I mean, I got bit in places
I didn't know I could itch at.
I feel like they're nesting
in my body.
They mess with your head
big time.
[ Groaning ]
It's a [bleep] thing to quit
when you only have a week left,
but I needed to,
and I have no shame
in admitting
the fact that I quit.
So I'm back out here again.
I need to prove to myself,
but this is Africa.
This is some frightening [bleep]
out here.
There's things
that want to eat you.
I'm talking big cats, hippos,
like things in the night
that go boom,
and that is a big pile
of elephant dung.
40 days is a long time.
So, last time
I paid zero attention
to my mental game, and this time
I am not going to allow myself
to get pushed over the edge.
I'm not going to freak out.
I'll speak my mind,
but no crazy hair flips, Africa.
That ain't happening.
Narrator:
On their previous challenges,
the survivalists were assigned
primitive survival ratings,
or psrs, that measured
their individual skills
and survival methods.
But for this
40-day group challenge,
experts have evaluated
their initial psrs
and assigned the team
a combined rating,
or xlr, that gauges
their progress
and likelihood of success.
- Ugh.
All three survivalists
bring their unique survival
styles to the challenge,
but Bulent and Kate have also
clashed with past partners.
As a result,
this team of opposites
begins with an xlr of 6.5.
And in this harsh environment,
a difference in survival
strategies
pushes this team to its limit.
Africa, this is not a [bleep]
sit around and do [bleep]
Nothing kind of [bleep]
environment, man.
He's been sleeping
since he got here.
For both of you guys wanting to
just work an hour in the morning
then an hour at night,
that ain't going to fly with me.
The plan is to take it easy.
It's not a sprint.
It's 40 freaking days.
Apparently Kate
wasn't okay with that,
and I let the department
know about her complaint.
Department who gives
a [bleep] what you think.
Narrator:
"Naked and afraid XL" returns,
granting 12 naked and afraid
veterans
the power to banish the weak
into South Africa's
treacherous outback,
where record heat
and a relentless seven-year
drought
can transform
the strongest survivalist
into a liability
for their tribe.
- When... ready?
- Yeah.
Go.
Ooh. [Bleep]
That's third-degree burns.
Isn't that a wonderful partner
right there?
Takes the water
and goes down there to drink it.
Man: I really need
some water myself.
It's plenty cool enough
to drink,
but I'm going to
hike it up there to Makani.
I just [bleep] spent
all my time up here.
You're not even getting me
a [bleep] straw full?
[Bleep] You.
Makani.
♪
Makani. Can you please
open your eyes for me?
♪
Can you open your eyes
for me, please?
♪
The second team to navigate
this scorched Savannah
is the duo of dawn and Suzanne.
♪
In this environment
I can understand
where you wouldn't want
to have slackers
and you wouldn't want
to have people that are weak,
that are injured.
Like being
in the Canadian military,
it's that mentality
of never leave a man behind.
I'm definitely
going to struggle with that.
My name is dawn. I'm a retired
infantry officer from Canada.
This is for my deployment
to Afghanistan.
I was technically
the first female
qualified infantry officer
in the history of the regiment.
And on my first challenge,
I was in Montserrat.
Ugh!
The terrain that we were walking
on was incredibly rough.
Our feet were wrecked.
Pain is just weakness
leaving the body.
And at that point
I was freshly out
of the Canadian armed forces.
I was actually only retired
a few weeks prior to doing it.
So my motivation
for the 21 day challenge
was to connect
with another human being
in a primitive
survival environment
where there would be challenges
for both of us.
Got one!
- There you go.
- Wow, you are so good.
And that was the dynamic
of our relationship.
Chad just came back.
He hurt his shoulder.
He just fell off the mountain.
It looks pretty serious.
But very early on, on day five,
my partner did have
a medical tap,
and I wasn't prepared for that
like I should have been.
And being alone
was extremely challenging,
but I have done
a significant amount of work
to prepare myself.
I'm prepping for a body
building show right now.
And I flew down to Denver,
Colorado,
and I trained with Matt Wright.
You're going to tie up here.
Leave the extra, tie down here.
And so I do feel now that
I'm more prepared primitively
because people look at me,
they just see blonde hair.
And that's really not who I am.
I'm not just some Barbie.
I'll do everything
I possibly can to show
that I have a lot
to offer the group.
♪
It's interesting when people
talk about girl power,
because you know in most
of the animal kingdom
the female is the lead. - Yeah.
Because we bring the ability
to be calm...
Absolutely.
...without throwing a whole lot
of testosterone at it
and club something.
My name is Suzanne,
and I survived 21 days
on my challenge in Brazil.
I think I am
at the edge of no return.
And it was really hard
because of the sun.
Hot as hell.
I need shade for my feet.
Shade for my feet.
And I was paired with a partner
where our personalities
did not work well together.
Yeah. That's not gonna happen.
That is not gonna happen.
As a very dominant male,
it didn't work well with me
also being a dominant female.
I don't mean
to nag you about it,
but you're getting really red.
And I don't know
if you're drinking very often.
And because of medical issues...
My chest feels really heavy.
1, 2, 3.
My partner left on day four,
so I had 17 days by myself.
There's a wasp nest.
[ Buzzing ]
And honestly, after that,
it was easier for me.
I can do this.
I just got a stingray.
I'm so excited.
But one of the hardest things
that I did on the 21 day
challenge was the extraction.
Ow.
Oh, it's...
But I did it.
Oh, my god.
And nobody can
take it away from me.
Oh, my god.
But since my partner
left on day four,
the 21 day challenge did not
require me
to work well
with another person.
I don't do well with drama.
I just don't.
I'm allergic to it.
I don't like it.
As someone who speaks their mind
and knows what they know,
I am not going to compromise
if I'm not happy.
Narrator:
Joining dawn and Suzanne
is a survivalist hungry
to overcome his past failures.
- Oh, my god.
- What the hell?
All of a sudden I'm thinking...
♪
To make it across the finish
line in this challenge
is going to take a lot of focus
and a lot of teamwork.
This time around, I plan on
being a little bit more social
and working harder to do
what I can to help my tribe
and to make it happen
at all costs.
Narrator: Seth participated in the
first tribes' challenge in Panama.
Ugh!
I'm not going to sugarcoat it,
Panama kicked my ass.
Ugh!
So far I've gotten needles
in my right foot,
needles in my left foot.
I went out for the adventure
and to hunt in Panama.
[ Calling ]
I came into
that challenge thinking
I was going to be
able to kill a pig
and we were going to eat good,
and that did not happen.
But my biggest
obstacles in Panama
would be the social aspect.
Don't put that out,
don't put that on there.
This is dry, bro.
I was partnered with a dude
and we butted heads a lot.
I told you, "don't do that."
And you did it anyway.
Now it's all over the [bleep]
place, dude.
Being in a group can be
challenging for me at times.
And when we merged
with two other people,
I feel like I didn't get
a fair shake with them.
Where's the pot?
Hoping it's not contaminated
from the rain last night.
You know what? I'm sick of your
negative Nancy [bleep] Bro.
We're either going to
make it to 21,
or one of us
is going to make it to jail.
My team, the people that were
supposed to have my back,
exiled me from camp.
Better start making a shelter
because you
ain't staying with us.
And that really got to me
psychologically.
I give up, I tap.
[Bleep] It. I'm out of here.
I had to make the decision
to leave on day 13
because it was just not
going to be survivable.
But there's no suffering that
I can endure on these challenges
that's any greater
than knowing that I failed.
So I've got a little bit
of something to prove on this.
I'm coming into this
with a deficit,
and I feel that some people
are going to feel
I don't deserve to be here,
but I'm going to
prove them wrong.
This is going to be
a dangerous situation.
This is not Panama,
that's for damn sure.
- Got firewood.
- Got one!
Dawn and Suzanne bring solo
survival experience to Africa,
but Seth's difficulty uniting
with past partners
threatens the stability
of his team.
As a result, they begin the
challenge with an xlr of 6.0.
But in the wilds of Africa,
an unwelcome visitor tests
their resolve on night one.
- Is that you?
- No.
There's something
over there for sure.
I can't see that far
with this camera.
I don't know that we were
going to sleep much anyway.
If something were to come in
this... We have nowhere to go.
[ Lion snarling ]
♪
Oh, my god!
Narrator: In the return
of "naked and afraid XL,"
12 men and women
will fight for survival
under the blazing African sun.
Woman: Ooh!
For 40 days and 40 nights,
as the threat of banishment
looms over the survivalists...
There's no need for him
to be here.
...the pressure to provide
will be greater than ever.
Woman: I feel so defeated.
Look. I think there's a rabbit.
Oh! Oh, that was close.
Oh, damn! Got one.
Yeah!
Hell, yeah!
♪
[ Arrow thwacks ]
And bam! Right over there.
Aaah!
That's right! Whoo!
Narrator: Third to venture deep
into the African wilderness
is the team of Wes and Gwen.
♪
One of my concerns is snakes.
Like, snakes don't scare me,
but I'm not familiar with them.
I'm used to looking in bushes
for grizzly bears,
not on the ground for snakes
because there's
no snakes in Alaska.
My name is Gwen.
I am grizzly Gwen,
give me a knife,
I will conquer the world.
I completed my 21 day
challenge in Mexico,
so I went from
super cold environment
to a insanely hellish
environment.
The heat in Mexico was ungodly.
- How you feeling?
- I need water.
Yep. Sun's starting
to get there, huh?
Yep, it is.
So, you were pouring buckets
of sweat no matter what you did.
But the low point
in my previous challenge
was when I cut
the end of my toe off.
I'm disappointed
that that happened
because it definitely
sets me back
and it throws a loop
for my partner,
who has to pick up the slack.
They don't like people
that want to sit around
and let others do all the work,
so just doing
local bush crafting
and keeping the fire going,
that really sucked.
But I tried to do
whatever I could
to get the mission completed.
Hey, the bottom side
of that tree.
Just sitting there.
I'm gonna try to stab him.
[ Groans ]
Yeah, I got you,
you little son of a biscuit.
Thought it would
taste more delicious
but it really was
pretty disgusting.
Definitely burnt.
Based on my experience
as a survivalist, a homesteader,
a police officer,
a mother of five...
I can go on and on...
I learned you have to be
able to adapt and overcome.
Got through
the challenge together.
Great job. I'm proud of you.
Yeah, you too.
It was amazing and awesome,
but I couldn't contribute.
So, heading out
onto this 40 day challenge,
I want to prove
to others what I can do.
I always accomplish my goals,
but this is a hard,
hard environment,
and if you haven't been
doing your part
and pulling your weight,
banishment's on the table.
♪
Wes: I've been
hunting my whole life.
If we can find a water source,
our chances at harvesting
a decent-size animal
is going to be very good.
I'm excited about that.
I would like some red meat
on this trip.
I'm Wes Harper, and my previous
challenge, I was in Brazil.
The environment
was pretty rough.
Oh, ow, damn it. Nope. Damn it.
Okay.
Stung on the damn... John Henry.
But I am a hunter,
and I don't like to fail.
There's a lizard
on this rock here.
[ Grunts ]
I mean, I've done everything
but hit this little bugger.
The biggest obstacle I had
was bringing back some food.
Oh, my god.
Come here, quick.
Oh, my god. I can't believe
you just did that.
It felt so good to actually have
some real success
with procuring food,
because I want to help
my teammates.
I want to provide.
Sorry, Jesse.
I'm lagging behind, babe.
My legs are not doing well.
But at the end of my challenge,
I was really depleted.
I was done.
- I hear something.
- Yeah, I do too.
There it is.
Whoo!
Oh!
That was a great moment for me.
But Africa is
a different ball game.
This country is so rough
that only the strong survive.
I mean, everybody
just has to contribute.
Otherwise, it's time for them
to go out on their own.
Do some soul searching.
Maybe it's time
for them to go home.
Narrator: Joining Wes and Gwen
is a season three survivalist...
- Hello!
- ...Whose 21 day challenge
was short-lived,
but made a lasting impression.
- Hey!
- Oh, boy.
Gwen: Third-Wheeler, here.
We were not expecting a third.
I've always been told
I'm like a [bleep]
Either I'm a pleasant surprise,
or I make everything awkward
and uncomfortable.
- Good to know.
- Well, the second one right now.
- Ah, you'll get used to it.
- Yes, very.
♪
This whole banishment
thing is [bleep]
It's not going to happen
in my group.
If somebody is not
pulling their weight,
then you go hang a boot
in their ass
and make sure they start
pulling their weight.
My name is Joshua,
and it's been 5 1/2 years
since my past challenge
in Nicaragua.
♪
What'd you bring?
Duct tape.
This is a redneck's multitool.
The question I get asked
most is,
"hey, aren't you duct tape boy?"
And I'm just going down
and doing straight strips.
Oh, my goodness.
I stand by that choice fully,
and I cannot think
of a single item
that has as many purposes
as duct tape.
And by day three, I had shelter,
freshwater source,
and enough food
that lasted days on end.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
And that was my doing,
and I'm damn proud of that.
But the biggest obstacles
I had were my health,
because I had
gastrointestinal issues.
[ Retching ]
I was vomiting profusely.
I was getting extremely
dehydrated very fast.
- You're going home?
- Yeah. I can't keep it up.
I'm sorry to let you
down like this,
but I am severely dehydrated.
I'm tapping out now.
So, I lasted five days.
Sorry to anyone I let down.
I've tried to forget the moment
when I tapped so, so many times,
but it kind of sticks with me.
♪
Based on my previous challenge,
it's possible
that future teammates
would have
some misconceptions about me.
The biggest one being that
I'm a quitter,
which it couldn't be further
from the truth.
I'm not the same man
I was back then.
I've gone through hell,
lived through hell,
done things I thought
I'd never be able to accomplish.
And I'm here to prove
I can do it,
and you can watch me do it
and say,
"oops, you were wrong"
or shut your damn mouth.
Either way, I'm doing it.
I'm feeling pretty much in the
weakest condition of my life.
Thank you, lord.
Narrator: Wes and Gwen bring
unwavering persistence,
which propelled them
through their first challenges.
But Joshua's physical struggles
caused him
to leave Nicaragua on day five.
Therefore, this team begins the
challenge with an xlr of 6.7.
While most of the dangers in
Africa are larger than life...
They know we're here.
[ Elephant trumpets ]
...others are much more
unexpected,
as Wes and Gwen will learn
after harvesting
a unique species of aloe plant.
We're going to eat today.
That's just a tad bit
on the bitter side.
Tastes like like something
you'd scrape off
a fish tank.
Yeah.
[ Both vomiting ]
♪
[ Elephant trumpets ]
Narrator:
On "Naked and Afraid XL,"
12 survivalists follow
the same traditions
as the ancient tribes
who came before them...
We can't have people ride on
coattails to get to the 40 day.
Narrator: ...Banishing the weak
to fend for themselves
among nature's
most ruthless predators.
There's an elephant right there.
Where?
They're coming right toward us.
Wes: Don't move, don't move.
Holy crap.
[ Snarling ]
[ Animal shrieks ]
[ Hyena laughing ]
I don't know what to do.
Go away!
♪
The final group to enter
the challenge
is the team of Jon and Sarah.
- I enjoy challenging myself.
- Yeah.
I like being aware of how far
I can push myself
before I reach the point when,
you know, I say that's enough.
And so far I haven't reached it.
My name is Sarah, and I'm
a homesteader and taxidermist.
Which one of you
wants this, huh?
And my previous challenge
was in Ecuador.
Man: Oh, my god.
In Ecuador, I never expected
to be in a group of three people
and it just made things
a little more difficult.
I think we might just need
to find
a spot tonight, like up there.
There's a spot down here
that's a bit more open.
Are you okay with that? - Pbht!
Ecuador was wet.
We had a lot of storms.
We had a lot of moisture
in the air.
The forest is already
teaching us lessons
about better planning
and better foresight.
But a major low point
in my previous challenge
is probably losing
my first partner, David.
The swelling has caused
an allergic reaction,
to having all of these insects
bites that are on your leg.
I'm going to go ahead
and have to pull you out.
He was a very upbeat,
positive person,
whereas Makani, not so much.
So realizing that I was going to
have to face the rest
of the challenge with somebody
whose survival strategy
was almost the exact opposite
of my own frankly sucked.
Her entire survival strategy
was to pretty much do nothing
to conserve energy.
But whenever somebody tells me
that I can't do something,
I tell them, watch me.
Oh, my god.
[ Both cheering ]
♪
In the jungle,
it's very different
from what we're facing here
in Africa.
The heat is immense.
I mean, it is just
blazing down on us.
There's really no way
to get out of that.
No matter how
uncomfortable I get...
I just wish that was
in the mud or something.
I'm like an animal.
I'm just disgusting.
[ Chuckles ]
My name's Jon. I'm a dirt bag.
I am just a degenerate punk
from the suburbs.
[ Punk rock music plays ]
And my previous challenge
was in the Philippines.
Some people are hunters.
Some people are gatherers.
I am absolutely a scavenger.
Yo.
I'm an opportunist.
I take what's around me.
Oh, my goodness, so green.
I don't think those
are going to be edible.
I made these banana patties
and I seared them
on a nice, flat, hot rock.
It was the most amount of food
we had found
the entire time we were there,
but they really made us sick.
♪
And my partner, she did get
a lot sicker than I did.
- Oh, my god. You all right?
- Yeah, I'm done.
You feel warm.
Jess just took a face plant.
Extraction's tomorrow.
If Jess starts to falter,
I'm just going to
have to push her.
But I want to redefine
what it means to be a dirt bag.
I am not going to be that guy
that's going to steal
your wallet
while you're in the bathroom.
It sucks. Let's just do it.
I'm the guy that doesn't shower
and eats bugs
and [bleep] talks a lot of
[Bleep]
You got to keep going.
We're all wiped.
We're not gonna get there
sitting here.
Unless you want
to tap on day 21.
But in the end I will drag you
across the finish line
to make sure you still get
the bragging rights
that you deserve.
Awesome. We actually did it.
Come on.
I think we really crushed
through it
and I'd walked out a new man.
One of the best days of my life.
I'm ready to do it again.
But this is a totally
different beast
than I've ever come across.
I've never been around
wildlife like this before.
My anxiety level
is through the roof.
There's going to be stuff
going to the water
that wants to kill you.
There's going to be stuff
coming from the water
that wants to kill you.
[ Creature squawking ]
I don't know what [bleep]
that is,
but that could
probably bite you.
But part of loving the suck
is loving being scared.
And I am absolutely
[Bleep] terrified.
I just love being in the [bleep]
I can't help it.
I love being [bleep] miserable.
Joining Sarah and Jon
is a survivalist
who has already taken
on South Africa
and succumbed
to its brutal dangers.
[ Whistles ] Hey.
♪
Another human.
Well, okay.
[ Laughs ]
♪
Ryan: Whoo, bringing back
memories from last time.
It's one of the most hostile
environments on this planet.
I felt this place before.
This place hurts.
My name is Ryan.
I'm a wilderness
survival instructor.
Africa... it kind of kicked
my butt last time.
[ Gasps ] Aah!
- You okay?
- I've got a Thorn.
And I started calling the place
the house of pain
because everything wants
to cut you to pieces
or kill you out here.
But a lifetime of doing
primitive survival skills
was very handy.
That tree's got bark.
We got shoes.
Woman: All right, let's go.
I was able to make a good
situation out of a bad one.
[ Laughs ] Oh, it's so nice.
Hunting out here in Africa
is survival...
Got us a bow.
...especially when
there's predators
lurking all over the place.
Holy [bleep]
[ Animal wailing ]
My last partner,
we got along really well.
But Africa just got to be
too much, I guess.
It drug her down.
[ Sighs ]
You all right?
- I just want to go home.
- Okay.
When my partner tapped,
I still had crocodiles.
I still had lions, leopards,
everything around camp,
but I was there
by myself suffering.
[ Rattling ]
It really takes a toll on you,
mentally and physically.
It's too much.
Monsters are real here.
And I believe that I made
the right choice at that moment.
You got to have
some help out here.
To do it alone
is... it's very difficult.
But tapping out early,
it bothered me.
So this time I'm mentally
and physically ready
for this challenge.
Narrator: Sarah and Jon both
showed a high level of adaptability
in completing
their first challenges.
And despite his early exit,
Ryan brings an array of skills
and experience
surviving in this location.
As a result, they begin their
challenge with an xlr of 6.7.
But in South Africa, they'll be
competing with deadly neighbors
for every precious resource.
I'm getting something
on the end of this.
[ Sighs ]
[Bleep]
Oh, my gosh. That was a croc.
[ Sighs ]
♪
[ Splashing ]
- Okay. That was big.
- Yeah, that was big.
Sarah: What the [bleep]
was that?
That's pretty
[Bleep] terrifying.
Oh, god, it's right there.
- What the [bleep] was that?
- Hey, hey. Get!
- Get!
- Where's the spear?
Go on, get!
[Bleep]
♪
Go on, get!
♪
Narrator: Dropped into the savage
backcountry of South Africa...
- Oh, my gosh.
- A treasure.
Each survivalist has brought
a personal blade for protection.
Mm-hmm.
I got my 21 days
hashed out on there.
But for the first time,
they'll choose
from an assortment of additional
survival tools as a team.
This is crazy.
- Oh, I see this.
- Nets.
That's a good plan.
I don't see how we can get away
not having a fire starter.
You good with that?
Put that to the side?
- Yeah. This is excellent.
- Cool.
Oh, man.
- Let's take the bow and arrow.
Yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind
having a bow and arrow.
No.
Giant-ass roll of duct tape.
Something familiar to me.
New challenge. Same item.
Totally different guy
out here doing it.
Bam! "XL," baby.
I'm going. Training starts now.
I'm getting close to the date
and so just getting
in some light exercise.
I know that it might rain
at night,
and I might be
really cold and wet.
That's why I take cold showers.
Ooh.
This surrounding area, that's
where I'll be in my mind
when things are bad.
A sharp enough knife
should shave your arm.
It shaves enough.
This right here
is a handmade bolas.
And I'm going to throw this
in the air to get a flying bird.
Got it.
Woman: Wes is completing
his final preparation.
♪
You got to work on the tan.
I know, I'm leaving.
I'm leaving. I'll see you later.
Ryan: Tell them how much
you're going to miss me.
Tell them how much
you're going to miss me.
Obviously she's going
to miss me a lot.
[ Belches ]
Last time I was really
more excited than anything,
didn't know what was
in store for me,
but...
- You've been to Africa now.
I've been to Africa now.
The place hurts.
South Africa, here I come.
Ain't no turning back now.
We are currently descending
to land in Africa.
Today is the morning
of the challenge.
And I'm so excited.
I think I'm actually kind of
getting chills here.
Super excited.
With love, joy.
The anticipation is absolutely
killing me.
I just need to get
this thing started.
Africa, here I come.
Here we go.
Let the suffering commence.
Get me in!
Narrator:
With no more time to prepare,
the survivalists are about
to enter the biggest
"XL" challenge yet...
Predators are very real
out here.
Dangerous place.
There's so many things
in Africa that can kill you.
Even the strongest humans
are still prey out here.
Narrator: ...Where only the
mightiest succeed...
If we have to make
the tough call,
we're just going to make
the tough call.
...and the weak will be banished
to fend for themselves.
If you don't have
a good skill set,
not the time for me
to teach you.
This isn't kindergarten.
And at that point,
it is time for them to go home.
I don't expect to carry
anybody out here.
If somebody doesn't pull
their weight
then they are using up resources
and they're not bringing
anything to the table.
Everybody can get along
one way or another.
I think I'm a little bit
more heartless.
I have no problem.
Banishing people.
This challenge is completely
different.
The weakest, the injured, the
ill, they're the first to go.
How do you feel
about kicking people out?
If I had a partner who did not
pull her weight,
there's no other way around it.
Banishment is absolutely
a death sentence out here.
I don't know
how I'm going to do it.
If I have to literally carry
[Bleep] across my shoulders,
that's what's getting done.
Africa!
♪
Narrator: This season on
"Naked and Afraid XL"...
Gwen: If you're not doing your
part, pulling your weight...
Bam!
...you're not going to be
in a team very long.
It's terrifying. I feel like
my challenge is in their hands.
You're not even giving me
a [bleep] straw full?
He's out, I want him gone.
I'm just going to banish myself.
Good riddance.
All my primitive survival
problems leaving right now.
All of them.
Oh, my god, ow!
I'm in a no man's land.
Woman: I'm worried it might
be heatstroke.
I can't breathe.
I don't do pity.
Africa!
survival challenge is back...
Africa!
I'm here for you!
Narrator: ...With a new vengeance
and a new law of the land...
We're going to banish you.
...in the deadly scrubland
of Mapungubwe, South Africa...
This is one of the worst
locations ever.
...where extreme heat...
I never felt so dehydrated.
...and nature's
most remorseless killers...
Is that what I think it is?
...have forced generations
of indigenous tribes
to survive
by one brutal principle...
There's no room in South Africa
for compassion.
Narrator: ...Banishing the weak.
It seems extreme, but this is
a very extreme environment.
Oh, my god. Ow!
Narrator: And now, to have any
chance to survive,
four teams of naked and afraid
all-stars
must adhere to the same rule.
We have to make
an executive decision.
Banishment and exile
are always on the table.
Narrator:
For 40 days and 40 nights
in a land where weakness is
the ultimate liability.
It just hurts so bad.
I don't want to tap.
Narrator: They will use their
skills to prove their worth...
- Yeah!
- Got that?
...or risk being cast into the
wild to fend for themselves.
Come tomorrow morning,
you've got to go.
That's [bleep]
In this hour, we will meet
the daring men and women
putting their lives
on the line...
What I care about is
the mission, not your feelings.
Narrator: ...Dig deep into their
strategies and motivation.
Hunting is an absolute priority.
- Beautiful.
- [ Groans ]
...and get an exclusive
sneak peek
of the epic obstacles
in their way...
Aaah!
...as they either band
together...
Give me a hug.
...or be banished to face
Africa alone.
We would like to see you go.
Woman: I'm in a no man's land.
Like there's nothing here.
Welcome to Africa.
Dispersed across 70 square miles
of ancient tribal land,
eight survivalists begin their
challenge in four groups of two.
Primitive man... the Basarwa
were here, right?
Yeah. Like 25,000 years ago.
And they didn't carry
any dead weight.
No, they didn't. They kicked
those guys right to the curb.
I don't wish banishment
on anybody.
I think I'm a little bit
more heartless.
I have no problem
banishing people.
I want everybody to get
through this,
but you know
whether somebody's...
Yeah, if somebody's
taking advantage.
Yeah, exactly.
I want to be with people that
want to conquer this challenge,
not skate by.
But they have no idea that they
will be joined
by a second group
of survivalists,
each with a rare opportunity
to prove themselves
after taking on their 21-day
challenges and coming up short.
I have just as much right
to be here as anybody else.
Narrator: First to enter
Africa's deadly interior
is the pair of Makani
and Bulent.
This looks seriously not cool,
but that's okay.
I'm here to be miserable.
Pain actually make me
count my blessings.
My name is Bulent
and people think
I'm just a complete ass [bleep]
What I care about is
the mission, not your feelings.
Narrator: But on Bulent's
first challenge in Colombia,
he failed the mission.
I'm sweating.
I'm dripping.
Bulent: The weather was
hot and super humid.
But my biggest obstacle
on my first challenge
was me not knowing what
the limitations of my body was.
Lower back is really bad.
I did push myself
more than I should have,
and that contributed
to my lower back injury.
Oh! Ugh.
It just shoots down the legs.
I can't do this,
not with this much pain.
I don't want to be here.
Not finishing
a challenge is painful,
but I learned to pace myself
on the physical activity.
I applied it to my challenge
in Mexico,
but Mexico had
its own struggles.
No wonder the Spaniards
couldn't conquer the jungle.
There's nothing to eat in it.
What I've found with the people
that I can't get along
is mostly millennials.
You've never made a fish basket?
I did. I just
want you to explain
why you can't assume that.
Why do I need to explain that?
You don't have to, but you can
continue not catch fish, either.
Just tell me
what you're trying to get at.
I'm asking you a question
because I want to know
what you are thinking.
And finding a solution
where we can meet
in the middle, work together.
That took quite a bit,
but we made it happen.
Ow.
Oh, my gosh.
Bulent, you got this.
Oh, my gosh. A few more steps.
And I got to know, to taste
that sweet victory
of finishing a challenge.
Whoo! That's right.
But this is a whole
different animal.
I seriously have mixed feelings
when it comes
to team atmosphere.
There's always strength
in numbers.
Also weakness in numbers.
More conflict, more dramas,
because it's not a place that
you can just sit on your butt.
It will break you.
It will hurt you.
It will get you killed.
If you're not prepared,
it will end you.
♪
There's a little guy
under this tree over here.
Right underneath the tree.
There's, like, a llama and a...
I don't eat meat, so I'm not
going to subtract
from the team fuel-wise.
I'm only here to add to it.
I'm Makani. I'm a student, and
I live in Venice, California.
I've got my warrior dots on.
Power, peace, and grace.
In my previous challenge,
I was with three people
in a rainforest environment.
Oh, my god. That is new.
Three is an uneven number,
so likely two people
will be closer than one person.
Woman: Sleep situation
is definitely difficult.
There's definitely
something going on there
beyond platonic at this point.
My biggest obstacle
was navigating my partners.
I'm glad that she's out here
having an adventure, you know?
I think that we should
probably have a talk
with her about communication.
Because, as a Buddhist,
I'm vegan and my survival style
is very minimal.
I'm in photosynthetic heaven.
So I more or less fasted
for the 21 days.
Woman: Makani's still sleeping.
We need to figure something out
that's going to work long-term
because I cannot
keep doing this.
I don't know how much
further I can go.
But I'm a peacemaker.
And after the other partner
left, towards the end,
we were able to come together
and make a team.
Here comes some rapids.
Oh, my god.
Hang on.
There's the boat. - Oh, my god.
Makani: I did complete
the 21-day challenge,
being true to my nature,
and I feel really proud of that.
We did it. - We did it!
And honestly, on the 21st day,
I felt like I could go longer.
But for a 40-day challenge
like this,
it becomes hugely mental,
and my mental is very strong.
As a Buddhist, they say
that life is suffering.
So I feel like that is my job
to embrace that
when it occurs for myself.
I wouldn't wish anyone to walk
around here on their own.
We have to stick together.
Narrator: But their partnership
will soon be disrupted
by an unexpected visitor
hellbent on proving herself
after falling short
on her 21 day challenge.
I do understand how this would
be a harsh environment
for tribes to want
to banish people
because, I mean, I would hate
to have
to carry the weight
of someone in this heat.
My name is Kate, and I've been
on a 21 day challenge
and I completed 13 out of it.
I am the screamer.
Get me out!
That was me. I screamed
my butt off on the beach.
Hair flip.
I own it.
Narrator: Kate's journey began
with a twist
on a four persons'
tribes challenge in Panama.
I wasn't expecting a female.
I wasn't either.
So for me, I am a survivalist,
so I do have things
to bring to the table.
We're actually going to set
a couple traps
so that we can make
getting a pig possible,
and if you can't be my equal,
at least try to do something
that can help me,
and I'll do my best to help you.
Badass. It's going to work.
But after the merge, we met
with two other guys.
We've got to get a shelter
off the ground.
Seth: Some protein
would be amazing.
Priority is shelter.
I did not like that.
I'm trying to go get some food.
It took a lot for me
to bite my tongue with Seth.
He woke me up three
different times last night,
and he elbow-jabbed me.
He told me to push over.
I mean, if you thought
I was in your way,
wouldn't you say, "hey, Kate,
would you mind scooting over?"
Instead of saying, "I need you
to move out of my way."
How do you think
I'm going to respond to that?
But the biggest obstacles in my
previous challenge
were the bugs.
I forget what it's like
to not itch.
I mean, I got bit in places
I didn't know I could itch at.
I feel like they're nesting
in my body.
They mess with your head
big time.
[ Groaning ]
It's a [bleep] thing to quit
when you only have a week left,
but I needed to,
and I have no shame
in admitting
the fact that I quit.
So I'm back out here again.
I need to prove to myself,
but this is Africa.
This is some frightening [bleep]
out here.
There's things
that want to eat you.
I'm talking big cats, hippos,
like things in the night
that go boom,
and that is a big pile
of elephant dung.
40 days is a long time.
So, last time
I paid zero attention
to my mental game, and this time
I am not going to allow myself
to get pushed over the edge.
I'm not going to freak out.
I'll speak my mind,
but no crazy hair flips, Africa.
That ain't happening.
Narrator:
On their previous challenges,
the survivalists were assigned
primitive survival ratings,
or psrs, that measured
their individual skills
and survival methods.
But for this
40-day group challenge,
experts have evaluated
their initial psrs
and assigned the team
a combined rating,
or xlr, that gauges
their progress
and likelihood of success.
- Ugh.
All three survivalists
bring their unique survival
styles to the challenge,
but Bulent and Kate have also
clashed with past partners.
As a result,
this team of opposites
begins with an xlr of 6.5.
And in this harsh environment,
a difference in survival
strategies
pushes this team to its limit.
Africa, this is not a [bleep]
sit around and do [bleep]
Nothing kind of [bleep]
environment, man.
He's been sleeping
since he got here.
For both of you guys wanting to
just work an hour in the morning
then an hour at night,
that ain't going to fly with me.
The plan is to take it easy.
It's not a sprint.
It's 40 freaking days.
Apparently Kate
wasn't okay with that,
and I let the department
know about her complaint.
Department who gives
a [bleep] what you think.
Narrator:
"Naked and afraid XL" returns,
granting 12 naked and afraid
veterans
the power to banish the weak
into South Africa's
treacherous outback,
where record heat
and a relentless seven-year
drought
can transform
the strongest survivalist
into a liability
for their tribe.
- When... ready?
- Yeah.
Go.
Ooh. [Bleep]
That's third-degree burns.
Isn't that a wonderful partner
right there?
Takes the water
and goes down there to drink it.
Man: I really need
some water myself.
It's plenty cool enough
to drink,
but I'm going to
hike it up there to Makani.
I just [bleep] spent
all my time up here.
You're not even getting me
a [bleep] straw full?
[Bleep] You.
Makani.
♪
Makani. Can you please
open your eyes for me?
♪
Can you open your eyes
for me, please?
♪
The second team to navigate
this scorched Savannah
is the duo of dawn and Suzanne.
♪
In this environment
I can understand
where you wouldn't want
to have slackers
and you wouldn't want
to have people that are weak,
that are injured.
Like being
in the Canadian military,
it's that mentality
of never leave a man behind.
I'm definitely
going to struggle with that.
My name is dawn. I'm a retired
infantry officer from Canada.
This is for my deployment
to Afghanistan.
I was technically
the first female
qualified infantry officer
in the history of the regiment.
And on my first challenge,
I was in Montserrat.
Ugh!
The terrain that we were walking
on was incredibly rough.
Our feet were wrecked.
Pain is just weakness
leaving the body.
And at that point
I was freshly out
of the Canadian armed forces.
I was actually only retired
a few weeks prior to doing it.
So my motivation
for the 21 day challenge
was to connect
with another human being
in a primitive
survival environment
where there would be challenges
for both of us.
Got one!
- There you go.
- Wow, you are so good.
And that was the dynamic
of our relationship.
Chad just came back.
He hurt his shoulder.
He just fell off the mountain.
It looks pretty serious.
But very early on, on day five,
my partner did have
a medical tap,
and I wasn't prepared for that
like I should have been.
And being alone
was extremely challenging,
but I have done
a significant amount of work
to prepare myself.
I'm prepping for a body
building show right now.
And I flew down to Denver,
Colorado,
and I trained with Matt Wright.
You're going to tie up here.
Leave the extra, tie down here.
And so I do feel now that
I'm more prepared primitively
because people look at me,
they just see blonde hair.
And that's really not who I am.
I'm not just some Barbie.
I'll do everything
I possibly can to show
that I have a lot
to offer the group.
♪
It's interesting when people
talk about girl power,
because you know in most
of the animal kingdom
the female is the lead. - Yeah.
Because we bring the ability
to be calm...
Absolutely.
...without throwing a whole lot
of testosterone at it
and club something.
My name is Suzanne,
and I survived 21 days
on my challenge in Brazil.
I think I am
at the edge of no return.
And it was really hard
because of the sun.
Hot as hell.
I need shade for my feet.
Shade for my feet.
And I was paired with a partner
where our personalities
did not work well together.
Yeah. That's not gonna happen.
That is not gonna happen.
As a very dominant male,
it didn't work well with me
also being a dominant female.
I don't mean
to nag you about it,
but you're getting really red.
And I don't know
if you're drinking very often.
And because of medical issues...
My chest feels really heavy.
1, 2, 3.
My partner left on day four,
so I had 17 days by myself.
There's a wasp nest.
[ Buzzing ]
And honestly, after that,
it was easier for me.
I can do this.
I just got a stingray.
I'm so excited.
But one of the hardest things
that I did on the 21 day
challenge was the extraction.
Ow.
Oh, it's...
But I did it.
Oh, my god.
And nobody can
take it away from me.
Oh, my god.
But since my partner
left on day four,
the 21 day challenge did not
require me
to work well
with another person.
I don't do well with drama.
I just don't.
I'm allergic to it.
I don't like it.
As someone who speaks their mind
and knows what they know,
I am not going to compromise
if I'm not happy.
Narrator:
Joining dawn and Suzanne
is a survivalist hungry
to overcome his past failures.
- Oh, my god.
- What the hell?
All of a sudden I'm thinking...
♪
To make it across the finish
line in this challenge
is going to take a lot of focus
and a lot of teamwork.
This time around, I plan on
being a little bit more social
and working harder to do
what I can to help my tribe
and to make it happen
at all costs.
Narrator: Seth participated in the
first tribes' challenge in Panama.
Ugh!
I'm not going to sugarcoat it,
Panama kicked my ass.
Ugh!
So far I've gotten needles
in my right foot,
needles in my left foot.
I went out for the adventure
and to hunt in Panama.
[ Calling ]
I came into
that challenge thinking
I was going to be
able to kill a pig
and we were going to eat good,
and that did not happen.
But my biggest
obstacles in Panama
would be the social aspect.
Don't put that out,
don't put that on there.
This is dry, bro.
I was partnered with a dude
and we butted heads a lot.
I told you, "don't do that."
And you did it anyway.
Now it's all over the [bleep]
place, dude.
Being in a group can be
challenging for me at times.
And when we merged
with two other people,
I feel like I didn't get
a fair shake with them.
Where's the pot?
Hoping it's not contaminated
from the rain last night.
You know what? I'm sick of your
negative Nancy [bleep] Bro.
We're either going to
make it to 21,
or one of us
is going to make it to jail.
My team, the people that were
supposed to have my back,
exiled me from camp.
Better start making a shelter
because you
ain't staying with us.
And that really got to me
psychologically.
I give up, I tap.
[Bleep] It. I'm out of here.
I had to make the decision
to leave on day 13
because it was just not
going to be survivable.
But there's no suffering that
I can endure on these challenges
that's any greater
than knowing that I failed.
So I've got a little bit
of something to prove on this.
I'm coming into this
with a deficit,
and I feel that some people
are going to feel
I don't deserve to be here,
but I'm going to
prove them wrong.
This is going to be
a dangerous situation.
This is not Panama,
that's for damn sure.
- Got firewood.
- Got one!
Dawn and Suzanne bring solo
survival experience to Africa,
but Seth's difficulty uniting
with past partners
threatens the stability
of his team.
As a result, they begin the
challenge with an xlr of 6.0.
But in the wilds of Africa,
an unwelcome visitor tests
their resolve on night one.
- Is that you?
- No.
There's something
over there for sure.
I can't see that far
with this camera.
I don't know that we were
going to sleep much anyway.
If something were to come in
this... We have nowhere to go.
[ Lion snarling ]
♪
Oh, my god!
Narrator: In the return
of "naked and afraid XL,"
12 men and women
will fight for survival
under the blazing African sun.
Woman: Ooh!
For 40 days and 40 nights,
as the threat of banishment
looms over the survivalists...
There's no need for him
to be here.
...the pressure to provide
will be greater than ever.
Woman: I feel so defeated.
Look. I think there's a rabbit.
Oh! Oh, that was close.
Oh, damn! Got one.
Yeah!
Hell, yeah!
♪
[ Arrow thwacks ]
And bam! Right over there.
Aaah!
That's right! Whoo!
Narrator: Third to venture deep
into the African wilderness
is the team of Wes and Gwen.
♪
One of my concerns is snakes.
Like, snakes don't scare me,
but I'm not familiar with them.
I'm used to looking in bushes
for grizzly bears,
not on the ground for snakes
because there's
no snakes in Alaska.
My name is Gwen.
I am grizzly Gwen,
give me a knife,
I will conquer the world.
I completed my 21 day
challenge in Mexico,
so I went from
super cold environment
to a insanely hellish
environment.
The heat in Mexico was ungodly.
- How you feeling?
- I need water.
Yep. Sun's starting
to get there, huh?
Yep, it is.
So, you were pouring buckets
of sweat no matter what you did.
But the low point
in my previous challenge
was when I cut
the end of my toe off.
I'm disappointed
that that happened
because it definitely
sets me back
and it throws a loop
for my partner,
who has to pick up the slack.
They don't like people
that want to sit around
and let others do all the work,
so just doing
local bush crafting
and keeping the fire going,
that really sucked.
But I tried to do
whatever I could
to get the mission completed.
Hey, the bottom side
of that tree.
Just sitting there.
I'm gonna try to stab him.
[ Groans ]
Yeah, I got you,
you little son of a biscuit.
Thought it would
taste more delicious
but it really was
pretty disgusting.
Definitely burnt.
Based on my experience
as a survivalist, a homesteader,
a police officer,
a mother of five...
I can go on and on...
I learned you have to be
able to adapt and overcome.
Got through
the challenge together.
Great job. I'm proud of you.
Yeah, you too.
It was amazing and awesome,
but I couldn't contribute.
So, heading out
onto this 40 day challenge,
I want to prove
to others what I can do.
I always accomplish my goals,
but this is a hard,
hard environment,
and if you haven't been
doing your part
and pulling your weight,
banishment's on the table.
♪
Wes: I've been
hunting my whole life.
If we can find a water source,
our chances at harvesting
a decent-size animal
is going to be very good.
I'm excited about that.
I would like some red meat
on this trip.
I'm Wes Harper, and my previous
challenge, I was in Brazil.
The environment
was pretty rough.
Oh, ow, damn it. Nope. Damn it.
Okay.
Stung on the damn... John Henry.
But I am a hunter,
and I don't like to fail.
There's a lizard
on this rock here.
[ Grunts ]
I mean, I've done everything
but hit this little bugger.
The biggest obstacle I had
was bringing back some food.
Oh, my god.
Come here, quick.
Oh, my god. I can't believe
you just did that.
It felt so good to actually have
some real success
with procuring food,
because I want to help
my teammates.
I want to provide.
Sorry, Jesse.
I'm lagging behind, babe.
My legs are not doing well.
But at the end of my challenge,
I was really depleted.
I was done.
- I hear something.
- Yeah, I do too.
There it is.
Whoo!
Oh!
That was a great moment for me.
But Africa is
a different ball game.
This country is so rough
that only the strong survive.
I mean, everybody
just has to contribute.
Otherwise, it's time for them
to go out on their own.
Do some soul searching.
Maybe it's time
for them to go home.
Narrator: Joining Wes and Gwen
is a season three survivalist...
- Hello!
- ...Whose 21 day challenge
was short-lived,
but made a lasting impression.
- Hey!
- Oh, boy.
Gwen: Third-Wheeler, here.
We were not expecting a third.
I've always been told
I'm like a [bleep]
Either I'm a pleasant surprise,
or I make everything awkward
and uncomfortable.
- Good to know.
- Well, the second one right now.
- Ah, you'll get used to it.
- Yes, very.
♪
This whole banishment
thing is [bleep]
It's not going to happen
in my group.
If somebody is not
pulling their weight,
then you go hang a boot
in their ass
and make sure they start
pulling their weight.
My name is Joshua,
and it's been 5 1/2 years
since my past challenge
in Nicaragua.
♪
What'd you bring?
Duct tape.
This is a redneck's multitool.
The question I get asked
most is,
"hey, aren't you duct tape boy?"
And I'm just going down
and doing straight strips.
Oh, my goodness.
I stand by that choice fully,
and I cannot think
of a single item
that has as many purposes
as duct tape.
And by day three, I had shelter,
freshwater source,
and enough food
that lasted days on end.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
And that was my doing,
and I'm damn proud of that.
But the biggest obstacles
I had were my health,
because I had
gastrointestinal issues.
[ Retching ]
I was vomiting profusely.
I was getting extremely
dehydrated very fast.
- You're going home?
- Yeah. I can't keep it up.
I'm sorry to let you
down like this,
but I am severely dehydrated.
I'm tapping out now.
So, I lasted five days.
Sorry to anyone I let down.
I've tried to forget the moment
when I tapped so, so many times,
but it kind of sticks with me.
♪
Based on my previous challenge,
it's possible
that future teammates
would have
some misconceptions about me.
The biggest one being that
I'm a quitter,
which it couldn't be further
from the truth.
I'm not the same man
I was back then.
I've gone through hell,
lived through hell,
done things I thought
I'd never be able to accomplish.
And I'm here to prove
I can do it,
and you can watch me do it
and say,
"oops, you were wrong"
or shut your damn mouth.
Either way, I'm doing it.
I'm feeling pretty much in the
weakest condition of my life.
Thank you, lord.
Narrator: Wes and Gwen bring
unwavering persistence,
which propelled them
through their first challenges.
But Joshua's physical struggles
caused him
to leave Nicaragua on day five.
Therefore, this team begins the
challenge with an xlr of 6.7.
While most of the dangers in
Africa are larger than life...
They know we're here.
[ Elephant trumpets ]
...others are much more
unexpected,
as Wes and Gwen will learn
after harvesting
a unique species of aloe plant.
We're going to eat today.
That's just a tad bit
on the bitter side.
Tastes like like something
you'd scrape off
a fish tank.
Yeah.
[ Both vomiting ]
♪
[ Elephant trumpets ]
Narrator:
On "Naked and Afraid XL,"
12 survivalists follow
the same traditions
as the ancient tribes
who came before them...
We can't have people ride on
coattails to get to the 40 day.
Narrator: ...Banishing the weak
to fend for themselves
among nature's
most ruthless predators.
There's an elephant right there.
Where?
They're coming right toward us.
Wes: Don't move, don't move.
Holy crap.
[ Snarling ]
[ Animal shrieks ]
[ Hyena laughing ]
I don't know what to do.
Go away!
♪
The final group to enter
the challenge
is the team of Jon and Sarah.
- I enjoy challenging myself.
- Yeah.
I like being aware of how far
I can push myself
before I reach the point when,
you know, I say that's enough.
And so far I haven't reached it.
My name is Sarah, and I'm
a homesteader and taxidermist.
Which one of you
wants this, huh?
And my previous challenge
was in Ecuador.
Man: Oh, my god.
In Ecuador, I never expected
to be in a group of three people
and it just made things
a little more difficult.
I think we might just need
to find
a spot tonight, like up there.
There's a spot down here
that's a bit more open.
Are you okay with that? - Pbht!
Ecuador was wet.
We had a lot of storms.
We had a lot of moisture
in the air.
The forest is already
teaching us lessons
about better planning
and better foresight.
But a major low point
in my previous challenge
is probably losing
my first partner, David.
The swelling has caused
an allergic reaction,
to having all of these insects
bites that are on your leg.
I'm going to go ahead
and have to pull you out.
He was a very upbeat,
positive person,
whereas Makani, not so much.
So realizing that I was going to
have to face the rest
of the challenge with somebody
whose survival strategy
was almost the exact opposite
of my own frankly sucked.
Her entire survival strategy
was to pretty much do nothing
to conserve energy.
But whenever somebody tells me
that I can't do something,
I tell them, watch me.
Oh, my god.
[ Both cheering ]
♪
In the jungle,
it's very different
from what we're facing here
in Africa.
The heat is immense.
I mean, it is just
blazing down on us.
There's really no way
to get out of that.
No matter how
uncomfortable I get...
I just wish that was
in the mud or something.
I'm like an animal.
I'm just disgusting.
[ Chuckles ]
My name's Jon. I'm a dirt bag.
I am just a degenerate punk
from the suburbs.
[ Punk rock music plays ]
And my previous challenge
was in the Philippines.
Some people are hunters.
Some people are gatherers.
I am absolutely a scavenger.
Yo.
I'm an opportunist.
I take what's around me.
Oh, my goodness, so green.
I don't think those
are going to be edible.
I made these banana patties
and I seared them
on a nice, flat, hot rock.
It was the most amount of food
we had found
the entire time we were there,
but they really made us sick.
♪
And my partner, she did get
a lot sicker than I did.
- Oh, my god. You all right?
- Yeah, I'm done.
You feel warm.
Jess just took a face plant.
Extraction's tomorrow.
If Jess starts to falter,
I'm just going to
have to push her.
But I want to redefine
what it means to be a dirt bag.
I am not going to be that guy
that's going to steal
your wallet
while you're in the bathroom.
It sucks. Let's just do it.
I'm the guy that doesn't shower
and eats bugs
and [bleep] talks a lot of
[Bleep]
You got to keep going.
We're all wiped.
We're not gonna get there
sitting here.
Unless you want
to tap on day 21.
But in the end I will drag you
across the finish line
to make sure you still get
the bragging rights
that you deserve.
Awesome. We actually did it.
Come on.
I think we really crushed
through it
and I'd walked out a new man.
One of the best days of my life.
I'm ready to do it again.
But this is a totally
different beast
than I've ever come across.
I've never been around
wildlife like this before.
My anxiety level
is through the roof.
There's going to be stuff
going to the water
that wants to kill you.
There's going to be stuff
coming from the water
that wants to kill you.
[ Creature squawking ]
I don't know what [bleep]
that is,
but that could
probably bite you.
But part of loving the suck
is loving being scared.
And I am absolutely
[Bleep] terrified.
I just love being in the [bleep]
I can't help it.
I love being [bleep] miserable.
Joining Sarah and Jon
is a survivalist
who has already taken
on South Africa
and succumbed
to its brutal dangers.
[ Whistles ] Hey.
♪
Another human.
Well, okay.
[ Laughs ]
♪
Ryan: Whoo, bringing back
memories from last time.
It's one of the most hostile
environments on this planet.
I felt this place before.
This place hurts.
My name is Ryan.
I'm a wilderness
survival instructor.
Africa... it kind of kicked
my butt last time.
[ Gasps ] Aah!
- You okay?
- I've got a Thorn.
And I started calling the place
the house of pain
because everything wants
to cut you to pieces
or kill you out here.
But a lifetime of doing
primitive survival skills
was very handy.
That tree's got bark.
We got shoes.
Woman: All right, let's go.
I was able to make a good
situation out of a bad one.
[ Laughs ] Oh, it's so nice.
Hunting out here in Africa
is survival...
Got us a bow.
...especially when
there's predators
lurking all over the place.
Holy [bleep]
[ Animal wailing ]
My last partner,
we got along really well.
But Africa just got to be
too much, I guess.
It drug her down.
[ Sighs ]
You all right?
- I just want to go home.
- Okay.
When my partner tapped,
I still had crocodiles.
I still had lions, leopards,
everything around camp,
but I was there
by myself suffering.
[ Rattling ]
It really takes a toll on you,
mentally and physically.
It's too much.
Monsters are real here.
And I believe that I made
the right choice at that moment.
You got to have
some help out here.
To do it alone
is... it's very difficult.
But tapping out early,
it bothered me.
So this time I'm mentally
and physically ready
for this challenge.
Narrator: Sarah and Jon both
showed a high level of adaptability
in completing
their first challenges.
And despite his early exit,
Ryan brings an array of skills
and experience
surviving in this location.
As a result, they begin their
challenge with an xlr of 6.7.
But in South Africa, they'll be
competing with deadly neighbors
for every precious resource.
I'm getting something
on the end of this.
[ Sighs ]
[Bleep]
Oh, my gosh. That was a croc.
[ Sighs ]
♪
[ Splashing ]
- Okay. That was big.
- Yeah, that was big.
Sarah: What the [bleep]
was that?
That's pretty
[Bleep] terrifying.
Oh, god, it's right there.
- What the [bleep] was that?
- Hey, hey. Get!
- Get!
- Where's the spear?
Go on, get!
[Bleep]
♪
Go on, get!
♪
Narrator: Dropped into the savage
backcountry of South Africa...
- Oh, my gosh.
- A treasure.
Each survivalist has brought
a personal blade for protection.
Mm-hmm.
I got my 21 days
hashed out on there.
But for the first time,
they'll choose
from an assortment of additional
survival tools as a team.
This is crazy.
- Oh, I see this.
- Nets.
That's a good plan.
I don't see how we can get away
not having a fire starter.
You good with that?
Put that to the side?
- Yeah. This is excellent.
- Cool.
Oh, man.
- Let's take the bow and arrow.
Yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind
having a bow and arrow.
No.
Giant-ass roll of duct tape.
Something familiar to me.
New challenge. Same item.
Totally different guy
out here doing it.
Bam! "XL," baby.
I'm going. Training starts now.
I'm getting close to the date
and so just getting
in some light exercise.
I know that it might rain
at night,
and I might be
really cold and wet.
That's why I take cold showers.
Ooh.
This surrounding area, that's
where I'll be in my mind
when things are bad.
A sharp enough knife
should shave your arm.
It shaves enough.
This right here
is a handmade bolas.
And I'm going to throw this
in the air to get a flying bird.
Got it.
Woman: Wes is completing
his final preparation.
♪
You got to work on the tan.
I know, I'm leaving.
I'm leaving. I'll see you later.
Ryan: Tell them how much
you're going to miss me.
Tell them how much
you're going to miss me.
Obviously she's going
to miss me a lot.
[ Belches ]
Last time I was really
more excited than anything,
didn't know what was
in store for me,
but...
- You've been to Africa now.
I've been to Africa now.
The place hurts.
South Africa, here I come.
Ain't no turning back now.
We are currently descending
to land in Africa.
Today is the morning
of the challenge.
And I'm so excited.
I think I'm actually kind of
getting chills here.
Super excited.
With love, joy.
The anticipation is absolutely
killing me.
I just need to get
this thing started.
Africa, here I come.
Here we go.
Let the suffering commence.
Get me in!
Narrator:
With no more time to prepare,
the survivalists are about
to enter the biggest
"XL" challenge yet...
Predators are very real
out here.
Dangerous place.
There's so many things
in Africa that can kill you.
Even the strongest humans
are still prey out here.
Narrator: ...Where only the
mightiest succeed...
If we have to make
the tough call,
we're just going to make
the tough call.
...and the weak will be banished
to fend for themselves.
If you don't have
a good skill set,
not the time for me
to teach you.
This isn't kindergarten.
And at that point,
it is time for them to go home.
I don't expect to carry
anybody out here.
If somebody doesn't pull
their weight
then they are using up resources
and they're not bringing
anything to the table.
Everybody can get along
one way or another.
I think I'm a little bit
more heartless.
I have no problem.
Banishing people.
This challenge is completely
different.
The weakest, the injured, the
ill, they're the first to go.
How do you feel
about kicking people out?
If I had a partner who did not
pull her weight,
there's no other way around it.
Banishment is absolutely
a death sentence out here.
I don't know
how I'm going to do it.
If I have to literally carry
[Bleep] across my shoulders,
that's what's getting done.
Africa!
♪
Narrator: This season on
"Naked and Afraid XL"...
Gwen: If you're not doing your
part, pulling your weight...
Bam!
...you're not going to be
in a team very long.
It's terrifying. I feel like
my challenge is in their hands.
You're not even giving me
a [bleep] straw full?
He's out, I want him gone.
I'm just going to banish myself.
Good riddance.
All my primitive survival
problems leaving right now.
All of them.
Oh, my god, ow!
I'm in a no man's land.
Woman: I'm worried it might
be heatstroke.
I can't breathe.
I don't do pity.
Africa!