Plot Synopsis

A pair of strangers -- one man and one woman -- survive in the wilderness for 21 days after being stranded without food, water and clothing and with only one personal item each. Each episode chronicles a different pair, as they get acquainted with each other, their surroundings, and the elements -- and then find a way to survive together or possibly die apart. In this series, survivalists try to survive 21 days in the Costa Rican rainforest (Kim and Shane), on the African Serengeti (EJ Synder and Kellie Nightlinger), in Massif D'lsalo in Madagascar (Jeff and Eva), and many more of the world's most extreme weather environments. Season 1 included 60-minute episodes, with Season 2 installments having a running time between 60 and 90 minutes in duration. Immediately following an eight-hour marathon (2-10pm ET/PT) of encore episodes, NAKED AND AFRAID returned with new episodes on Sunday, June 29, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT on Discovery. In this episode, "Primal Fear," an unlikely pair of survivalists must coexist on the unforgiving African savannah of Namibia. A lack of food and fire -- and the difficulty of navigating the thorny landscape -- threaten to keep the intrepid team from completing their 21-day survival challenge. Discovery Channel premiered a new season of NAKED AND AFRAID on Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT, immediately following a brand-new, two-hour special, "Survival Countdown," which aired from 8-10pm. This season, Discovery Channel follows through with the #ShowUsWhatYouGot contest, which was launched the previous fall. Fans of the series were asked to submit videos explaining why they would want to take on the ultimate survival challenge. Two winners were chosen by a fan vote to take part in their very own NAKED AND AFRAID challenge. These super fans-turned survivalists will have their experience in survival training showcased in an exclusive series on Discovery.com, and their special episode of NAKED AND AFRAID will air on Discovery Channel later this season. In the season opener, "Alligator Alley," one Army mom and one Marine are shipped out to the sweltering swamps of the Florida Everglades where they will put their military survival training to the test, facing 8-foot alligators, venomous water moccasins, and bloodthirsty mosquitoes. NAKED AND AFRAID returned for its fifth season on Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT. In Season 5, survivalists are stranded all over the world, from Panama to Namibia, Belize to Thailand. Add in elephants, venomous snakes, skunks, tarantulas, killer bees, hippos, boa constrictors and mosquitoes that will just not quit... and that makes these the toughest and most challenging episodes of NAKED AND AFRAID to date. In the season opener, "Forsaken," an ex-cop and a 'wild child' clash over cuddling in the Panamanian jungle, but when one gets overwhelmed, the other steps up to the plate. A new season of NAKED AND AFRAID premiered on Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT, immediately following an all-day marathon (9am-10pm) of encore episodes. In the season opener, "King of the Forest," a self-proclaimed 'King of the forest' and a skilled endurance athlete take on the Alabama backwoods. They secure shelter and fire on Day 1, but once hunger kicks in it pushes one of them to do something that's never been done before on the series. Discovery Channel premiered a new season of NAKED AND AFRAID on Sunday, March 5, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT. In the season opener, "Eye of the Storm," a wild child and retired sergeant are stranded in the Belize Jungle following a catastrophic hurricane that threatens their entire challenge. Can they survive in a rainforest that has been turned completely upside down? Plus, for the first time ever, this season features two survivalists, YouTuber Cory Williams and pro-surfer Anastasia Ashley, who documented their experience across social media. Fans of the series can catch daily highlights and low points of the NAKED AND AFRAID survival journey in real time. Cory and Anastasia both shared their journey in across their social platforms, as they trained and also during the challenge itself -- from Monday, February 20 until Sunday, March 5. Cory and Anastasia's episode airs later in the season. On Sunday, July 30, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT, Discovery Channel premiered a new season of NAKED AND AFRAID, immediately following a new one-hour special. The night opens at 9pm with "Suffering, Sunburn and Sharks," a new 60-minute program that reveals the grueling locations the survivalists will encounter and what some of their most dangerous threats and challenges will be in the new season. Plus, the special gets up close and personal with six pairs of new survivalists. Then, in the season opener (10pm), "Lost at Sea," a divemaster and a Navy Seal are, for the first time on Naked and Afraid, stranded at sea. On their arduous journey to land they face exposure to deadly sharks and heatstroke. If they make it to land, can they work together despite their differences? On Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT, Discovery Channel premiered a new season of NAKED AND AFRAID.

NAKED AND AFRAID returned for its tenth season on Sunday, March 3, 2019 from 8-10pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. This season, survivalists are put in the most challenging locations to date including the frozen tundra of Alaska, an alligator-infested swamp in Florida and an African Kill Zone where they are stalked by lions, dozens of crocodiles and a herd of 100 elephants. Six NAKED AND AFRAID ALL-STAR survivalists return to take on locations so dangerous they put their elite skills to the ultimate test. This season also features NAKED AND AFRAID's first threesome challenge, a four-survivalist Battle of the Sexes as well as the first couple to take on this challenge. Even with the harsher elements and survival situation, personal skill, a good partner or partners, and the will to keep going no matter what comes your way is a typical path to success. Each man and woman will have to grapple with immeasurable anguish as they attempt to create shelter, forage for food, and find water in the nude. The perils of the wild and the harsh elements are more terrifying than ever before, and only the strongest - both physically and mentally -- will come out on the other side of their personal endurance challenge.

Season 13 of NAKED AND AFRAID premiered on Sunday, August 1, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. This season, newcomers, fans and veterans are taking on some of the most hostile environments known to man and come face-to-face with deadly predators, such as territorial baboons, aggressive water buffalo, caiman, jaguars, snakes, and poisonous bullet ants. All-stars Fernando Calderon & Dani Beauchemin return to a rainforest in Ecuador where they attempt to hunt for piranha with their bare hands, while a threesome pairing of two men and one woman will risk their lives in order to find food by scaling massive waterfall cliffs down to a beach. And for the first time, four survivalists from different countries will come together in South Africa for the ultimate international challenge -- USA versus the World. In the season opener, "Baskets and Bullet Ants," all-stars Fernando and Dani land in a forbidding rainforest in Ecuador for their third challenge, where jaguars, caiman, anacondas and bullet ants are on the prowl. But their divergent approaches to primitive survival might do them in first.

NAKED AND AFRAID returned for a new season on Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. From the haunted highlands in Chiapas and an abandoned village in Botswana, to a complex and unnerving cave system in Colombia, this season takes these brave men and women to places where the location alone is enough to tap even the most experienced of NAKED AND AFRAID survivalists. After passing through an old house in the middle of the jungle rumored to be haunted, two survivalists will question everything as nothing seems to go their way. And when two survivalists stumble across an abandoned African village, they'll learn the hard way what led the villagers to flee and leave everything behind. In a franchise first, a pair of survivalists must not only survive amongst hundreds of elephants on the Limpopo River but do so while overcoming a language barrier that makes even the smallest of tasks an impossible feat. Other firsts this season include the first male to female transgender survivalist who finds herself paired with a farmer from South Africa, as well as a survivalist with Asperger's who discovers how her disorder impacts her survival and finds ways to overcome challenges she didn't think possible. Always an audience favorite, this season also features a special 'tribes' episode where two "teams" -- each comprised of a rookie and a Naked & Afraid Legend -- must make it to the halfway point in South Africa where they will meet up and combine resources in an effort to finish out the challenge together as a group. And in a true passing of the torch, the grown kids of two NAKED AND AFRAID All-Stars try their hand at a 14-day challenge in Mexico to see if they have what it takes to live up to the legendary reputations of their parents.

On Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 8pm ET/PT, Discovery Channel premiered a new season of NAKED AND AFRAID. From the brutal jungles of Guyana to the notorious Devil's Canyon in Mexico - a forbidding and hostile location where no one has been able to endure more than a few days before tapping out -- this season of pushes even the most experienced survivalists to new extremes. With unprecedented obstacles and the stakes higher than ever, these diverse, history-making duos must find a way to work together with no water, no food and no clothes to endure the Everest of survival challenges. To kick-off a season packed with franchise firsts, two survivalists from overseas fight to become the first foreigners to endure 21 days on U.S. soil in America's Wild West. In another new twist, two veteran Naked and Afraid medics get a taste of their own medicine and attempt to survive 21 days in front of the camera. Others will use their time in the wilderness to seek redemption for past failures. Four survivalists who tapped out in previous challenges -- and have deep regrets about their fateful decisions -- seize their last chance to prove their resolve and triumph as a tribe. These survivalists have no idea what they are in for. This season, survivalists get down and dirty for grueling challenges that are as raw as the third degree burns on their feet. No one can imagine the brutal journey that they are about to embark on. From a battle-tested MMA fighter to a professional backpacker, even the toughest will be knocked down and forced to put their ultimate survival skills to the test. Pushed way beyond their comfort zones, survivalists quickly go from pumped to punished by unrelenting insects, unpredictable temperatures and unfamiliar terrain.

A new season of NAKED & AFRAID debuted on Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 8pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. Kicking off with back-to-back fan challenges -- where ordinary people with little outdoor experience attempt to go from viewer to survivalist -- this season features an ICU trauma nurse and a banker who suffered brain damage in a devastating car accident as they embark on a brutal 14-day journey in the wilderness. Despite years of rehabilitation and medical training, hurdles are bound to arise as they attempt to survive extreme temperatures, relentless mosquitoes, and the most venomous snake in Mexico. This season, challenges may vary from 14 to 21 days, but they are just as grueling and raw as ever. A circus performer, inexperienced city folk and even a previous contestant who is seeking redemption after poisoning the waters in her last challenge, must face the dangers of Mother Nature in hopes of surviving, Naked and Afraid.

On Sunday, February 18, 2024 from 8-10pm ET/PT, Discovery Channel premiered a new season of NAKED & AFRAID. Man-eating crocodiles, aggressive hippos and toxic frogs await a new group of survivalists during the new season, as participants overcome their personal struggles and face the raw brutality of nature without easy access to food, water or clothing. In the two-hour season opener, "Death by Crocodile," a hunter and a farmer pool their knowledge to survive 21 days in South Africa; when the African wildlife proves too stealthy to hunt, the survivalists take a life-threatening risk for food.
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On Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT, Discovery Channel premiered "Naked and Amish," the season finale of NAKED & AFRAID. A former member of the Amish and an Australian fitness coach attempt to survive 21 days together in the harsh Colombian jungle.