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‘Naked And Afraid XL’ Survivalists Face Danger And Drama In The South African Bush [Spoilers]

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 10:16 PST, Jul 5, 2016

During the previous season of Naked and Afraid, viewers became familiar with the 12 survivalists that are returning for a new season of challenges for Naked and Afraid XL. If the current crop of Naked and Afraid XL contestants thought surviving 21 days at their previous locations was tough, the South African bush may be the most dangerous environment any of them have ever faced.

On the scorched foothills of the Lebombo Mountains, the 12 Naked and Afraid veterans will face their toughest challenge yet. They will be there for a very long and deadly 40 days unless they decide to leave before then or are forced to tap out to due illness or injury.

Lions, hippos, cheetahs, elephants, disease-carrying ticks, and flesh-ripping thorns are only a few of the region’s flora and fauna that has the potential to bring down the Naked and Afraid XL contestants. Africa is no joke, and Naked and Afraid posted to their Facebook page on July 3 that a preview episode titled “Mission Impossible,” reveals that at least one person is removed from the Naked and Afraid XL challenge on a stretcher. For those that missed it, the preview episode can now be viewed on Discovery GO. This could very well be the most formidable group survival challenge on the planet, and the preview episode states that it is one that few will finish.

For the purposes of this challenge, there will be four separate camps made up of three veterans, and each one is supplied with a pot for boiling water and cooking food. In addition, all 12 survivalists bring their own blades, plus a unique item of their choosing. A fire-starter, slingshot, buckskin, fishing nets, hooks, and lines are some of the personal items brought in by the survivalists and if used properly, should help make the struggle to survive a little easier.

Besides dealing with the lethal environments they will find themselves in, they must quickly learn how to come together as a team. For some of the teams, the first season of Naked and Afraid XL revealed that learning to work together as a cohesive unit is often easier said than done. Hopefully, this year’s challengers learned by watching last season’s group of Naked and Afraid veterans that if they don’t try to work together despite their personality differences or conflicting strategies, they may find themselves in a bad situation with no other choice but to tap out. This is one situation where no one can survive alone for any length of time; it’s just too dangerous.

There does seem to be plenty of opportunities to hunt and secure some much needed protein, and some of the survivalists use a little ingenuity to modify their weapons in such a way that they are able to go on successful hunts. They have to be ever mindful that they are not the only predators out there, however, and may find themselves being stalked in the middle of another predators’ hunting area.

Due to a severe drought, they will be sharing the few available watering holes with other animals, including lions, and they will need to watch every move they make. Knowing that the animals must drink, one segment of the preview episode shows the survivalists watching animals going to the water hole for a drink. They had previously set several snares on the other side of the bank and when an African antelope called a Bongo steps in one, they race to take the animal down.

So who are the survivalists for this season of Naked and Afraid XL? Alyssa Ballestero is 29-years-old and hails from Durham, New Hampshire. Her Naked and Afraid challenge location was in the Yucatan.

Clarence Gilmer II is 35-years-old and his challenge location was in the Honduras. According to Discovery’s Naked and Afraid XL bio page, he currently teaches survival and ecology in Upstate New York.

Stacey Lee Osorio is also 35-years-old and lives in Stites, Idaho. Her previous challenge was in Croatia, and no one who watched that episode will forget when a pot of boiling water spilled on her. She tried to tough it out and push past what must have been horrendous pain from the third-degree burns she suffered, but she eventually had to leave the challenge and seek medical attention.

Thirty-seven-year-old Jake Nodar is from Darnestown, Maryland, and his upbeat personality helped him complete his 21 days in Amazonia. Phaedra Brothers is 29-years-old and hails from Utah. Her previous Naked and Afraid challenge was in India.

Ryan Holt is a 31-year-old primitive survival expert and lives in Roxbury, Maine. His previous Naked and Afraid challenge was in the Everglades. Tawny Lynn is 28-years-old and is from Spokane, Washington. One to never back down from a challenge, she found herself in Florida for 21 days.

Steve Lee Hall, Jr. is 33-years-old and lives in Amarillo, Texas. An avid outdoorsman and hunter, Steve is very confident that he will be able to complete the Naked and Afraid XL challenge just as he did previously in Alabama. Twenty-seven-year-old Carrie Booze is from Denver, Colorado and was in Cambodia during her previous challenge.

Thirty-seven-year-old Angel Rodriguez is from Santa Cruz, California and he works as a backpacking guide and survival guide. His previous Naked and Afraid challenge was in Nicaragua. The youngest of the 12, Kim Kelly is 24-years-old and lives in Moab, Utah.

Darrin Reay is 33-years-old and also from Moab, Utah. His previous Naked and Afraid location was in Thailand, and he is excited about being able to adapt his impressive survival skills and interact with a new environment while on this challenge.

Are you a fan of the Naked and Afraid shows? Do you have a favorite survivalist? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. Naked And Afraid XL premieres on Sunday, July 10, at 10 p.m. ET on the Discovery channel.

[Image via Naked and Afraid/Twitter]

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