Recap: Naked and Afraid, “Lord of the Rats”

Naked and Afraid, “Lord of the Rats”
Watching Bananas Ripen Watching paint dry?

I am do glad to see a new episode of Naked and Afraid. I was a little steamed to have a clip show last week.  I know it was a holiday, but It would have been pretty awesome to have current service members take on the 21-day survival challenge. I know we’ve had military veterans on the show, but I’d love to see some 21-year-olds try to put what they’ve just learned into practice.

Let’s get started and meet this week’s brave survivalists.

Naked and Afraid, “Lord of the Rats”

Angela
Age 36
Pittsburgh, PA
Angela has 5 kids and is engaged.
She’s a self-taught survivalist and endurance athlete
Angela is a Vegetarian and right off the bat, this worries me. Nobody eats a lot on Naked and Afraid, and you’ve gotta eat whatever walks, swims, or falls in your hands.
Initial Primitive Survival Rating (PSR): 6.1 out of 10.0
Angela explains her pretty mani-pedi, “I want to survive pretty.”

Naked and Afraid, “Lord of the Rats”Darrin
Age 33
From Utah, but when we first meet him, he’s in Colorado with his beloved dog who is his sole companion.
He’s a self-described loner and a “Mountain Hippy.”
Rock Climbing guide and is a chef
Says that he’s been camping alone since he was 9, when his parents would drop him off in the woods so he could camp by himself. I have so many questions about this statement.
Initial Primitive Survival Rating (PSR): 7.8 out of 10.0
I can finally be naked and no one will call the police.

Our crazy brave survivalists are heading to Koh Mook Thailand, which looks gorgeous, but like most Naked and Afraid locations, everything there wants to kill you.
The location is home to swarms of biting ants.
Up in the canopy live aggressive macaques, which carry Herpes B a.k.a. Monkey sickness. (Which can totally kill you, if left untreated)
The island also has an out-of-control rat population. And where there are rats, there are snakes. Lots o’ snakes — including King Cobras.

Survival Items
The duo has been given a primitive fire-starter.
Darrin brought climbing rope.
Angela brought a Machete.

Darrin will eat almost everything and this year alone, the things he’s eaten have included: grouse, mongoose, ducks, buffalo, several types of chipmunk, several kinds of squirrel and the list goes on and on like Bubba Gump listing shrimp.
Vegetarian Angela looks like she wants to hurl hearing all about Darrin’s carnivorous carnage.
For a loner, Darrin is a Chatty Cathy and I wonder if this is the first time he’s ever spent significant time with a woman.

Once they arrive at an excellent clearing that has access to both the ocean and a cave, Darrin makes fire in what seems like seconds. He’s a fire whisperer and makes Naked and Afraid participants who’ve struggled to make fire look like Chumps.

One it gets dark, the rats come in the explore, and nibble…

Naked and Afraid, “Lord of the Rats”
Jesus would approve of these sandals!

Day 2
The next morning they build themselves a platform bed. They don’t want to give the four-legged varmints a lot of opportunities to scamper across their fannies.
Angela also builds herself a cute leaf skirt. Darrin is too excited to be naked to want to wear any clothes.
But, Darrin does want to wear sandals, which are the most awesome looking things ever. While he doesn’t have the best Interpersonal skills, he’s an absolute wizard in survival settings.

Day 3
Angela fashions a comb out of sticks and bamboo to tame her hair. Pretty smart!
And they head out into the jungle and find bananas. MMmmm, bananas! But they’re not quite ripe. And by “Not Quite ripe,” I mean not even close. They’re like barely-peel-able rocks. But the monkeys want those bananas and are ballsy enough to come into camp to get them.
Darrin says, “The easiest way to deal with thieving monkeys is kill one and they’ll all be scared of you … Monkey takes my food, I eat the Monkey.”

Naked and Afraid, “Lord of the Rats”
Watching Bananas Ripen < ? > Watching paint dry?

Day 5
They each have an idea on how to cook the unripe bananas. Angela’s idea is to put the bananas into the fire’s coals and bake them; hoping that the heat will turn the fruit’s starch into carbohydrates. It’s doesn’t work.
Darrin fashions a pit and basically does a clam bake — but with bananas.
It takes hours, but his way works like a charm. And Darrin doesn’t care if things take a while, he says, “I live on Hippie-, Indian-, Stoner-time.”
So far, they’re living far better than most other Naked and Afraid participants by eating Hearts of Palm and Bananas.
While they sit on the beach, Angela sees the carcass of a Monitor Lizard, but it turns up it’s actually alive although badly injured. So Darrin smashes it with a rock to kill it. But he decided not to eat it, since reptiles are dirty, and carry lots of germs.

Day 8
The bananas are ripening. Slooooowly.

Day 9-14
The monkeys want to steal their bananas. Darrin wants to kill them, but it’s illegal to hunt the monkeys. Darrin’s getting so hungry that he’s going to catch the rats that scamper around their cave.
“In my book, it’s just another type of squirrel.”
That night, Darrin becomes a rat hunter and catches 4 rats. Barf, Vomit, Eew. Angela is almost as grossed out as I am.

Day 15
Darrin makes rat kabobs and laughs just like a serial killer. Angela is appalled. His craziness is mildly creepy, but then he seems oblivious to his partner’s discomfort and takes it way too far. But, most geniuses are a little twisted, even survival geniuses.

Naked and Afraid, “Lord of the Rats”
Weaving a blanket … so Angela can smother her partner.

Day 17
Angela’s goal for the day is to make a blanket. When she tries, Darrin corrects her. She want the opportunity to try — even if her efforts lead to failure.

Day 18
Angela feels weak, but it’s not physically as much as emotionally. She’s annoyed by her partner and being around him is wearing her down. Darrin is strained by having to be around his partner too. He’s definitely a loner and would rather be doing this by himself. Or with a dog.

Naked and Afraid, “Lord of the Rats”
Which one is the bigger Nut?

Day 19
Darrin, the mad genius, has been counting the coconuts on the local trees and when he hears one fall, he heads out and finds it for his partner as a peace offering. Angela and Darrin have made up. They don’t have to be BFF, but they can work together and appreciate their difference.

Day 20
They make a bamboo raft since they know that part of their extraction will involve swimming into deep water.

Day 21
Dawn arrives with a heavy downpour. For their extraction, they have to hike 3 miles across the island before swimming to a waiting boat in the deep water. Darrin isn’t a strong swimmer and Angela leaves him behind in her focus to get to the boat. When she’s out of the water, she sees her partner struggling and dives back into the water to help her partner.

At the end of their 21 says in Thailand,
Darrin only lost 6 pounds, because he feasted like a king. His survival skill set is amazing, so I’m surprised that his PSR only rises from 7.8 to 8.2.
Angela lost 15 lbs. and her PSR rose from 6.1 to 6.3.

26 Comments

  1. Darrin is the man!!! I would be his survival partner anytime. Angela on the other hand should stick to running and swimming…she is no survivalist. Her comment to Darrin when he was eating the rats “so is this why you don’t have a girlfriend”? Shove it Angela!! I not only would spend 21 days in the jungle with Darin, I would be proud to be his girlfriend. Darrin said something about starting his own survival class in Utah. I hope he does, I’ll sign up in a heartbeat to learn the skills he has to teach. Hurry up with that survival class Darrin, I just might sigh up for Matt Graham’s class also in Utah. Just eager to spend some time out in the wilderness surviving off the land.

  2. I would love to buy a pair of those sandals that Darrin made. Do you think I could buy a pair from him?

    Barb

  3. A great review! I enjoyed it almost as much as the show and did not have to endure the snooty lady. Darrin is very good! He is a bit eccentric as are all who spend most of their time alone. Stress does not seem bother him because he works on solutions.

  4. Darrin was one if the best survalists, if not the best, they have have had on this show. Imagine what he could have achieved with a supportive encouraging partner. Instead he got lumped with the Wicked Witch who spent the entire time whining and sneering behind his back. The joke was on her though as every person watching at our house was booing loudly every time her sour and sulky face appeared on camera. What she did at the end was pribably the most despicable thing I have ever witnessed on reality TV. I have no doubt that it was one of the TV crew who made her get back in to try and salvage what she could of her tattered reputation.

  5. The girl was absolutely useless. This is a survival show and she has proved nothing to anybody with her skill set.

  6. I just finished watching “Lord Of The Rats” and have to comment on Darrin. The guy could easily have done it by himself, he was one of the most enjoyable, conscientious, laid-back contestants I’ve seen in a long time- many of his comments made be burst out laughing. Yeah some of the things he said were off-color, but he’s focused on survival- the right way- eat those damn monkeys if it came down to it!

    At the expense of his social skills, his knowledge of how to survive in the wild was top notch. The guy had a good solution for everything. If I were taking this challenge I would want to be paired up with him (although the show wouldn’t put two guys together… and if they did they should put Darrin with Billy Berger from season 1- it would be a sure win!)

    • I loved this guy. And in any survival situation from snow storm to hurricane to jungle. I’d want to be with him. He is agreeable for sure. And anyone could learn a lot from him. Thought he was the best I’ve ever seen on naked. his attitude was always positive. Thought Angela was like cry to be with him. She was a blank. A comb – smart but sheesh.

  7. I have seen a lot of useless contestants on this show, but Angela takes the cake ! Making a comb?! You gotta be kidding me !! I would have left her in the middle of the night and set up my own camp.

  8. Darrin is the best. I have watched every episode of Naked and Afraid and sure those others you are addicted to this show would agree with the following.. They need to send Darrin out again with the girl from “Jungle Love”, that would be a great team. His partner was not a partner rather demonstrating traits of person who competes by themselves, endurance. Can you image anyone else leaving their partner. Her closing comments about her making it? really she could have not made it two days anywhere.

    • Get this guy and his dog their own show…. now! Throw him anywhere and film him for a week or two and you’ll have two or three seasons of survival tv gold

  9. I just want to agree with everyone. I never write on these things but looked this up to do just that. Derren was quirky (a good thing to have in someone) so funny (goofball), smart, an incredibly optimistic and helpful attitude. Never got on that girl for her for not doing anything or for being such a B@#$%. I mean he is the perfect partner anyone could have got in the history of the show. Not bad looking either 🙂

  10. The clips for the episode made Darrin out to look a bit like a sociopath… and then you tune in to find out he’s really a survivalist badass that wants to see the team succeed. Seems like a good guy to have around. Angela, on the other hand… wow. She appeared pretty useless, and that stunt where she completely disregarded Darrin in the ocean and left his struggling on his own after all he did for her. I’m guessing one of the film guys said to her on the boat “If you don’t want to end up looking like Darth Vader, I’d go check on your partner on the water out there…”, at which point she pretended to have a conscious and actually care about his well being. She seemed a bit self-centered.

  11. Darrin was the best and I would probably watch if he had his own survival show. Entertaining, great attitude and super skilled. What was with the 8.2 score???? The guy only lost 6 lbs. If he could kill monkeys he probably would have gained weight! Chick needed to recognize.

  12. I thought darrin was cool . the girl was useless condescending arrogant and just a flat out beeatch !

    • So agree, I felt so bad for this obviously nice and insanely good guy to have on your team be broken down by that winch.

  13. I’ve known darrin for 15 plus years, he’s allways been a little off, but he’s a great person, he goes all out, he is the one you want on your side, he can survive anywhere, anything, he did a great job

    • I am happy to see that Darrin has an astute friend. His basic kindness and matter of fact acceptance of reality is refreshing. No rah rah look at me nonsense. I did not see him even raise his voice. His PSR should have been at least 9.5.

  14. I heard a rumor that the cast of the next season of Naked and Afraid will be former participants. Do you think Darrin should be one of the returnees (I think several of this season’s participants would be great to see again) or would you prefer seeing people who tapped out during their first attempt get a shot at redemption?

    • Darrin, hands down, would out survive any of the male survivors! but would love to see him pair up and show “he’s the man.” again, lol…It would be interesting to see if those that tapped out were given another chance, since they give an excuse as to why they tapped out. For example, Afften DeShazer stated (something like) she would like the opportunity to try again. She was so funny to me.

    • Darrin was the first one that could actually thrive in this environment. Making fire in that wet environment, and having all the traps that worked perfectly. If I had to survive Darrin would be my first choice.

  15. Not sure why her PSR went up. The only thing she did that made any difference was to go back into the water and help Darrin when he was struggling with his hip. Having said that, this is the first episode where one survivor basically abandons the other to get on the boat. On every episode I have seen, either swimming or hiking, both survivors arrive at the same same. She should have swam with him until they both got in the boat. Her swimming ahead was both selfish and dangerous. He is one of the few survivalist that probably could done the 21 days by himself

  16. Darrin “high five!” Darrin should get his own survivor show. Aside from his quirkiness, he’s the best survivor I have seen since I’ve been watching the show. His partner had no relevance, at all. She had a free ride. The nerve of her complaining, oh brother.

  17. Darrin was awesome ! when you have a partner like him I would just look and learn . I was glad to see Angela going in and helping him reach the extraction point at the end. That made up for the way she was .

  18. Of all the shows, my highest respect for Darrin. Only 6 lbs loss, dude, you rock! Of course, the chick was another nag, that only used her mouth and no other skills.

  19. Darrin rocked – his partner was not a help and he still had a great attitude. She wouldn’t last five minutes out there without someone else

  20. Loved your performance Darrin.
    Wish you were given a better partner than another useless woman who just stands around, nags and complains all the time.
    You rock dude.

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