This reunion seems to have been recorded before the entire series has aired, so who knows if any of the participants had the change to see what horses’ fannies some of them have been? Hopefully the producers will show some key moments so we get to see the group’s reaction to some of the behaviors of their fellow participants.
I was hoping that tonight’s moderator was going to be Josh Wolf of Naked After Dark fame, he’s hilarious and has a sense of humor that would dissipate tension. And he loves “Adult Show & Tell,” so he could have everyone show their prowess with catching eels from a barrel. But it looks like a self-directed reunion will have to do. (If there was a moderator, he or she was cut out.)
By a show of hands, (Or perhaps by sounding off below,) who likes the participants more after watching Naked and Afraid XL? Who likes some of the participants less? Anyone in particular that suffered in your mind’s eye?
Do you think the reason that so many of the participants came off as jerks (I’m just assuming that you feel the same way) is because with more than two people, there’s so much more talking? If I had cameras on me for 40 days and I had a lot of people around me, I stand a pretty good chance of saying something idiotic. But if I was with one person, I may not talk for days; especially if he was a jerkface.
Another point I’d like to point out is that the survivalists had a lot of stuff! On the first few seasons of Naked and Afraid, the survivalists had two survival items. Two. So you had to think hard. Did you want fire? Did you want to cut stuff? Did you want to boil water in something? In later seasons, some of the participants have been given a flint in addition to their two items, but still, that’s pretty Spartan living. In Naked and Afraid XL, each survivalist had a blade in addition to their survival item. So each group of three had six survival items. There was no “waiting for my partner to be done with the knife,” so you could cut wood, or go hunt, or clean a fish. You you had your own knife. (Unless your teammate went postal and threw your stuff in the water.) Maybe having such a large amount of stuff on-hand made people less community-minded. You didn’t need your teammate because you didn’t need his or her knife or pot, or magnifying glass. Perhaps when you have nothing, you’ll share everything. That’s my two cents; I’d love to hear your thoughts…
All 12 people returned for the reunion. They may have been contractually obligated, but I feel that several of the participants had every right to wash their hands of the show.
I’m also glad to hear that some of the relationships that were forged in the wild are still going strong. And Laura poignantly pointed out the biggest difference between Naked and Afraid and the XL experience. “You can get by the 21 days with a lot of mental attitude and a little bit of skill; I feel like the 40 days is different. You have to give it everything you have, or you’re not making it out.”
We got to see a little scene of Chris, Alana and Luke eating lizards. It’s gross, but like most things, it could be improved by a little ranch dressing, or some Mayo. And it was early in the survival experience, because there was no hostility. Those were the days, or maybe even that was the day.
Tender Bits. Several of the male Naked and Afraid XL participants had run-ins with insect bites on their private parts. Why did everyone on XL not try an make any type of clothing? Or shoes? Was this a group decision or an edict from above?
The Agony of ‘Da Feet. Shane revealed that he built a box of sharp stuff in his apartment to toughen his tootsies, and Eva also demonstrated how to walk over tough ground without ruining her feet.
Hakim talked about the guying cramps that caused him to tap on early in the 40-day experience. “Love is sacrifice,” he told his teammates.
The Agony of ‘Da Hand. Why did they never again mention Eva’s hand? I’d love to know how that nasty cut healed up!
Rock on! A new season of N&A in October. And it looks like some of the pairings may be same-sex! That will be so much fun! And we can wash the bitter taste of Naked and Afraid XL out of our mouths.
It was fun to witness a few lighthearted moments with the crew, I’d love to see a BTS episode with more input from show producers, camera people and the show’s casting director, Kristi Russell. It’s hard to remember that while the survivalists are traversing terrain, so is a crew (albeit a well fed one) who has a camera attached to their faces, or boom mics in-hand. It was a great chance to see the folks who make this show possible and an awesome segue to the interpersonal conflicts that arose in XL.
“I can survive the wild, but surviving the people is another thing,” said Jeff.
The trouble with Honora. Honora still feels marginalized by Chris’ refusal to eat her fruit, and Chris is still an ass. It is still pretty hilarious to watch her throw their stuff in the river. And Honora is still a little unhinged. I’m glad she has her therapy dog there to help her get through revisiting the moments where everyone on that team looked unstable.
We got a highlight reel of Jeff and EJ’s partnership. And we got to hear a lot of their yelling. We also got to hear about the awkwardness when EJ and Jeff didn’t want to spend time with their former teammates Laura and Eva. EJ apologized for being a little aloof.
Rock On! Part 2. Can we talk about this for a second: WTF is Danielle wearing in her hair? Is she a member of Aerosmith? Maybe she needs to listen to their lyrics…
The Shane Game. Shane got to talk about his drama with teammates Danielle and Alana. You know that partnership was put together to cause drama. Shane is still hurt by his teammates crappiness. Perhaps it was a poor choice of words for Shane to “offer his help” to his teammates, when really he was the one asking for help. Maybe this one incorrect phrase was the defining moment that set him up for failure. Alana finally asked Shane if she could give him a hug. Hopefully Alana had a chance to introspect and realized that she was pretty bitchy.
Dani Drama. Dani revealed that the four days that she spent alone were mentally taxing. Dani got a change to hear the awful things that Alana and Danielle said about her. And she had the opportunity to hear what “The mob” said behind her back. Dani took such a classy route and let her teammates make themselves look as bad as they were. I am so proud of her for asking them, “What the hell is wrong with you?” Exactly, Dani. What is wrong with them? Luke and Eva apologized, but Eva’s apology felt especially forced. Regardless, it was too little too late, because their lack of care cost Dani the opportunity of completing the 40-day challenge.
Probably my favorite part of the reunion special (besides watching Dani tell off her former teammates) was seeing the eight who made it to extraction stuff their faces. I’m sure that after starving for 40 days, any nutritionist would recommend they eat a big bowl of Doritos. I’m sure that everyone puked later, but it was fun to see how giddy they got over Chips Ahoy, PB&J, Doritos and fruit.
Other Naked and Afraid XL recaps
Naked and Afraid XL Episode 8 “40 Days Filth and Fury”
Naked and Afraid XL Episode 7 “40 Days Falling Apart”
Naked and Afraid XL Episode 6 “40 Days Sacrifice”
Naked and Afraid XL Episode 5 “40 Days Death Match”
Naked and Afraid XL Episode 4 “40 Days Jungle Rich”
Naked and Afraid XL Episode 3 “Snake in the Grass”
Naked and Afraid XL Episode 2 “40 Days, No Escape”
Naked and Afraid XL Episode 1
Discovery announces new series, Naked and Afraid XL
Naked and Afraid Casting Secrets
How To Get On Naked and Afraid
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