Recap: Naked and Afraid Season 5 Premiere “Foresaken”

"I can do this. I can DO this."

Welcome back, Naked and Afraid fans! Season 5 of the Discovery series returns to the standard, “2 people, 21 days format” and kicks off in frequent N&A territory, Panama. This week’s survivalists — Gary and Kim — try to survive a Panamanian panic for three weeks.

For this excursion, we’re in the thick jungles of  San Jose Island. While it looks like a tropical paradise, a closer inspection reveals:
Wild boar
Venomous Spiders
10-foot long Boas
Swarms of insects, like sand flies.
Scorching days and freezing nights.

Let’s meet this week’s crazy kids…

Kim Kelly
Age: 23
Occupation: Baker
Current Residence: Moab, Utah
Relationship Status: Single, parent of one daughter.
Survival Skills: Primitive cooking, mentally tough, survival grit

Raised to be outdoorsy and resourceful, Kim considers herself a loner and would love to make her living helping people learn to support themselves outdoors.

Kim has lived in the woods. Can forage, can fish and can build shelter. Kim’s also the single mom of an adorable daughter and says she has a major problem with authority.

Initial PSR 6.2 our to 10.0
Kim’s starting quote, “It’s going to be hard as F@#$, but it’s going to happen.”

Gary Underhill
Age: 52
Occupation: Tactical/Defensive Firearms Instructor, retired Police Officer and former member of military reserves.
Current Residence: Reno, Nevada
Relationship Status: Married with 7 children
Survival Skills: Primitive shelter building, back country and desert backpacking and camping, desert survival trained, water purification

Gary learned desert survival as a child and boy scout when he grew up in Arizona. Toughened his survival training as a military reservist and a retired police officer.

Initial PSR 7.1 out of 10.0
Gary is totally giddy to be on this adventure. It seems like the culmination of his long life of training.
Gary quote: Gary isn’t going to carry his partner, but “I’ll motivate the S#!@ out of her.”

Gary’s Discovery.com bio says he’s the father of 7 kids and Kim has as many siblings, so it’ll be interesting if they slip into a father-daughter relationship. But a closer look at Kim’s bio reveals that she and her siblings were raised by a single mom, so perhaps Kimmy doesn’t need a father-figure on this adventure.

Survival Items
The participants have a length of paracord and each have brought a primitive survival tool. Maybe this area doesn’t have naturally growing fibers that can be turned into cordage?
Gary brought his Battle Axe. “He tells his partner, “You can dig with it, cut with it, crush with it, this is gong to serve us well.”
Kim has a bow drill that she made. It’s not a tool that she’s an expert with.

Day 1
After walking for several hours, Kim and Gary find a jungle clearing that they select as their camp. Gary starts chopping into a tree and before long he find a good sign, a cross-happed stick. Kim isn’t thrilled by his religion. “My partner is a religious cop; my nightmare.”

Kim starts using her bow drill to make fire. She’s not successful and Gary isn’t happy that his partner selected a tool that she’s not good with.

That night, it’s dark, chilly and something is lurking in the bushes. “This is the afraid part of Naked and Afraid,” says Gary. They fall asleep they won’t quit on each other and while they snooze, a giant tarantula climbs overhead. Yikes!!! I wonder how high Gary and Kim jumped when they saw that scene tonight!

Day 2
Gary is thirsty. Kim tries to make fire again with her bow drill. Gary’s thirst has him so desperate that he’ willing to drink untreated water from the stream. Kim drinks too.

Kim spends the entire day struggling with the bow drill. That night, they are freezing as the temperatures fall into the mid-sixties and the wind blows relentlessly. Kim asks to cuddle, but Gary refuses.

Day 3
Kim confronts Gary about his unwillingness to cuddle. She assures him that the physical contact won’t lead to anything else, but he isn’t willing to compromise his morals. “You cannot do this on your won for the next 18 days, and I cannot do this on my own for the next 18 days. We need each other … I’ll tell you right now, I will not walk away from you, because I’ve never, ever left a man behind. We never left a man behind in Iraq, we never left anybody behind in Afghanistan, and I’m not about to do that to you now.” Then Gary Lambasts Kim for bringing a survival item that she wasn’t familiar with. He tells her that she’s let them down.

"I can do this. I can DO this."
“I can do this. I can DO this.”

Kim tearfully leaves Gary and cries to her confession camera and tells herself words of motivation. “I can do this. I can do this.”
Re-watch the scene:

While Gary snores in their shelter, Kim doggedly tries to build fire yet again. Her determination is rewarded when she makes fire. Atta woman!!! She’s a total #SHEro.

Now they need massive amounts of firewood. Gary’s battle axe struggles to chop trees into firewood. He’s soon exhausted and needs the medic.

Day 4
Suddenly it’s day 4, which is strange; it was day 3 before the commercial break. The medics advise that Gary needs to tap out. He apologizes to Kim and asks her forgiveness. Kim tells him not to leave feeling guilty for her.

Naked and Afraid Season 5 Premiere
“I’ll never leave you … but bye.” -sorta what Gary said.

Now Kim’s left alone in the jungle by herself. “It’s going to be dark, and I’ll be alone, she says. “It’s going to be really F@#$ing hard you guys are going to think I’m a big fat crybaby. And that’s okay, but I’m going to do it. I’m not quitting.” I love her determination.

That night, Kim gets eaten by bugs, but she has fire. I wonder if the sand fleas are drawn to the fire’s warmth.

Naked and Afraid Season 5 Premiere
This coconut tastes coco-crappy.

Day 5
Kim survived the night. She decides to rebuild the shelter to get a clean start. A decision that she regrets. So Kim decides to get herself to the beach and look for coconuts. The first one she finds is rotten, but opening it has worn her out too much to look for more.

Day 6
Kim returns to the beach and finds three coconuts. When she cracks one open, the nourishing water spills into her lap. Kim manages to catch some between her legs and eagerly scoops it into her mouth. “I drank coconut crotch water,” she says. “And I loved it.”
Kim takes a look at her day’s events. She made a new shelter, she found coconuts — “I kicked ass today!” she says.

That night, boars try to get into her camp. Kick-ass-Kim charges at them in the brush. “Go away!” she yells at the three little piggies. She no longer seems afraid.

Day 7
Kim was uneasy at the though of pigs charging her camp, but the though of pigs also made her mouth water. She builds an amazing trap and when the bait is stolen she makes tweaks to it. Over the next 5 days, the trap attracts a lot of critters, but nothing springs the trap.

Day 13
That morning, Kim sees that her trap has been robbed by another tricky critter. Kim breaks down and cries with sweet memories of her daughter and the food she’s likely eating at that moment. It’s such a human moment. And Kim pulls herself together and keeps going.

Day 18
Kim is starving. We haven’t seen her eat anything. She spies a “baby gator” in her watering hole and tries to catch it. Basically, she sticks her stick in it, and hacks it to death with Gary’s Battle Axe. She’s emotional because it was a messy, and unmerciful kill and cries. It seems a mixture of relief, joy, happiness, grief, gratitude and loneliness.
“That’s the thing about survival; you have to get your hands dirty.”

Kim grills some of the meat and will smoke the rest for the remainder of her experience. The meat is a godsend and she’s really grateful.

That night, the sand fleas are the worst yet, because of the full moon. Kim perfectly describes them as fiberglass being rubbed on her skin and comes up with a genius and gross solution. She mixes her urine with ask from the fire and rubs it on her body. “I have pee on my face.” She stage whispers to her confession camera.

Day 19
There is a pig in Kim’s trap!!! It’s a wee small pig!!! But Kim’s belly is full, so she lets the cute pig go. She is satisfied with her adult decision and hopes her daughter would be proud of her. She is, Momma. She is.

Day 21
Kim is SO amped that it’s the end of her ordeal. She’s exhausted and knows that her extraction will be a physical challenge that she’s barely up for, but she decides to take Gary’s heavy axe with her. “No man left behind,” she tells it.

As she walks, Kim narrowly misses a boa and encounters razor grass and thorns. Kim emerges from the jungle and up rolls a white pickup truck “My nightmare is over!” she crows.

And the end of her 21-day experience, Kim seems like a completely different woman. She remembers, “The girl who came up her was playful and unsure.” The girl who is leaving Panama has power. She is hopeful that this newfound confidence will make her a better mother to her sweet daughter Naomi. I am sure that she is right.

Over the course of 21 days, Kim lost 23 lbs. and her PSR rose from 6.2 to 7.0 out of 10. I think she got hosed. That was an 8.0 effort if I’ve ever seen one. She trapped, she hunted, she made fire, she found liquid. She did it all

In his 4-5 days, Gary lost 8 lbs. and his PSR fell from 7.1 to 5.3. That seems about right and I’m sorry that Gary didn’t get a chance to complete the adventure. I’m sure she would have been a good helper to Kim; because she’s a survival BOSS!

In the words of Kim, “Suck it, Gary!” Bwahahah. Just kidding bro, I would love to know what made him feel to ill so quickly. Did he get a virus, or did his 52 year-old bones just run out of giddyup?

Kim is a pretty amazing Naked and Afraid participant. She’d be a good person to think about for a future XL version. And I bet next time, she’ll be an ace with that bow drill!!

23 Comments

  1. What were the producers thinking? Matching a 52-year old dude with a 23-year old young lady. My first thought was that he was never going to last the 21 days…just too darn old. Kim showed great mental toughness, but I think her rating was influenced by the fact that from day 5 to day 18, she virtually starves. Still, Kim is to be commended lasting the whole time; not many can do that.

  2. Is it just me, or did the so called “wild” animals in this episode seem a little docile. I mean, I’ve never seen a cayman just sit there and let anything walk up on it and I’ve most definitely never seen a trapped hog just stand there quietly. It all seemed a bit staged.

    Especially when she was walking out to extraction, you could see that the brush was freshly pre-cut when they were shooting down by her feet. She didn’t do it. I’m thinking she got a little help from some producers on this one. Just saying.

    • We lived in Florida for 17 years or so. We were hooked on canoeing and used to get so close to gator’s that you could reach out and touch them. What do they care? they’re the top predators out there and have zero natural enemies. If you watch the extended version of this episode you’ll notice the little piglet sort of just mills around kind of dumbfounded that it’s loose then wanders off. It was probably exhausted from being caught and, not having much in the way of interaction with a human realized the human had just released it….who knows how a pig thinks? Nothing unusual about the caiman’s behavior though.

  3. Kim rocks for sure, I couldn’t figure out why Gary didn’t at least try to make a fire.

    • I feel bad for Kim growing up in a 7-child family with a single mom; no wonder she learned survival skills. Maybe someone should have told her Mom that the best survival skill is “birth control”.

    • “I couldn’t figure out why Gary didn’t at least try to make a fire”: because he couldn’t. He talked real big but couldn’t do much of anything. Shelter building? Fail. Fire making? Fail. Firewood/kindling gathering? Fail. Supporting his partner? Fail. So, Mr. Macho everything overall a complete and epic failure. Kim? She sort of said she didn’t have any survival skills yet, Fire making? Success! Shelter building by herself? Success. Getting food? Success. Supporting her partner? Never got the chance as the wimp tapped out after completing (barely) three days, tapping out early on the 4th day. I agree, Kim rocks for sure.

  4. Just watched the episode with Kim with my son-in-law. We were feeling her pain of being stuck with a religious cop. Like is the ordeal she is about to endure not cruel enough? We were saddened when the cop tapped out because we really wanted to see this young woman motivate the ass off that cop and were blown away when Kim decided to go it alone. We should have know that she would after her kick-ass fire making and displaying maturity seldom seen in a person of her age. We cheered with every one of her victories. I won a bet when she did exactly what I knew she would when she let the pig go. Not because I thought she was too soft but because I knew she would see it as unnecessary. I have never seen so much young femininity display so much power, grace and maturity. She won two country boy’s deepest respect. And if I was 30 years younger I would be on my way to Utah to fight my way to the front of that long line of courters leading up to her door. What a catch.
    If you read this Kim and are ever in my nations capital, you and your adorable daughter are welcome to stay for free as long as you like at my country home. I have a grand-daughter I think your daughter would make fast friends with. Keep on kicking as girl! Especially those religious authoritative types.

    • Lance, you are so right, my wife and I feel the same. “My partner is a religious cop; my nightmare.” Hilarious, just how I felt before she said it.

  5. Some of these women are tougher than the men. Kim made it look easy. I think her rating should have been higher. Looks wise; I would give her a 10. Overall, just impressed with her toughness and survival skills. Can’t believe that guy did not want to cuddle with her………

  6. Kim, I LOVED watching you take on this challenge and blast it out of the water. I am still bitching to my husband that you got robbed, because if you aren’t a 10.0 after that, what could possibly count as a 10? Your spirit, your courage, your inspiring and positive attitude, you have it all, girl. I know you don’t need a “fan club,” but you certainly have the beginnings of one, judging from just the comments posted today. I wish I had half your courage and spirit and I am 2 1/2 times your age. Good luck in everything you take on, although I don’t think you are going to need it.

  7. Kim was AMAZING! I truly didn’t think she’d make it more then a day or two after Gary checked out, especially after struggling with the “bow drill” fire starter…but she did it and with grace and humility! Awesome person!

  8. Well I have to say I was very impressed with Kims fortitude and abilities. I too think that a 7.0 rating is too low, probably should have been an 8.0. Maybe they took off because she brought a bow drill instead of a proper fire starter, but then again maybe they gave her the extra cordage because she didn’t have a regular fire starter.

    Anyhow hope to see her on survivor XL

  9. “My partner is a religious cop; my nightmare.” You’ve got to love that line, right on the money. This guy can rival Chrissy Fischer in assholeness. A religious guy alright, look how he treated her, what a role model for Christianity. “No, I won’t help you be warm, I got VALUES.” What a dick. That’s just one of my favorite lines from Kim the Conqueror. Then there’s “Suck it Gary”, he deserves that line. The there’s the “No guy left behind”, riiiight….we loved it when she said that about his stupid fighting tomahawk (what a stupid “tool” to bring for survival, a knife would have been much more useful, try to dress out a fish with a hatchet, duh?) Another Macho moron that talks big and can’t deliver, it’s like every one of the big bad combat veterans (well, sort of because in Gary’s case it’s more like Big Bad Truck driver) that can’t hunt, can’t make fire, can’t build a decent shelter and can’t take care of their team mates (do the words “I’m not gonna carry her” sound familiar?) . Seriously where do they get these deranged bozos from? This young lady showed strength, fortitude, logic and determination as well as sheer survival skills that crushed Gary’s militant mind set. Take away his cop cruiser, his body armor, his 9mm and his nightstick and put him up against nature and his penis shrank to a nub. I think that he was done when she made fire and he couldn’t criticize her any more, he couldn’t do it, the wind was completely out of his sails at that point and he was headed home with his tail between his legs. Kim, you rock. This 69 year old and his wife of 40 years take our hats off to you, what a great gal, what a great mom. If I had any kind of a business I’d be contacting you with a job offer. You’ve got all the attributes of an outstanding employee and a prospect for management……can’t tell you how much we appreciate you. By the way you deserve much more than a 7.0 PSR proving, yet again that the PSR ratings are bogus. Fire making, 9.0; food gathering, 9.0; getting rid of sand fleas, 9.0; ok so shelter building 7.1 but overall, 8.5….What a great mom, Naomi should be proud, you should be proud…..you’ve got two fans here….love, Ken&Debbie

    • Ken, you and Debbie are right on!! Kim was so inspiring and an incredible role model.
      And yes, the PSR ratings are bogus. Kim’s low initial PSR rating was explained as her “lack of formalized training,” but the training that the boy scouts and the U.S. Military give isn’t a be all, and end all. You have to take those skills and use them as a framework and addd to that knowledge with practical experience (like EJ has). It seems that Kim’s ability to be resourceful came from her upbringing and deserved a much higher starting point.

      • Thanks Kellie, the PSR ratings are getting really dull here. Kim was the bomb out there and deserved way more than she was given, lasting three weeks and 4 days on her own, wow, very impressive showing. We love her. What a positive attitude, great skill set and a heart as big as the outdoors letting that little piggy go when she didn’t need it, it was a cutie alright. Joe Teti, EJ, Jeff, Chrissy all would have cruelly killed it for no reason……

    • Absolutely agree…At first I was thinking “why bring a bow drill that you cant use?” but the way her partner reacted was petty and childish. I was team Kim after that . Her resilience and determination to make fire shows what this program is all about. Hats off to her. 17 days alone in the jungle! She is my favorite survivalist thus far.

  10. PPS If there any sponsors, cut this girl a break. She is a actual proper role model and star. She so could be doing far more important things in the world, eg survival and motivational talks. As good a job as working as a baker is and must be i feel she has a great potential. Just saying..Peace Steven Melbourne Australia

  11. Hello, just finish watching this ep. Wow at the start I thought this girl kym was a little bit “hard core”. Well she is on of the most kind and compashionate people i have ever watched. She is not the person she says she is, comes accross. She is just wonderful. Full of emotion and raw honesty. Im really impressed with her ability to start that first fire and i think her God loving companion does nt know if he is Arthur or Marthure? He looks like a criminal with all those tats yet he is a policeman slash survivalist slash Precher slash hardcore slash moral compass? lol. The guy is clearly influenced easily. And the Irak vet tapped out, very surprised how emotional he got considering how trained he is.
    Back to the star of this ep kym. She is great. Down to earth and smart. A true survivalist and her daughter must be so proud. I really hope she is on the second series of XL. Im sure she’ll easily make 40 days. As she made this look like a walk in the park. Even let that sweet piglet go, what a sweetheart!!!!!Best ep i have seen. Had to let someone know. I hope this is the right forum. Take care Steven Melbourne Australia.

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