Not Naked But Sweetly Afraid

Could you survive Naked & Afraid? That’s what the Discovery Channel wants to know.

From the Maldives to Costa Rica — this show gives viewers the down and dirty of what happens when a man and woman are dropped off NAKED, in EXTREME conditions, WITHOUT supplies for 21 DAYS.

Once I got past the blurred crotch shots, the Adam & Eve set up, and the freakin’ snake scenes (holy sssssssss&$%@), I decided this was a sweetly-awkward-yet-somehow-appropriate show to introduce to the kids.

We are LOVING every (edited) minute of it.

I’m a big fan of Alison Teal from Alison’s Adventures and she first talked about filming the show last spring. She shines in her episode where she and big, strong, crybaby sunburned Jonathan survive on a brutal island in the Maldives subsisting on nothing but coconuts and an eel. (Sidenote: If you haven’t checked out Alison and her incredible parents, I highly recommend watching this. *Allow time for daydreaming.)

The other night we watched three episodes:

With fire & some washed up ocean treasures (his panties, her tunic) Jonathan & Alison ultimately formed a strong partnership.

Kim & Shane struggling in the Costa Rican rain forest.

Laura & Clint teaming up in Panama’s harsh conditions.

Laura’s feet by day 3 in Panama. Luckily she finds medicinal leaves to soothe them.

We’re officially obsessed. To the point that when we went up to get ready for bed one night, Briggs spotted an escaped cricket from our fire belly toads’ recent feeding and decided to “hunt” it and eat it so he could “practice his survival skills”.

As he walked to the kitchen with his kill (with perhaps a bit of “oh fudge, what am I doing” setting in) he started asking if he could dip it in something or swallow it with a drink. We settled on a dab of Nutella with a Coke chaser.

Chow time.

Adios Mr. Cricket.

Uhhh, what did I just do?

Taste like chicken?

Send THAT to Discovery Channel!

Briggs wasn’t naked and was only mildly afraid, but he was really jazzed about catching and eating that cricket. The girls and I were even considering joining in for a second course (emphasis on “considering”) but opted out.

What I love most about the show is the curiosity it stirs up in the kids, and in me too. Why did they do that? What would happen if they couldn’t find water? What’s the difference between a crocodile and a caiman? Where exactly are the Maldives? Healthy curiosity keeps us observant, engaged, and constantly growing. A life of questioning is sure to lead to adventures of all kinds – physical, mental, and emotional. And it prevents us from ever finding something boring. In our house, if someone says they’re bored, they prep themselves for my (annoying) reply of “Bored people are boring.”

Naked & Afraid provides a hearty launching pad for conversation, exploration, and valuable just-in-case knowledge. We can’t wait for the next episode – Sundays at 8 pm. In the meantime, you can check out previous full episodes online here.

*Note to parents – while they blur obvious body parts, they do show full booties. Lots of them. It took our crew about 3 minutes to get over that part by being so absorbed in the intended content. Previewing may be good.