‘Naked and Afraid’: All the near-death situations viewers never saw coming on Discovery Channel
Oribi Gorge, South Africa: ‘Naked and Afraid’ stands as one of the most intense survival shows on television. Imagine being forced to fend for yourself in the wild, completely naked. Competitors battle hunger, thirst and exposure with no clothing or shelter.
It’s a precarious situation, and there have been moments where fans feared certain cast members wouldn’t make it. This raises the question: Did anyone die ‘naked and scared’?
Our investigation revealed that while there have been a few close calls and even a staged death, there has never been a documented instance of dying in ‘Naked and Afraid’.
Thankfully, no contestants lost their lives during the production or filming of the intense reality show. However, it is worth noting that a former ‘Naked and Afraid’ contestant died in 2022, unrelated to the filming of the show.
‘Naked and Afraid’ star Melanie Rouser dies in 2022 unrelated to ongoing filming (@discoverychannel)
Melanie Rauscher, former cast member of ‘Naked and Afraid’ and ‘Naked and Afraid XL,’ dies in 2022. His last appearance on the show was in 2015, and his death was unrelated to any ongoing filming.
According to TMZ, the 35-year-old died in Arizona after inhaling a fatal amount of compressed air. His autopsy determined the cause of death to be difluoroethane poisoning, commonly associated with huffing. Jeremy Macka, a former contestant on the show, paid tribute to Melanie upon hearing of her death. On Facebook, he wrote, “She was a beast of a woman who couldn’t be put out of the box and thought about.”
‘Naked and Afraid’s Manu Toigo has recovered from dengue
Manu Toigo developed hemorrhagic fever as a complication of severe dengue fever. After filming ended, he returned to Los Angeles from Panama, where he had been in production for the show.
At that time, he realized that he had contracted dengue fever from a mosquito bite and was suffering from severe headaches and nosebleeds. Thankfully, he made a full recovery.
‘Naked and Afraid’ star Manu Toigo has dengue (YouTube/@delweston6134)
Samantha Wohl almost died of hypothermia in ‘Naked and Afraid’
In Season 8, Samantha Wohl suffered from hypothermia due to a rapid drop in body temperature, exacerbated by her refusal to share body heat with her partner during the rain. His condition was further complicated by severe starvation.
After her partner called an ambulance, doctors became concerned about Samantha’s condition as she suffered from stage 2 hypothermia, putting her organs at risk of failure. Fortunately, he recovered during his hospital stay. Samantha regrets not being able to complete the challenge yet.
‘Naked and Afraid’ star Samantha Wohl suffers from hypothermia (@DiscoveryChannel)
‘Naked and Afraid’ producer Steve Rankin suffers snakebite
Even before the show’s official launch in 2013, ‘Naked and Afraid’ faced perhaps its most dangerous incident yet. While visiting filming locations in Costa Rica, producer Steve Rankin was bitten by a pit viper.
He was rushed to the hospital to prevent the poison from spreading, despite suffering serious leg injuries. Thankfully, he made a full recovery.
‘Naked and Afraid’ producer Steve Rankin was bitten by a snake (X/@steve_rankin)
Honora Bowen staged her death in ‘Naked and Afraid’
Contestant Honora Bowen allegedly came close to death in season 3, but it was later revealed that she staged her illness to leave the show. Initially citing bladder problems as the reason, he reportedly requested to quit, but the producers convinced him to stay.
To avoid hospitalization, Honora eventually entered a catatonic state. He claimed that his blood pressure was low and he was on the verge of dying. To put it mildly, his death was easy to stage.
‘Naked and Afraid’ star Honora Bowen wants to leave the show (@DiscoveryChannel)
As a precaution, the show has employed extra security measures, including having fully clothed doctors on site in case of emergencies.
‘Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’ Season 2 will air on July 14, 2024 on Discovery Channel. New episodes air Sundays at 8 pm ET/PT.