Just how real is Naked and Afraid? 

The popular Discovery Channel survival series follows a pair of participants who are dropped into a remote area without food, clothes, or supplies, where they’re challenged to survive for three weeks in the wilderness. The setup makes for gripping TV, but viewers have long wondered if some or all of the show is scripted. But according to past Naked and Afraid participants, everything from the crippling hunger to the occasionally gruesome injuries is 100% real. 

‘Naked and Afraid’ alum says show has ‘no script, no guidelines’ 

In 2020, Blair Braverman opened up about her experience on Naked and Afraid in an essay for Outside. She explained that while a few aspects of the show were strongly influenced by the producers, most of what viewers see is what really happened. 

“The first day was ‘television.’ I’d follow the script,”  she wrote of filming her 2019 episode. That involved her and her partner removing their clothes, meeting each other, and finding the show’s signature burlap bags and a map. But after those initial moments, the participants are on their own. 

“The rest of the challenge is up to them. No script, no guidelines, no plan,” she explained.

‘Naked and Afraid’ crew won’t feed participants

While the Naked and Afraid participants’ experiences are real, only a small portion of what’s filmed makes it to TV. Sometimes, editing can slightly distort events, alum Dani Beau told Nikki Swift. 

“I would say for the most part, it is accurate,” she said. “I could tell by my hairstyles in some of the clips, they would show something happening, and my hair’s in two braids, but then I’m talking about it, and my hair looks different. I’m like, ‘That’s definitely not happening on the same day,’ but that’s just how it works.”

Sometimes, the challenges of filming in an extreme environment force producers to intervene, Beau added. Cast members wear necklaces that contain a microphone to capture audio, and their bags contain a cord and battery pack. If those are damaged, it can cause problems. 

“It’s not waterproof, so when you’re in a rainy environment, the audio gets messed up,” she said. So sometimes you do have to — they might say, “Dani, can you say exactly what you said again? Because our audio is ruined.” 

Unlike a show like Alone, which is almost entirely self-shot, a camera crew is on hand to capture footage for Naked and Afraid. But if you think the crew is handing out treats to the cast off-camera, think again. While the participants might beg for food, the show’s team doesn’t relent (though they will intervene in the case of a true emergency).  

“We’d say, ‘We’ll do this if you give us this,’ and they’d just laugh, because they would never break down and give us stuff,” recalled Alyssa Ballestero in an interview with Refinery29. “But we did try.”  

Naked and Afraid airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel. 

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