This "Naked and Afraid" Show?

Discussion in 'Off Grid Living' started by TriColorPansy, Apr 1, 2014.


  1. TriColorPansy

    TriColorPansy Monkey

    I read through the Doomsday Prepp'ers BS thread and got some good laughs from it, and was wondering what you guys think of the more recent show Naked and Afraid? I saw some of the first episodes awhile back and enjoyed them, but like other reality TV shows the novelty wore off. I was actually expecting the show to be cancelled at some point due to "concerned parents" tearing it apart for the - censored - nudity, but was surprised to see a new episode airing the other night. Unfortunately I was turned off by how they were now having participants come and discuss their experiences in a talk show format. I know a good chunk of reality TV is scripted, but the less obvious you make it the better. Just like Doomsday Preppers it quickly became less about showing off your supposed knowledge and survival skills and more about making a spectacle for ratings...
     
  2. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    You will NOTICE that the locations are all in Jungle, and Warm Climates..... Let them make an episode in Alaska, in the Winter, or even Spring or Fall... Then they would have a REALITY Show worth watching. I get a kick out of these BS Shows for about 10 minutes, and then get bored.
     
  3. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Let's be fair, as Alaska might be too big of a leap...

    Let 'em at least condition themselves by enduring the coastal rain forests in Washington, Oregon or British Columbia during the winter in just above freezing temperatures with sideways rain for a few days.

    And stay dry and warm.
     
    chelloveck likes this.
  4. TriColorPansy

    TriColorPansy Monkey

    That's true, I've seen participants boast about being able to survive in the mountains and other colder environments and wondered if the show would ever have an episode like that so we could see them craft clothing and shelters to handle the weather.

    As a visual learner who is a total novice to survival-ism I'd like a program that's actually helpful in some way. I'd like to see a long-term program where you place a group of people in environments they're experienced with and watch as they work together to develop solutions to a variety of situations. You could even have episodes where nothing happens and they just demonstrate the tasks necessary to get through the day, instead of purposely creating conflict. That's one thing that irked me about Naked and Afraid and other shows I eventually lost interest in - the drama could get annoying at times.
     
  5. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Alaska natives wore Ceder Skirts back in the Pre-Russian Days.... as well as DeerSkin Hides..... I would like to see one of these Yahoos make it even in the summertime for a MONTH, in a Boreal Rain Forest, "Naked and Afraid"..... I suspect they would be Bone-chilled Hypothermic in a week.... Water wouldn't be an Issue, but Food, Heat, and Clothing sure would.... Especially Heat.... Wet Wood doesn't burn good, IF, AT ALL.... .......
     
  6. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    You will NOTICE that the locations are all in Jungle, and Warm Climates..... Let them make an episode in Alaska, in the Winter, or even Spring or Fall... Then they would have a REALITY Show worth watching. I get a kick out of these BS Shows for about 10 minutes, and then get bored.

    [​IMG]

    I don't think this cat would fare well in an Alaskan winter in the wild either. Though it would be interesting to see it wearing a cedar skirt
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  7. Georgia_Boy

    Georgia_Boy Monkey+++

    If that (idiotic) show were taped in Alaska or similar clime the party hats would be enormous......
    GB
     
  8. TriColorPansy

    TriColorPansy Monkey


    [lolol]


    Great points, you need to put a lot of thought into it when you decide if being a survivalist will be just a hobby or something you plan to take seriously. I'll admit I got caught up in the "anti-modern world" craze and turned to self-sufficiency due to a great dissatisfaction with my current life, and I'm still pretty clueless. But I'd be devastated if I failed myself and my family in a real SHTF situation because I only saw this as some kind of fad.

    I remember one particular episode of Naked and Afraid where a male participant bragged about how experienced he was as a survivalist - yet he contributed next to nothing when compared to the female participant. He either complained or gave a list of "safety concerns" for refusing to do things like kill a snake for food or eat a sea urchin the woman had caught and prepared, even though they were supposedly starving at that point. If I remember correctly he didn't want to eat the sea urchin simply because he thought it was gross. What made it worse was the fact that he chose a pair of swimming goggles as his one survival item... that he handed to the woman when he refused to get in the water out of fear of sharks.
     
  9. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    Welcome to SM, tri.

    I feel sorry for the woman if the squeamish guy was paired with her as a survival team. If that be the case, he's pretty much ballast. A key to survival is the ability to successfully adapt to changing conditions. Failure to adapt, is a recipe for extinction.

    Sea urchins are edible, nutritious, and considered a delicacy in some cultures. Refusing to eat food, just because it feels foreign or appears gross to one's sensibilities in the absence of other food resources will not have a good outcome. Provided that the food is not poisonous or otherwise harmful to one's health, if you're not making use of it, you may not survive beyond what your own body reserves can sustain.

    The man is a goose. Swimming goggles? Really? o_O Man oh man...go the knife! With just a knife alone, all sorts of survival possibilities become so much easier.

    Methinks the man is a survival legend in his own (diminished) lunchtime
    .:rolleyes:
     
    ColtCarbine and BTPost like this.
  10. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    What can I say? He wants to see what is about to eat him...:rolleyes:
     
  11. TriColorPansy

    TriColorPansy Monkey

    I managed to find the clip on YouTube. I just typed in "naked and afraid goggles" and it was at the top of the list X-D
     
  12. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Who comes up with these shows? I have never watched this. I have seen the commercials, what the..... Never thought to watch it from a survival aspect. TV is so bizarre now.
     
    tulianr likes this.
  13. Silversnake

    Silversnake Silverback

    I watch the show. The survival techniques are a minor draw for me. I am more interested in the critical thinking, attitudes and personality at play. They seem to usually team up a person with personality issues with someone who seems genuinely well-centered.The first several episodes in the first season seemed to have a lot of women who were centered, intelligent and with a good teamwork attitude while the men were d-bags, almost like the producers were trying to make a point. I was getting tired of it, then they seemed to get a more balanced mix.
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  14. chambers270

    chambers270 Monkey++

    I also enjoyed the show to start with but have lost interest with it. I wish they would show them doing more hunting. fishing, scouting etc than all of the clips of them lying around camp being depressed. Don't get me wrong, I am sure it would be a challenge to be naked anywhere for 21 days but at least plan out your tasks for the first few days.

    They may have, but I do not recall seeing any snares or traps other than fish baskets. They usually just walk the first day instead of making a proper shelter and they never seem to start a fire the first few days!
     
  15. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    These info-tainment shows (they can't truly be considered reality TV) are skewed more to entertainment rather than information. Information is boring and only of interest to a small segment of the viewing audience that find the information useful, applicable to their interests, and appeals to their fantasies of surviving the end of the world vicariously through people who are clearly unequipped to do so. Howling at TV screens..."rule of threes...rule of threes...rule of threes" etc...will make no difference to the TV "talent", but it may make the zombie apocalypse wannabe survivors feel a little superior to the people they are watching.

    These shows are strong on entertainment...concentrating on the emotional interplay of the "afraid". Couch potatoes watching scripted desperate people heaving their guts, saying "eeewww, I'd rather starve to death than eat a sea urchin"...whilst themselves happily gorging themselves on KFC or Big Macs can feel similarly appalled in the safety of their own livingroom.

    Personally, I'd rather see a Sesame Street version of "Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse". I think that Miss Piggy would put all of the 'Naked and Afraid' schlemiels to shame. Miss Piggy with a crossbow and survival knife would be awesome.
     
    oldawg likes this.
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