Original subtitles

This jungle is [bleep] up.

Snake.

-Big one. -Yeah. [bleep]

I need fire.

Rylie: All that's wet right there.

Just doesn't want to go.

Come on, break.

I need protein.

My game plan right now is to get fire.

Rylie: He's got this crazy fixation on fire,

but the number-one rule of survival is a shelter.

I'm starving here.

Oh, my gosh.

I hate this place.

I'm just, like, surviving and eking along.

Like a feral, wild animal.

Ugh!

Narrator: One man...

[ tarzan yell ]

...One woman...

Whoo!

...Alone for 21 days to face the wrath...

Woman: Stop raining!

...And fury

of the most hostile environments on earth.

Aah!

[ animal growls ]

they have no clothes, no food, no water.

I want water.

Do they have the skill and the will...

Fire!

...To overcome the most brutal survival challenge

of their lives...

Naked and afraid?

Woman: Maybe I'm losing it.

-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by discovery communications

rylie: It's gorgeous.

Who knows what's hiding inside, though?

Kyle: I'm definitely scared.

I'm nervous and I'm excited.

I'm curious of what is out there.

Narrator: This is the north coast of honduras.

The densely packed lowland of the cangrejal river basin,

home to nocturnal predators such as the puma and jaguar.

But the area's greatest threat is the unpredictable weather.

With more than 118 inches of rain per year,

the rain forest is often drenched,

raising the already intense humidity to unbearable levels,

making it near impossible to start and maintain a fire.

Trade winds from the north

can reach speeds up to 27 miles per hour,

increasing the risk of hypothermia,

and sending temperatures plummeting

to a chilling 49 degrees at night.

♪♪

rylie: Right off the bat, it's full of lush vegetation.

I think it's gonna be a definite challenge

looking out for any sort of dangerous animals

or loose footing or anything we might step on

because it is just absolutely dense.

My name is rylie parlett and I'm from southern maryland.

I love bushcraft and survivalism.

I've been practicing for years.

I have a lot of primitive skills

such as foraging, fire-making, shelter-building.

When it comes to survivalism,

I'm totally fine and comfortable being by myself.

I don't find that I need companionship to be happy.

I'm doing this challenge to prove

that all of this practice was for a reason,

that it can actually pay off in a survival situation.

Rylie has extensive primitive skills,

but she plays better alone than in a team,

and that could hinder her chances of survival.

She begins with a psr of 6.3.

My name is kyle oelofse, I'm from south africa,

and I'm an environmental scientist.

I like to think of myself as a survival expert.

From a young age,

hunting and tracking was part of my strengths.

The dangers in these areas are jaguars and pumas,

but back in south africa, we've got bigger problems.

We've got bigger cats. We've got bigger animals.

So this should be a breeze for me.

Champion! Whoop whoop!

I am married to the most amazing person that I've ever met.

Her name is toinay.

We've spent the past seven years,

every day together,

and it was her idea that I enter this challenge,

and I am doing this to prove it to my wife

that I can do this challenge.

21 days and that's that. There's no plan b.

There's no other options.

It's 21 days for me.

Narrator: Kyle will benefit from his experience

as a skilled south african survivalist,

but his expertise has not been tested

in a demanding tropical environment.

He beings with a primitive survival rating of 6.3.

♪♪

kyle: I am a naked person.

My wife has often told me, "should I close the curtains?

Because we've got neighbors."

every opportunity that I can get naked, you'll find me naked.

Babe, I'm sorry about this, but I'll be home in 21 days.

♪♪

♪♪

rylie: Being naked with a stranger, I mean,

it's just part of this environment,

and it's not gonna be something that holds me up.

But if someone offered me clothes,

I would be happy to have them.

Well, it's the point of no return.

♪♪

ugh!

Hey!

How are you?

Good. I'm rylie.

I'm kyle. Pleased to meet you.

-Nice to meet you. -Where are you from?

I'm from southern maryland. Where are you from?

-I'm from south africa. -Oh, okay. Awesome, awesome.

So, I've come a long way to be with you.

Both southern. Okay, awesome.

-I have to ask you of one thing. -What's up?

You will not allow me to leave before 21 days?

I won't.

And I'm gonna keep you here with me till then.

-All right, deal. -Cool.

-So, you ready? -I am ready.

-Let's have a look. -Let's go.

Let's see what we got.

-Yeah, fire starter. -Trusty fire starter.

Yes!

I brought my machete.

-And looks like we have a pot. -Yeah.

-We're set. -We're done.

And I have our map.

Great, let's have a look. Where are we going?

So, looks like we are here.

-At the big rock here? -Yeah.

It's hot here. -Yeah.

So, those palm trees look promising.

I think that little fish there is also a food source.

Yeah. Avoiding snakes and jaguars.

-Yeah, let's avoid that. -Right.

So, you want to head from here

and kind of cross the river and get off these hot rocks?

I'm 100% with you.

Cool. -Okay, let's do it.

♪♪

♪♪

just take it easy, all right?

It's really slippery.

Rylie: I think kyle seems super nice, and he's a big guy,

and he's pretty fit, so I think it's a benefit.

-Are you good? -Yeah.

Kyle: I like rylie. She's really, really small,

and I'm gonna try and help her as much as I can

from a physical aspect of things.

♪♪

well, let's just go this way.

It's so dense.

Rylie: Looking at this environment,

it's incredibly lush.

It's so much to navigate through.

Rylie: Be careful.

I just don't want to get bitten by a snake.

Right. That's what I'm worried about.

Within that environment are deadly snakes.

I'm nervous being barefoot, bare-ankled.

Like, it's just really distracting.

You can do your best to avoid these things,

but you can't see everything,

and you can't see through all of the underbrush.

So this is not the safest environment.

[ sighs ]

♪♪

snake.

-Big one? -Yeah.

Let's back up.

How big?

This big.

Brown, black markings.

[bleep]

I'm just worried it's a fer de lance.

Even a baby can cause a lot of damage.

Narrator: The fer de lance is considered

one of the most dangerous snakes in central america.

It's easily excitable and has been known

to eject its deadly venom from 6 feet away.

Just be -- watch your step.

Do you want to kill it or should I?

It just went under the bushes.

I'm not gonna move them looking for it.

I can't, like, fight a snake right now.

Okay.

Ugh.

This jungle is [bleep] up.

There's snails everywhere.

Do I want to eat the snails?

Yeah, but we can't eat raw snails.

I don't want to get sick.

Yeah.

♪♪

oh, wow. It's starting to open up.

-Yeah. -This looks good.

This is good for me.

This circle of trees,

that would be very easy to build a shelter.

Water's right there.

Water is right here.

So, let's just call this home.

Home sweet home!

Home sweet home.

Rylie: I like the location.

It is close to water.

It's an open area in an otherwise very, very dense area.

Oh, look.

-Oh, yeah. -So that's food.

My mind's, like, racing at the moment

about how to get those down, but we'll figure it out.

Rylie: Getting them down's not the worst part.

Cracking them open. -That's the --

[ both laugh ]

so, for tonight, I was thinking of just putting,

like, beams across, and we can cover that.

Then we could lay this completely closed

and we could make this a nice little --

do you want the roof over this?

So, we could put, like, a roof on top, or...

So, this could be, like, a little thing for now.

For now.

And we could build out this way if we want.

I'm for it. I'm down.

I like it.

♪♪

♪♪

we got loads of cordage.

I see. So you're like g.I. Jane out here.

[ laughs ]

we're losing light very quickly.

I was thinking we can't get a fire by tonight.

I think I'll be able to wait till tomorrow.

-Let's wait. -Okay.

I'm really glad my partner agreed with me

to make a very simple shelter over fire

because the general rule of thumb

is you want to do shelter, water, fire, food.

I'm just using this as a, uh, guideline.

Is that all right? -Yeah.

Kyle: Fire's just not the reality for today.

So, tomorrow, we're gonna just try and get fire going

so that we can cook our protein,

and then we'll sleep better because it will keep us warmer.

Think we got enough leaves?

Rylie: For tonight. We got this.

Yeah, we got this.

Good job.

Thanks. You too.

♪♪

[ thunder rumbles ]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[ thunder rumbling ]

♪♪

rylie: We worked all day on our shelter,

and then it started pouring rain,

and it happened so fast and so much

that it flooded our entire shelter.

Feeling like crap.

Yeah, we feel pretty bad.

Thanks, honduras.

♪♪

that was the longest night.

I swear, it, like...

Kyle: I've never experienced anything like that before.

I was ice cold to the bone.

So, I'm a little bit worried how the nights to come are gonna go.

I'm gonna see if I can get a fire going.

All right.

Do you have the fire starter on you?

Yeah.

We're just trying to get a fire started just to warm up.

Ohh. So close.

It's humid.

If it was dry, that would've gone a long time ago.

Let's just work on the shelter.

Fire would help a lot, but nothing around us is dry.

So we're just really having a hard time.

We can't make a fire, then we can't cook snails,

we can't do a lot of things.

We need some breakfast.

Okay, let's grab cohune nuts.

Yeah.

I need to get some food in. I'm getting weak.

On a regular day back home,

I focus on a high-protein diet

that would consist of at least 6 chicken breasts and 10 eggs.

♪♪

got it.

Come on, break.

Hey, we got some. Don't exert yourself too much.

It's like the world's saddest piñata.

Ever.

Three is better than...

-Zero. -...None, yeah.

Narrator: When ripe, one cohune palm nut yields

about as much protein as one peanut.

Ahh.

You okay?

Yeah. Can I use that one, maybe?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

How does a plant make something so...

Yeah, something so tough

to hide their thimble full of coconut in there.

Thank you.

♪♪

what does it taste like?

[bleep]

I mean, is it worth our effort?

These are like the red-headed stepchild of coconuts.

I'm -- I'm eating raw snail.

I'm just putting it out there.

You're gonna get butt worms.

You're gonna get complete butt worms if you eat.

How long will it take for them to develop?

[ laughs ]

♪♪

[ thunder rumbles ]

it's raining buckets.

Kyle: It's freezing.

We're hungry. We're tried.

My body doesn't have any nutrition.

My body's cramping.

♪♪

once again, we had a terrible night.

We were sleeping on a wet ground.

It was miserable.

Our house is wrecked.

Just look at it. Look at it.

It's just demolished.

We have to start basically from square one.

So I was thinking of just putting a platform across here

and maybe across there.

Then we could lay this completely closed.

Then we got covering.

Then we could work on the sides. And then...

We'll be off the ground. We'll be dry.

It's gonna be dry.

All right.

We are freezing at night.

Lying on the floor, it's taking all our heat away.

So what I'm going to do is

I'm gonna do a raised platform to get off the wet ground.

And we'll definitely sleep better at night.

I am splitting these palm fronds.

The bottom underneath side

funnels off the water better than the top.

So hopefully this makes a difference

because we just want to be dry so that we can rest.

♪♪

this is our little empire

that hopefully is gonna keep us warm for tonight.

Yeah.

Let's see...

What else is there?

Kyle: Rylie.

Yeah?

Found a big, white worm.

Narrator: Rhino beetle larvae, a type of grub,

feed on rotting wood,

a rich source of calcium and iron.

One grub can contain 16 grams of protein,

the same amount as four tablespoons of peanut butter.

I feel like I should name him.

How about peanut butter?

Or little burrito.

Yeah, I'd squeeze that out. That doesn't look good.

Yeah, squeeze its booty.

Oh!

Oh, my gosh.

No cheers?

♪♪

swallow, don't chew.

It was all right.

Tastes like wood.

It didn't taste like much.

Mnh-mnh.

And we are beggars for sure.

Yeah.

♪♪

I'm not sleeping 'cause I'm freezing.

♪♪

it is absolutely freezing.

We don't have fire and we're gonna get, like, hypothermia

if we don't, like, do something.

So we've been running on the spot

so our body temperature can increase

because, for the moment, we will make it.

♪♪

oh, I'm hating life right now.

I'm just, like, constantly cold.

But I'm literally, like, freezing.

I just hope there's a turn of events.

We're not gonna have fire for a while.

I don't know.

What we need to do is fortify the shelter.

Ugh.

That's what we need.

I need to be dry.

My focus is the whole bed, the shelter, all of that today.

[ sighs ]

kyle: Rylie thinks it is better to insulate the shelter.

I guess we're on two different paths at the moment.

♪♪

are you just doing it to see if it can be done?

'cause all that's wet right there.

I'm, like, on fumes, you know?

My game plan right now is to get fire.

You know, whether she likes it or not, it needs to happen.

Rylie: You know, he's got this crazy fixation on fire.

So what, we get a fire going,

we have nothing to hide it from the rain or save it.

Then our fire's gone. Then our day is wasted.

Then we're back in the shelter.

Let's just work on the shelter.

Oh, come on, please.

It just doesn't want to go!

♪♪

it just doesn't want to go!

Let's just work on the shelter.

I'm just trying to look for some dry wood.

Yeah.

I just think having a fire

will help me be in a better mental place for you, you know?

-Yeah. -Cool.

Just give me a shout when you need anything, will you?

-Yeah. -Cool.

Rylie: My partner really needs fire,

so I mean, I'm not gonna ask for his help today.

I'm just gonna let him spend the whole day

working on what he feels that he needs the most.

Kyle: If you just look carefully,

there are some spots that the rain doesn't penetrate.

You just have to find them.

You got to think outside the box.

If you have a look, the canopy opens up.

There's little gap here.

So there's a huge possibility that

it gets more sun exposure than any other plants.

It's really dry and good size

and will help me get my fire started.

It's what I'm looking for.

♪♪

I'm so nervous.

Yeah, we don't have a lot of flint left,

but hopefully, you know, this is all we need to get a fire going.

Just need that flame. It's coming, it's coming.

♪♪

no, come on, please.

Oh, my god.

Yes! Oh, my god.

Rylie.

Ugh.

Oh, my god.

There's, like, not words to how this feels.

I say I almost feel like crying.

It's really emotional.

Now we're gonna keep warm at night.

We can cook our food. We get more protein.

So that moment for me will really stand out

in this 21-day challenge.

It's looking really good.

Happy that I made this fire.

Rylie: I am so glad that kyle got the fire going.

I'm glad that he was the one that did it

because I know that it meant so much to him.

And hopefully, this is an absolute game changer for him.

I think it's gonna make a big difference.

It feels so good.

This is, like, the first time I've been warm

since the day we got here.

We have to keep this or we know what we go back to.

Day 21, the morning, we're putting this fire out.

After we burn our shelter.

[ laughs ]

I'll go get snails for us.

You got this? -As many as you can, okay?

But be safe on the rocks, rylie.

I've got this.

This water is freezing, but I want to get these snails.

We haven't been able to eat them because I didn't have a fire.

Just having some protein's gonna be amazing.

I feel so weak.

Trying to be quick about this,

but I don't want to hurt myself on these rocks.

Kyle: And?

I did the best I could.

Well done, rylie.

Wow!

Well done.

Narrator: Four snails yield

roughly as much protein as one egg.

It's amazing.

Imagine.

[ rock thunking ]

♪♪

how is it?

Good. A little bit of protein.

I feel so good.

Me, too.

This is, like, better than christmas.

♪♪

♪♪

do you want to start moving the fire?

I'm just worried it rains onto the fire now.

Yeah.

[ thunder rumbles ]

♪♪

[bleep]

I felt rain.

Oh [bleep]

♪♪

rylie: Rain is coming through. You can feel it.

Onto the fire?

Yes. It's dripping on the fire. Look.

Oh, my god, it's really dripping.

Just put this on top, there.

This is [bleep] terrible.

This is the worst thing that could happen.

[bleep]

♪♪

♪♪

ugh.

Rylie: Okay, but don't let your mind

rob you of something that you really need.

I just don't know how we're gonna get to build the fire.

We won't make it.

I don't know what to do.

Rylie.

You got to help me.

♪♪

kyle: This place can be so intimidating.

Just the silence alone just, like,

makes you feel so unwanted.

I am struggling a little bit.

Like, nothing is going to plan.

Like, we're soaking wet.

Who can survive 21 days without a fire?

You can't cook.

You can't -- you can't do [bleep]

my body's telling me that I need to get some food in.

I'm getting weak.

You're wet, you're cold.

It just gets more difficult every day.

Times like this I just want to go home to my wife.

Rylie.

Rylie!

Like, nothing is going to plan.

You're wet, you're cold.

You can't cook.

You can't -- you can't do [bleep]

times like this I just want to go home to my wife.

Rylie.

Rylie!

What?

Kyle: Come have a seat.

Rylie.

Yep.

I'm tapping out, yeah.

I'm really struggling with protein.

I can feel it.

And we can't keep the fire going.

I just -- I don't know if I can be here.

It's so cold. I'm losing weight.

You know, and I'm sorry that I have to let you down.

You are a trouper.

Honestly, you're one of the strongest ladies that I met.

You really are.

And I take a lot of inspiration from you.

Can I walk up with you to camp?

Yeah.

So I've done 10 days.

I'm really proud of myself.

I would've loved to have done the 21.

But this [bleep] environment just made me realize,

"is this really worth it?"

I mean, is it worth putting my body in danger

for what I want to accomplish out of this?

And the answer's no.

♪♪

take care.

You, too, okay? And make it to 21, okay?

I feel extremely terrible

for putting her in a position where

she's gonna struggle to survive.

You know, she needs me to do a few of the chores.

But she's a strong person and she'll figure it out.

I think kyle just really didn't have

the mental strength that it takes to be here.

You know, it is what it is. I can't dwell on it.

He has his own reasons.

And that's something that, you know,

he's gonna have to deal with on his own.

And I just got to focus on my own survival now.

Maybe I should look for food.

I'll have to look for grubs.

[ sighs ]

nothing.

[ gasps ] did I find one?

Oh, my god, I found one.

Yeah.

So excited.

♪♪

it's night one alone in this jungle.

I'm pretty good with being by myself.

The shelter is as solid as it's gonna be.

It's waterproof.

I am gonna eat my dinner for the night,

which is this little guy here.

That's my dinner -- like it or not.

It's better than nothing.

Sorry, mr. Grub.

♪♪

I'm just trying to make the best of my situation

and be brave and keep it moving.

[ rustling ]

what's that?

♪♪

too pitch dark.

It's freaking me out.

♪♪

♪♪

ugh.

[ groans ]

it's really cold.

[bleep] [ speaks indistinctly ]

♪♪

♪♪

the nights are very cold.

And we've been co-sleeping to exchange heat.

And now, that's gone, too.

And so I just really need a fire.

So today, I am going to dig a dakota pit fire.

It's gonna be the size of a basin,

like a bathroom basin, here,

and then a tunnel.

Narrator: Created by the dakota indians,

this fire technique works with suction,

drawing air down through a tunnel into the base of the pit.

Having the fire in a pit also protects from high winds.

[ thunder rumbles ]

♪♪

rylie: Oh, god!

I'm so frustrated.

♪♪

I am cold.

Just can't believe it's this cold here.

It's miserable.

Ahh!

♪♪

last night was the worst night since I've been here.

I don't think I've ever been that cold in my life, ever.

And I just felt, like, physically sick from shaking.

I really, really need a fire.

I just filled this entire bottom with shavings and tinder.

So I just hope that, you know, it will catch.

This is not going.

That's wet.

This is the hardest thing I've ever done.

I'm starving.

I haven't eaten much food.

I don't understand this environment.

There's so much moisture in the air.

It's really hard for anything to get very dry at all.

When it comes to this fire now,

I just feel really frantic and, like, upset.

♪♪

♪♪

just went out.

♪♪

I really need this to work, really badly.

[ gasps ]

♪♪

this is probably the most important fire I've ever made.

It is pouring cold, freezing rain out there,

and it is completely warm and toasty in here.

I mean, if it wasn't raining right now,

I'd run out and go get a bunch of snails

and go to bed with a full belly.

But I am just so happy to have this that everything can wait.

And I'll just sit here and be warm.

I just have to see it through to the end

'cause I really want to be standing

on that extraction point.

And I know that this fire is a big reason

why I'm gonna be able to do that.

♪♪

[ coughing ]

shelter is, like, [bleep] in this fire right now.

I am, like, choking to death.

The shelter is filling up with smoke because the wood is wet.

It burns my eyes so bad and it burns my throat.

I am not feeling very motivated to go get food.

Right now, I'm just trying to stand outside and get some air.

You got to cut me a break, honduras.

♪♪

I haven't even had, like, any contact with people

to sit down and, like, chat with me or hang out.

Just feeling, like, cut off from everybody is terrible.

Or maybe I'm losing it.

♪♪

narrator: Due to the cold and lack of food,

rylie's blood sugar has dropped significantly.

As a result, her brain is slowing down,

making it hard to stay focused and alert.

Rylie: I don't know that I'm so good at being isolated.

It's almost like I just stopped existing.

Like, I don't even feel like a person.

I'm just, like surviving and eking along.

Like a feral, wild animal.

[ groans ]

ow.

All right.

Today's day 20.

I can't give up.

I can fight through one night.

I just have to know that, like, I came out here

and I literally starved for this.

I've froze for this.

I've put everything, like, emotionally, psychologically.

And if I go back with anything less than 21 days,

I don't know that I'll ever forgive myself for that.

I won't give up.

Rylie: Honduran snails.

First, I recommend opening a nice shiraz.

Then you're gonna want to steam them,

which is what I've done today.

I like to cook mine with a water sauce

and a dash of dirt.

But you do you.

It could use some butter.

Rylie: It's night 20.

I'm gonna stick this out and do my best.

I have to do this.

Because I can't go back to my life if I don't.

I am not gonna get anxiety because I'm not doing it.

And I'm not gonna stress myself out.

I'm gonna do my best to take care of myself.

And I'm just gonna get to extraction.

That's what I have to do.

♪♪

♪♪

today is extraction day!

My game plan today is to cook snails.

I need more energy.

I didn't, like, come this far to faint

or something on extraction.

So...

It's pretty good.

I know that I am here by these palmy trees.

I think I'm gonna have to cross the river

and then follow the river along to come to the clearing there.

It's probably the best way to go about it.

Narrator: To reach the extraction point,

rylie will have to trek through three miles of dense jungle.

Rylie: I'm trying to get out of here without being bitten by a snake.

Narrator: Along the way, avoiding hordes of snakes

uprooted from their dens due to torrential rainstorms,

among them is the eyelash viper, whose venom effects

the cardiovascular system immediately,

making one bite from this snake fatal.

She will have to swim in 48-degree water across the river

and climb one mile through thorny brush

to a road where her extraction vehicle awaits.

Rylie: Traversing these rocks without a lot of balance

is really strenuous.

I've lost physical strength

because I'm hungry and I'm tired.

I'm worn down.

♪♪

it's freezing. It's absolutely freezing cold.

I'm cold. My body's cold.

But I also know I don't really have a choice.

I have to cross the river.

I'm just gonna go for it.

♪♪

♪♪

whew.

I'm gonna stay near the river,

but I'm gonna have to go a little more uphill

and just follow it alongside.

♪♪

♪♪

I don't hear the river as much as I did before.

Ow! Ow, ow.

[bleep]

this is pure thorns.

Feels like you soaked your feet so they're nice and soft

and then walking on bits of glass.

It's incredibly painful

my feet are murdered.

I don't know if I can do this.

[ horn honks ]

I hear a truck! I hear a truck!

Yes!

Yes!

Oh, my god.

Oh, god.

I just finished 21 days in the jungles of honduras.

And I am just ecstatic.

I did it. I did it.

And no one can take that from me.

Narrator: Over the course of 21 days,

rylie lost a total of 20 pounds

and survived 11 days on her own,

raising her psr to 7.1.

Rylie: I got to a place in the challenge

where I was really frustrated and I started thinking,

"maybe this would be easier by myself

because I wouldn't have to compromise.

I wouldn't have to worry about someone else."

but as the challenge got more aggressive

and as I got weaker

and as it got a lot more isolated,

I realized that having a teammate

would have been amazing.

It would have been an awesome resource.

I'm not the same person that came into this jungle.

I'm someone much stronger.

And I now see the value of not being alone.

I really feel good about

the way I'm walking away from the challenge.

It's sort of unbelievable.

Like, it's really hard to believe that this is the end.