Original subtitles

[ birds chirping ]

[ thunder rumbling ]

trenton: There's a big storm coming in.

[ thunder crashing ]

it looks like there might be a fire.

Jennifer: Are you serious?

We should be ready to bail if --

holy [bleep]

narrator: In the world's harshest environments,

two experienced survivalists

put their skills to the ultimate test

without food, water, or clothes.

Oh, my gosh. Oh.

Now, in the northern indian hills of udhampur,

these strangers have to work together

to survive for 21 days...

Jennifer: You're a lunatic.

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

captions paid for by discovery communications

just when you think you've made it

to the top of the mountain,

it just keeps going and going.

My name's trenton. I'm 35 years old.

I work as a full-time paramedic, and I'm from missoula, montana.

I grew up in rural west virginia playing in the woods

and started practice in primitive survival skills

by the time I was an early teenager.

Narrator: Because of his years of pri

experts assigned trenton a primitive survival rating,

or psr, of 7.9.

Really exciting to be getting to put years, decades of practice,

you know, to the test.

Ai!

Oh, my goodness.

My name is jennifer,

and I'm kind of new to the survival scene.

I don't claim to be an expert,

but I'm smart, I'm tough, and I'm a team player.

I hope to learn a lot from my partner,

and I hope he learns something from me.

Narrator: Despite her limited experience,

jen's testing revealed excellent social and team-building skills,

and she earns a starting psr of 6.4.

Jennifer: As long as I make it to the location,

I'm confident in my ability to make it the 21 days.

That really is a very long way down.

Narrator: In the far northwest corner of india,

jen and trenton are being inserted

high above the steep valley region of udhampur.

Extremely hot and dry by day,

the exposed ridgeline offers little protection

from the frigid night time winds

and sudden, violent thunderstorms.

Gray langur monkeys and leopards prowl the mountainside,

and the dreaded black scorpion

causes hundreds of deaths in india each year.

Trenton: I like people.

I just like being around people

who are very competent at what they do,

and if not, we'll make due.

Oh, my goodness, this is so uncomfortable.

[ laughs ]

I've never in my life imagined doing something like this.

Oh, my god.

But this is my first real chance

to prove myself as a survivalist.

I feel like it's going to make me stronger

and more confident

just knowing how far I can push myself.

[ laughs ]

ow.

Hello.

[ laughs ] hello.

Hi. I'm jen.

Hi, jen. I'm trenton.

Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

Here we are. We're in india.

It's beautiful.

It is.

Yes, the weather is fantastic.

It's not too hot.

No, some bugs on my butt.

Yeah. But other than that.

Flies on my vagina are a new sensation.

Yeah.

Uh...

[ laughs ] so, that's random.

Yeah.

I'm stoked.

Here's our bags.

Cool, let's look.

Trenton: She seems nice.

I mean, of course, yeah, she's a pretty girl,

but otherwise, we'll kind of have to wait and see

what she's got for skills.

So, what'd you bring?

I have a pot as my survival item.

Awesome.

I think that will help with the purification of water

and make things a lot easier.

Yeah, awesome.

So, I have a kukri.

My survival tool is just a nice nepalese machete

that a really good friend of mine made.

Well, I have the map.

Narrator: At a starting elevation of 9,000 feet,

jen and trenton must continue up along the ridge

in search of one of the few fresh water holes in the area.

There, they hope to make camp and a fire

to withstand the extreme cold of night.

The sun is hot!

Yeah, I know.

I'd like to get out of it here.

Ow.

Jennifer: The pine needles stick right into your feet,

and the thorns are pretty horrific.

Ow.

So, one thing, if it really does start bothering you,

and please forgive me if I'm, like,

doing the teacher thing.

Oh, I hope to learn a bunch from you,

so please do not feel like you're annoying me.

I'm easy to get along with.

Cool, good.

I think I am.

[ monkey chittering ]

look at that huge guy. Whoa!

Holy [bleep]

I'm not gonna be eating monkeys, so --

oh, there's another one.

Narrator: Gray langur monkeys in this area

are known to carry rabies and japanese encephalitis

and become aggressive if they feel threatened.

Wow.

[bleep] that was --

we're not in montana anymore.

[ bird screeches ]

look at that. It's a big water source.

Well, it's still kind of funky, but --

I'm thinking...

It's definitely water, right?

...Where's there's water, there's animals.

Yeah, and if they're coming in to feed,

it really is a hunting option.

There's tadpoles. There's frogs.

It's a watering hole for many animals,

so I mean, it's definitely, I think,

the life source of this area.

I'm gonna mud up. Are you in?

Definitely a little burnt.

Trenton: The mud'll create a barrier between our skin

and the ultraviolent rays of the sun,

and possibly retain some moisture.

And that's good because it really is so dry up here.

We're gonna be best friends. We're beyond handshakes now.

[ laughs ]

I'll let you get your butt cheek.

[ laughs ] thank you.

I just stupidly got more sun than I should have let myself,

so I'm a little worn out, but we're doing pretty good.

This would probably be our best bet, maybe try to...

Yeah, I think you're right.

...Set up shop around here

and just be wary of the monkeys.

They're a strong animal

and definitely not something that I want to mess around with

'cause they seem a little curious

as to what we're doing.

So I'm just afraid that they're going to be aggressive

because we're in their territory

and because they have young ones with them.

We're gonna need all this debris for our shelter tonight.

And then we're gonna change gears into fire making

just to be able to start hopefully drinking

some water here relatively soon.

Jennifer: I think that trenton is kind of a little possessive

over his survival tool.

He made me a stick instead of letting me use the knife.

Let's see, this -- I'm glad I brought this.

My survival tool is the tool I've always wanted.

It's really important to me.

Until I see what kind of skills she has,

I'm really not sure I can trust her with it.

So, I'm gonna have to go get some more materials to --

I will be back.

I will start digging.

Cool, all right, sorry.

The roots are making it a little rough as you get lower,

but this is what I got.

Neither of us brought a fire starter.

So, I'm kind of put to the test here.

All right, let's see here.

We've got a coal.

Got your bird's nest ready?

[ blowing ]

I am so happy you're my partner!

You get a round of applause, my friend, a round of applause.

Trenton: Let's review water purification

and just make sure we're on the same page, so --

say, at least 10 minutes of boiling.

You think?

As long as you bring it to a rolling boil,

it should kill all pathogens that we're worried about.

Boiling kills the bacteria, but it's still pretty filthy.

If you're not sure, always go 10 minutes.

I think if we wait 10 minutes

in a smaller container like this,

we're gonna lose a lot.

Why risk it?

10 minutes is gonna kill anything that's in there.

I don't want to be told how to do something

that I know how to do.

Well, the 10-minute mark sterilizes water,

so that's where the 10-minute number comes from.

Jennifer: Right.

But we don't drink sterile water.

We drink just potable water, so I'm not worried.

That's your call.

[ sighs ]

here we go.

[ sipping ]

there's god knows what in that water,

and there's bacteria.

There's e. Coli,

there's probably parasites from the monkeys

and so many different things that could just kill you.

Narrator: Coming up...

Jennifer: I'm gonna p--

oh.

Trenton: You don't even really move.

You just stay here.

You're a lunatic.

[ birds chirping ]

here we go.

There's god knows what in that water.

So many different things that could just kill you.

I mean, yeah, I kind of thought

it would have some foul taste to it.

But it actually, like -- pretty pleasant, I don't know.

I mean, pleasant isn't a word I would use to describe it.

Oh, wicked cold out there.

Yeah.

My toes are freezing,

so I am using a hot rock from the fire to warm them up.

I feel like we're both just tired and miserable.

I'm so cold.

Trenton: Night one was a long night.

You know, we did a quickie shelter,

which I think was the right idea,

and I've slept in pine needles many times.

Turns out, I haven't done it completely naked,

and I didn't sleep.

I'm gonna p--

[ coughs ]

I woke up this morning around 5:00 a.M.,

and wasn't feeling super awesome,

and then I ended up throwing up.

Trenton: So, I think she got

maybe a little bit acute mountain sickness,

and then I think she's dehydrated,

and the dehydration, the irony is,

it makes you nauseous and then vomit up what you have.

I feel terrible that I'm so sick, though.

My partner's feeling ill,

so that I don't have a hand to help me,

but I've started to reconstruct the shelter,

hoping that we both sleep better,

and I'm doing it by myself.

Jennifer: I'm still headstrong.

I'm still in the game, but I just --

I have to feel better than this tomorrow.

Okay.

[ spitting ]

doing okay?

Yeah.

Do you feel nauseous right now?

No, what do you need?

I was just wondering if --

jennifer: I'm worried my partner is a little disappointed.

Just, you know, his body language

and his posture is definitely changing a little bit,

and I'm a little worried about disappointing him.

Jennifer: I feel better.

That's good.

I feel anxious 'cause of things that need to get done.

You're doing an awesome, awesome job.

You don't have to be busy, busy, busy.

Trenton: I'm just more tired today,

and I'm kind of just operating somewhat solo.

Jennifer: I feel terrible that I'm so sick,

but I'm trying to do my part.

But I have yet to have access to that knife.

This is my knife.

This plant here, the root can be used like sugar cane.

You just gnaw on it.

Hey, trenton?

Trenton: Yo.

I know you're kind of hanging onto that --

I definitely need that knife.

I appreciate you making this for me, but --

is it is just rock-hard dirt, though?

Fine, fine. I'll just try to --

we're both using my pot for multiple things,

and he won't let me touch his knife.

Jennifer: Is digging with that good for the blade?

Are you calling this digging, or --

yes.

Uh...

Are you trying to get back at me

for not wanting you to dig with it?

It was a little -- a little jab.

There's no rocks in this. That's the difference.

[ wind howling ]

[ thunder rumbling ]

it's gonna rain.

If you look over there,

it's just super dark and cloudy, and you can hear the thunder.

I'm gonna go collect firewood.

It sounds like you're probably not --

I'm pretty low right now.

Okay.

Trenton: It's frustrating 'cause there's a bunch of stuff

I need to do to just maintain what we have.

It's definitely one of those situations,

be really easy to get resentful.

Oh, boy.

[ thunder rumbling ]

jennifer: How do you think that's gonna hold up

if it rains?

What do you mean? Getting wet.

I don't know.

Do you want to start breaking it up and putting it in?

Sure.

Listening to someone else's bitching and griping

about all the work that I've done

is [bleep] annoying,

and that is gonna have to change.

[ thunder rumbling ]

[ thunder crashes ]

I feel like this wood is just too damp,

and it's just not going to stay lit.

Jen, if you would just pick up [bleep] firewood,

I wouldn't have to do it all.

Okay, trenton. Well, you know what?

Go get some [bleep] firewood in the rain

like I just went and got in the [bleep] rain, yeah.

Thank you, trenton.

Really. You're awesome.

I have sat here and told you

what an awesome job you're doing.

What an awesome job you're doing the whole time.

You sit here and bitch.

I haven't sat here and bitched.

I said I'm trying to be positive.

So, don't sit here and get pissed off at me

when you won't give me the freakin' knife.

I am literally going to take the knife.

You don't need the knife. I don't need the knife?

I don't need the knife to get firewood, trenton?

Are you out of your mind?

Lookit, all this [bleep] here

is all the stuff we've been burning all morning.

[bleep] that I went... Where did you --

...And broke off branches right under the [bleep] tree

you pee in every couple hours.

[bleep] break a branch off and bring it inside.

You don't even really move.

Well, what would you like me to do?

Because everything you've done so far, you had a knife.

You are the most selfish person I have ever met in my life.

Okay, I'm gonna leave, then.

[ thunder crashes ]

[ thunder rumbles ]

jennifer: You are the most selfish person

I have ever met in my life.

Jennifer: I feel like both of our intentions for being here

are totally different.

Mine is to prove things to myself

and do as well as I can,

and I feel like that's not something that he cares about.

We should end up being the best of fiends

knowing that we both survived through hell,

and I just don't see that happening at all.

Trenton: I really wished the argument hadn't got that heated.

I mean, I hate to be the guy that bottles stuff up,

which I can be, I know.

So, I feel like we need to talk and work things out.

Hi, jen.

So, the thing is, I can get frustrated and whatever.

It's just hard because this is such a bizarre experience.

It's really hard work, and it's really hard mentally.

But I feel like I do have legitimate complaints.

I get that, you know, you feel like

you are doing a majority of the work,

and I've told you that to your face, how many times

that you're doing a kick-ass job.

Even last night, like --

I'm trying, trenton.

I am doing things.

I am getting firewood, as well.

These don't have to be arguments.

[ sighs ]

I just get hyper-focused on just our needs.

Well, this is what we got right now.

I'm good. Okay.

You?

No, I'm good.

Okay.

I know I'm not a great person in all realms,

and yeah, I need to be more patient and more forgiving,

but it's hard for me.

Narrator: Over the next three days,

jen's strength slowly starts to return,

and the survivalists are finally able

to focus more on food.

Jennifer: So far, that's not so many.

Trenton: The hardest part of this environment is

we're on a ridgeline.

I mean, there's just not a lot up here.

But I've been watching the birds here --

a lot of bird activity.

I think I'm gonna make a cage-type bird trap.

It's appetizing for me. I'd fall for it at this point.

Whoa.

That is a scorpion.

Fat scorpion.

Holy cow.

What's up, dude?

Narrator: The sting of this tiny black scorpion

can lead to paralysis and can be fatal if untreated,

but it also could provide a meal of 240 calories.

Trenton: He's a little lobster of sorts.

That's like straight-up protein.

Look what came to visit.

Lunch time? Do you want to try one?

Sure.

Oh, my.

I'm afraid to eat certain things.

Not necessarily because it's a bug or whatever,

but it definitely makes me fearful

after how sick I was on day 2.

Trenton: He looks quite juicy.

Did it ooze? No.

Narrator: Trenton has removed the stinger

where most of the scorpion's venom is found.

Cooking it is an extra precaution,

as exposure to heat should render

any of the remaining poison harmless.

Hmm.

It's not so bad.

It's crunchy.

Yeah, I like it.

Jennifer: I think we're getting along

a little bit better.

He did not have to go venture out today,

but you know, I really needed protein.

Trenton: She's doing what she can,

and part of me just realizes,

like, anyone who would come out and do this,

you know, gets points with me.

I'm very thirsty,

and I'm hoping that the temperature just warms up

a little bit,

and we can maybe get two solid hours of sleep.

It's just harder to get up and go get water,

get up and go get firewood, energy wise.

Well, I am suddenly very distinctly aware

of my weight loss today.

It's kind of scaring the [bleep] out of me.

We're doing good.

Yeah. Could be skinnier.

Could be thirstier.

Yeah.

Jennifer: We're both just so weak and starving,

but I feel like I'm trying to be positive for both of us.

Just wondering what in the hell I can kill.

[ laughs ]

I guess I should just sit at the water hole.

I mean, I haven't hunted at all.

Can I use the knife while you're gone?

Well, I want to...

Okay, why not?

[ laughs ]

I appreciate it. Yeah.

Holy moly, like, I really am shocked.

Sit's the first time I've used trenton's knife.

Trenton: Standing here in the water

for really long periods of time

waiting for frogs requires mental focus

that I'm very much lacking at this point in the game.

I think I just heard the trap fall.

Forbid I lose something that's in here.

I can't see.

Nothing under it.

It might have just been the wind.

Jennifer: How you feeling?

Low.

It's just hard to think, like, how am I going to keep going

eight more days like this?

I feel like I'm paying dues or something, I don't know.

Jennifer: I'm a little concerned about trenton.

For him to kind of hit a low today,

everything kind of finally caught up with him,

and, you know, a little concerning.

Bugs, insects, arachnids, scorpions, berries.

That's not enough. You need more.

There's an eagle flying very high.

I bet he's had, like, meat today or carrion.

Be delicious.

[ bug buzzing ]

oh, my god. This is gonna drive me [bleep] insane.

It's [bleep] hot out here.

This is me begging, a.K.A., prayer.

I just don't think that I can keep going like this.

[ bird chirping ]

[ sighs ]

narrator: Two weeks with no significant source of protein

has left jen and trenton so weak and malnourished

that trenton resorts to hunting bugs and crickets

as a means to survive.

Jennifer: Hey, trenton?

Trenton: Yeah?

Was your bird trap up or down?

Oh, my god.

There's a bird in there.

It's even one of the doves.

I'm so thankful.

[ sighs ] I might actually cry.

I might have a cry here.

Where is it?

The one bird is just, like, mentally lifesaving

if not, you know, the physical part.

Oh, my god.

Hi, buddy.

What's your plan of attack here?

I'm gonna just pop his head.

[ slurping ]

ugh.

Are you drinking that blood?

Sorry, I didn't plan on doing that.

I will say, that was pretty gruesome,

but I'm very happy it happened.

It's not the biggest guy.

Hey.

But I'm gonna eat his heart, his lungs,

his liver, his kidneys,

probably his frickin' chitlings, why not?

Jennifer: Just seeing the tears in his eyes

and the look on his face just was priceless for me.

Like, it meant so much to me

to see how much, you know, it meant to him.

Whoo-hoo!

[ both laugh ]

this is the longest I've gone

with the smallest amount of food.

And it just really completed a circle for me

to actually have food in a trap.

Jennifer: I'm very proud of you.

I know you were getting frustrated

with the building it,

and you didn't think it was gonna happen,

and you started getting really down on yourself.

And I think this is kind of a little kick you needed.

Oh, my god. It smells like chicken.

Oh, god.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Don't burn yourself.

Sit's pretty delicious.

Mmm.

Who'd have thought we'd be having ribs?

Trenton: Now that I've had some food,

I feel like I have enough energy

to make one last push for protein before extraction.

Got one.

Jennifer: Definitely worried about the trek to extraction.

We've lost so much weight, so much muscle mass,

but I'm definitely getting along with my partner better.

I definitely think it's important,

especially at this point in the game

that we're doing this as a team.

Jennifer: I got a surprise for you.

It's a little grasshopper.

Trenton: I might lose him.

You gonna eat it?

No, that's for you.

Thank you.

I definitely feel like we've developed a friendship.

Yeah, I wasn't certain that was gonna happen

at the start, but --

yeah. Yeah.

I feel --

definitely, I'm gonna text you every day.

[ laughs ]

every single day.

You haven't seen the last of me, mr. Harper.

I know. Oh, I know.

[ laughs ]

[ thunder rumbles ]

it's pretty chilly now this morning,

and there is some really notable thunder and lightning.

Super windy, and now the rain is starting.

We're stoking the fire, and we are on a ridge top.

I'm a little concerned about the lightning.

[ thunder crashing ]

holy [bleep]

it looks like there might be a fire.

Jennifer: Are you serious?

It must have been from those lightning strikes.

Narrator: The fire started on the adjacent ridge.

High winds are blowing smoke and flames

across the parched landscape towards the camp.

Narrator: Before setting out on their 21-day survival challenge

in the steep himalayan foothills of northern india,

jen and trenton were both given

a primitive survival rating, or psr.

Jen's sickness greatly limited her ability

to contribute early on,

and trenton's frustrations grew

with his inability to secure significant sources of protein.

While their team dynamic has improved,

they remain weak and malnourished,

and now, in the face of a new, unexpected danger...

Trenton: Holy [bleep]

jennifer: Are you serious?

...Their chances of completing the challenge

and increasing their ratings are falling quickly.

[ thunder crashing ]

trenton: Holy [bleep]

it looks like there might be a fire.

Jennifer: Are you serious?

Do you think it's gonna make its way up here?

We should be ready to bail if we need to.

Hopefully, we don't get evacuated.

If we have to move at night, it's gonna be just difficult.

[bleep]

oh, my god. Can you see that?

Wow.

Narrator: The unexpected fire

makes an already difficult extraction journey

even more dangerous.

It definitely looks like there's still active fires.

Yeah.

We'll head towards that direction

on the ridge, opposite.

To keep a safe distance from the fire,

jen and trenton have no choice but to take a less-direct route

to their extraction point,

turning a 6-mile hike down the ridge

into an 11-mile trek over several steep hills

to a clearing

where they hope to be rescued by an evac helicopter.

I feel like the hardest part may be ahead of us.

It's gonna be a push, for sure.

It's go time.

Let's do this.

This is where it gets steep.

Oh. Careful.

Yep.

Okay. Ooh.

Careful, careful, careful.

Jennifer: I'm exhausted. I'm weak.

I'm ready to just lay down.

This is a little bit of a drop-off.

Are you doing all right?

No.

No? Okay.

Not at all.

Bloody hell.

[ sighs ]

what are you feeling, jen, besides tired?

Oh.

I might puke.

Just take it easy.

Trenton: As we're going along, and jen's stopping more,

I'm frustrated,

but I'm also reminded of how important it was

for jen to be positive for me.

So, I'm trying to motivate her.

I feel like I'm gonna yak.

You just got to keep going.

Oh.

Jennifer: The extraction is just brutal.

It's so much harder than I imagined.

I have a bad feeling we have to go up that.

Yeah.

Let's go.

Sorry.

Just got to get to the shade here.

Whoa.

Huh?

I'm gonna fall over.

Sit in the shade there.

I might pass out.

It's pretty bad.

Every -- every step is --

you just got to keep going, you know?

Get the, like --

I'm trying.

Feel like I just want to nap.

Try to change gears in your mind.

I don't want to disappoint trenton.

I don't want to disappoint myself.

I just -- I have to keep going.

I didn't make it this far to quit now.

Come on, jen. We're right here.

The only way through is through,

and she's coming with me, one way or the other.

[bleep] rock this. Let's just

do you hear what I'm hearing?

If that's not a helicopter, I don't know what the hell is.

I can hear it.

[ helicopter blades whirring ]

whoo-hoo!

Whoo!

Yeah!

Whoo!

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

It's the end of a journey,

and especially really awful experiences

are always so wonderful when they're over.

And that's just what the helicopter represented.

At the end of the day, I'm glad that I'm out here

with someone that ultimately I do like.

Oh, my god.

I'm so happy right now.

I chose to do this to conquer fears

and to conquer insecurities.

Whoo-hoo!

Whoo!

I definitely achieved a sense of pride,

a sense of honor,

and I have learned that I am so much stronger

than I give myself credit for.

Trenton: This was really good for me

to push out of my comfort zone,

but what I don't want to do is put myself in a position

where I'm that weak again.

I want to increase my skill set

so that, if I was ever in anything similar to this,

I would be able to follow through

with more energy and actually provide for myself

and sustain myself more.

I'm not saying I won't do it.

I'm just saying, I want to eat more next time.

[ laughs ]

narrator: Over the course of the three weeks in udhampur,

the survivalists experienced

a significant physical transformation.

Jen lost a total of 15 pounds, while trenton lost 18 pounds.

Despite her sickness and limited experience,

jen's positivity

and mental fortitude in the face of adversity

was essential their success.

Trenton almost allowed his controlling nature

to undermine his expert skills,

but overcame his frustrations to embrace a team approach.

As a result, jen's score improves from 6.4 to 6.9,

and trenton's psr improves from 7.9 to 8.2.

Both survivalists have now returned home safely.

Oh.

Holy [bleep]

me and my mom decided to come get pedicures,

and $5 extra for callous remover.

Narrator: In the end, they found a way to work together

in the extreme climate of northern india,

proving they have what it takes to survive...