Original subtitles

You don't really know where your edge is

until you've been pushed to it.

Woman: One thing I know to expect is suffering.

Man: This is a very hostile environment.

[bleep] this.

[bleep] mosquitoes. There's too many

tyler: They're eating us alive.

Ticks in my frickin' eyeball.

[ groans ]

the one's trying to get in my pee hole.

I got those.

Man #2: Fire went out.

Things are definitely getting harder.

Woman #2: My heart is pounding. I feel hungry and cold.

Getting close to hypothermic.

You bitch more than anyone I know.

Woman #3: No, I do not. You are a prima donna.

Yes, you are.

Whatever, mr. "I need a pillow,"

"I need more padding," "my feet hurt."

man #3: Who knows what we're gonna find in these caves.

What the [bleep] is that?

Oh, my god.

Tyler: 13 months in afghanistan

didn't do to me mentally and physically

what being out here in the jungle has done.

Narrator: Two strangers...

...One man and one woman, both experienced survivalists...

Whoa.

...Have chosen to put their skills to the ultimate test.

Just one victory, please!

Narrator: They have no water, no food, and no clothes.

Their challenge is to survive for 21 days...

Aah! And I want to go home.

Narrator: ...Knowing that the human body

can only live three days without water

and begins to shut down after three weeks without food.

Get out of there!

This is the everest of survival challenges.

Can a man and woman

survive alone in the wilderness...

Naked and afraid?

This place is here to kill and destroy

and doesn't want us here.

Narrator: South america -- the peruvian amazon.

Dense rainforest covers 60% of the land.

The vast wilderness is the most bio-diverse on the planet.

[ thunder crashes ]

the wet season is about to be unleashed

when the amazon river rises more than 30 feet,

flooding an area the size of south dakota.

The river -- the largest in the world --

is home to over 60 species of flesh-eating piranhas,

20-foot black caiman, and electric eels

capable of shocking prey with over 500 watts of power.

In the jungle, relentless mosquitoes

and deadly anaconda prey on the vulnerable,

while 300-pound jaguars --

the largest big cats in the western hemisphere --

are the apex predators of the region.

The jungle is a deadly and unpredictable foe,

and all but impossible to survive.

The amazon has already claimed its first victim.

One of the survivalists was so overwhelmed by the jungle

that he tapped out before he began.

The local guide who met him on the boat

was asked to take him home.

Five days later, two survivalists

finally venture deep into the amazon jungle.

A.K.: When I found out my partner quit,

it was completely insane.

I know my skills, and I know that if I was alone, by myself,

I could survive.

My name is a.K. I live in alabama.

I'm married. I have three kids.

I'm a stay-at-home mom.

Since I was a kid, I've been doing living history.

We would build our own fires, make our own shelter,

cook our own food using resources

the native americans only had during 1812.

To the people that think

that a married mother of three, stay-at-home mom can't do this,

I'm gonna prove to myself and everybody else that I can.

I hope my partner can stand up to the challenges

and come out here and survive.

Narrator: A.K. Is joined by tyler,

who has been brought in to replace her original partner.

Tyler: I feel very proficient, as far as my survival skills go.

The only thing that's gonna stop me from surviving these 21 days

is if I get hurt or sick.

My name's tyler stinely, I live in las vegas, nevada,

and I'm currently going to school for criminal justice.

I'm married for seven years now. I have two kids.

As far as my military training, I've been to afghanistan.

I've trained in fort polk, louisiana.

I've done high-altitude training in colorado.

As far as fears and being nervous,

I think it's just the unknown.

I've never been here before, and there's piranhas, anacondas,

caiman I'm gonna have to watch out for

to keep myself and my partner safe.

Meeting somebody for the first time naked's just whacko,

but [laughs] I don't know,

I'm sure we'll both get over it real quick.

Game time.

This is crazy.

Being naked in front of the opposite sex,

it's gonna take some getting used to,

but I think I'm gonna be able to overcome that

and focus on what needs to be done to be able to survive.

I hope my partner is a man.

I am a stay-at-home mom,

so I have no problem being able to play the role of a woman.

But, at the same time, I hope he can stand up to the challenges,

suck it up, and not be a sissy little girl all the time.

Hi.

Hey, how's it going? Good.

Tyler. Nice to meet you. I'm a.K.

Awesome. Nice to meet you.

I see you brought the twig and berries.

You got the ladies along, so we should be good.

[ chuckles ] this is awkward.

Very, very awkward.

First time you've been in the jungle naked

meeting somebody then. Yes.

[ chuckles ] okay.

Well, we got our bags over here.

We should probably go over there and check those out.

Narrator: Both survivalists are each allowed to bring

one essential survival item.

Cool, well, I got my machete here.

It's gonna be real helpful when it comes to making shelters,

protection, as far as hunting stuff.

What do you got?

I brought the fire starter.

Perfect. That's a must.

We need to get a fire going so we can get rid

of all these bugs. Yes, definitely.

They gave us our diary cams.

In addition, tyler and a.K. Have been provided handheld cameras

to record their own experiences.

My name is a.K.

Tyler stinely. Las vegas, nevada.

A small crew will capture the 21-day journey

with instructions not to intervene

unless a medical emergency makes it absolutely essential.

Also have a map. Cool.

Perfect. It's pretty simplistic.

Tyler and a.K. Have been dropped off

where the jungle meets the banks of the amazon river.

If they hike two miles southwest through dense rainforest,

they'll find an area of high ground surrounded by water

filled with fish and electric eel.

This will provide ample resources for building shelter

and opportunities for securing food and water.

Before day 21, they'll need to build a raft,

as they face a grueling 12-mile river voyage

up the amazon to arrive at this lake,

where they'll be rescued by helicopter.

We must be, like, right here.

So we should probably start walking up this way,

it looks like. Let's go.

As part of their selection process,

tyler and a.K. Have gone through rigorous

psychological and physical testing.

Their overall survival assessment

has been evaluated by experts according to three categories --

skill, experience, mental toughness.

Tyler's army training boosts his score,

but without his military equipment

and easy access to food and water, he may struggle.

A.K.'s experience teaching native-american history

will help her succeed,

but her strong-headed personality

may work against her.

Tyler and a.K. Have been given

an overall primitive survival rating, or psr.

Tyler's psr is set at 7.0.

A.K.'s is set 6.7.

Our experts will reassess their primitive survival rating

at the end of the challenge... If they make it that far.

Definitely gonna have to watch where we're going.

I'm not trying to get bit by a snake.

A.K.: Oh, yes.

So how old are your kids?

My daughter's 5 and my son, he's 3.

How old are yours?

I have an 8-year-old little girl,

and then I have two boys who are 2 and 3.

Whoo. Two boys. I feel for you.

Oh, it's tons of fun.

A.K.: Now that I've met tyler, I'm glad that he's my partner.

Seems like he's gonna be awesome to work with.

[ monkey screeches ]

it's a bird's nest, so we can use it as tinder.

Tyler: That's cool.

If we can catch a spark with that, that's gonna go up quick.

Oh, yes. Definitely.

Get some of this wet stuff dry.

Tyler: A.K. -- She definitely knows what she's doing,

and she's not just a girly girl.

You know, she knows how to get down and get stuff done,

which I like.

I just stepped on a spider.

A.K.: There are a lot of dangerous animals out here --

snakes, piranhas, electric eels.

So we're really gonna have to stay focused

and pay attention to our surroundings.

There's the biggest caterpillar I've ever seen in my life.

Tyler: What color is it?

Orange. Eh.

Yeah, I know yellow and orange you stay away from,

but it's a huge-ass caterpillar.

Tyler: I'm definitely intimidated by the jungle.

For any gringo like me

to get dropped out in the middle of the amazon

and not be scared or nervous, you'd have to be crazy.

Man, I just keep running into these frickin' --

where the [bleep] all right.

I must have taken a wrong turn.

Another downed tree.

These are really pissing me off.

Try to get out of here.

A.K.: We got lost in the jungle.

We're running out of time...

I'm right behind you.

...And we have tons to do before the sun sets.

Tyler: Dang. It gets real thick again right here.

This is not gonna be easy at all.

Ow. [bleep]

[ thunder rumbles ]

try to cut back around.

Man, it's thick through here.

We've been walking

for a good 30, maybe almost 40 minutes.

We got to hurry up.

I would like to just get a shelter up.

It's gonna get wet here real quick.

[ thunder rumbles ]

here we go. We're coming up on something.

Hopefully cross this and we'll be there.

A.K.: Oh, just go for it.

Oh, watch your step.

Well...

I guess call this home. This is it.

What do you think?

I don't see it getting much better than this.

It's flat. It's high. We're by the stream.

We're by the main river.

A.K.: Sounds good to me.

A.K.: In order to save time, tyler's gonna build a shelter

and I'm gonna start a fire using a bird's nest

and hopefully before the rain hits.

You need my help for anything? You're good?

I'm failing miserably.

I keep putting it out.

Don't get discouraged.

It's gonna be like this the whole time.

Tyler: Fire would be nice, but, for me,

just not being on the ground is important for me.

Right now, with this downpour,

I'm just focusing on getting a shelter built, at least for now.

Building a fire in the rain is extremely frustrating.

Everything's soaking wet.

I'm gonna start building the shelter.

Trying to do the roof?

Well, just trust me, once I get one more --

I don't care. Just go for it. Go.

Well, if you quit debating --

you're talking. You're wasting time.

What the [bleep]

quit debating if you don't care.

Tyler: A.K. -- She's a hard-ass like me, and she's pretty blunt.

This environment is already turning us against each other.

The rain sucks, but it's the amazon.

Got to get used to this.

It's not gonna stop or let up.

It's gonna be like this the whole time.

Narrator: As a.K. And tyler finish constructing

their makeshift shelter, nighttime approaches.

With no fire, they are at the mercy of the amazon.

[ mosquitoes buzzing ]

[bleep] stupid bug.

Tyler: Tonight's definitely gonna suck,

but what are you gonna do?

I mean, don't have a fire.

It's too late and everything's too wet.

Just didn't happen, you know?

[bleep] this. A.K.: It's night one.

[bleep] mosquitoes. There's too many

I think the biggest thing is the mosquitoes.

There's just a billion mosquitoes out here right now.

Nothing really I can do. They're eating us alive.

Oh, my god. Oh.

Oh, stupid freakin' -- get off me. [ groans ]

tyler: This is the worst experience of my life.

[bleep] everywhere.

Right now they're eating my vajayjay.

13 months in afghanistan

didn't do to me mentally and physically

what being out here in the jungle has done.

[ mosquitoes buzzing ]

tyler: Nothing really I can do. They're eating us alive.

[ birds chirping ]

all right. This is the morning of day two.

That was the worst night I can probably remember ever having.

I've been through some [bleep] in the military.

And it just never stopped raining.

It's still raining now.

It hasn't stopped and let up at all.

A.K.: Last night was so incredibly painful.

You couldn't imagine how insane those mosquitoes were.

We have got to get a fire going to smoke out these mosquitoes

because there is no way I can survive another night.

I have never had this much problem making a fire.

Never.

[ thunder crashes ]

tyler: I can try to find something more dry.

I don't know, there's just something about it.

It's not catching.

Nothing to burn.

I don't think this is gonna work.

A.K.: We're gonna have another horrible night.

[ thunder crashes ]

[ mosquitoes buzzing ]

get off.

[ groans ]

[ tyler groans ]

[ laughs ] oh, my god.

Oh, my god.

[bleep]

there is no sleeping without a fire.

You ready to start it?

Narrator: After 48 hours

of torrential rainstorms and mosquitoes,

the sun immerges,

providing a.K. And tyler a brief window to make fire.

A.K.: You know, I've been breaking down since last night.

I miss my family more than anybody could know.

Tyler: A.K. Is slowly going down.

She's hurting.

I'm trying to pick her up the best I can,

but everybody's their own person.

You know, you can only help them out so much.

I'm so sick and tired of getting eaten by bugs.

The most important thing for us to do right now

is get this fire going,

and hopefully that's gonna smoke the mosquitoes out.

Fire.

You know what this means?

We might finally get those mosquitoes out of our hair.

[ laughs ] whoo!

A.K.: I am extremely happy that he got the fire going.

There's no doubt about that.

Narrator: With fire, a.K. And tyler can now focus

on procuring food

and protecting themselves from the relentless mosquitoes.

[ sighs ]

I just broke this termite nest open.

See how they're starting to crawl into my hand?

Basically, this right here's

a natural insect spray for mosquitoes,

but if it helps just a little, that's enough for me.

So you just grind them up, rub them all over you.

We'll see how good it works.

The real test will be when we get up into camp

because that's where it was crazy.

This piece right here,

I'll probably throw on the fire and smoke.

By smoking the termite's nest, it's supposed to keep bugs away.

I got termites if you want to come rub these on your body.

It seems like it works a little bit.

Ooh, it's strong.

Tyler: You ready for another long night?

[ groans ] no.

Now that we got this termite mound burning,

I'm desperately looking forward to a good night's sleep.

[ mosquitoes buzzing ]

god dang.

Ah.

A.K.: Ah! [bleep] me.

Yeah, this is happening again.

I don't know.

The mosquitoes are so bad everywhere.

Are you kidding me?

[bleep] fire's out.

Tyler: So now my only option is to get down in the mud

and try to restoke this fire.

Aah! These [bleep] stupid, little bugs.

There is no way this is gonna work.

Aw [bleep] suck ass.

Oh [bleep] you.

Today has been a really bad day.

Tyler broke the fire starter.

I don't know.

I've never had something so small, like mosquitoes,

mess with my head so much.

I couldn't tell you which bite's from what,

but I think that's definitely the most painful part.

Sometime last night, when I was sleeping,

I think I started scratching it on the tree next to me.

That's pretty nasty.

This probably is one of the worst parts,

as far as I can tell.

It feels like how cottage cheese looks --

just that bumpy texture.

[bleep] out of my butt[bleep] fire ants are just biting the

and I just don't even care anymore 'cause I'm so tired.

I think I'm just sitting on a nest.

I don't even know.

I couldn't even tell you what -- [groans] --

what this would do for morale.

[ sighs ]

nothing is working at all with the mosquitoes.

Only gonna get worse.

I don't think I've gotten more than an hour of sleep

the whole time.

A.K.: There's just no possible way.

'cause right now, they're eating my vajayjay alive.

Who the [bleep] could come out here

and survive naked in the amazon jungle?

I am not battling these mosquitoes for any longer,

no matter what.

I have a family and husband I have to get back home to.

Narrator: After four grueling days,

the mighty amazon claims yet another victim...

...And forces a.K. To tap out.

A.K.: This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

Going back home will be great.

At the same time, it's gonna suck

'cause I know that I wanted to complete this

and I was not able to.

Narrator: With a.K. Choosing to tap out,

the producer steps in to confirm her decision.

Stephen: What I'm hearing right now is that a.K.,

you want to quit and, tyler, you do not want to quit.

You know, I'm gonna stay out here as long as I can.

So say goodbye to tyler, and then we're gonna walk out.

I'm sorry.

You got to do what you got to do.

Tyler: I'd love to have her stay, but she is going,

and I'm not gonna hold that against her.

That's not my point, to hold that against her.

You know, nobody's gonna stop her.

A.K.: I've always known

that family is always the most important thing,

but being out here in the amazon

has just shown me how much more they mean to me.

[ sighs ]

thinking about doing it by myself, it's just...

[ clears throat ]

it's not even fathomable.

I just can't believe how fast

this place has killed me like this.

[ sighs ]

17 days. Now alone.

Tyler: A.K. Decided she's gonna leave.

If I were to make it

and be mentally and physically strong enough

for the next 17 days, that's 17 days alone.

Narrator: 72 hours into their survival challenge,

the amazon claims its second victim and a.K. Taps out.

Desperate, malnourished, and now without a partner,

tyler remains in the jungle alone

and in dire need of a plan.

[ groans ]

off my private parts.

I mean, this is what I'm dealing with.

You know, they just -- all day long.

I don't like this camp.

The conditions are horrible,

and I don't think it can get any worse than it already is.

Narrator: In hopes of escaping the onslaught of mosquitoes,

tyler makes the calculated but dangerous decision

to cross the river filled with deadly predators.

Razor-tooth piranha --

one of the world's most aggressive fish --

are known for attacking prey much larger than themselves.

[ thunder rumbles ]

I'm gonna go up and look for a good place to sleep --

probably won't be too far --

get a couple vines, and I'm gonna build a little cot.

I'm so exhausted.

Be low to the ground.

I'm not gonna have a roof, so hopefully this will work.

It's gonna be my first night alone here in the amazon,

but I don't really have a choice.

I can't even think 'cause lack of the food.

"lack of the food" -- yeah, exactly.

So that was two pretty good examples

of just how low energy I am.

My brain just doesn't even work.

Narrator: After five days

of debilitating insect bites, no food, and no sleep,

the amazon jungle breaks tyler.

[ sighs ]

13 months in afghanistan

didn't do to me physically, mentally

what this five days being out here in the jungle has done.

When we were out on the frontline, you know,

the taliban were coming in and getting shot at and blown up,

and the worst parts of afghanistan

don't even start to equal how bad it is here.

At this point, this place

is just the craziest [bleep] I've ever seen.

I'm done.

Narrator: Beaten down by the brutal conditions,

tyler becomes the third casualty and taps out.

Because both tyler and a.K. Spent less than a week

surviving the amazon before tapping out,

their primitive survival ratings go down.

Tyler ends up with a psr of 4.4.

And a.K. Scores lower to 4.3.

The amazon has claimed three victims.

Two new survivalists now enter

the heart of the merciless jungle.

E.J.: I'm in the amazon,

one of the most dangerous jungles on the planet.

This is not just your average jungle.

This is a jungle on steroids.

My name is e.J. Snyder. I'm a retired 25-year army vet.

I've been married for 20 years.

To me, survival, it's heart, spirit, and mind.

We're gonna kick you in your keister, africa!

Narrator: E.J. Snyder survived for 21 days in tanzania

and he comes into the amazon

with a primitive survival rating of 8.2.

Laura: It's a huge honor

to be able to take on the challenge of the amazon.

It's probably gonna be pretty brutal.

My name is laura zera.

I'm from new hampshire.

I'm a primitive survivalist and a backcountry guide.

That's awesome.

Narrator: Laura zera survived 21 days in panama

and also starts with a psr of 8.2.

Laura: There's places that are really dark and wet

and look like they'd be a great breeding ground for bugs.

E.J.: When you come out in a wild environment,

this is no joke.

This is for real.

If you don't have your [bleep] together, you could die.

Laura: I'm a very independent person.

I have a really independent spirit.

If someone wants to do something

and I don't think it's a good idea,

they're gonna have a hard time convincing me to do it.

I hope my partner is really strong mentally.

I hope that I don't have to emotionally carry him

through the situation.

It will be very mentally challenging.

E.J.: This is a survival situation.

It's about being a team.

And there's give and take.

I'm a nice guy at times.

Don't take my kindness for weakness.

But if the ogre comes out, it's gonna be a bad thing.

Well, here we go.

Well, well, well. Laura zera.

E.J.

Fancy meeting you here. I know.

Middle of the amazon. You're as crazy as I am.

Probably. Maybe more.

Cool. Wow.

You ready to rock this?

I'm ready to knock this out, kick this jungle in the butt.

Narrator: E.J. And laura have been provided

the same survival items and map that a.K. And tyler were using.

So why don't we head on over here,

and then loop around and we can see what we're working with.

Laura: I'm really excited to work with e.J.

I know that he is really mentally tough.

You can tell he's all heart.

Oh, yeah, bug activity's much higher.

Yes.

My concern is that the bugs will overwhelm my body.

You can almost see

the mosquito larvae writhing in it.

Yep.

I'm still not 100% back to normal

from my first experience in panama.

Mosquitoes, they're a really formidable opponent.

E.J.: I think laura will make a great partner.

I know she's got good skills, good energy, a good vibe.

My skills compiled with hers,

hopefully everything's gonna go pretty well.

Oh, oh, oh. Ants, ants, ants.

Aw, they're angry.

Laura: Aw, man. I see them all. Holy [

[ groans ] oh, they're angry.

Hey, look what I found.

Check it out. Oh, my god.

I would -- look at that.

I would n-- I think we should get far away from here.

So we just arrived at the old camp,

and it must have been horrible here.

It has water on three sides of it,

so it's literally in the center

of a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

They did a triangular shelter in this place?

Bad deal.

Look at this. Flat roof, rain hits you.

It was probably hell here.

I don't know if I could make it 21 days if I was here.

I say let's get out of here.

E.J.: Next move is to get on our merry-gary way

and get up to higher ground.

This is definitely the highest thing

that we've seen since we've been out here.

I'll go gather vines, and you can start --

yeah, let me start hacking. Yep.

We're running out of daylight fast,

so I'm gonna just start gathering

as much material as possible

so we have stuff to burn through the evening.

There we go. There we go.

There you go, laura.

Yes!

Ha ha! Yeah!

Yes! Yeah!

Whoo!

Amazon fire!

Yeah!

E.J.: Get busy and do what we came here to do.

Get a shelter up with some good overhead cover

so we're protected from the rain

and then figure out how to box that thing in

so the bugs won't mess with us at night

and we can get some rest.

Good?

Good. All right.

This is gonna be the best we can do with the time allowed.

I think we got about an hour of light left, maybe.

Hour and a half if we're lucky.

Yeah.

[ mosquitoes buzzing ]

the mosquitoes have been relentless, really.

They're unforgiving, those things.

Almost maddening how many mosquitoes are out here.

Oh, my [bleep] god.

Holy [bleep]

aw [bleep] me.

This is like testing the limits of my everything.

Oh [bleep]

I'm gonna have to just get out of here.

I'm kind of offended.

I offended you?

That's what I've done in the military.

This isn't war.

Boa bite is nasty.

Boa's chasing him. Whoa.

Ah!

[ growl ] you hear that?

We got a jaguar in the area.

[ growling ]

guess I'll be sleeping with one eye open now.

[ mosquitoes buzzing ]

e.J.: This place has turned into an infestation of mosquitoes.

It's gonna be a breeding ground for them,

so we're gonna need to get out of here fast.

Oh, god, you got bites everywhere.

Laura: Last night

was probably one of the worst nights of my life.

It was horrible.

The mosquitoes that came in

were unlike anything I've experienced.

And they didn't stop.

There was just wave after wave after wave of them.

To the point, we were choking on them, literally.

E.J.: I kind of sensed

that laura, you know, through the night,

you know, with all these bug bites and stuff, it's just --

it gets at you.

Psychologically, it's a tough thing.

Last night gave us a little taste of how it's gonna be,

and, yeah, it's enough to get anybody down.

[ chuckles ] e.J.: So last night sucked.

Yeah. To say the least.

I don't know.

I think maybe we trek that way?

After last night, we're finding out that these mosquitoes

are just gonna chase after you.

So we need to just stay a few steps ahead of them.

We need to find another location that's better to operate out of.

Laura: We're thinking it's a better idea to move.

We're extremely dehydrated

and in need of dealing with the mosquitoes

in a more effective way tonight.

We have nothing to lose to move down,

and we have everything to gain.

Aah. Look what I just stepped on.

Geez. Hold on.

Got it. Oh, my gosh.

Yeah, that was a multi-leveled thorn for sure.

Where the heck did that come from?

I don't know.

This place is just so thick.

[ sighs ]

it's so hot.

Yeah.

Brutal. Brutal.

Laura: Yeah, and I think water --

mm-hmm.

Water and more water. Yep.

So let's keep our eyes peeled as we go.

Narrator: E.J. And laura

each need at least a gallon of water per day.

They know that cat's claw vine

will provide some much needed water if they can find it.

E.J.: Let me take a little stroll down there real quick.

Let's try it.

All righty.

E.J.: Without water, in this heat,

with the humidity, you do the math.

It's never enough.

[ chuckles ] nope.

Oh, man. Look at this.

Coming.

I like the way this opens up here.

This is kind of working for me.

Mm-hmm.

If we somehow incorporated a massive tree like this --

what if we had an a-frame coming out this way?

E.J.: This is a big decision.

It's important we take the time now and build the shelter

that we know we need to to get off the ground.

So I'll work on poles. Perfect.

You work on getting cordage.

I love it.

And we'll just stay paced.

Just don't burn ourselves out for the day.

You've been selected.

Welcome to the infantry.

How's it going?

It's going good.

[ groans ]

laura. Yeah?

Help me.

Your machete got me. It's bleeding real bad.

[bleep]

[ groans ]

you all right?

E.J.: Yep. Wrap it.

I was using the machete,

and it grazed off when I was cutting,

and it's very sharp, and it cut my leg.

Laura: I'm worried 'cause I know how sharp that machete is.

It's a lot of blood pouring down his leg.

We're both exhausted.

And it's so easy to cut yourself on.

Narrator: After examination,

medics decide to stitch e.J.'s leg as a precaution.

The challenge now is to keep it clean and free from infection

for the next 19 days.

E.J.: I'm sitting

in one of the most dangerous places on the planet

for infection to bacteria.

Laura: How's that? Does that hurt?

No, it's good.

Laura: So I took these incredible leaves

that we've been using for everything,

and by putting this leaf bandage on,

we're hoping that it doesn't get infected.

How you feeling?

Pretty good.

Got to finish this out today.

Yes, we are.

Narrator: E.J. And laura spend the rest of the afternoon

completing the shelter.

In building the shelter higher off the ground,

they hope it will protect them from the mosquitoes.

Down a tiny bit.

Hold on. Yeah.

Right there? Yep.

A little higher.

Heck yeah. Nice work.

E.J.: Amazon lodge open for service!

Ye-hoo! Whoo-hoo!

Ow.

Laura: [bleep]

[ growling ]

you hear that?

We got a jaguar in the area that's not far away.

We knew we moved into more hostile territory,

but this is very dangerous.

[ jaguar growls ]

there it is again.

[ jaguar growls ]

[ whistles ]

[ growls ]

e.J.: All right. We got a jaguar in the area.

[ jaguar growls ] there he is again.

We're in his turf, I guess.

Tangle with one of them,

you better have your [bleep] together.

We got to get our security up,

[ jaguar growls ] 'cause we --

wow. He's going crazy.

'cause that's not far away.

Narrator: E.J. And laura have survived the amazon jungle for five d

but have yet to find a source of protein

to keep their bodies going.

Our primary need at this point has become food.

I am really, really hungry.

They're biting pretty good down there,

so we shouldn't have to wait too long.

We need some protein,

so fishing is on the agenda for this morning,

and I really hope it pans out.

E.J.: I'm anxious. I hope we catch something, man.

Narrator: Using a hook made from a thorn, baited with a grub,

they hope to catch piranha or other cichlids.

[ groans ]

ohh.

Yes! Nice!

Nice! No!

Damn it.

That was a piranha. He bit through the whole hook.

Laura: Did he bite through the whole hook or did the

yeah, I lost the whole thing.

It's definitely us, not them.

[ groans ]

I really wanted some fish.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure.

We've got to find food today. It is critical.

We're both very hungry, getting low on energy.

So we've got to do some things maybe outside the box.

Holy [bleep] I need a spear!

E.J.: What do you got? A huge [bleep] boa.

He's right in there. He's getting away.

He's going over there.

Holy [bleep]

did he come this way?

There he is.

He came right at me.

Holy [bleep] look at how big he is.

Wow. Hold on, now.

He can spring the length of his body, so, that's the problem.

And a boa bite is nasty.

Narrator: The amazon tree boa has a vicious bite

that can cause a serious infection

and even lead to gangrene.

They are aggressive and will attack humans without warning.

All right, he's coming. He's coming.

Step back. All right.

The boa's chasing him.

Whoa. See him flare up?

He means business. He's aggressive.

He's very aggressive. He's in the tree now.

Holy [bleep] look how fast he's moving.

[bleep] damn.

Damn it. Yeah, he's going up high. [bleep]

[ sighs ] 'cause everything in the amazon got to be worked for.

That must be the answer to the question.

She ain't giving it to us unless we work for it,

so let's go [bleep] work for it.

I'm gonna have to take what I want.

Seems that's the way it's gonna be.

[ both sigh ]

the psychological toll of being out here, it's intense.

It's easy to lose your optimism out here.

But I don't think it's a very positive way to look at life.

It's all about learning the balance.

I'm about tired of mother amazon kicking our ass.

Two weeks in the peruvian amazon.

No food.

I'm a little concerned that with our hunger today,

e.J. And I may both be a little grumpy.

E.J.: I know we're at that wall. We got to get some protein fast.

Our energy levels are crashing, and we're getting in that stage.

Here's a waterhole right here.

Some bubbles coming out of it, too, laura.

Laura: Let's check it out.

Holy...

Is that what I think it is?

Where?

There's a huge [bleep] eel in there.

Holy crap!

Wow.

That's the -- I thought it was a log.

I could spear the [bleep] that damn thing right now.

Wait, wait, wait. I think this is an electric eel.

If you decide to get the eel, like, we need to make a plan,

'cause they can be very dangerous.

That's a lot of chow. That's a lot of food.

If we manage to get this thing out,

it's still gonna have a charge.

And if it starts thrashing all about -- I mean, it's very long.

This thing can kill you.

I'm all about [bleep] sticking this bitch

right behind his eyeballs. He's not a bitch.

Well, I don't know what he is, but he's dinner.

I mean, how long is it gonna take for him to freakin' die

after I stick him?

I've never killed an electric eel before.

Me, either.

[bleep] take you last breath,

wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What?

I don't want him to die like that.

Just give him a little bit of respect.

This is our food. It's gonna save our life.

[ sighs ]

excuse me, mr. Eel, do you mind if I take this stick

and shove it up your brain cranium

so that I can eat you tonight?

Huh? Thank you very much.

Damn, that's deep.

All right.

Yeah!

Look at that!

That's dinner.

How about that, mr. Eel?

You may not want to watch this.

I appreciate a swift death, so I --

I don't have a problem with killing, I just --

yeah. Give him --

[ grunts ] [ whack ]

was that nice enough? Was I polite?

No. I'm kind of offended.

I offended you.

Thank the eel. He just gave his life for you.

That's something you say "thank you" for.

That's not something you say, "[bleep] you" for.

When you decide that you're gonna take something's life

to further your own -- I understand that.

It's an act of huge respect. It's not an act of violence.

Listen, this thing could have zapped me,

like you said, with its tail,

and I'd have been laying there instead of this thing.

Of course it could.

But I don't think you need to be angry to kill something.

When you're about to stick something

that will stick 500 volts through your body

and possibly kill you,

if you hesitate, then that's what happens.

In my business, where I came from,

one second -- this isn't war.

[ sighs ]

excuse me, mr. Eel, do you mind if I take this stick

and shove it up your brain cranium?

Yeah!

Look at that!

That's dinner.

How about that, mr. Eel?

Was that nice enough? Was I polite?

No. I'm kind of offended.

I offended you.

It just was really shocking for me to see --

I had no idea that you were gonna be like that.

I had to make sure -- I had one shot at this thing.

I don't think you need to be disrespectful to the eel

to have it not get you with its tail. I guess,

maybe, my strength comes from a different place than anger.

When I got to do something like that,

I just get in a mind-set of "you got to get fired up."

there's that ogre in the closet from...

You know?

I don't want to be thought of like this violent, ugly human.

[ sighs ]

hey.

Laura: I think it just really struck me

because it's a sacred act to me,

and it's life and death. It's all part of it.

Before you killed the eel,

I felt like you were, like, mocking me,

the fact that I wanted you to respect it.

It just shocked me, coming from you.

[ sighs ] you know, it -- it...

It bothered me that I offended you that way, in such a matter,

and I just...

You know, 'cause respect you,

and I care about what you, you know -- you think.

I understand I offended you,

and I just want you to understand how much,

from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry.

I-I am.

Thanks, e.J.

[ e.J. Sighs ]

e.J.: I was a soldier in the army for 25 years.

I have seen lots of terrible things and violent things,

and I can get intense, and...

And it's a side of me that I don't like,

and I put it away. And that's what I meant

when I said, "hey, the ogre in the closet."

that's what she was seeing,

and it scared me, because I'm not that guy.

So, she taught me that if you're going to kill something to live

and to eat, that you can do it with compassion.

[ thunder crashes ]

laura: The skies just opened up.

Laura kicked ass.

She was a hero keeping the fire going.

The storm was raining on her.

It's been days of nothing,

and now we're gonna be eating meat that we caught,

and it feels pretty incredible.

[ sighs ] this meal means so much to us.

Laura: Well-deserved. To the eel.

Well-earned. Teamwork.

Oh, my god. Mmm.

Electric eel.

Give us the energy we need to go all the way to 21.

Mm-hmm.

Narrator: Hemmed in by the jungle

and with the extraction point 9 miles away,

e.J. And laura have less than a week left

to work out how to get there.

Open water -- it's just such viable means of travel.

It's a highway that goes through the jungle.

That's what I like about it.

That's why I would really like to figure out a raft,

'cause then we could raft to the location

to do what we got to do.

I think that's our next push is building that raft.

Yeah.

I agree.

Beautiful.

Everything right now is riding on us building an awesome raft.

E.J.: That's the only way we're gonna be able

to traverse this river to our extraction point.

That one's gonna float us good.

[ thunder rumbles ]

we're building a catamaran-type raft,

and we want it to be solid.

We put a lot of energy into this raft.

It has to last us several days

so we can get to our extraction point.

Got you now.

We're pushing ourselves so hard to build this raft.

My body is starting to consume itself

at a very high rate. I can tell.

Holy [bleep] it's working.

Laura: I'm concerned about e.J.

He's been working crazy days

doing very intense physical labor that would wipe me out

even if I was getting three square meals a day.

[ e.J. Grunts ]

this is taking longer than we thought it would.

We are running out of time.

[ sighs ]

I'm about tired of mother amazon kicking our ass.

Narrator: E.J. And laura

have taken on the seemingly impossible task

of surviving 21 days in the deadly amazon jungle.

These are amazonian mosquitoes.

Narrator: Before they began,

they were both given a primitive survival rating, or psr.

E.J. Has shown incredible fortitude,

but his bravery in killing the electric eel was compromised

by his overly aggressive attitude to his partner...

Do you mind if I take this stick

and shove it up your brain cranium?

Narrator: ...Causing a brief rift between them.

His psr shows no net change.

Laura has carried on bravely and shown strong survival skills,

despite her acute sensitivity to the amazon mosquitoes.

Her psr has slightly improved.

With only four days left to extraction,

they both still have time to increase their ratings.

E.J.: Whoa.

Laura: Everything right now is riding on us building an awesome r

if we don't make this raft

and we don't make it bomb-proof enough

to get us to our extraction point,

we're not getting to our extraction point.

And we're totally out of the water.

I love it. Whoo!

Is that down all the way?

What? Yeah, it's all the way down.

Now we've got the flooring starting to go in.

We've got the side rails on so we can put some chairs on there.

It's sturdy, though. Look at that.

That's some good, primitive work right here, man.

E.J.: Not too wobbly? No, it's great.

[ sighs ]

it's been days since we've had a decent meal.

We're pushing ourselves so hard to build this raft

because we need a safe vessel.

This is a caiman-anaconda-

water-snake-infested- with-piranha tributary.

Laura: And we're gonna sleep out on it,

not to mention the exposure we're gonna be experiencing.

We're very vulnerable on this raft.

E.J.: What do you think?

I love it. It's beautiful.

Okay.

Getting out of this place. Let's do it.

E.J.: Time to go!

There we go.

Narrator: E.J. And laura begin their 9-mile journey

into the perilous and unpredictable waters

of the amazon.

Laura: Oh, my god.

Ooh, this is [bleep] thick.

E.J.: We're going nowhere.

Yeah, move the [bleep]

laura: [ sighing ] oh, man.

It is so difficult with the oars

that we have to row through this green stuff.

You have no idea.

That's impossible.

Laura: Oh, my god.

E.J.: Unbelievable.

Man, this green just keeps going.

Holy [bleep] they bite it.

Careful.

[ sighs ]

tired and sun-burned and thirsty and hungry.

Yeah.

Maybe we should think about finding a spot to pull over.

Laura: Yeah, I think it's about that time.

Narrator: It's been 7 hours,

and e.J. And laura have paddled a fraction of the distance

they'll need to reach their extraction point.

Exhausted, dehydrated, and desperate,

they are still a long way from home.

[ voice breaking ] today's my wife's birthday.

[ crying ] I love you very much,

and I hope you're doing good at your job with your new stuff.

It's been a hard day today for you...

For me to not be there to celebrate with you again.

[ sighs shakily ] I love you so much.

I wish you could see this jungle with me.

[ grunts ]

laura: It's day 20, and I'm concerned about e.J.

My partner is feeling the effects of building the raft.

Hit me hard. I know.

I'm hoping that e.J. Gets recovered,

'cause it's gonna be a lot of work

for me to try to drag us both down the river.

I'm really overwhelmed.

E.J.: I pray to god to give me the power to go 22 more hours.

The paddle's probably gonna get bound up, too.

[ water splashing ]

got a long ways to go yet. Long ways to go,

but no matter what, you have to just keep paddling forward.

Keep on going.

[ sighs ]

[ thunder rumbles ]

[ sighs ]

yeah.

[ sighs ]

hey, hey, hey.

Look right there. Holy crap.

Holy [bleep]

we're sitting ducks.

We really have to be careful.

[ sighs ]

[ thunder crashes ]

oh, geez.

[ thunder crashes ]

oh, my god.

I think...

Can you push us in? Yeah. Hold on.

E.J.: We can't see anything,

so we're just trying to make the best of a bad situation.

Hopefully, we won't get hypothermia.

[ shivering ]

[ thunder crashes ]

geez.

It's so bad.

[ shivering ] aah.

[ continues shivering ]

[ thunder crashes ]

[ thunder crashing ]

e.J.: Geez.

[ shivering ]

narrator: Battered by a biblical storm,

e.J. And laura are forced to seek safety on the riverbank.

Unaware that they are just 2 miles from extraction,

they're in the early stages of hypothermia.

[ thunder crashes ]

in a few hours, their organs will start to shut down.

[ shivering ]

[ water splashing ]

e.J.: Every stroke burns.

[ sighs ]

e.J.: Last night was such a gut check.

I am physically exhausted...

And I left everything on the field.

Pure exhaustion.

[ water continues splashing ]

all right.

Feels like you need to pull yourself through it.

[ sighs ] e.J.: Ah, man.

Laura: So close.

[ e.J. Grunts ]

dig in deep, e.J. I know you're on empty.

Shh. Shh.

[ helicopter whirs ] laura: You hear that?

Sounds like a plane.

Here! Hey, what's that right there?

Oh, gosh. Yeah, look.

Oh, my god! Lookit! Yeah, I see it.

Holy crap! That's awesome!

There it is.

Yeah! Hey!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Yeah! Yeah!

Whoo-hoo!

Yeah!

Yeah!

Paddle forward!

Laura: Having the chopper blow us back,

I mean, almost blow me off the raft --

we have nothing left in us.

Go! Go!

Come on, e.J.!

Right here. Go! Go!

Go, go, go!

[ groaning ]

[ groans ]

[ continues groaning ]

go, go!

[ grunts ]

laura: We [bleep] did it!

Yeah! Yeah!

Head down! Yeah!

Yeah!

Yeah!

Ohh!

E.J.: Step-by-step, side-by-side we walked together.

That's what makes greatness.

Your survival depends on you and your partner.

If you don't have the teamwork to survive, you will not.

Goodbye, amazon! Thank you!

Laura: The need for companionship --

it's a new thing for me, being such a loner.

Having someone there can make all the difference.

I trust e.J. With my life.

Yeah!

Yeah! Yeah!

We did that!

Narrator: After 21 days in the peruvian amazon,

e.J. And laura survived the un-survivable

at great physical cost.

E.J. Lost a total of 44 pounds, and laura, 12 pounds.

Laura began with strong survival skills and instincts,

which she used effectively to support her partner

when he needed it most.

Ex-army sergeant e.J. Had the fortitude to soldier on

in the face of exhausting adversity.

E.J. And laura receive a step up in their survival ratings,

finishing equally at 9.1,

proving once again they both have what it takes

to survive naked and afraid.

Yeah, we did it!

21 days! E.J. And laura!

They said it couldn't be done!

We came here, and we showed you how to do it!

Epic! Yeah!

This was epic!

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

captions paid for by discovery communications