On Naked and Afraid, contestants are forced to live in the wilderness for 21 days. The environment where they live is dangerous, and injuries are bound to happen. Numerous injuries have been reported on the reality show, and some contestants have escaped death by a whisker. Which is the worst injury on Naked and Afraid?
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Naked and Afraid premiered in 2013 on the Discovery Channel. Season 17 premiered on 18 February 2024. Contestants are placed in an extreme wilderness environment for 21 days without food, water, or clothes and must find a way to survive. Naturally, injuries will happen in such a setting. Which is the worst injury on Naked and Afraid? Find out today.
Which is the worst injury on Naked and Afraid?
Some contestants on Naked and Afraid have sustained serious injuries during the filming of the reality show. It is challenging to list major injuries on the show in terms of severity because different people have different tolerance limits for pain.
Even so, here is a breakdown of all the major Naked and Afraid injuries and how they were handled by the show producers.
EJ Snyder
EJ Snyder almost lost his genitals after falling from a tree branch into a swamp. He sustained multiple lacerations to his scrotum. When the incident happened, EJ was given two options. The show producers gave him the option of quitting the show and going to the hospital for treatment.
EJ was also given the option of receiving immediate medical attention on-site before proceeding with filming. There were serious health risks if he opted to stay in the competition. Medics told the producers that he could suffer an infection that could possibly lead to the loss of his genitalia.
They added that the injury could be fatal if the injury became septic. Despite being warned about the health risks, EJ opted to continue filming after receiving eight stitches on the wound.
Medics ordered him to stay away from water for ten days to allow the wound to heal properly. During this period, he was advised to avoid overly exerting himself.
Sam Mouzer's injury
Sam Mouzer is one of the contestants who suffered serious injuries during the filming of the show. He suffered a serious injury to his penis in season 15.
Mouzer and his partner were sleeping beside a fire when the incident happened. A spark shot out from the flames and injured his private part. Medics on the ground were able to treat the injury, and he continued filming the show.
Samantha Ohl's stage two hypothermia
Hypothermia is also known as systemic cold injury. In 2017, she developed stage two hypothermia and had to be hospitalised.
She tried to keep warm at night by putting hot rocks into the single burlap bag she had with her. Even so, a heavy rainstorm on a particularly cold night proved to be too much for her body.
One of the show's medics had to intervene because her extremities had become entirely numb. She showed the signs that her organs were shutting down. She was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, where local doctors prevented any long-term consequences of hypothermia.
Why was Amber medically tapped?
In 2023, reality television star Amber Hargrove was medically tapped after suffering from hypothermia or systemic cold injury. Her core temperature was quite low, leading to the intervention. She had to leave the show after the incident.
Producer Steve Rankin's pit viper encounter
Steve Rankin, one of the producers of Naked and Afraid, was rushed to hospital in 2013 after encountering a venomous Fer-de-Lance snake in Costa Rica. He sustained a snake bite that left him with a rotting foot.
The show's producer was scouting out possible shooting locations when the incident happened. He leapt over a huge fallen tree that was home to a pit viper.
When the viper bit him, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain. The pain became worse when the venom started spreading up the reality TV star's leg. His colleagues carried him for about two miles before a rescue helicopter picked him up.
Upon arrival at the hospital, medics realised his leg was decaying. The doctors said he needed five surgeries. His foot was saved after the first procedure.
Matt Wright's injuries
Matt Wright is best known throughout the world as The Savage or Jungle Warrior on Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid. In season three, he got a bug bite on his foot.
Medics treated the bite using antibiotics, and it did not develop an infection. Later, the reality TV star discovered he had a flesh-eating bacteria on the injured site. The bacteria started spreading, and he risked losing his foot. He had no option but to tap out of that season.
Later in the show, he sustained a calf injury. According to Matt Wright's injury update on Instagram, it took him months to walk properly after tearing his calf muscles. He announced he was ready to take up new challenges after recovering.
Molly Jansen's brushes with death
Molly Jansen literally battled for her life multiple times on the show. She had many close encounters with venomous snakes, large animals, and predators. The nature of the injuries she sustained after these episodes is not documented, but it is apparent that her life was in danger on multiple occasions.
Another incident that almost took her life was when she was trying to eat a cooked warthog prepared by her team. She choked on the meat. Her teammate performed the Heimlich manoeuvre and saved her life.
Manu Toigo's dengue fever case
Although dengue fever is not necessarily a physical injury, it almost cost Manu Toigo's life. Dengue fever is an illness you can get from the bite of a mosquito carrying one of four types of dengue virus (DENV).
Toigo was bitten by a mosquito in Panama. She flew home to the United States of America, where she gradually started developing worrying symptoms. The reality television star had severe headaches, fever, nosebleeds, and gum bleeds.
She was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital. Doctors diagnosed her with a severe form of dengue fever, which threatened to cause irreversible internal bleeding. Manu Toigo's recovery journey was not easy, but she survived the ordeal. She did physical therapy to recover from the illness.
Has anyone from Naked and Afraid died?
Recent reports revealed that a former contestant on the show died tragically in 2022. Melanie Rauscher was only 35 when she was found dead at her Arizona house where she had been dog-sitting. She did not die during filming.
When she was found, she was surrounded by cans of dust cleaner. A medic determined that she had accidentally given herself difluoroethane toxicity, leading to her death. She inhaled compressed air from the cleaning products.
How long is Naked and Afraid?
Each episode of the show chronicles the lives of two survivalists who meet for the first time. They are given the task of surviving in the wilderness naked for 21 days.
Is Naked and Afraid fake?
No, Naked and Afraid is a real show. While some people have thought the show is fake, it is not.
Has anyone been attacked on Naked and Afraid?
Since the contestants are in the wild, the chances of being attacked by wild animals are high. In 2013, producer Steve Rankin was bitten by a pit viper in 2013. Molly Jansen had many close encounters with venomous snakes, large animals, and predators, as did many other contestants.
Why don't they eat monkeys on Naked and Afraid?
Even though the contestants are in an extreme wilderness environment, they are not allowed to catch and eat monkeys or any other endangered animal. Monkeys are protected in many regions, and contestants may find themselves on the wrong side of the law when they kill them. Besides, they risk being attacked by monkeys when they kill one of them.
Many people are curious about the worst injury on Naked and Afraid. Well, some contestants have almost lost their private parts, while others have had scary incidents with wildlife.
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