The Jungle Curse
21 day challenge located in Costa Rica (Central America)
| Shane Lewis – Survival Enthusiast 40 years old – Connecticut Personal Item: Fire Starter Starting PSR: 7.6 Ending PSR: 8.4 Lost 45 lbs | Kim Shelton – Survival Instructor 22 years old – Minnesota Personal Item: Machete Starting PSR: 5.8 Ending PSR: 7.8 Lost 26 lbs |
This is the first season and episode I will be doing an analysis and recommendation on. The recommendations will be written in bold italics, and the analysis is on the bottom.
Day 1: 81°F
Cutter ants around. Best to not step on their path or you will be bit hard repeatedly. Monkeys are around the area. Shane drank out of river as he said the bubbles pop quickly so it should be good to drink. He drank it without boiling it. This is not a good way to start as not boiling water before drinking it may cause you to have stomach issues from bacteria, virus, etc. Good news is the water was fine.
An off-ground shelter was built by both survivalists. This is a good way to minimize insects or other critters. Kim started a fire quickly under the shelter, and rain starts. The fire under the shelter will be protected from the rain to some degree.
Day 2-4: Rain
Kim weaves bottoms. When it rains it can minimize what you can do for your daily survival tasks. Weaving something of use is a good use of time. Making primitive shoes is another good task. When it is raining, it doesn’t hurt to gather some wet larger wood and place it near the fire but not too close, this may assist in drying out the wood when you need additional firewood.
Day 5: Clear
Kim goes out hunting with no success. This is still a good time to grab some firewood on the return trip to basecamp.
Day 7: Clear
Day 9: Clear
They are both starving. Shane kills a Fer-de-Lance snake successfully. Kim skins the snake and both eats. When you find a protein source, attempt to kill it. But a Fer-de-Lance, I would have to be very hungry. Make sure when you kill something with toxic venom, to go slightly below the head to ensure not to consume any toxins.
Day 13: 70-80°F
Shane falls down slope. Shane chops wood for firewood. For every hour you exert energy chopping firewood, you burn about 300 calories. Caloric management is crucial to survive Naked and Afraid challenges.
Night 14
Shane in shelter sleeping. Fire unattended under the shelter and burned the shelter. Use clay, grass, and dirt on platform (both on top and below especially near the campfire) to minimize this from happening.
Day 15
Assess fire damage and fixed shelter. Kim catches a turtle, preps and cooks. Both eat the turtle.
Day 16-18
Kim vomits repeatedly and remains sick for 3 days. The best thing to do in this situation is drink a lot of warm or hot water. This will keep you hydrated and purge anything that is causing the sickness.
Day 19
Kim is feeling better by hydrating and purging. Some vines carry water, and slicing one open you can get clear potable water to stay hydrated. The temperature of the water is cool, so it is also refreshing.
Day 20
They have decided to move towards extraction and sleep with just a fire.
Day 21
Successful extraction
My analysis:
They did well, especially Kim. Shane exerted too much energy, but he survived. These challenges are much more difficult in real life than it is watching the show and commenting on a couch. I have done many expeditions and adventure outings, but I had clothes and at least a tarp and blanket to stay warm. Even with the gear I carried, it can be challenging. For these two survivalists to do this for 21 days with a successful extraction, this shows, as a team, that they can survive Naked and Afraid.
