For their 20th episode of ‘Naked and Afraid’ Cambodia was chosen as the location for the long-running and successful Discovery Channel reality show. The two survivalists Carrie Booze and Tom Touw meet for the first time on-camera, on-location and fully naked, equipped with just one useful item of their choosing, to make it through the 21-day survival challenge. They must explore their new, inhospitable surroundings, build primitive shelter, try to start and keep a fire, find drinkable water and hunt or scavenge for food over their three weeks in the tropical wilderness.
Instead of gorgeous, white sandy beaches dotted with coconut palms along Cambodia’s coastline, the crew instead picked an unbearably hot, hard to navigate swampy mangrove terrain in Sihanoukville province, that would put the contestants up to the ultimate survival challenge. The camera crew only filmed at day, with small camcorders available to Carrie and Tom at night to document their struggles. Emergency medical support was available 24/7, but the whole crew would only be allowed to interfere in dangerous, life-threatening situations.
While any reality-TV show is just pure entertainment, contains scripted events, made-up challenges, forced interactions and disagreements, there has obviously been ongoing controversy of how ‘real’ and authentic ‘Naked and Afraid’ is. With the Cambodian location being portrayed as being totally off the beaten path, crocodile-infested and far away from any human settlement, which stands in sharp contrast with the film crew and medical team needing easy access, accommodation, food and electricity on a daily basis. Therefore any location on the show cannot be as isolated as portrayed on-screen or would be encountered by possible lost hikers or stranded adventurers. Dangerous animal encounters are often just inter-cut B-roll of staged, captive animals.
The episode marked the first for any full-on nudity filmed and on-screen for a feature film or TV episode shot in Cambodia, although the screened series has always blurred out any nudity for obvious reasons. Should the still popular ‘Naked and Afraid’ show, now in its 15th season, ever return to Cambodia, the more remote and rugged wilderness of Ratanakiri and the Virachey National Park would serve as great, scenic locations for the show.
“What happens when you put two complete strangers - sans clothes - in some of the most extreme environments on Earth? Each male-female duo is left with no food, no water, no clothes, and only one survival item each as they attempt to survive on their own.” (Discovery Channel)
DISCLAIMER: Khreativa Cambodia is in no way involved with this production and only sharing it under a ‘fair use’ policy. Copyright © Naked and Afraid, Discovery Channel
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