Naked and Afraid is one of the most successful reality shows of today but how real is it?
Well, although there are certainly many aspects of the show that are authentic, a number of the Discovery show’s former cast mates have shared details that viewers may not know.
During an interview with Refinery 29 in 2016, Stacey Lee Osorio said that while it appears that participants don’t have access to toiletries, women are allowed feminine products.
"You pretty much just wear a tampon and try to be as discrete as possible. It’s pretty uncomfortable and gross, but at least we get that," she said.
Honora Bowen’s Magnifying Glass Did Not Belong To Her Late Father
During her season of the show, Honora Bowen appeared to honor her late father by keeping his magnifying glass close by. However, in a post later shared to Facebook, she admitted that magnifying glass wasn’t even his.
“The magnifying glass was given to me by the producers. It was NOT my father’s. They made me reshoot every time I called it ‘the magnifying glass’ and change my words to ‘my dad’s magnifying glass.’ They actually bought TWO (2) magnifying glasses, just in case something happened to the first one. They bought them in town at a local store."
Intimacy Is In Full Swing, But Hookups Are Not
Also in her interview with Refinery 29, Osorio denied that the cast frequently hooks up with one another, despite the fact that they are nude all the time.
"No way. We all talk and get very intimate, because talking is all you can do. But everybody loses their libido, because you feel like you’re dying, so the last thing you think about is having sex," she said.
"But I was so glad to have my fellow survivalist, Jake, there. He was so hot," she also noted.
‘Naked And Afraid’ Gets The ‘Hollywood Treatment’
During an interview with the Daily Mail, contestant Shane Lewis accused producers of heavily editing the series.
"When I agreed to do the show I said to the producers that if you’re going to do a real, raw show I will do it. They said they wanted to show the reality and how difficult it was, but they went for the ratings. They gave it the Hollywood treatment," he alleged.
Lewis was also upset that producers made him look "pathetic" by showing him moaning without revealing that he had broken three of his toes just days into filming.
‘Naked And Afraid’ Locations Aren’t Necessarily Remote
While speaking with Reality Blurred, supervising producer Mathilde Bittner said the show is filmed in all different types of locations.
Meanwhile, executive producer Steve Rankin said they can’t be isolated because they need to have access to certain resources, including “the means to procure drinking water,” and noted that "temperatures have got to be in a range that is not going to cause too many problems for them.”
Rankin also said production must be “able to put in a robust evacuation procedure, should the need arise."
"We’ve got to have access to urgent medical care, in terms of a trauma room,” he added.
