Original subtitles

Do you hear that?

Narrator: They survived in pairs and in groups,

and now the best of the best

are taking on their greatest challenge yet...

to survive 21 days...

Holy [bleep]

...with no support...

Oh, my God!

...no one to watch their back...

Man: This is my shot.

Narrator: ...Completely exposed.

[ Groaning ]

I'm terrified.

So I'm back in Africa.

It's absolutely beautiful out here,

but beauty usually means deadly.

Looking around, it's like a herd of elephants has come through

and just knocked everything down,

so there's gonna be a lot of elephant action here.

I'm both excited and nervous.

My name is Lacey Jones.

I'm from Du Quoin, Illinois,

and this will be my fourth challenge.

I am super excited that I'm back in Africa.

Major differences this time.

I'm by myself, and I'm gonna prove

that I can make it alone in Africa.

Narrator: Lacey has previously participated

in three "Naked and Afraid" challenges.

To establish her solo survival rating,

or SSR, Lacey's past challenges were evaluated

using three criteria...

self-reliance, mental toughness, and skills.

On Lacey's 21-day challenge in Belize,

she showed solid fishing and foraging skills to procure food.

Looks like we're gonna be eating really good tonight.

When her partner tapped on day 12,

she showed great self-reliance.

Lacey: I'm just a survivor,

and I'm gonna continue surviving until day 21.

Narrator: But although she survived

the remaining 9 days alone...

I'm gonna finish!

Narrator: ...She struggled with the solitude.

The mental portion is just kicking my ass.

Narrator: On her 40-day challenge in the Amazon,

Lacey's persistence with fishing helped

save her team from starvation.

Got him. Look at that perfect shot.

But a knee injury had her tapping out on day 9.

She sought redemption on an XL challenge in Africa...

Ah, got him with my [bleep] hand.

...but clashed with her teammates...

Man #2: You left with the fire starter.

On accident. That's irrelevant.

That's another part of your narcissistic attitude.

Narrator: ...And left the group.

I don't really want to share a boma.

There are people in this group that don't want me here.

Woman: Don't exclude yourself

and then say that we don't want you here.

Narrator: The team dynamics and a nasty burn to her hand

led her to abandon the challenge once again.

I'm done, and I'm sorry.

I want to go home, guys.

She begins this new challenge

with a solo survival rating of 7.2.

Lacey: So my last two challenges, I tapped out,

and I started my solo journey last time I was in Africa.

I ended it short, and this time, I am going to finish it.

This is my chance.

I don't have anybody holding me back.

I don't have anybody holding me up.

I'm gonna prove to myself and to everyone

that I have skills.

I can do this.

Alright.

Here I go.

♪♪

Okay.

My bag.

Narrator: For this challenge, Lacey was allowed to choose

just three essential items to keep her alive.

Lacey: Okay, I have my axe,

which I bring with me pretty much every time

I come to Africa, so...

Narrator: Lacey is also equipped with a bug net

and a fire starter.

And a map.

I'm, like, right here.

Looks like there's a river, so I have to find that.

So it looks like I am headed north.

Okay.

Nothing holding me back.

♪♪

Narrator: To reach her water source,

Lacey will have to traverse Limpoquina's unforgiving terrain

brimming with razor-sharp acacia and buffalo thorns.

With no one to watch her back,

she's potentially easy prey for the area's many leopards

and lions who use the Limpopo river

as their water source and stalk prey from the tall grass.

But her biggest danger will be the massive herds of elephants

migrating through the area

also in search of water during the dry season.

Mother elephants won't think twice about trampling Lacey

if they think she's a threat to their young.

Once she reaches the river,

she'll contend with fierce freshwater crocodiles.

Their powerful jaws can snap human limbs in two.

Lacey: We'll see if I can find any water.

Oh, yeah, there's water.

This is the river that was on the map.

Is that my own personal island right there?

I can dig that.

See if I can make it.

Eeh! I love it.

Oh, my gosh. I'm so thirsty.

♪♪

Narrator: When digging a gypsy well,

water rises from the ground

and filters through sand and sediment,

which can help cleanse the water of harmful impurities

that can cause nausea and vomiting.

Lacey: Digging my gypsy well, and I'm concerned

because the water is not, like, super cold.

Usually the colder it is, the cleaner it is.

Tastes like water.

♪♪

Holy [bleep]

[ Elephants trumpeting ]

Not sure what's going on.

I have elephants crossing this side onto the next side,

and they are yelling.

You can hear them screaming.

[ Elephants trumpeting ]

That's got to be more than one herd.

Do they travel in herds that big?

Holy [bleep]

Oh, my God.

Yeah, I think I'm in the middle of an elephant path.

So here's plan "B."

So the elephant highway is up there,

so they're still going to be coming

relatively close to my shelter,

but on this side is a crap ton of thorns

and then this ironwood,

which is, like, the hardest wood ever.

I mean, iron-wood.

So I have half of my boma built for me in this spot.

Now I just got to fortify it a little bit.

I'm going to spend the rest of tonight

to beef up my shelter

and then firewood and stuff.

Get my fire going.

Got to get my fire going so the elephants know

that I'm not just a bush they can trample.

As of right now, I'm still happy that I don't have a partner.

Oh, that's [bleep]

You know I'm not gonna lead you.

You're minimizing it again.

Like, you're devaluing everything I'm saying.

No, your [bleep]

As I start talking to myself and going crazy,

see if that changes.

♪♪

Oh [bleep] me.

That went deep.

Blood has been drawn.

All this for this.

Yeah, but I won.

[Bleep] Tree. I won.

Narrator: Lacey is building a lean-to shelter

off an ironwood tree.

Reinforcing it with a boma, or enclosure,

made of sticks and acacia thorns,

which will help keep her safe against potential

lethal predators lurking at night.

Lacey: That's better.

The question is, is that enough firewood for 14 hours?

I'm starting to feel the first pangs of hunger, too,

which [sighs] sucks.

So the sun is going down, and it's getting pretty chilly,

so I'm going to start my fire.

Here, you have to have a fire every night or else a lion

or elephant could kill you, so...

Elephant dung burns really fast.

Grass.

This is raisin tree.

♪♪

♪♪

Hell yeah.

Great. Fire, firewood.

Day one complete.

Night one, still to be determined.

Whew.

[ Wind whistling ]

[ Insects chirping ]

[ Animal roaring ]

Wicked cold out, so this side of my body by the fire is hot.

This side of my body not by the fire is cold,

so I keep having to do like a rotisserie, like,

roll over, roll over,

roll over like a rotisserie chicken.

It's gonna be a long, long night.

[ Insects chirping ]

[ Footsteps ]

♪♪

What the [bleep]

Holy [bleep]

[ Insects chirping ]

[ Footsteps ]

♪♪

What the [bleep]

Holy [bleep]

♪♪

That was, like, super close to me,

and it just... oh, my gosh.

My heart started pounding.

Scared the daylights out of me.

I guess that's another con about not having a partner.

There's no one to help me scare off wild animals.

♪♪

♪♪

I just got to start thinking about looking

for something to eat.

I am cutting up my bug net

to make a fishnet.

Not a big one, just small enough

so I can drag some of these smaller pools of water.

I know fish, so I'm just going to stick to what I know,

what makes me comfortable.

Sneaky little buggers.

Ugh!

Come on.

Got some.

Hell yeah.

Got two little ones in the first couple minutes.

It's the same as fishing.

You'll know when you got some.

Couple more little ones.

That's like at least 3 grams, 4 grams, maybe more of protein.

The trick is to just swallow them whole.

That way I don't waste any of the fish oils,

the salt in its eyeballs, nothing.

I just get all of the protein.

This is not the kind of sushi you're used to.

♪♪

♪♪

Got it.

Whoo.

That's not pleasant at all

I don't know what kind of fish that is.

Looks like a tiny little salmon.

Narrator: The five minnows Lacey has caught will provide her

with barely 20 calories in total.

An average person

consumes more than 100 times that amount in a day.

Lacey: Sometimes you got to eat stuff

that doesn't taste good in order to survive.

♪♪

♪♪

Holy [bleep]

♪♪

[ Roars ]

Man #3: It's a cat.

Oh, my gosh.

[ Roars ]

[ Screams ]

I'm gonna have to keep my fire really, really big.

It's extremely important that you keep your fire going

so that they know that you're not something

they can just mess with.

It's tough because without a partner,

it's just me being fire tender.

It is exhausting.

♪♪

♪♪

[ Roaring ]

I share a space with them,

and it makes me feel really small and kind of lonely

because they have each other, you know, like a big family,

and I don't have anyone out here.

This is how it feels to be in solitary confinement.

So first thing this morning,

I've decided I need to make a fishing pole.

That'll work.

Try to catch a fish.

Hopefully something big enough to cook,

so I don't have to swallow a bunch of minnows

because that's the worst.

I'm gonna have to make rope

and then a hook out of some thorns.

I have string on my tomahawk.

I could use that for fishing.

So that's what I shall do.

♪♪

♪♪

And that's that.

So I have a thorn going that way, a thorn going that way.

♪♪

Well, I won't be fishing over there.

It's kind of a long shot because my string is so thick,

but you just can't stop trying,

especially when it comes to survival.

Just keep going.

Try new things.

Fishing is a lot more fun and relaxing

when you're in your bass boat at home.

Don't matter if you catch nothing or not.

Out here, it matters.

♪♪

I was hoping to get a fish today for some protein,

but [bleep]

Just want to eat something.

♪♪

♪♪

And I've gotten to know my surroundings pretty well.

I'm like a scavenger-type survivalist.

As long as you're willing to go out there and look,

you'll find what you need to survive.

It's just like when I was in Belize with Jason.

There is a gumbo-limbo tree.

No way. I think that's it.

I did some recon. - Okay.

It's for your sunburn.

It's actually pretty sweet.

Here is wild basil.

These leaves are magnificent.

Oh.

That smells so good.

The things you find here, it's just amazing.

I've explored, and I'm gonna continue to explore.

It might kill me, but at least I'll have seen it all.

Narrator: Walking in the heat of the day,

Lacey is burning more than 200 calories an hour,

and she's barely consumed 100 calories since day 1.

[ Gasps ] Oh, my God.

Holy [bleep]

Yes.

Lacey: I've explored, and I'm gonna continue to explore.

It might kill me, but at least I'll have seen it all.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my gosh.

[ Laughing ]

♪♪

Oh, my gosh.

I mean, this means everything.

It's a bowl.

It's a lot of food.

Thank you, little turtle, for your sacrifice.

Alright.

So this is not the first time that the turtle gods

have blessed me with a turtle.

When I was in Belize, I found a turtle.

Holy crap.

I'm very grateful for this turtle.

I needed this.

Little bit of basil.

Basically tantamount to having ketchup.

Got to get this thing cooked.

I'm gonna cook on my blade.

Usually one person hunts it, kills it.

The other person cleans it.

It's quite different when you're by yourself.

It's like an all-day thing.

Oh, yeah.

Getting that golden brown.

Yup, tastes like turtle.

And the basil really came through

on that, like, really came through.

That's crazy.

Narrator: The turtle will provide Lacey

with about 2 pounds of meat.

While low in fat, turtle is high in protein and potassium,

which will help her body fight fatigue

and also improve brain function and regulate mood.

Get the fire going.

Alright.

One of the final steps, I'm cooking my shell off.

I just want to sear it and make sure all of the germs

and stuff are out of it.

That's looking pretty good.

At least I won't have to go down to the watering hole.

Now I have a wonderful turtle shell

to keep me hydrated at night.

[ Animals howling ]

The hyenas and the wild dogs are out,

and they're making a ruckus.

Hopefully they leave me alone

because I have this turtle meat in my boma.

I'll just have to make sure my fire is up.

My meat is preserved nicely... right here on this log.

Like, it's so cold outside.

Africa, nature's refrigerator.

This is gonna be enough meat to last me days.

I am sitting pretty here in Africa.

I'm feeling good.

I feel like I got this.

I have my confidence back.

It's day eight, so I'm a third of the way through.

I'm on my last bit of turtle,

and that's that.

The turtle lasted me for a good, long time.

I'm just super grateful.

[ Bird squawks ]

Oh, my gosh.

♪♪

♪♪

There's something about this place.

One second I'm going for a walk, and I see some beautiful zebra,

and then that lasts about five minutes

when I'm thinking about I wish I could share this with my kids.

♪♪

It's the afternoon of day nine

and [sighs]

Just having trouble getting motivated.

It's tough.

Today is just a bleh day.

♪♪

Every day, I watch this spider make his web,

and he hadn't come out yet, and I was worried that maybe,

you know, he had gotten eaten or moved, but there he is.

He's back.

He makes the prettiest webs.

Narrator: Lacey is beginning to feel the physical

and psychological effects of sustained isolation.

In a prolonged isolated state,

the body reacts by raising levels

of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to poor sleep,

heightened anxiety and depression.

Lacey: I'm having a bit of homesickness.

I miss my kids.

I think the worst part is sleeping at night.

Just more time in my boma and more time for me to hate.

And then that just leaves me to think

about everything that I could be doing,

and then the anxiety kicks in.

You know, I could be at home with my kids.

Whew.

I went through the same crap in Belize.

I miss my kids so much.

I miss my family.

But I got through the darkness.

Alright. The sun is setting.

I love you, olive.

I love you, Oakley.

I love you, Cody.

♪♪

I'm off on another adventure.

I have to find some kind of protein.

I've been waiting for this little pond to kind of go down,

and it's down enough now where I think

I can drag some of these minnows.

[ Gasps ] Oh!

It's open though, so dead.

But we know if we dig, we'll find them.

Maybe we'll get lucky and get some good ones.

Ah! Clean mussels.

Ah, got him.

Tiny pop of protein right there.

Alright.

Get my fire going again and cook these babies up.

Narrator: Freshwater mussels are rich in nutrients,

but also harbor toxic agents, such as E. Coli.

They will need to be fully cooked to ensure

all of the potentially harmful bacteria are killed.

A couple of them are done.

Hot.

I mean, they're probably done enough.

♪♪

Tastes like dirty lake water.

Right on.

♪♪

Yep.

Feels good to have something in my belly, though.

I know I'm going to sleep good tonight.

There's something seriously wrong with my belly.

I have to will myself to feel better.

You're stronger than this.

♪♪

Lord, please help me keep this food down.

[Bleep] Me. I don't want to.

I don't want to.

I don't want to.

You've got to keep it in.

Oh [bleep]

[ Retches ]

What the [bleep]

My belly did not like those mussels.

I cooked it, but obviously not long enough.

[ Retches ]

♪♪

Do you hear that?

♪♪

♪♪

I think I'm hallucinating.

Narrator: Lacey has lost all the precious protein

from the mussels and vital fluids,

leaving her severely dehydrated.

Lack of proper hydration depletes

the body of electrolytes

and can cause impaired brain function and delirium.

Hey, get lost!

I can pretend I'm sitting on the couch.

Click, click.

Popcorn.

I think I'm [bleep] Crazy.

I'm probably [bleep] crazy.

Cuckoo.

♪♪

Lacey: Honestly, it can't get any worse than last night

because last night was, like, my worst night yet.

Got sick.

Had to get out of my boma.

It was making me feel trapped.

I felt, like, a anxiety attack coming on.

[ Exhales slowly ]

Deep breaths.

I'm gonna finish.

I'm going to finish.

I just got to start thinking about getting enough protein,

so I'll be ready for extraction.

At least I have, like, a bunch of minnows.

I'm not here to conquer Africa.

I'm not here to show Africa who's the boss.

I'm just trying to stay alive.

Come on.

[Bleep]

I'll be back.

♪♪

That's how it's done.

I have a handful of dirty minnows.

♪♪

Ow.

He finned my esophagus or my dangly thing.

He, like... clawed at it. It's alright.

I would've done the same thing if someone was trying to eat me.

[ Belches ]

It was gross, but it was totally worth it.

It'll get me to the next couple days,

and we'll see what comes next.

It's the morning of day 16.

I wonder what South Africa has in store for me today.

Nosy neighbors.

It's a big boy.

If I keep my space, I should be good.

Where is your family? Are you all by yourself?

Hmm?

Me too.

Not having anyone to talk to is literally driving me crazy.

Narrator: In the past five days, Lacey has consumed

well below the bare minimum of 1,200 calories a day

she requires to stay alive,

decreasing her already low mood-altering dopamine levels.

The prolonged isolation also continues

to affect her motivation

and her brain's ability to regulate emotions.

You have a pack of zebra.

The birds flock together.

I mean, it's beautiful,

but it just makes me feel like more of an outsider.

I miss my kids.

I miss telling my children good night.

I'm trying to keep my mind off it.

I'm thinking about what needs to be done,

collecting firewood, fishing.

Right now, I think it's sheer stubbornness

getting me day by day by day by day.

I want my 21.

That's it.

Now I have to get in this boma.

I just don't want to.

Curled up, freezing, trapped like a...

I can't even talk.

I'm just...

♪♪

[ Animal roars ]

♪♪

Now comes the hard part

when there's nothing to keep your mind busy.

It's just you and Africa.

Nighttimes are the worst.

Missing home.

I'm stuck in my boma alone.

I should be used to it by now,

but this feels like an eternity of darkness.

It just brings me back to all the bad nights

I've had out here.

I wanted redemption,

but I don't know if I can last.

It's like torture.

Aah! - You alright?

No, I fell in the [bleep] fire.

Feels like the darkness just consumes me.

I left. I brought up the sand.

It took you, like, 5 minutes.

I had to go get the pieces that were over there.

Then you started bitching about something

as petty as my footprint in your [bleep] sand.

It's probably the most difficult part of this challenge

is the mental game.

♪♪

[ Sighs ]

That's the end of...

Night something.

I kind of lost track.

♪♪

Today is...

I think today's day 17.

I'm stuck in my boma,

and then by the time I get out,

I'm just like, "[Bleep]"

I'm exhausted.

I'm emotionally exhausted from talking to myself,

thinking to myself.

I'm going mad.

♪♪

[ Breathing deeply ]

I'm getting in the boma.

Come on.

It's hard enough as it [bleep] is.

I didn't even get what I needed for fire.

I just don't even want to [bleep] make a fire.

I'm gonna sleep right here.

[ Sighs ]

The sun is almost down, and I should have a fire going by now,

but I can't get motivated.

And then another part of me

wants to just start this entire boma on fire,

this miserable place.

Start the whole [Bleep] thing on fire.

Lacey: I think I'm beyond hungry.

In my dreams, I'm eating, like, an entire pizza

or burgers or hot dogs, potato salad,

the kind with mustard in it, corn with more butter than corn.

At what point are you so hungry that you eat your boogers?

[ Squawks loudly ]

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

It's day 18.

I made it through another night.

I keep telling myself I'm almost done,

almost there, but...

It doesn't feel like I am.

It feels like it's still a million miles away.

Ow.

The two XL challenges brought me down, man.

I came out here to, like, get my mojo back.

I have seriously thought about...

Tapping out...

Going home,

but I'm not gonna give up.

Just keep going.

Try new things.

So I've explored my little area quite a bit,

and I found these holes.

Might be a porcupine.

I have a feeling this one hole might be active

because there's, like, fresh poo and tracks and stuff,

so I was thinking maybe smoke them out.

[ Exhales sharply ]

It's not easy.

♪♪

I put some sticks here.

The idea is that the porcupine will come this way

and then won't be able to get out,

and he'll try to back up, and he'll get stuck,

and I'll be able to...

Get it.

This is a big old elephant turd,

and they make a lot of smoke.

It's like an African smoke bomb.

Smoke is coming out of those holes.

♪♪

It's not looking good.

So far, no go.

So this is a dried-up den, no longer used.

That's depressing.

Sun is going down.

And all I can think about

is how am I gonna force myself back into that boma?

I can't force myself back in there.

Can't lock myself up again.

I just can't.

I'm so close.

I'm days away from finishing, and, man, I want my 21 days.

I want to run up that freaking mountain on my extraction day.

I want that feeling I had

when I finished my first 21-day challenge.

It feels so good to have completed this.

Whoo!

I want that bad.

And if all of that isn't enough to force me back into that boma,

then that in itself has got to show you how badly

I do not want to go back in there.

All I can think about is doing anything and everything

I can to not be alone in that cage.

I'm done.

I just can't be in it.

It doesn't matter, guys. You don't understand.

I can't physically stay there.

Do you understand?

I cannot physically go in there

and stay in there one more night.

This is my end.

This is how it ends for me.

I've hit my limit.

It is day 18,

and I am tapping out of my "alone" challenge.

I have done everything I can to push through every single night.

I'm sorry, but that's it.

I can't do anymore.

Africa has provided for me,

and I could live out here forever,

but I can't do it alone.

Thank you.

You can't understand unless you've been through it.

I know I am a strong, capable woman.

No one will ever take that from me,

but human beings weren't meant to be isolated.

I did my absolute best.

I am [bleep] proud of myself, so everyone else can just suck it.

Narrator: During her 18 days in Africa,

Lacey lost a total of 20 pounds.

The isolation broke her only three days shy

of finishing her challenge,

lowering her solo survival rating to 6.6.

This is how

I'm supposed to be spending my nights,

with my beautiful babies.

Mommy had such a hard time sleeping without you.

I missed you, you know?