Original subtitles

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] How you're doing?

[Meghann speaking]

I can't handle these bugs, they're everywhere.

[Dan speaking]

[Meghann] They crawl up in between my vagina lips.

I can't handle it.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Man] There's nothing easy about this.

[Man] We got hail.

[Rhinoceros bellowing]

Woo, my heart's racing.

[Woman] If you don't fight, you won't make it.

It's so hard.

[Woman] It hurts so bad.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] It's a crazy feeling right now, you know.

I've done this before but this is just

so radically different than last time.

[Meghann] It is beautiful here

and intimidating all at the same time.

[Narrator] Straddling the United States/Mexico border

lies the Chihuahuan desert.

It is an arid landscape littered with spiked brush

and fierce cactus thorns.

The area is marked by wild swings in temperature,

a blistering sun produces triple digits by day

and chilly evening winds

rushing through the ravines and canyons

can drop temperatures by more than

60 degrees at night.

Snakes are probably hiding all over this place.

[Narrator] The desert is crawling

with over a hundred and five species of snakes

including the deadly western diamondback rattlesnake.

And up to five and a half feet long,

it is the largest rattler in the west

and uses a forked tongue to smell potential prey.

[Dan] Last time my insertion vehicle was a paddle boat

through a fresh water lake,

I think that's the farthest opposite

I can think of from a dry desert like this.

I completed a 14-day fan challenge in Mexico,

killed it.

- Oh. - Oh. Let's go.

And I'm looking forward to graduating

to the next level to getting my 21.

I'm a marine biologist.

My job is extremely challenging,

working with a lot of different people

in really, really harsh environments.

I'm really big into the ocean.

I'm, like, king Neptune.

I can swim through caves.

I'm almost more comfortable

in the water than I am on land.

But out here in the desert,

I'm literally a fish out of water.

I practice primitive fire.

Shelter building, I'm pretty confident in as well

but a lot of my opportunities to practice that

have been in Hawaii where I lived,

where everything's wet, everything's moist.

I don't have any kind of experience with the desert.

Definitely an environment I'm not used to.

I'm terrified, I'm about to poop myself,

I'm so scared.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Meghann] I can tell it's gonna be really hot

and all of these plants look like

they want to hurt me.

I'm coming into this as more of a survivor

than a survivalist.

I was homeless at 17

and I had to just rely on myself,

and my instincts, and my wits.

I've slept outside.

I've slept in parks in the winter time.

Most of my skills are self-taught.

Woo.

I'm a single mom, my son's name is arrow,

and he is three and a half.

His father passed away when he was a year old,

so it's just me and him.

Mwah.

A lot of my struggles throughout life

taught me that I can survive anything

and that I can get through anything.

I wanna do this challenge

because I have been challenged

a thousand times in my life and I don't give up.

Let's do it, I'm ready.

[Dramatic music playing]

Great. There's no turning back now.

Here we go.

[Meghann] I don't have any problem with being nude.

I think the only thing I don't like

about being naked is the bugs landing,

you know, where it's really uncomfortable.

[Dan] This is gonna be rough.

Woo.

Thank you.

[Narrator] Dan has done extensive desert research

for potential threats

but coming from a tropical climate,

he lacks hands-on experience

surviving in brutal desert conditions.

Dan begins with the PSR or primitive survival rating

given to him at the end of his fan challenge 6.5.

Meghann's mental strength has gotten her through

many harsh challenges in life,

but will she have the physical strength

to endure a marathon survival challenge

stripped of everything?

Meghann begins with a PSR of 5.9.

[Dramatic music playing]

Woo.

- Good morning. - Oh, my gosh.

Is that my partner?

- I'm so excited to meet you. - Me too.

What's your name?

- Meghann. - Dan.

Dan, nice to meet you.

- Are you excited? - I'm so excited.

We're gonna rock this.

I can't wait to get out there.

[Meghann] Heck, yeah. Well, we're out here.

[Dan] We're out here already, right.

It's toasty already, man.

Yeah, it is.

The ground is getting a little warm already.

Have you ever been in the desert like this before?

I've been to the desert but not that much.

I'm from Arizona, so I'm used to the desert.

[Dan] Oh, perfect. I'm from Hawaii.

Oh. Totally not anything like this.

My background is on marine biology.

Oh, my gosh.

Well, hopefully, you got some cool

- marine biology knowledge... - Yeah.

I'll whip out all my fish knowledge

as we walk through the desert.

Meghann's good.

I'm happy that she's my partner.

She has experience out in the desert which I don't,

so it's definitely a good complement to my skills.

All right. Let's see what we got here.

[Meghann] Awesome.

[Narrator] Meghann and Dan have each

brought a personal item, a knife and a fire starter,

and they've been given a pot to boil water.

Now, let's take a look at our map.

Hopefully there's some water nearby.

So we're all the way up there, there's extraction.

[Meghann] Okay. It looks like some water here.

- [Dan] That's... yeah. - So I think...

It's gonna be what we wanna aim for

- but there's... - Yeah.

[Dan] ...Rattlesnakes and scorpions and...

[Meghann] A whole lot of cactus.

Every other spike you think in the world

- is between us and there. - [Meghann] Yeah.

We're gonna have to go through it to get there.

All right. Well, are you ready?

- I'm ready. - Cool.

- Let's get to it. - Let's do it.

I'm excited.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Narrator] Dan and meghann will be trekking

through thorny terrain

dominated by sharp tusk wild boar

and aggressive javelina,

swarming colonies of stinging fire ants,

and powerful mountain lions

who ambush prey at over 40 miles per hour.

[Meghann] You ever done any survival stuff

like this before or?

I did a 14-day challenge in Mexico.

- [Meghann] Oh, cool. Okay. - [Dan] So I...

So you've got a little experience then?

It was in like a cold, pine forest though.

- It wasn't like this. - [Meghann] Oh, big difference.

Ooh, I got another one.

My partner is awesome.

He has a big smile and he's gone through this before.

So far, I think he's amazing

and I think we're gonna rock this.

I think I'm snagged.

[Dan] Ooh.

- Do you mind? - [Dan] Yeah.

Oh, okay. Actually, let me go.

- There we go. - All right.

[Dan] [Grunts]

It's like the worst environment

- to walk barefoot in. - [Meghann] For real.

Did you do some practicing?

- Some barefoot walking? - [Dan] Yeah.

[Meghann] The best thing is just to take it slow enough,

so we make sure we're not stepping

- on any cactus... - [Dan] Exactly.

[Meghann] ...Or getting our feet injured

on the first day.

Yeah, this is tough... This is tough.

[Dan] The ground out here is rocky

and not alone rocky, it's sharp.

Everything is sharp and spiny.

[Meghann] Yeah. Holy cow,

there are so many spines everywhere.

[Groans]

[Dan] You okay?

- [Meghann] Whoa. Whoa. - [Dan] You okay?

Okay.

[Dan] [Sighs] It's getting hot.

[Meghann] I'm already getting very thirsty.

[Dan] Oh my god. Oh my god.

[Meghann] Oh, my goodness. What are we doing here?

[Dan] It's insane.

[Meghann] It's really hot standing here.

[Narrator] In the Chihuahuan desert,

the roasting sand can cause foot blisters,

and dehydration, and heatstroke can occur

in less than two hours

leading to dizziness and vomiting.

[Dan] When you burn your feet,

you just feel everything, huh?

[Meghann] Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy.

The way that they're hot every single poke,

every single, everything, it hurts so bad.

[Dan] Like needles.

Oh, gosh.

Even though I'm from Arizona

and I'm used to living in the desert,

this is different. It's very scary.

Every minute that goes by,

the ground gets hotter and hotter and hotter.

I'm already getting very thirsty.

- The heat really just... - [Dan] Mmm-hmm.

[Meghann] I'm sweating all of my water out.

[Dan] I know. I didn't think it was possible

to get thirsty so quick.

- [Meghann] Oh, god. Okay. - [Dan] It's brutal.

I'm thinking if we can just make it to those trees,

it's pretty close to the water.

And it's possibly gonna be a lot nicer

on our feet right there.

[Meghann] I totally agree with you, yes.

We might wanna just book it.

[Meghann] Okay. [Bleep]

All right. Oh.

Holy cow.

Oh, god.

[Dan] Ooh, they're getting thicker.

[Meghann] Oh god.

Okay. I'm so thirsty. It's really...

I'm starting to feel sick.

Oh, yeah.

[Dan] You see down there?

Yeah.

Oh, my god.

[Dan] Hold it in.

Try to hold it in.

[Dan speaking]

I'll be right back.

It's only the first day of the challenge

and heat exhaustion and nausea is setting in,

that's not a good sign.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] Woo, that feels good.

Don't push it.

[Meghann] Oh.

Yeah.

Oh, my god.

- Oh, my god. - [Dan] Does that feel good?

Oh, yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

I see you just getting back to life immediately.

[Grunts] Woo, I'm back.

Let's do this.

Okay.

Oh, that was beautiful.

That was possibly the most beautiful moment

- I've ever had. - Your feet too.

Oh, that's what I'm talking about. Okay.

As long as my life isn't in danger

and I know that I can recover out here,

I will keep going.

I don't think we're gonna be able to build

a permanent shelter tonight

because it's already afternoon.

- Okay. - [Dan] It looks like

there's a nice spot under that tree,

we might wanna take advantage of.

For tonight, we're not gonna have

any type of nice shelter.

We don't have the time, the energy,

or the resources, so I'm pretty nervous

about how the night's gonna go.

[Meghann] We are freaking exhausted.

I've got my fire going.

Oh, that's great.

[Meghann] My feet hurt, back's hurt,

but we're just trying to get this done

as fast as we possibly can,

so that we can have somewhere survivable to sleep tonight.

It's not gonna be the most comfortable night but...

- [Dan] Yeah. - [Meghann] ...At least

it should block some of the wind.

[Dan] I thought there'd be not many bugs out here

but I'm in a swarm of gnats.

[Meghann] They are all over the place.

[Narrator] As the temperature drops and humidity rises,

tiny blood-sucking gnats move freely in the moist air.

They're attracted to body heat, sweat,

and other sources of moisture.

They go in your nose, in your belly button,

in your [makes sound]

Places you don't want them.

The feeling of them crawling into my private parts

and areas of my body that I don't want them in

is just a little too much for me.

I'm really hoping they go away when the sun goes down.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Meghann] So it's the first night

and I'm coated in bug bites.

Every five minutes,

I'm waking up to smack a bug off of me.

Not having a good time.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Meghann] I'm feeling really exhausted.

I was covered in ants the entire night.

[Dan] Meghann's already feeling sick

from just when she woke up.

It's gonna get worse when the sun comes up soon.

- [Meghann] I know. - So we need protection.

I know. You're right.

[Dan] Bugs last night were driving her crazy,

but I haven't gotten bit by a single ant.

[Narrator] Insects are attracted

to chemicals like lactic acid,

which some people produce more than others,

making them more prone to bites.

[Dan] We can get a cozy shelter up here

and so that way we can give her a place

to just ride out the wall she's in right now.

[Meghann] For us to keep all the thorns and bugs out

and be able to rebuild this shelter,

we have to scorch the ground.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Narrator] Burning the ground will kill any existing bugs

and create wood ash that can act as a repellant

for ants and other crawling insects.

Basically, we're just containing the fire

and keeping it just on the ground

where we're gonna be sleeping.

[Dan] Meghann and I are switching on and off,

monitoring it to make sure it doesn't get too far,

but really scorches the ground as much as possible.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] I'm gonna notch the tree

and meghann's gonna make some nice yucca cordage.

Really strong bind.

And then we're gonna lay a couple other ones

that are similar shaped, and make a big kinda hut,

it'd be nice and insulated.

[Narrator] Dan and meghann are rebuilding their shelter

into a dome, using branches as the shell.

They will then layer it with sheets of bark

to insulate them from the elements.

[Meghann] I'm gonna start helping you

lash some stuff down.

[Dan] Thanks.

I think it looks good.

I think this is actually gonna do us pretty well.

- I do. - This is our shelter.

It's coming along.

I'm thirsty.

Be right back.

[Beep]

Oh [bleep]. Oh [bleep].

[Meghann] Are you okay?

[Dan] Huge snake.

[Meghann] Oh, it's over there by the tree.

[Dan] Oh.

[Meghann] Oh, my freaking god.

- Yes. - [Dan] Woo.

I just whipped it around a bit.

[Meghann] That was incredible.

[Narrator] Dan has caught a western coachwhip,

a non-venomous snake that's one

of the fastest snakes in North America.

[Meghann] You rock, dude.

- [Dan] Oh, my god. - [Meghann] Oh, my god.

Yes.

That's so much freaking meat.

The amount of protein that comes from the snake

is just incredible.

I think we'll probably have energy

for a few days off of this.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] Just got a huge snake, which is a huge boost.

With a full belly, hopefully my partner's attitude

is gonna change, mood's gonna change.

I really think this is like hitting the reset button.

At least I really hope.

Look at that.

[Meghann] I am ready for some snake.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan speaking]

[Meghann speaking]

It's not easy, but I’m getting some good meat.

[Meghann] Having this snake and all the material

and the meat, it definitely feels good.

It's tough. But it's food.

I wouldn't call myself a hunter,

but I'm really proud that I'm able to capitalize

on these opportunities when there's protein

literally crossing my path.

Uh... [Dramatic music playing]

How are you doing?

[Meghann speaking]

[Dan speaking]

[Meghann] I have massive welts on my thighs here.

It's miserable, I've probably not slept

more than a half an hour solid since we've been here.

I can't handle these bugs, they're everywhere.

They're swarming me.

They crawl up in-between my vagina lips.

I can't handle it.

It hurts really, really bad.

It hurts so bad.

They leave welts.

I have a bunch on my butt.

I can't rest in the day.

I can't rest at night

because there's ants all over me.

I'm exhausted.

I can't do it, I can't do it.

[Dan] My partner's just miserable.

Meghann does not have her head in the game

whatsoever right now.

I'm just nervous.

I do not wanna be out here doing this alone.

That is my biggest fear with this whole mess.

[Gnats buzzing]

[Meghann speaking]

[Cries] I hate this.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Meghann sighs]

[Dan grunts]

I'm not really sure that I can do this.

[Dan] Just give it a couple days.

I've been where you are.

And it gets better.

I don't know what to do.

It's scary.

It's really scary the thought of being out here alone.

[Meghann] I'm exhausted and I’m...

I was just trying to get through one more day.

I just want a bed and some food

and I want the bug to go away.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Meghann] I don't wanna sleep in a pile of ants.

It hurts and it keeps me up all night

and I haven't been able to get any sleep

or even any rest during the day

because they're just all over me.

I guess I'm saying I have to tap out.

I think you'll regret doing that.

I don't wanna give up,

but I don't feel like I have a choice.

I'm tapping out.

I'm really... I'm sorry.

[Dan] It's okay.

It's all right.

[Meghann] I feel like I failed.

And I did, I failed.

I guess I'm just like not a survivalist.

[Dan] I'm an extrovert, like, I get my energy

from being around people. I love being around people.

On my last challenge,

I thought Holly was going to leave.

Even it was just four days to go.

And the thought of just spending

the last four days alone was terrifying to me.

Just hoping I can mentally keep it together

for the next few weeks.

[Meghann] I don't really belong

out in the wilderness like this.

My body, it's not really strong enough, I guess.

It's just amazing how hard it can be

just because you can't find a comfortable place to sleep.

I did experience that a little bit

when I was younger, not having a comfortable place

to sleep, but I usually was able

to find a bench or some grass.

Never been in an environment

where everything is awful.

[Narrator] After only four days,

meghann's early departure drops her PSR

from 5.9 to 5.1.

[Meghann] I just hope my partner does good.

I mean, I really do care about him as a person.

He's tough.

He's definitely tough.

I hope he succeeds.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] Looks totally clear out but the wind is nuts tonight.

Just straight up chilly out.

I'm in my blanket made from some of the inner bark

from the cottonwood tree.

The shelter is just full of holes

so it doesn't really protect too much

and the wind is whipping

right across from me right now.

It is freezing outside.

Not having anyone to share body heat really sucks.

[Tense music playing]

[Dan] I'm starting to freeze my ass off.

[Crickets chirping]

[Dan] That was the coldest night yet.

I'm even totally covered in my blanket.

And it's still [bleep] cold.

It was a good 60 degree range easy

from early morning to early afternoon.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Snake rattles]

[Dan] I think for today, I'm just gonna try to finish

my shelter, make it nice and insulated.

So actually I'm gonna be hanging out alone

for the next few weeks.

Now I'm just trying to lay bark on it,

like, shingling.

This bark will insulate pretty well.

To really cut the breeze coming through

when it's cold, try to keep me warm inside.

I'm building a reflection wall for the fire.

I'm gonna start to heat up the rocks

and all of the heat will reflect back

straight into my shelter where I'm sleeping.

[Narrator] Danny is adding more shelter bark

to the structure and building a fire wall,

so cold air coming into the shelter

will have to go over the fireplace,

resulting in warmer air inside.

[Dan] Lot of work to lug these things around

but I think it'll be worth it and a payoff for sleep.

Not perfect, but I don't have the energy

to carry rocks further than that.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] It is freezing outside but my fireplace

that I made really paid off.

Hot and cozy in here.

Like its own little climate.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] Biggest hurdle in my last challenge

was the complete lack of food.

The food I've caught so far has been opportunistic.

Just walking and seeing it and grabbing it.

It's a very short period lately

between when it's too cold to leave the shelter

and when it's too hot to walk on the sand.

I'm gonna have to be a lot of more resourceful

if I wanna catch a javelina or anything like that.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] I'm really dehydrated.

As soon as you drink one of these little things up,

you need another one filled.

And you can't even do it fast enough

to properly hydrate yourself.

I cannot even see.

If I'm about to step straight onto a cactus,

this is crazy.

[Lion growls]

[Tense music playing]

Something is out there.

[Makes sound]

I don't need [bleep] deadly predators around me at night.

I need to protect myself.

Have some food.

So I'm gonna make one tool with four pointed spear

on one side and the other side is gonna be one solid,

really hard spear that I might be able to hit

a javelina or something like that with.

The advantage of having four points instead of one,

like I have on this end.

It's because it's much bigger radius

to sort of pin something down.

I don't have to be as accurate when I try to...

When I try to get something.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Dan] Holy [bleep]

Got that one.

It's not a rattlesnake. I don't know what that is.

It's not a rattlesnake.

This thing is fast.

[Grunts] Get over here.

Ow. Oh, come on.

[Tense music playing]

[Dan] Ow. Oh, come on.

Where did it go?

Oh, my god. Maybe I just dove into that.

Adrenaline is a thing.

Maybe I just dove into a pricker bush.

I mean, that was a big meal. That was no tiny snake.

That was the biggest one I've seen out here yet.

[Sighs]

I think it's gone for now.

[Suspenseful music playing]

That's super fresh probably from a javelina.

I'm seeing their scat fresh and new every day.

I know they're here.

I just hope I could catch one.

[Suspenseful music playing]

Whoa.

This is the strawberry cactus which I read

you can eat the cores out of.

Not the best but I'll try to force myself

to eat a few bites of it.

[Narrator] In the last 10 days,

Dan has consumed around 600 calories,

and expended 30 times that amount.

[Dan] I can't just burn calories constantly

all through the day like I've been doing so far.

I need to catch something bigger.

[Suspenseful music playing]

Been out here for days, the low calories

and busting ass the entire time doing this alone.

It's exhausting.

Just getting light headed left and right.

So sapped with energy like completely sapped.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Dan] I got a diamondback water snake.

I'm stoked.

Not much meat on it, but when you're starving

even just a bite like this.

This is gonna be great.

[Upbeat music playing]

[Dan] Yeah, not much to him.

I really needed the protein.

Good meat.

Hmm.

That's the of meat.

Tastes shockingly good.

Totally taste the salt in it and some of the fats.

Hmm, two of my favorite things.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Dan] This is definitely the furthest I've walked

from my camp and it's not even that far

but I'm exhausted.

It really correlates with the heat out here.

The heat just like lowers

your blood pressure like crazy.

Oh, my god.

Old boar.

That thing has been here for a while.

I can barely even smell it.

It's just so dry out here.

It's just preserved.

It's all been eaten out by ants and god knows what.

This thing probably could've just succumbed

to the heat or the dehydration.

It's too far gone for me to really tell.

[Sighs] It's morning in day 14.

This time on my last challenge,

I was walking out to victory

but this is a 21-day challenge.

This isn't a 14-day fan challenge.

Not only am I doing this alone,

I'm doing it hungry as hell.

I'm desperate for a big win.

I think if I find a boar or javelina

spearing it is gonna be my best bet.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Eagle squawks]

[Dan] So I've seen a lot of Burrows

especially up in the desert in the Sandy areas.

And some of them are like this big

and they're clearly active

could be raccoons or other small mammals.

I'm gonna find a burrow and cover up

some of the entrances and smoke 'em out.

Boar poop, it's a perfect thing to use

to like toss a chunk into a burrow

or something like that.

I know mammals hate smoke.

Smoke doesn't seem to be coming through

the other burrow.

Something would be scurrying out by now.

There's an exit somewhere I'm missing

but I don't believe there is,

starting to get lightheaded really easily.

I spent too much more time out here.

The lack of nutrition

is really been affecting my body.

I mean I can feel myself getting skinnier and skinnier,

starting to make my brain foggy,

temperature extremes in the day and night.

It's really getting to me. It's really taxing me

physically and mentally.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Dan] Thinking right now

is just the worst time on earth.

I look like a damn corpse.

[Javelina squeals]

[Dan speaking]

[Beeps]

[Suspenseful music playing]

I'm gonna make a tactical rattlesnake-skin

survival thong.

Out of this rattlesnake skin that I found

and some of this cordage I made out of yucca.

Once I get this wet it should be pliable

and sort of molds any shape.

[Laughs]

I think I can just roll it around the cordage

and tie some knots and tie another knot

on the end back there.

Perfect.

All right.

Woo.

It glitters in the sun.

What more can you ask for?

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Bleep]

This is insane.

Like a big one.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Javelina growling]

[Dan speaking]

[Bleep]

Unfortunately, these bushes are just covered

in spines and thorns and I can't move quickly

through them at all.

I cannot be running through that.

It sucks that it escaped.

That would've been, uh, a hefty meal.

[Suspenseful music playing]

I'm finding myself having to be more

and more careful when I stand up

in the heat of the day.

Definitely feel myself slowing down

and getting weaker.

Ow.

Wow.

[Narrator] Dan's low intake of calories

over the past 20 days has significantly dropped

his blood sugar levels.

A condition called hypoglycemia,

which is affecting his nervous system

leaving his motor skills compromised.

[Dan] Losing it right now.

[Bird squawks]

[Dan] The sky is starting to turn light

and guess how many days are left?

Negative one, because it's extraction day.

The last 20 days have been physically

and mentally challenging.

The hardest thing I've ever done.

I wanna get out of here before it gets too hot.

I think I'm just gonna cut through this water,

soft rocks, shade, everything.

Minimize my time in this desert.

[Narrator] To get to his extraction point,

Dan will have to navigate three miles

through a narrow canyon that conceals

venomous cottonmouth snakes and also attracts

mountain lions looking for prey.

[Dan] I can climb up and out

once I get to this cottonwood tree.

[Narrator] To get out of the canyon

he'll then need to summon the little energy

he has left, make a perilous climb 200 feet up

on a 80-degree vertical rock face

and trek a mile through the scorching desert.

[Dan] All right. Let's roll.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Dan] This is not gonna be easy.

In the early morning hours it cools off

but the sun is gonna be baking down.

And I don't have time to lose.

Just having to watch every step and move slowly,

it's exhausting.

Getting narrow.

I'm about to climb out of here.

Here we go.

[Narrator] Dan has burned over 40,000 calories

during the past 21 days.

His lack of body fat,

the cool morning air, and water temperature

in the low 60s could drop his core temperature

to a dangerously low level, bringing on hypothermia.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Dan] It's freezing.

I can't even feel my fingertips.

[Sighs]

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Dan grunts]

Oh, didn't make it here through here.

[Suspenseful music playing]

Like, might be my tree.

That must be where I have to climb out.

Steep as hell.

[Suspenseful music playing]

[Dan] I'm so tired.

Feeling really, really weak.

[Sighs]

Oh my gosh.

Oh, my god.

If I fall back, I mean, I'm done.

[Grunts]

[Sighs]

[Suspenseful music playing]

Oh, my god.

This is a vast expanse of open bare desert

that I have to get through.

[Suspenseful music playing]

Ooh, it's hot.

I've been out here for hours and hours,

and it's taking everything I got at this point.

Getting to the hottest part of the day.

Exhausted. My mouth is so dry.

[Sighs]

[Suspenseful music playing]

Oh, it's a road.

Where the hell is the vehicle?

This better be the right road.

[Sighs]

There it is. Yes.

[Laughs]

Hey buddy.

Oh.

Yes.

I can't believe I lasted three weeks

in this desolate ass landscape.

I took on this challenge to grow

and to learn about living in the desert.

I'm used to this environment now.

If I never see cactus spines again,

I'll be the happiest man on earth.

I didn't get much food, but spent

almost the entire time out here by myself.

That's something to be proud of.

I was terrified of being alone out there,

but I overcame the fear of being by myself

by just being resourceful with my own mind.

I didn't know I could do that.

It definitely feels like now I graduated

to something bigger.

[Narrator] After surviving 21 days

in the Chihuahuan desert, 17 of them alone.

Dan leaves the challenge 32 pounds lighter.

His final PSR rises from 6.5 to 7.4.

Woo.

Oh, I did it.

[Dramatic music playing]