Original subtitles

[Candice chuckling] This long grass in makin' me a little nervous.

I'm not lookin' forward to walkin' through here naked.

It is definitely going to pose a problem for hunting.

There could be lions, leopards,

All kinds a stuff in there that could see me, and I can't really see them.

[Joe chuckling] As I'm staring into miles of long, tall grass,

I'm, like, seeing why the lion's mane is the way it is.

Like, it just would blend in, so perfectly with this,

which is majestic and terrifying.

All right, this must be my spot.

Time to get naked.

[Joe] You know, with the threat of lions looming everywhere,

it gets me thinking about walking around naked and barefooted,

but that's what this challenge is about, having that extreme vulnerability.

All right, let's do this.

[engine starting]

All right, Africa, be gentle, it's my first time.

It's getting thicker as I move through this.

I literally can't see anything.

I'm so scared.

I gotta kinda stop lookin' down,

I think maybe I'm a little worried for puff adders.

But, uh, you know, you gotta keep your head on a swivel out here.

[Candice] I just wanna meet my partner.

Surely, we've got to be getting close to him by now.

I don't wanna be alone out here anymore.

- Oh, [bleep], yikes. - [lions roaring]

[Joe] You hear that?

That's probably a lion.

[whispering] This is crazy, hide.

[Joe] Adventure awaits.

[narrator] Joe and Candice enter the Luangwa Valley.

Home to Zambia's largest population of lions,

that can consume a quarter of their body weight in a single meal.

Here, low water tributaries lure dense concentrations of game,

like koodoo and warthogs, but also deadly crocodiles,

Baboons and herds of elephants.

[lion growling]

A lotta people will say this is the Olympics of survival, and I understand that now.

I'm definitely glad I'm not doin' it alone.

Ah, thank goodness I am outta this grass and it's opening up again.

I can see.

All right, where is he?

Or she? Where's my partner? Please, let me find them soon.

I hope my partner is somebody that's open-minded to me.

I don't want someone to take a glance at me, and then assume that,

you know, they're gonna have to do everything, 'cause that is not the case.

- Hello there! Hi! - [Candice] Hey!

- [Joe] It's a pleasure to finally meet you. - Yes!

- You as well! - [Joe] Yes, all right, goin' in for the hug.

- Just go in' for it, just get it over with. - Quit playing and just...

- It's nice to meet you. - Yeah, you too.

- I'm Candice. - I'm Joe.

How was your walk in?

Like, mine was God awful, going through the grass, I was terrified.

[sarcastically] Yeah, this is just any other Wednesday for me.

- [laughing] No, um... Yeah. - Oh, you run around naked quite often?

No, actually no, I'm pretty reserved,

So this is... Getting naked and doing this was the hardest part for me.

- This is terrifying for me, too, yeah. - Oh, right on.

We have very similar outfits.

- Yeah, these are... These are very form fitting. - This is the newer version.

- Yeah, yours is, like, established and strong. - Yeah.

Yeah, oh, for sure, that is one of my assets.

I've got, like, some kind of supermodel for my partner.

When my wife sees my partner, I can already feel the side eye.

What are your skills?

Beat boxing,

- break dancing, yeah. - Nice, okay, so you'll entertain me.

- That's it, yeah. That's basically all I got. - Perfect.

- Okay, perfect. - No, I mean,

I've been, like, training for this my whole life.

Eagle Scout, plus 20 years military service, so...

- Oh good, what branch? - Uh, Air Force.

Nice.

[Joe] I joined the Air National Guard,

and while I was in basic training, 9/11 happened.

And so, I went in with this intent, to get some college money,

and that event definitely changed the trajectory of my life.

When I went to Afghanistan, I came back with PTSD.

So, for me engaging in the outdoors

became a survival technique for my own mental sanity.

...And voila! We have fire.

And this challenge is something that really allows me to continue healing,

and I'm confident I'm gonna survive out here and make it the full 21 days.

- I think that's awesome. - Yeah, it's cool.

- What about you? - All right, well I, um, I grew up hunting, fishing,

- so, um, that's kind of my playground. - [Joe] Nice.

[Candice] People usually don't believe that I'm outdoorsy.

Yep, those will do.

I'm a lot tougher and stronger than most people think.

Growing up, I was outdoors a lot with my dad,

Camping, fishing, shooting guns.

My first big hunt was a mountain lion.

I've killed elk. I've gone bear hunting. I've killed a few deer with my bow.

It drives me crazy when people doubt me.

Did you actually catch that fish, or are you just posing with it?

That's how you do it, boys, right there.

It drives me nuts. I hate it.

I think it's important for women to know how strong we can be.

We can do anything that a man can do.

- [Joe] So, luckily I'm... - I think we'll be a good team.

- I'm actually very happy with you. - I think so, good.

All right, well the day's gettin' on us,

- so why don't we see what we got. - Let's go.

Okay.

[narrator] In order to last in the deadly African wilderness,

Joe and Candice have each selected a survival item.

- [Joe] All right, I got, uh, our cutting item. - Perfect.

- And I brought a recurve bow. - Right on.

[narrator] They've also received a pot for hydration, and a fire starter.

- This is gonna save, uh, our day... - Oh, nice!

...'cause keepin' that fire goin's gonna be,

- uh, pretty important to, uh, gettin' to 21 days. - Yes, it will.

- Yeah, we're gonna make it there, for sure. - For sure.

Okay, and I actually think I have the map.

- [Joe] Oh, yeah? - Let's see where we're goin'.

- That's us. - [Joe] You are here.

- We've got a little bit a water resources. - Okay, we got

a tributary to the Luangwa there.

I say we try to go somewhere in this area,

- what do you think? - I think that's the right move, yeah.

We gotta just watch each other's backs, 'cause we know...

- [Candice] Agreed. - ...that there's a lot of, uh, dangers out there.

Well, we've got a long ways to go.

- Should we get after it? - All right, let's get started.

- Fo sho! - [Candice] All right, grab my bow.

[narrator] Candice has a lifetime of experience hunting large game,

but has never applied her skills in extreme conditions.

She begins with a primitive survival rating, or PSR of 6.6.

- Ready? - Let's do it.

[narrator] Joe's military training is a major plus,

but past trauma could complicate his mental approach to the challenge.

He starts with a PSR of 6.7.

[Candice] The thought of being surrounded

- by giant predators is not nice. - [Joe] Nope.

[Candice] Who's doing the hunting, them or us?

Well, for now, them, but, uh,

- but since you're locked and loaded with that bow... - But not for long.

I just met my partner, Candice, and, I mean, this is like best partner ever.

She's a hunter.

It's nice to have a pretty good partner all wrapped up

with a pretty little bow and arrow.

I think we're gonna complement each other, like, super well.

So do I, which is exactly what I've been praying for.

Oh, me too.

He seems like he's very masculine, strong.

You know, I'll be the hunter, can provide for us,

and he will make sure that we're safe at night and... And secure in our shelter.

You know, I think between the two of us, we're gonna do great.

[Joe] Yeah, I think so, too.

[Candice] Ow! Hold on, I got a thorn.

- [Joe] You doin' all right? - Yeah.

- [Joe] Oh yeah, it is a acacia town. - Ugh.

Hate these thorns already.

[snorting]

[Joe] You hear that?

[grunting]

[Joe] Look at him go. That is awesome.

[Candice] The elephants aren't as cute and friendly as they are on TV,

- [chuckling] so I think we should be a little cautious. - [Joe] Oh, yeah.

[Candice] Just keep movin'.

[elephant trumpeting]

- [Candice] Oh! Scared me. - It's gettin' serious, now.

[Candice] I actually think I see...

- That is water in front of us, yes! - [Joe] Yes, water? Oh.

[Candice] I'm so excited. We made it, Joe.

- [Joe] And it's got some depth, too. - Oh, my God!

- This is beautiful! - [Joe] It's not flowing too fast.

You know, and let's also be aware that this, uh,

- where prey and predator all come together, so... - [Candice exhaling] Yes.

Just slowly, make sure we don't got any crocs hiding out.

[Joe] This tributary is clear.

- Clear enough to see the bottom. - [Candice] Yeah, clearish.

- [Joe chuckling] - Just no crocodile.

- [Joe] Okay, I'm gonna... - This is our home! Give me a high five.

- Big ten. Big ten. - Boom!

- All right, so... - All right, we're... We're... I wanna go explore,

- I don't know, what do you wanna do first? - [Joe] Ah, well,

- I'm startin' to see the, uh, the dropping of the sun, here. - [Candice] Yes.

[Joe] I think there's our boma, right there.

There's a whole acacia back behind it.

Right? And then, all we have to do

- is secure there's a door. - [Candice] Is just make a door.

- Yeah, it'll keep us safe. I like it. - [Joe] Yeah.

Awesome.

We're gonna try to use this spot, 'cause the sun's setting on us quickly.

All right, smackety-smack-smack,

- it's busy time. - All right, let's get after it.

[straining]

- [Joe] Well, it's no Zambeezy, but it looks to be easy. - [laughing]

- Here we go with the jokes, that was pretty good. - [Joe] Yeah.

It's pretty epic.

We stumbled upon, like, a nearly perfect boma already constructed by nature.

What we're gonna do is clear out the growth that's coming up the middle here.

And then, what we're gonna do is actually create an addition to this wonderful structure.

And put some acacia, that's gonna be on the rocks outside, to keep ourselves safe,

and that's where we're gonna have our fire.

Create a big heat wall that's gonna keep us really warm tonight.

[straining]

Ooh.

[Joe] Nice haul a rocks, there.

[Candice] Yeah, gettin' my workout in.

- [Joe] You're the rock star. - [laughing]

[Joe] The acacia spikes keeps the animals away.

[singing] Just don't get me in the balls.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I'm gonna start spreading it,

that acacia is known as the devil's Lego.

So, if you haven't heard that before, you just did now.

Try and get me now, leopard!

[Candice] I think it's gonna start getting dark.

- I'm gonna go get the firewood. - [Joe] That's a good idea.

[Candice] I'm nervous for all the nocturnal predators that are gonna be out here.

The fire would give us everything we need as far as protection.

[baboons shrieking]

- Hey, Joe? - Yo.

[Candice] We have baboons downstream.

- [Joe] Baboon! There's three. - There's three of 'em.

[Joe] This is a very wild situation. These things can be dangerous animals.

It's about to get very real.

It's makin' me a little nervous,

we don't have our fire started, I'm gonna be honest.

[baboons shrieking]

Oh, shoot. Six, eight...

[Joe] Oh, that's a baboon. That was a baboon.

[Candice] Everywhere that you look there's baboons.

We have about 20 baboons.

I am a little nervous about that.

Come!

[Joe softly] There are hundreds of baboons right here,

and it's too dangerous.

[Candice] I'm a little nervous.

If I don't make fire, I think it's gonna be a problem.

It's very scary.

Shoot! Don't go out on me!

[baboons shrieking]

[Candice] Oh, shoot.

[Joe] Look at all of 'em.

They're hundreds of baboons through here.

[Candice] Come on.

[Joe] That is so dangerous.

Joe! Whoo! We have fire.

[Joe] Yeah! Good job.

[Candice] I think it will keep the baboons away.

It's the best feeling in the world.

[shouting] Get out of my home!

[Joe speaking]

[Joe shouting] Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

I don't need ya in my neighborhood.

...And they quickly retreated,

which is great because I didn't want to have to hear them all night.

I think out here, fire is essential.

It's not just warmth, it's safety.

Ooh, that's bubblin'.

- We are gonna dine on boiling water... - [Candice] Oh, boiling water.

...pathogen free.

This was a solid day.

[Candice] To have shelter, fire and water all in day one, kickin' butt.

[whispering] Oh, that is good.

- [Candice] It's good, right? - That is so refreshing.

[Candice speaking]

- [laughing] - [Joe] Ah, you have no idea...

[Candice speaking]

[Joe] I mean, I gotta tell ya, that'll be so badass.

[leaves rustling]

[Candice speaking]

[growling]

[Joe speaking]

[Candice whispering]

[Joe] No?

[Candice speaking]

[Joe] I know, it's dark out there.

[Candice speaking]

[Joe] Yeah.

- [Candice] What is outside of our shelter? - I don't know.

[Candice speaking]

[Joe] Oh, no.

[Candice] I can't see anything.

- It's gone, whatever it was. - [Joe] I hope, yeah.

[grunting]

[Candice whispering]

[Joe chuckling] I know.

[Candice speaking]

[Joe] Sleep is essential to proper cognitive function,

and we got basically, net zero.

[Candice] Think I'm gonna work on my bed.

- [Joe] Yeah, you wanna go get tall grass? - Yeah.

All right.

- [Joe] I'll just cut, and then you have some cordage to wrap? - Yeah.

- [Joe] Again, high grass, so head on a swivel. - Yes, please.

[Joe] Take as much grass bedding as you think you need, and then quadruple it.

- [Candice laughing] - That's my line.

- [Candice] Thank you. - Oh, yeah.

- I'm gettin' tired, Joe. - Are you?

Yeah.

You know, they talk about water and food,

and all these, like, days and essentials, so that, uh...

I don't... I don't know what the number is

for when you slip into complete madness for not having sleep, but...

[Candice chuckling] 30 minutes a night's not gonna do it.

[Joe] No, it's not.

[breathing heavily] Okay.

- Okay. - Not bad.

- Yeah, it takes... It takes a little... - It's actually

- pretty comfortable. - Takes a little getting used to, but yeah.

[Joe] So, what's our next major deal?

Tomorrow morning, right at sunrise I really just wanna, like, sit water.

- Huh? - Just for like an hour, maybe.

- Sit what? - Sit water.

- Sip? - Sit.

- Sit water. - Sit water.

- And so, explain to me. - Sit.

- Sit water is when you just build a blind... - Oh.

- ...somewhere right next to water. - That's a cool term.

- Yeah, that's... - That's a cool term.

- I've never heard that term. - It's called sit water, yeah.

So, then you just literally sit, and wait for the animals to come in and get water,

and get 'em.

- You know what I like to do? - What?

Sit couch.

[Candice] I can't wait to get out and hunt. I need some real food.

[Joe] If you don't get a kill tomorrow, that's okay.

[Candice] That's so sweet, thank you.

But I am certain that if one gets within striking distance, uh, it's goin' in our bellies.

It's different when you go out for sport,

'cause you know when you come home you're still gonna eat.

Whereas, when you go out 'cause your life depends on it.

It's makin' me a little nervous. It's a lotta pressure.

I slept better, but I'm exhausted.

Keeping your fire up, it's just non-stop.

Good luck.

[Candice] I wanna go downstream just because we haven't walked through there.

So, there's no scent, um, as of yet.

[birds singing]

[Candice] Hopefully, I can be the provider.

I know he's counting on me for food, so I just wanna make sure I don't let him down.

[birds singing]

[Joe humming] Mmm-mmm, yeah.

People think hunter-gatherer means hunter-man, gatherer-woman,

but she definitely... Definitely destroyed my [bleep] stereotypes...

of women, which is good, I need that.

When you've spent an entire career in the military,

everybody needs a healthy dose of realizing you don't know jack and/or diddly about...

anybody based on their external appearance.

[snorting]

[Candice whispering]

[snorting]

[barking]

[barking]

[Candice whispering]

[leaves rustling]

[Candice whispering]

I missed a bush buck, which sucks.

I'm disappointed to let my partner down.

I know he was counting on me.

[Joe] Don't worry about it.

We're still learning this environment.

I know a big kill would totally lift both our spirits,

but, uh, we have quite a road ahead of us.

- I slaved over a hot campfire for that delicacy. - I know.

[Joe] Dude, I'm, like, super stoked for you. I hope you get that buck.

[Candice speaking]

- [Joe] Have you ever fasted before? - Yeah.

- Have you? - [Joe] Yeah.

[Candice] Yeah.

[Joe speaking]

[Candice] Mmm-hmm.

[Joe speaking]

You know, tomorrow is day four,

It's a psychological wall that I see in previous challenges.

Did you ever notice day four?

[Candice speaking]

Nah, it's when our body goes into ketosis,

and it squeezes all the things the kidneys have filtered in.

So, we get a nice boost of whatever is sittin' in there,

and it's not always good things.

People get emotional around that time, and people get like...

You know, people, like, moms get really lonely for their kids again?

- [Candice] [bleep] - That's it!

So, we gotta get ahead a that curve, and be, like, all right day four.

- Let's watch each other. - [Candice speaking]

- Okay, okay. - [Joe] Yeah, it's... It's gonna be both of us.

- Yep. - [Candice] Well, I'm glad you told me that.

[baboons shrieking]

[Joe speaking softly]

[Candice whispering]

- It's not your fault, yeah. - [Candice whispering]

We didn't get much sleep at all.

You know, an hour or two every night for sleep is not gonna do it.

I'm just happy that the night's over, and we can only go up from here,

hopefully.

See it crossing?

He's right in the middle of the river, crossing to the right.

- See his brown body? - [Joe] Yeah, I see.

It's extremely far, but we need some protein.

[sniffling and exhaling]

[Joe] There she is.

[Candice speaking]

[Joe] You okay?

[Candice speaking]

[Joe] Don't do it. Don't go down that road.

I've maybe only had five hours of sleep the entire time that I've been here.

I'm sleep deprived.

Feeling weak, emotionally weak.

[Joe] I told you that this... This is the hurdle.

I told you your kidneys are [bleep] squeezin' right now,

and they're lettin' out all kinds a [bleep].

You know you can finish this.

I knew today was gonna be tough.

So, I'm hoping that I can convince her to stay a few more days,

and that she can get to where this becomes normal.

Can you give me one more day?

You know, just do one more night.

[Candice speaking]

[grunting]

[Candice whispering]

[bellowing]

[grunting]

[Candice whispering]

[growling]

[Joe] Hmm?

[Candice speaking]

[Joe speaking]

[Candice speaking]

[Joe speaking]

[Candice speaking]

[lion grunting]

[Candice speaking]

I can't do this.

- [Joe] I know you can do it. - I've been trying.

I tried to just push through, and be happy, and be strong for him,

but last night was really my breaking point.

I don't know, I... I wanna tap out and go home.

Please don't. I'm in a little bit a shock right now.

I don't wanna do this alone.

Man, that's [bleep].

- Sorry. - [Joe] It's okay.

I know you're gonna finish the challenge, I know you are.

[Kat] Think about the reason you came here.

You're this tough, badass chick,

and everyday people are saying "You can't do that."

"There's no way you can hunt, there's no way you can do this," and you're doing it.

We know how much you're capable of.

And we've seen a sliver of it, which almost makes it worse,

because we know that there's so much more inside you.

I... I... I wanna tap.

- You just wanna go. - [Joe] I'm askin' for once, please.

- [Candice] I don't want to. - [Joe] Please, one day.

It's enough. I just wanna go home.

[Kat] Okay.

[mouthing] Okay.

All right.

- So, kick ass. Go! - I will.

The hardest part for me is gonna be leaving him,

And I... I don't wanna leave him.

I know it's gonna be a struggle for him to stay here by himself.

It sucks.

I mean, that's it. It sucks. I dunno.

She's [bleep] tough. She's tougher than this, I know it.

[Candice] I wanted to come out here and show everybody

that I am the badass that my dad raised me to be.

But there's predators hunting you 24 hours a day,

you hear stuff all night long when you're trying to sleep, you gotta maintain your fire.

You know, without sleep my mind's not functioning right,

my body's not functioning right... Thank you.

...so I just... I think it's best if I go home.

[narrator] Although skilled as a hunter,

the African nights proved to be too much for Candice.

Her PSR drops from a 6.6 to a 5.6.

[exhaling] [bleep]!

[sobbing]

[crying] It seemed so outta nowhere.

This is what ketosis looks like. I told her that.

When your body is just trying to flood you

with all the things that are, like, stuck in your system.

[sobbing]

[Joe speaking softly]

Some of the friends that I've made in war are some of the best friends I have.

And that's what I counted... I don't...

They're very separate, this and war, but you bond hard.

Like, I trained really [bleep] hard, and I know I can do it.

I know I can do it with a partner, I know I can do it alone.

Heat retention's gonna become a very important part of my night.

Trying to create a smaller space.

I know that the man I'll be at 21 after...

suffering through this...

will be the man I wanna be.

[farting]

[leaves rustling]

[branches breaking]

[elephants grunting]

[elephants grunting]

I'm not in charge of the sun rising and setting.

The days on the calendar are gonna go by.

What I do with that time while here, that's what's gonna make the difference.

I was gone for almost a year in Afghanistan. That was really dark time...

but I worked through it.

There's a saying we have in the military about deployments,

you know, the days are long, and the weeks are fast.

To me, survival is about staying busy.

Getting action paralysis is something that, you know,

I'm trained in the military not to do.

Like, you have to do something. You have to do something.

But without someone there to kinda bounce energy off or bounce ideas off of,

it... It becomes difficult just for me to assess.

What's most important for me to survive.

I wanna be alive at the end a this.

If I don't have that fire going at night,

you know, the animals come a-knocking if you're not burning.

So, I decided to start working off of a three "W" concept.

That is, wood...

water...

and what's next.

And what are my larger goals?

Give me a second to get some breaths.

Every time I stand up... You know, it's a bit of a head rush, so...

What's next? A meal.

[snorting]

I've done fasting, but I've never gone seven days without food.

Aw [bleep], man!

I really want those warthogs.

It's hard, man. All I gotta do is keep strivin' and survivin'.

[softly] This is first of hopefully many blind hunts.

[softly] I'm up on a giant termite hill.

[softly] There's about five trails that junction right around this termite hill,

[softly] so, I'm just gonna sit patiently.

This is where I saw Candice sitting,

so I'm just monkey see, monkey do.

Now, we play the waiting game.

The animals here are really finely tuned.

You know, they're used to being hunted by lions, so the ones

that have survived this far are... They're skittish, they're super skittish.

Today, I'll mud up a little bit.

To cover yourself in mud tampers down my scent,

which is really important right now.

The blind is solid coverage, but, you know,

I can give myself away just from my odors.

I'm always tryin' to get an advantage out here.

So, doin' the old school military camo with the darks on the high spots,

with the lights in the low spots.

[bleep] just don't stand up so fast, man.

I am not feelin' lucky right now.

I've seen the animals walking back and forth here. I know that they're active here.

Gotta stop beatin' myself up.

I'm here alone, it's harder.

This is about survival, and I drank enough water, and I kept myself warm.

There's no other challenge requirements, other than can you stay in it?

Can your will stay in this?

There's a bush buck.

[Joe] Careful, it gets really rocky up here.

[Candice] Ouch! My feet hurt.

[Joe] I have a solution that might help us.

I had this idea to try and make some stilts...

- [Candice] Wow! - ...to get you off the ground,

so you're not steppin' on all this stuff.

[Candice chuckling] Oh, okay.

- So now, the idea... Step on that. - St... St... Step right there.

- And then, uh, try and take... - Thank you. I really appreciate this.

[Joe] So, If it's...

[Candice] He makes me this stilt that is larger than me,

And probably weighs 20 pounds.

I'm tryin' to, like, tiptoe and make this thing work to make him feel good

because it was just the sweetest gesture.

- [Joe] Is it workin'? - [chuckling] I mean, this is much better,

but I think I'm just gonna hold it, 'cause it's making me go extremely slow.

- [Joe] That's okay. - [chuckling] But I'm grateful.

[Joe] There's a bush buck.

A water buck came in about 200 yards in front a me.

Too far to shoot with an arrow.

The wind was kickin' around,

and they picked up my scent when they got about 25 feet before me,

and scattered and ran.

That sucks.

All these things are against us, and these animals are super skittish.

I haven't had a meal for 16 days,

but I keep givin' it my best effort each day,

and that's all I can do is just keep tryin' and... And do my best.

Everyone has a plan in a fight until you get punched in the face,

and this place is a punch in the face.

This is becoming an endurance competition,

and not even of survival skills,

and, you know, body fat, and stuff like that, just my mental fortitude.

Just stay focused, stay on task,

And stay completing what's important to stay competing.

All right, got water, got wood.

I am literally just livin' off of my fat right now.

[grunting]

Oh, that [bleep] lion's close.

[shouting] Roar!

Shut up.

People are tryin' to sleep.

My last sunrise here.

I really wanna get moving, and get some distance under my belt.

There's lots a cloud cover, There's lots a cloud cover,

but things can change here, and the sun can heat up real quick.

I'm exhausted.

I haven't eaten for three weeks.

I'm kind of worried that I'm gonna run outta energy,

and have to just kinda hobble through this.

But, uh, I am gonna complete this challenge.

I have a feeling this fire played a crucial role

in my being able to walk outta here.

I coulda been lion dinner last night.

Lookin' at my map, I'm roughly here at this bend.

And then, this is where I needed to go,

So I'm gonna follow the river until I gotta go inland.

Heard the lion over here last night,

but there's no saying he didn't quietly move over there.

So, I gotta keep my eyes and my wits about me.

[narrator] To make it to his extraction point,

Joe must hike four miles through established lion territory,

before finally turning uphill for a one mile climb out of the Luangwa Valley.

Acacia forests, littered with piercing thorns

and thick debris conceal additional threats, like puff adders,

Which are responsible for the most snakebite fatalities in Africa.

[Joe] Okay, walkin' outta Africa.

[singing] Up in the mornin' with the risin' sun,

[singing] gonna walk all day, 'til the walkin's done.

I'm seein' some big antelope style prints, like water buck, wild koodoo.

With animal tracks here and scat,

it's quite possible this is a space the lion likes to hang out, too.

And he's top a the food chain, so it makes sense.

So, I gotta really, really keep my... My head about me.

Got some sleep last night,

but, you know, I feel like the morning energy window is just dwindling.

I can already feel the exhaustion, heavy breathing.

Holy moly, gettin' light-headed!

Well, gettin' off the river, and headin' into the tree line.

If you wanna get outta the Luangwa Valley,

you gotta go up, that's the point a the valley.

Come on, Joe, focus.

You can do this, you've climbed a thousand hills.

My energy is waning. I'm really, really hungry...

[exhaling] Come on.

...but being in the military, you have to accomplish a mission.

I really just wanna get this done.

[straining]

[bleep], man.

Thorn right in the [bleep] foot!

No more thorns in my feet, please.

This has been a long journey of a lot of emotions,

and it would be nice to wrap it up by now.

[loudly] Yes!

[shouting] Oh, yes!

[shouting] Fo sho! This has gotta be a road.

Oh!

I have never wanted a sport utility vehicle to pop out of nowhere ever before.

Zebra patterned, just how I like it!

Come on, baby!

Come on down!

[straining]

[shouting] Whoo!

And this is how you ride in style.

I'm proud, I'm very proud of myself.

I mean, 16 days solo is no joke.

It's a phenomenal feeling to have completed something so arduous.

To learn that you can push yourself.

You can learn, and you can grow, and you can learn on the fly,

[chuckling] and it's pretty incredible right now.

I set this as a goal. I achieved this goal.

You know, I didn't get lucky with the big score,

but not a day went by where I just laid in the boma.

You know, I always did somethin' on my task list.

It was the lynchpin that held together the completion of my 21 days.

[narrator] Over the course of 21 days, Joe lost 35 pounds.

His PSR rises from 6.7 to 7.8.

There's no taking it back.

No one can ever take away the fact that I walked outta here on day 21.

That's how you do it! That's Zambian style!

Does anybody have a bag a Cheetos?

I feel like I earned a bag a Cheetos, at least.