Original subtitles

Haven't seen a snake.

[ snake hisses ]

alana, get out.

Holy [bleep] I need a spear.

Holy -- holy [bleep]

never actually seen a boa in the wild.

I'm not getting that close to it.

[ snake hisses ]

holy [bleep]

narrator: "naked and afraid" has sent survivalists

all over the world to face physical and mental traumas...

Damn it!

Oh!

...That few can hope to survive.

And time after time, they had to face a fearsome adversary...

Holy [bleep]

...Snakes. Woman: Oh, my god.

Our adams and eves encountered serpents

of every shape and size.

These often-venomous reptiles offered both death...

Man: Oh [bleep]

...And life.

I don't care. I'll eat it raw.

Now, for the first time,

we look back at all the snake action...

Wow, he wants to bite.

...With never-before-seen moments...

Aah!

...And new insights from the survivalists.

If you're gonna injure it,

you should at least kill it all the way.

I'm not going back in a wounded animal's environment

and try to get it.

Narrator: And we revisit

"naked and afraid"'s most infamous snake encounter...

That's a nasty, nasty snake.

...In the depths of the snake-infested jungle

of costa rica.

A year on and five surgeries later, I'm still recovering.

Narrator: This is...

-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by discovery communications

after thousands of hours spent in the wild,

our survivalists have faced down snakes

of just about every size and shape.

[ snake hisses ]

there have been some close calls...

Kiddo. Yeah?

Stepped right over him. Wow.

...Some nasty bites, some tasty meals...

Oh, my god.

...And some culinary fails.

It tastes like chalk.

Snakes are some of the most feared animals on the planet.

Evolving from prehistoric times,

these mythical creatures

have evoked worship from some cultures

and are regarded as symbols of death in others.

[ snake hisses ]

there are nearly 3,000 species of snake in the world today,

and unfortunately for our survivalists,

some of the most deadly species

are often encountered on "naked and afraid."

of the dozens of locations

that "naked and afraid" survivalists

have had to suffer through,

ky and billy's intense experience

in the swamps of louisiana was a snake-lover's dream...

Billy: Hey, don't move. There's a snake over here.

...And a snake-hater's nightmare.

Oh, my god. That is a huge cottonmouth.

The water moccasin, or cottonmouth,

a native to the louisiana swamplands,

is the world's only semi-aquatic viper.

When swimming, this slithering reptile

holds its head above water,

with most of its body barely touching the surface.

Holy [bleep] there's another one.

The swamps of louisiana have thousands of these creatures.

Oh, my god. They're everywhere.

Look at the size of that one.

I'm getting the hell out of here.

Billy! Another one!

Billy: This swamp is a snake-making machine.

I've never seen so many snakes in one location ever.

Oh, I missed him.

Ah, damn it.

He's in the brush.

I don't want him to get in that water.

He's slowed down. I may be able to get him.

Hope to god there's no gators in here.

Are you sure you should be in there, billy?

Do you want to tangle with him in the water?

Oh [bleep]

there are so many snakes around here

that even if I can just kill one or two, it'll help.

I think you should leave that one, billy,

if you can't see him in there.

Where the hell did he go?

[bleep] I wish we could've gotten that one.

They're gonna be wandering in and out of camp

before we know it.

Billy: Where you think you're going, little guy?

Ky: Well, don't chase him over our way.

Ouch.

Oh, did he bite you, or is that a cut from something?

No, he bit me.

And you're 100% positive it's not venomous?

Yeah.

Ky: I'd prefer to have a survival partner

that would probably talk things over with me

before he goes running after something like a snake.

I mean, if billy goes down, I'm on my own out here.

See how his eyes are round -- his pupils?

Mm-hmm.

If it was a venomous snake, he'd have elliptical pupils.

His eyes would look like cat eyes.

This is just a water snake.

[ snake hisses ]

narrator: There are specific characteristics

that determine whether a snake is venomous or not.

Ugh. Careful.

If it has a slender head

with a round snout and rounded pupils,

it is most likely non-venomous.

If it has a broad, triangular head

with a round snout and elliptical eye slits,

it is most likely venomous.

However, it is recommended to never get close enough

to make these distinctions.

[ snake hisses ]

ky: This is our first bit of food.

You don't know when food's gonna come along.

I truly think you should kill him.

This is the way it goes, I guess.

I really think the only time billy was happy out there

was when he was killing those snakes.

Got him.

Wow.

It really brought out the man -- maleness in him.

Billy: Unbelievable how many there are out here.

I mean, this is really unnerving.

Being naked with so many venomous snakes out here

that could kill us,

how in the hell we're gonna do this, I don't know.

Narrator: A snake's brain remains active

after decapitation.

Due to the snake's reptilian nervous system,

very low amounts of oxygen are required

for its muscles to continue moving.

A severed snake head can still sense heat...

That's snakes for you, man. They're all reflexes.

...And react to movement for up to an hour after decapitation.

Humans have been attacked postmortem.

Ky: Oh.

There's a snake just below my feet.

Hey, bill.

Billy: Yeah?

Water moccasin.

Nothing like making a weapon on the fly, right?

The cottonmouth is

one of the most poisonous snakes out here.

It was one of my biggest concerns.

If we get bit, we're in trouble.

I'm gonna go for this guy because he's food,

and he's a potential danger if any of us step on him.

Oh, he's moving. Holy crap.

I can't believe I'm in here doing this with this guy.

[ scoffs ]

one...Two...

Three!

Okay.

This is dangerous.

But I got him.

He's still alive, though.

He's still perfectly capable of biting, too.

I'm gonna cut his head off.

I mean, there is an art to it, and he's very good at it.

But this is the first time I've felt a bit nervous

about where we're set up to camp.

His head is severed.

You are the mighty hunter.

Now get out of there before another one comes.

So this will be good. We'll feast tonight on snake.

Narrator: In malaysia,

samantha and fernando's brush with a lethal snake

is a prime example of what you don't know can hurt you.

[ gasps ] there's a snake.

And I don't have a machete.

Fernando! Snake!

Fernando: So I'm back at camp, cutting bamboo,

and I hear sam scream my name.

It's right here. Right here -- the blue.

You see it moving on the tree?

I show up, and she found

a beautiful blue-and-orange snake.

Fernando: I don't even know what that is.

Narrator: The blue malaysian coral snake --

it's as deceptive as it is beautiful.

Samantha has stumbled on their first viable protein source,

but what they don't know is that it's lethal.

Watch out. Watch out, fernando.

Fernando: It just had all the markings of a snake

that's just saying "watch out."

big, bright, orange head, bright orange tail.

[ sighs ]

get it. Watch out.

[bleep] [bleep]

I need a spear!

Narrator: ...More survivalist-versus-snake moments

from all over the world. Holy [bleep]

laura: He means business.

And later...

Shane: I have to go further into this jungle,

which scares the absolute [bleep] out of me.

Narrator: ...Two survivalists venture

into the costa rican jungle despite a gruesome warning...

[ grunts ]

narrator: ...From a fer-de-lance snake.

Fernando, snake!

Narrator: Samantha has stumbled across

a highly venomous blue malaysian coral snake.

It's right here. Right here -- the blue.

You see it moving on the tree?

It's known by locals as the one-hundred-step snake,

for the number of paces its bite victim will take before dying.

Samantha: There was definitely fear 'cause we found

a very, very poisonous snake not far from our camp.

You really have no protection.

Watch out. Watch out, fernando.

[ sighs ]

get it. Watch out.

I'm gonna fling him this way.

[ gasps ]

oh, crap.

Okay, I have him pinned.

Wow, he wants to bite.

Samantha: I'm coming.

I just don't want to ruin his body,

so I'm trying to get a nice, clean cut at the head

so we have more meat.

Machete. Good find.

I asked for food. You weren't messing around.

Okay, ready? Thanks.

Fernando has amazing snake-handling skills,

I think, thanks to being a firefighter.

I was so impressed.

Uh-oh. What?

No, he's just -- he's squirrelly.

Narrator: It's a narrow escape,

and the survivalists have found their first source of protein.

Samantha: I'll just go ahead and say I participated

in that hunting success,

but that really was all fernando.

Yeah. Wow.

It'll be dinner. This is just pure protein.

Narrator: During the challenge,

many snakes have become prey for the survivalists.

[ snake hisses ]

but there are always more of the creatures out there.

Almost stepped on it. He blended right in.

Narrator: There is a constant threat of snakes

in the tropical locations

that the survivalists call home for 21 days.

Different sizes, shapes, and colors,

the slithering serpents' danger was ever-present.

The case was no different for laura and e.J.

When they entered the largest rainforest in the world.

Laura: This was the real deal out there.

If you don't catch food, you're gonna be hungry.

If you step on a snake, you're gonna get bit.

Holy [bleep] I need a spear!

E.J.: What do you got? A huge [bleep] boa.

He's right in there. He's getting away.

He's going over there.

Narrator: Habitat to over 400 species of snake,

the amazon constantly reminded the survivalists

of whose home they were in.

Going into this jungle, I knew it was a jungle on steroids.

Holy [bleep]

did he come this way?

There he is.

He came right at me.

Holy [bleep] look at how big he is.

Wow. Hold on, now.

Instinctually, if it's a non-venomous snake, most times,

I'm just gonna grab it and deal with it at that point.

But then again, I do have a high respect

for venomous snakes and the boas.

They are definitely two that will mess your day up.

You don't need that problem.

He can spring the length of his body, so that's the problem.

And a boa bite is nasty.

Narrator: In south american culture,

boas are sometimes used to control vermin populations.

All right, he's coming. He's coming.

Step back. All right.

The boa -- chase him.

Whoa. See him flare up?

He means business. He's aggressive.

He's very aggressive.

My biggest concern was that myself or laura

would get a snake bite and would take us out of this challenge.

He's in the tree now.

Holy [bleep] look how fast he's moving.

[bleep] damn.

Damn it. Yeah, he's going up high. [bleep]

[ sighs ]

'cause everything in the amazon got to be worked for.

That must be the answer to the question.

She ain't giving it to us unless we work for it,

so let's go [bleep] work for it.

I'm gonna have to take what I want.

Seems that's the way it's gonna be.

Narrator: Time and time again,

the jungle has shown that it offers no free handouts.

There are many fruitless pursuits.

I'm about tired of mother amazon kicking our ass.

In the humid rainforest of nicaragua...

Jaclyn: We are in the land

of snakes and poisonous creatures.

Narrator: ...Sometimes, it is the unpredictability

of where these creatures lurk that pose the largest threat.

We are walking around barefoot

with poisonous, nasty snakes.

I mean snakes that could take us out,

snakes that could kill us.

We really need to be careful

when we're walking around barefoot.

This is dangerous.

Adam: Just got to be careful.

You know, we're in their territory,

and they pack a hefty punch.

I'm out there, stomping around barefoot,

looking for berries and bananas and stuff like that,

and I literally almost stepped on one.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's a snake right here. Watch out.

Hang on. Let me pin his head.

Jaclyn: Oh, my god.

I think it might be poisonous.

Narrator: Adam and jaclyn had to stay on their toes

in the land of the highly venomous fer-de-lance.

Ugh. Careful.

[ gasps ]

almost stepped right on that.

Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.

Ugh. Careful.

Okay.

Jaclyn: After that experience with the snake,

I was super cautious, because one wrong step

could have taken us out of this challenge or even worse.

That's it. That's it.

Adam: What could have been a really bad situation,

and potentially take it home,

turned out to be supper for that night,

and it was probably my favorite meal of the whole trip.

Got my heart pumping a little bit.

That was exciting.

Narrator: As frightening as snake encounters can be,

stumbling upon one of these reptiles

is sometimes considered a stroke of good luck

for the malnourished survivalists.

Shannon: I feel a little out of breath and faint.

Cass: Why don't we take a break?

It's not gonna get better until I eat food,

so I'd rather just move forward with the food plan.

For over two weeks, the dense jungle of belize

offered very little sustenance to cass and shannon.

I'm so weak, it's like, ugh.

We were just hurting really, really bad for food.

Oh, man.

He knew that I was getting weaker and weaker,

and he went hunting that day.

I keep thinking that I'm gonna turn a corner

and there will be a -- oh, what's that?

Oh, my god.

It's a boa.

I turn back, and there was

like a 4 1/2-, almost 5-foot boa constrictor snake

just off to the side of the trail.

Holy [bleep]

I want to try and pinch him off.

We need the food so bad.

But I don't really have a ton of energy.

A boa will wrap up and can actually kill you.

Are you kidding me?

I do not want to get bit by this thing.

[bleep]

that's all right, though.

[bleep] [bleep]

there, now he's dead.

Oh, my god.

I've been wanting to see a snake since we've been here.

That's so cool.

This is gonna be great for shannon.

She's gonna love it.

Cut his head off, bang, threw it in the bag.

I almost ran up the trail, I was so excited.

Pure protein.

Best thing I ate the whole time we were out there,

and it came at the most dire need -- when we needed it.

Shannon's got a snake to cook up.

Narrator: Scouring for food

along the arid planes of madagascar,

jeff and eva had a fortuitous find.

Eva: I was out gathering firewood for that night

and pulling a bunch of branches up

and saw this little bit of a snake tail

sticking out from under a rock.

Whoa. Whoa. Jeff. Jeff. Snake.

There's a snake right under that rock right there.

I had no idea that it was gonna be so incredibly big

and that it was gonna fuel us for our entire challenge.

It was incredible.

Okay, here. Stay there.

I'll go over here.

I'll flip it over, and I'll try to flush it your way.

Get ready.

Narrator: One boa constrictor was caught

between a rock and two starving survivalists.

He's on this side. Be careful!

Three.

Holy [bleep]

that's huge. That's a boa.

Thatagirl!

Yeah, buddy!

Yeah, baby!

Look at this guy. Yes!

Holy -- yeah! Whoo!

Okay. Get your knife out.

Let's get him.

Oh, my god. I'm so frickin' excited right now.

Yeah!

Geez!

Yeah [bleep]

dude, I just caught a snake.

We caught a snake.

Oh, my gosh, this is so, so, so, nice.

Oh, this is so nice.

Thank you, snake.

Eva: You know, I feel deep gratitude for the snake.

I mean, taking this life is basically saving ours.

Looking back, my proudest accomplishment

of that entire trip was catching that boa constrictor.

We're putting this to good use.

Seriously.

Shall we? Let's go back.

But jeff and eva soon realize that the terrain they were in

was infested with boa constrictors.

Jeff: [ gasps ]

holy mother son of a --

eva: [ gasps ] holy [bleep]

it's another boa.

Oh, my god.

He -- he sees me.

He's gonna try to bite me. I know he is.

Jeff: I was 2 1/2 days from the nearest hospital.

I mean, at that time, I had a big 5-foot boa constrictor

in front of my step.

Oh, yeah. He's already threatened.

Oh, he's curling up.

21 days, baby. Here we come.

Narrator: ...Once it's caught, it has to be cooked...

Oh, my gosh. ...And eaten.

It tastes like chalk.

Woman: How big did you say it was?

And later, we relive the brutality

behind "naked and afraid"'s first venomous snake bite.

Kim: That'll sober you up quick.

If you get bit by one of those,

worst-case scenario is death.

Jeff: Get your knife out.

Eva: It's another boa.

Oh, my god.

He -- he sees me.

He's gonna try to bite me. I know he is.

Oh, yeah, he's already threatened.

Oh, he's curling up. Okay.

[ laughs ] baby!

Oh, man. Boa number two?

Yep. Okay.

Yeah. Nice.

[ laughs ] good one.

Yeah! Oh, give it to me!

Yes! Frickin' snake again!

Aah!

Yeah!

Oh, my gosh, this is awesome.

Smoked snake meat is delicious.

I can't wait to eat some snake in the morning.

Yes! That gets us to day 21!

Whoo! Yeah! Yeah!

Narrator: The adventure and danger

involved in actually capturing a snake

is only the beginning of the process.

There's an even more important step -- cooking it.

For the survivalists, this was a whole new challenge.

All right, so, good news is...

Oh, my god. Holy [bleep]

shannon: Cass getting that boa today

makes a world of difference to us.

And that was really one of the highlights

of our time out there.

We were both literally starving.

Our bodies are eating themselves.

Could we just roast him completely like that?

Yeah, I almost want to -- normally, I peel the skin,

but I just want to leave the skin on.

After many tries, we get him down,

and I guess we're having snake for dinner.

I've never cooked snake before.

But I seen it on tv.

Let's get this bad boy skunked out.

Adam: I love that aspect of hunting,

being able to go out and get something from nature

and, you know, you butcher it yourself,

process it, then provide it for your teammate.

Ah! Was it moving in your hand?

Uh-huh.

Cass: I've been starving just like she has been.

Probably tastes better than anything I've eaten

for a long, long time.

I'm like literally, like, tearing up right now,

I'm so happy.

It's ridiculous. Just eat.

Shannon: The first bite of that meat coming off the fire was --

it was the best food I've ever had in my life.

Oh, my god.

Luke: I mean, what if we took this off

and then kind of just spread out the coals evenly

and then put it on top?

[ pop ] oh!

Hot, hot snake juice on my leg.

Lindsey: It wasn't a lot of meat, but being two weeks in,

we were hungry, we were low-energy, and it was awesome.

Everything really does taste like chicken.

You throw it in the fire, you cook it up,

and it was a little bit of heaven.

You ever have mozzarella sticks?

Yeah.

This is what this reminds me of.

As part of working as a team, we've got to be flexible.

And if adam goes out and catches something,

I'll help him prepare it.

But I just would rather not eat animals.

Ugh.

He just ate something.

That's its stomach?

Yep.

It's so gross. It really bothers me.

She's a vegetarian.

She didn't come into this eating much meat,

so, you know, her body

is really kind of screaming for it right now.

You never know -- a couple days from now,

you're gonna be begging for something like that.

Why? You're hungry.

I will go gather wild edibles.

Narrator: Sometimes, survivalists have no idea

of what they're biting into.

What's wrong? It was black.

I just -- ugh. [ spits ]

it was black, whatever I bit into.

[ spits ]

liquid black came out of the snake after I ate it.

Sick.

I mean, it was in my mouth.

Ugh [bleep]

fernando: And just like that.

For some of the survivalists,

catching and killing a snake...

Proved easier than knowing

how to properly prepare it in the wild.

Samantha: This snake is our first chance at real protein,

but we have to have a fire to cook it.

We're in the hardest place on the planet to build fire.

Come on, come on, come on.

Everything is so wet.

Almost seems like the best plan is

to keep some of the tinder with us through the night,

and hopefully it will dry out some more,

and we can try again in the morning.

[ blows ]

[ sighs ]

no, it's gone. Come on.

No.

Ugh. Look at that snake. Smell it.

Fernando: It stinks.

It's pretty nasty.

It officially smells like dead, rotting flesh.

Yeah.

Fernando: It's killing me to have to waste this snake

and throw it away.

I mean, we haven't had protein in over a week.

As starving as we are and as hungry as we are,

that snake could have been a very good meal.

Narrator: To prepare snake meat, first skin and clean the snake.

21 days, baby. Here we come.

Narrator: Then, chop the skinned reptile into strips

to ensure that the active nerves

don't allow your meal to slither out of the fire.

Snake meat is very lean and can become tough if overcooked.

I don't care. I'll eat it raw.

Most commonly compared to tasting like chicken,

serving with salty and spicy sauces

will enhance its snakey flavor.

I think our snake is finally finished.

Check it out.

Oh, my god.

Holy crap.

I think our snake is really, really well done.

They're completely too dried out.

It tastes like chalk.

Mm.

Eva: I knew I should have pulled those things off.

[ sighs ] I should have listened to myself.

Jeff: I'm devastated.

I do feel guilty, and I thought that they needed more time.

Narrator: Protein-rich snake meat

has fueled survivalists in many of the extreme environments...

Ugh. Oh, my gosh.

...But there have been times

when there was more to the meal than just the meat.

Billy: I didn't know that these guys ate other snakes,

but apparently they do.

We'll see it.

That's another -- it's a garter snake.

Ky: So, we've got a snake in a snake.

Narrator: Snakes procreate in high numbers.

When copulating, snakes use not one, but two penises,

called hemipenes.

These organs have hooks

that allow them to anchor themselves within the female.

Snake sex can last for as long as a whole day.

Snakes interbreeding is relatively uncommon,

but humans can easily misidentify species.

Boas and pythons are frequently mistaken.

The python has an extra bone in their head and more teeth.

The biggest difference is that boas give birth to live young

and pythons lay eggs.

Jeff: These are the guts right here.

This is everything that came out of the snake.

What is this right here?

What is it?

Is it a worm?

It might be a baby snake.

[ gasps ] oh, my god.

It's got eyes.

See? That's the head.

That is totally a baby snake.

That's not even possible. What?

Look at all this yolk.

This is a frickin' baby snake.

Narrator: In madagascar, jeff and eva discovered

that they had killed a pregnant boa constrictor.

A sac, baby snake, yolk.

These are eggs. Oh, my god.

Holy crap!

Dude. That's insane.

Are you kidding?!

Look at these!

These are eggs.

We can freaking eat these. We need to cook them.

All right. You ready for this?

I'm ready.

This is hot coals.

Whoo.

That looks really promising.

It does. Ouch.

It smells like scrambled egg.

Holy crap, that's good.

I really like the outside -- little crispies.

My entire body feels healthier,

feels stronger, feels more energetic.

This -- these little eggs

very well could have saved our lives out here.

Mmm.

So, so amazing.

I'm so happy.

On andros island,

justin knew that he had to capitalize on killing a snake

if the opportunity beckoned.

Justin: If we're gonna have hope

of making it to the extraction point, to day 21,

I need to get us some food.

Mm.

Look at that.

Whoa. That's close.

That's a boa.

I just walked up here, and I look on the ground.

There's a 4 1/2-foot snake.

Narrator: The bahamian boa kills

by wrapping its powerful body around its prey to suffocate it.

When the prey is dead, the boa will swallow it whole.

Alana, get out.

...Survivalists encounter one of the deadliest snakes

on the planet in its unique habitat.

Then...

Steve: I was bitten by a fer-de-lance snake.

Narrator: ...The serpent strikes back.

Woman: How big did you say it was?

Shane: [ grunts ]

justin: I've got to kill this snake

if we're gonna make it to the extraction point.

We need this food.

[ snake hissing ]

ah! [bleep]

there he is.

I actually killed something with my bare hands and a stick.

Made me feel like I've accomplished something today.

Dani!

Are you hungry? Yes.

[ chuckles ] pretty good snake.

Dani: He is happier when he's hunter-gatherer,

and if both of us are in a good place,

it's a lot easier to be around each other.

This is a good kill. Good job.

Hot.

It's good.

Justin: I got to kill something and eat it.

Yeah, it made me feel better.

Restored my manhood in camp.

Narrator: On "naked and afraid,"

survivalists often eat snake meat out of desperation...

Here, why don't you try and pull it again?

...But in other cultures,

snake meat is considered a delicacy.

China, korea, and vietnam are big fans of low-fat meat

and serve it in many traditional dishes.

Hey, grab the a.1. It's all on the grill.

It's lower in cholesterol than pork or beef,

and is considered to hold medicinal benefits,

including improving men's virility.

Whoo!

But as quickly as snake meat can nourish a human being,

its poison can debilitate them.

There are various types of snake venom

that affect the human body in very different ways.

Coral snakes release neurotoxic venom,

causing seizures and respiratory paralysis.

Pit vipers release hemotoxic venom,

which causes internal bleeding

and leads to amputation of limbs.

You can also lose an appendage

from a king cobra or rattlesnake bite...

...But their venom is cytotoxic,

which works by decomposing the flesh at the area of its bite.

Some animals have a natural immunity to snake venom.

However, humans do not.

In fiji, alana and keith had a run-in

with one of the most dangerous species of snake there is --

a coral sea snake.

Keith: Coral snakes are the most poisonous snake in the world,

and yet they're kind of slow-moving.

Hey, alana, get out. Get out.

If they bite you, you're done.

Alana: I wouldn't mess with a sea snake.

Really?

We were pretty hungry, so I thought two things --

kind of a rambo moment,

I can kill the most poisonous snake in the world,

and it'd be good to eat.

I think they're edible if you cut below the poison packs.

I'm gonna go rambo.

Alana: Of course you are.

Hey, buddy.

You digging -- are you digging through something?

[ grunts ] oh, damn it.

Okay, now we got a pissed-off sea snake.

Where'd he go? It's coming back around.

Okay, watch out.

It's right there. Damn it. Ugh!

I think he's fine.

Just injured him.

I'm okay with injuring a sea snake.

If you're gonna injure it,

you should at least kill it all the way.

He chopped at it with his machete and missed.

I mean, there's crabs there.

He doesn't need to mess with a sea snake.

Keith: Alana was like, "you need to go get that thing.

You need to go kill it."

I was like, "I'm not going back

"in a wounded animal's environment

and trying to get it."

alana: I honestly think that whole thing was unnecessary.

Didn't need to mess with it.

Stupid. It was an unnecessary risk.

Narrator: Snake danger looms

in every "naked and afraid" location,

but in costa rica, the fer-de-lance

has made the severity of its bite

and its hostility towards humans well-known.

Accounting for 46% of the 600 snake bites

that occur in the country each year,

this deadly species bites first and reacts later.

Executive producer steve rankin learned this firsthand.

The team and I were scouting a location

in the jungle of costa rica,

and it was pretty dense there.

There was lots of big, tall tress.

There was pretty dense undergrowth.

We were crossing over some fallen trees,

and as I jumped down,

I felt this bang that hit me on the left foot.

I was bitten by a fer-de-lance snake.

Woman: How big did you say it was?

Really?

Oh, yeah, it was long. It was big.

My legs had gone to jelly. I was shaking.

Straightaway, then, we knew that I was in trouble

and they had to get me out of there really quickly.

Shane: [ grunts ]

I just killed the world's

deadliest [bleep] snake butt-ass naked.

Narrator: ...An infamous encounter with a venomous viper.

Steve: Left foot had begun to necrotize,

so it was just decaying.

Narrator: Two survivalists brave the challenge

despite a gruesome warning.

That's a nasty, nasty snake.

Narrator: Hard times sometimes call for bold ideas.

[ grunts ]

but sometimes, a bold idea...

I'm gonna fling him this way.

...Turns out just to be a bad idea.

Samantha: [ gasps ]

alana: I walk around this big rock formation.

Lo and behold, it's a sea snake just curled up.

Shh. He's sleeping.

It was cute, and I wanted to pet it.

I'm gonna touch it just to say I touched a sea snake.

It was a dumb thing to do.

It was really dumb,

'cause that's one of the most venomous snakes in the world,

and I was giving it a little scratch like it was a kitten.

That was one of those things

that I could maybe chalk up to kind of...

Island psychosis, hallucinations, I don't know.

There. [ chuckles ]

narrator: Deep in the jungle of costa rica,

"naked and afraid" executive producer steve rankin

came face-to-face with a survivalist's worst nightmare.

Steve: We were walking, hiking through the jungle.

I stepped over a log, and I was bitten by a fer-de-lance snake.

They had called in a helicopter

to take me from there to san jose hospital.

[ radio chatter ]

the whole time from being bitten

to arriving in the emergency room in san jose

was about two hours.

Left foot had begun to necrotize,

so it was just decaying.

It smelt of death.

Thankfully, they were able to operate

and graft skin from my thigh onto my foot.

A year on and five surgeries later, I'm still recovering.

It's changed me in some ways

the same as it changes the survivalists.

It's an experience that you never forget.

Kim: When I found out the executive producer

was bit by the most poisonous snake here,

that made me more nervous.

Narrator: Because of this gruesome attack,

kim and shane were given the choice

to opt out of the challenge.

Shane: My first reaction

to our executive producer being bitten was,

how am I going to prevent this similar incident from happening?

The snakes are nasty, and there are many of them.

I have to further into this jungle every day

to try and find food,

which scares the absolute [bleep] out of me.

Kiddo? Yeah?

Stepped right over him. Wow.

Kim: It's just a baby.

Baby? That thing's probably three feet long.

His coil is four inches. What do you got, six coils there?

That's a nasty, nasty snake.

Kim: If you get bit by one of those,

worst-case scenario is death.

That'll sober you up quick.

Shane: Seeing that viper on day 1

and how close we came to stepping on it,

that definitely did a -- it was a wake-up call.

It made us reflect upon, you know,

how nasty and how dangerous that environment was,

and it was life-threatening.

I mean, it was very dangerous.

Those snakes were everywhere.

Narrator: Just a few days after almost stepping

on one of the lethal vipers, shane found another one.

Shane: That's a big [bleep] snake.

It's the same snake that bit our executive producer, steve,

and I'm gonna kill him.

I've got one chance to get him before he gets me.

If I can pin his body, I've got a fighting chance.

Narrator: The fer-de-lance is extremely aggressive.

The hemotoxic venom

causes severe internal bleeding and rots flesh.

The excruciating pain can render their victim unconscious.

Without immediate treatment,

death can follow within 72 hours.

Shane: I'd appreciate if you would back up, okay?

'cause if I don't get him, he's gonna be coming after somebody.

It's all about speed and how big your balls are.

Look how nasty he is.

[ grunts ]

die [bleep]

[ grunting ]

[bleep]

his poison is everywhere. He is pissed.

I've got his head pinned pretty damn good, though.

[ grunts ]

he's not biting anyone now.

Tell steve I said hi.

Adam: Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Narrator: Lurking in the shadows, hanging from the trees,

and hiding in dense brush, snakes pose a constant threat.

But after dozens of locations all over the world,

with literally hundreds of snakes,

"naked and afraid" survivalists will keep tangling

with these slithering reptiles.

I'm very thankful to get the snake.

The jungle is feeding us.