‘Naked And Afraid’ Contestants Don’t Get Paid Nearly Enough For Their Trouble

Naked and Afraid is the ideal adventure for people who want to put their survival abilities to the ultimate test. The episodes follow each new pair as they go on a 21-day expedition in the outdoors together. They are only given one personal item, such as a hatchet or a fire starter, but they must survive for the duration of the challenge without clothing, food, shelter, or water.

Survivalists can ‘tap out’ at any time during the 21-day challenge, but they must arrive at the designated extraction site on the last day to be picked up by a helicopter or boat. Bug bites, solitude, and food poisoning are just a few of the issues that participants must deal with, but are they compensated for their efforts?

What Is ‘Naked And Afraid’?

Naked and Afraid is a Discovery Channel reality show that puts participants’ survival abilities to the test by leaving them in a remote place to fend for themselves. They must survive without clothing and can only bring one useful personal item with them. Aside from that, they must survive in the woods for a set number of days by finding food, shelter, and water.

“They’ll suffer the world’s most hostile climates and encountering new and deadly animals including large cats, bears, and some of the world’s most deadly reptiles,” the website of the show notes. One of the contestants of the survival game shared through Outside how difficult it really was.

Blare Braverman noted her experience facing off with huge snakes in the wild and figuring out what foods were safe to eat. She eventually gave up after 21 days in the bush. She also mentioned that she had a wound on her cheek that “had become necrotic” during her final days, presumably due to a spider bite.

Another contestant Phaedra Brothers revealed that she suffered food poisoning. She recalled: “I told one of the Indian men who was a part of the crew that I had been eating only granola bars because I was afraid of getting sick from eating unsanitary food. He said that I needed to eat protein, and he made this really great chicken curry dish. Three hours after I went to bed, I woke up sick, sick, sick.”

Although the survivalists have the option to leave at any time, the risk they face with their lives makes fans wonder if it’s all worth it. Do the winners bag a prize? Do the other contestants get paid for appearing in the show?

What Is The ‘Naked And Afraid’ Prize?

Unlike the winners of Survivor, who are awarded $1 million for battling it out in a game of survival on an isolated island, people who participate in Naked and Afraid are claimed to feel that the main reason they want to appear on the show is to see if they can survive in the wilderness.

Jeff Zausch, a Season 2 contestant, explained why they opted to take the challenge, despite knowing that there’s no cash prize.

He said: “What I always is: ‘This is who we are. This is what we are made of.’ Some people were made to be race car drivers. Some people were, you know, made to be CEOs of companies. We were made to push the limits of what’s humanly possible.”

Naturally, this has surprised a lot of fans. Aside from the financial consequences of being absent from their regular occupations, the candidates also risk their physical and mental well-being.

Considering all of this, the majority of us would never consent to go through the torture under any conditions. However, prior cast members have stated in interviews that they are on the show for the experience and the reassurance that they can survive in the wild. As a result, money is not the driving force.

So Do The Contestants Get Paid?

Whether the competitors on Naked and Afraid are compensated has been debated for a long time. The show’s official description states that the contestants must survive on their own for 21 days and that “the only prize is their pride and sense of accomplishment.”

Even though there is no cash award for winning the competition, the contestants are rewarded for their time. They are paid a weekly stipend to compensate for their missing pay from their day jobs, according to casting director Kristi Russell, which amounts to $5000 in cash. They’ll also get plane tickets to and from the survival challenge location, as well as two hotel nights paid for.

Meanwhile, the contestants in Naked and Afraid XL must survive a whopping 40 days outdoors. They reportedly received $24,000 US dollars for the extra time spent battling the weather and eating bugs and insects, nearly five times the amount they would have received for the 21-day challenge.

With the amount of money they’ll receive from the show, although there is no cash prize for winners, they may choose to exit due to severe injuries, infections, and mental health issues. Overall, it may not appear to be a fair deal, but the candidates are upfront about what they may expect.

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