Last One Standing' Changes the Rules of the Survival Competition Show

Thanks, I Hate It

Some of the toughest 'Naked and Afraid' contestants face off in a grueling, 45-day competition. At stake? Bragging rights and a $100,000 prize.

Published on May 7, 2023

The latest Naked and Afraid spinoff is raising the stakes. Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing takes 12 of the toughest competitors from past seasons of the Discovery Channel reality show and drops them in South Africa’s punishing Oribi Gorge. The contestants will face off in a multiphase challenge that will test their survival skills as they compete to win a $100,000 grand prize. 

‘Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’ competition explained

Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing is a grueling, 45-day competition. It unfolds in three phases, with rules and twists unlike any before seen on the show.  

The challenge begins in phase one, when pairs of survivalists must fight to last 21 days in the wilderness. Each pair will have to hunt for food, water, fire, and shelter. But in a Naked and Afraid first, they’ll also have to earn the tools they need to survive, which are cached in the surrounding environment. Every seven days, they’ll migrate to a new location in order to test the limits of their skills. If at any point a competitor decides to tap out, their partner is also eliminated. 

In the competition’s second phase, the remaining survivalists will enter a group challenge where they’ll have to compete both with and against their teammates. 

Finally, there’s the show’s intense third phase. The survivalists will participate in an everyone-for-themselves, three-day journey to extraction. The person who comes out on top of that challenge will earn the six-figure prize and Naked and Afraid’s first perfect 10 Primitive Survival rating. 

The high stakes and the promise of a large cash prize to the winner mean this is a Naked and Afraid competition like no other.

“The stakes here are so high that there’s room for being friendly,” says competitor Sarah Bartell in a teaser (via YouTube). 

“I don’t trust anybody,” adds contestant Jeff Zauch. 

Meet the ‘Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’ contestants 

The Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing challenges aren’t for the faint of heart. Fittingly, the 12 competitors represent some of the toughest people to ever appear on the survival reality show. They are: 

• Matt Wright, a marksman who’s has completed 215 days on Naked and Afraid, more than any other competitor.
• Jeff Zausch, whose elite fishing skills and unwavering determination to win will make him a contestant to beat. 
• Cheeny Plante, who is relatively new to the Naked and Afraid family but has quickly made a name for herself thanks to her years of military survival training. 
• Dan Link, a marine biologist who is one of two survivalists who went from completing a 14-day fan challenge to finishing the 60-day legends challenge. 
• Waz Adddy, a former pro rugby player with skills in spearfishing, SCUBA diving, and open ocean swimming. 
• Amber Hargrove, a decorated Army vet who is the only female Last One Standing cast member who has completed a 60-day Naked and Afraid challenge. 
• Steven Lee Hall, Jr., aka “King of the Forest,” who has appeared on Naked and Afraid six times and completed each of those challenges, for a total of 209 days in the wild. 
• Sarah Bartell, an off-the-grid homesteader with three completed challenges under her belt. 
• Gary Golding, who has survived a combined 140 days on six previous Naked and Afraid challenges. 
• Gwen Grimes, a former police officer who lasted 61 days in two earlier challenges. 
• Stacey Osorio, a two-time competitor who has survived 55 days in the wild. 
• Wes Harper, who has survived four previous challenges and 81 days on Naked and Afraid.  

Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing premieres Sunday, May 7 at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel. 

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