Naked and Afraid is one of the most intense and thrilling survival TV shows. The reality TV show is as scary as fending for yourself in the wild forest while being in a buff. In fact, this is what the show is all about.
The participants in the show are naked and living without any shelter, water and food. It’s a precarious condition for survival and there are several moments to give viewers Goosebumps so that they start thinking certain cast members would soon breathe their last.
Many viewers are curious to know if anyone has died on ‘Naked and Afraid’. Let us take a look into it.
Any Death on ‘Naked and Afraid’ Show?
To this date, no death news has occurred on ‘Naked and Afraid’ reality TV show. However, there have been many close calls and even one contestant faked death.
Manu Toigo had dengue fever in the first season and Samantha Ohl got hypothermia in Season 8. Before the show’s premiere, a poisonous snake bit the producer. Moreover, Honor Bowen faked being unresponsive. It is guessed that she wanted to produce an excuse for leaving the show.
Manu Toigo was diagnosed with dengue fever but recovered fully. Her condition got so bad that she was caught with a haemorrhagic fever. She even returned home to Los Angeles from her filming in Panama. The show eventually wrapped.
It was during the time she came to know about her dengue fever. We all know that dengue is a mosquito-borne disease. She was experiencing nosebleeds and severe headaches. Fortunately, she got well after proper treatment.
Samantha Ohl Had Close Calls on ‘Naked and Afraid’
In Season 8, Samantha Ohl nearly experienced death from hypothermia on the show. During a severe rainstorm, she denied sharing body temperature with her partner. As a result, her body temperature fell so low that she was attacked with stage 2 hypothermia.
She was heavily hungry. Her partner got worried that Samantha might have organ failure and so started calling medical professionals.
However, she made a full recovery in the hospital. She still feels sorry for not completing the challenge.
Steve Rankin & Snake Bite in 2013
Steve Rankin, the producer of ‘Naked and Afraid’, was bitten by a snake. It was the most dangerous event of the TV show. In fact, the show is yet to start technically.
Steve was inspecting the premises in Costa Rica ahead of starting the season. However, a bite by a pet viper poured water on his plan. He was soon rushed to hospital with a rotted foot. He recovered fully before the venom could spread.
Honora Bowen Pretended Being Dead on ‘Naked and Afraid’
As per reports, contestant Honora Bowen from Season 3 almost died. However, reports claimed later that she had faked death to leave the show. She had reportedly cited the reason for her bladder issues to leave the TV show. However, the producer convinced Honora to continue.
She ended up faking her death so that she would get admitted to hospital. She complained of hypertension and she felt that she would collapse. In fact, given her physical condition, it was easy for her to fake death.
The show takes additional protection such as ‘full cloth’ and has medical professionals on set in case any unfortunate incident happens. Fortunately, no bizarre incident (death) has happened during the production or filming of the reality show.
There has been only one ‘Naked and Afraid’ death. An ex-contestant from the TV show breathed her last in 2022 though the incident did not happen during filming.
Melanie Rauscher’s Death
Melanie Rauscher, a Naked and Afraid and Naked and Afraid XL alum, suffered a tragic death in 2022 though she did not pass away while filming. Her last appearance on the show was from 2015.
The 35-year old expired in Arizona after breathing in a fatal amount of compressed air, according to a report by TMZ.
An autopsy was performed to find out the cause of her death and Difluoroethane toxicity was identified as the culprit. This is commonly known as huffing.
Jeremy McCaa, a fellow contestant paid tribute to Melanie after her passing away. He posted on Facebook, “She was a beast of a woman that couldn’t be tamed and thought outside of the box.”
