Banished But Not Broken

Day 31 begins with only nine days remaining as Bulent finally arrives at the other survivalists' camp. Although he still intends to finish the challenge largely on his own, he is happy to see other people again.

Bulent catches the group up on his journey, jokingly referring to Makani as "Broccoli" and Kate as "The Kate," and tells them about the various animals he has managed to eat while surviving solo. Suzanne is especially glad to have another capable hunter nearby, but Bulent makes it clear that he plans to sleep in his own shelter. He is willing to share food if he gets a kill, but he does not want to fully merge into the group.

He is impressed by what the others have built, including their crossbow, dug-out water spring and hunting blinds. Bulent immediately gets to work constructing his own boma and is satisfied with the setup by nightfall, hoping to hunt successfully the next morning.

On Day 32, the group expands its hunting effort. Gwen takes the crossbow into a blind for the first time, while Sarah heads to another blind carrying Ryan's bow. Sarah has never killed an animal with a bow, though she does have experience hunting with a rifle.

Bulent and the others coordinate a hunting schedule so multiple blinds can be covered without interfering with one another. Suzanne focuses on making shoes, while Jon handles water and firewood.

Bulent reaches one of the blinds and finds it in rough condition but still usable. Before long, he spots a herd of impala, but they remain just outside his effective range. Gwen sees plenty of activity in the area and begins to think Bulent may have missed a major opportunity.

The group organizes another hunting schedule for the following morning.

On Day 33, everyone believes Bulent is already positioned at the blind as planned, so they make an effort to stay quiet around camp. In reality, Bulent slept poorly because of hyenas during the night and never got up to hunt.

Gwen sees numerous animals moving through the area but cannot find Bulent anywhere. Sarah eventually discovers him asleep in his boma and confronts him about missing his assigned hunting time.

Bulent later visits the group to discuss the missed opportunity. They are frustrated, and he admits he should have told them he was not going to the blind. They work out a new agreement, but Bulent remains resistant to being told what to do and does not put much stock in the group's opinion of him.

Despite the late hour, Sarah heads out to hunt. She gets a shot opportunity but misses, struggling to keep the bow steady as she draws it.

By Day 35, Bulent is eager to make a kill, partly to silence the criticism from the larger camp. Once again, Gwen sees numerous animals near Bulent's blind, but he has not arrived. She is furious, believing the opportunity could have produced an easy kill.

The group's patience runs out, and they begin discussing banishing Bulent. Bulent has reached the same conclusion from the opposite direction: he no longer wants to work with them.

During a tense meeting, Bulent tells the group he is done cooperating. They formally ask him to leave.

On Day 36, Bulent packs up and begins moving closer to extraction, still about seven and a half miles away. He plans to stop at a riverbed roughly four miles into the journey. Unable to find his fire starter, he places a hot coal inside elephant dung and carries it in one of his pots to preserve the fire.

The trek is punishing. Bulent is loaded down with gear, carrying a dangerously hot pot through intense heat, and quickly becomes desperate for water. After roughly five hours of walking, he finally begins seeing greener vegetation and eventually finds water.

Back at the larger camp, Sarah decides a second crossbow is necessary because she is struggling to use the regular bow effectively.

On Day 37, Gwen is running low on energy. She and Sarah hunt from separate blinds with the crossbows. Sarah's weapon accidentally fires on its own, while an animal approaching Gwen's position gets spooked before she can take a shot. Sarah later gets another opportunity but misses.

At his new water hole, Bulent fishes while hunger becomes increasingly severe. After eight days without food, one of his lines finally produces a major payoff: an enormous catfish weighing roughly 18 to 20 pounds.

Meanwhile, Jon discovers mopane bees and searches for their hive. He and Sarah break into a hollow log and recover honey, providing the group with a badly needed burst of calories and energy.

Bulent finally feasts on his catfish, ending his long stretch without food.

With extraction approaching, the larger group finishes making shoes for the final trek. Bulent senses a storm coming and gathers a large amount of firewood.

The storm arrives overnight, leaving everyone cold, wet and exhausted after getting very little sleep.

For the final journey, Suzanne, Gwen, Jon and Sarah make duct-tape ponchos and begin hiking toward extraction. Bulent starts his own route separately.

After roughly six hours of walking, both groups close in on the extraction point, marked by a large baobab tree. The larger group arrives just ahead of Bulent.

A helicopter comes in to collect the remaining survivalists, completing the 40-day challenge.