Flesh and Fangs

In the Florida Everglades, returning survivalists Cole Wilks and Tori Huggins arrive looking for redemption, only to find themselves in the backyard of Naked and Afraid legend Matt Wright. Seeing the opportunity, Matt joins them for the 21-day challenge and immediately changes the tone of the survival experience.

The team builds a palm frond A-frame shelter to stay warm through the rainy Everglades nights, but the environment hits hard early. Tori becomes dehydrated and vomits, while Cole finds willow bark to help with her headaches. At night, fire ants and mosquitoes make the shelter miserable. They burn the shelter floor to drive off ants and keep smoke going against the mosquitoes, but the bugs remain relentless. Cole struggles mentally under the constant insect assault and nearly taps out.

His mindset changes after a successful pig hunt gives the team a major food win. From there, Matt’s experience becomes a huge advantage. He teaches Cole and Tori how to hook an alligator, and the team smokes the meat and fries gator bites in its own fat. When a bear shows up at night, they rush to eat their food before losing it. Later, they take down a second gator on land using teamwork, distraction, and a knife. Cole also shoots a squirrel with his bow, Tori catches a snake by hand, and the group finds plenty of oranges to forage.

Aside from the brutal bugs, Matt’s presence turns the challenge into one of the more food-rich Everglades experiences, helping Cole and Tori push through and complete their redemption challenge.