Tried watching N&A Global Showdown on YouTubeTV (which costs $90/month!). And they numerous 2:30 long ad breaks. This is freaking punitive!
I like the show, but I don’t like it that much! See ya, won’t be watching anymore of that bullsh!t.

Episode Name: Enter the Kill Zone

Hi everyone! I hope your weekend went well. I’m going to see the Backrooms movie tonight after N&A, so I’m excited for that. Not much else to say but:

Welcome to the Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown Running Diary! Let’s get to it!

–Welcome to “Global” Showdown aka The U.S. plus Brazil and Mexico.

–Day 5.

–Jeff and Kerra take a much needed break.

–They’re looking forward to “the hunt.” So am I.

–Will Dan’s back take him out? Chances of tapping are low at 12%.

–Time for Rachel to show her hunting/fishing skills. Will she choke under the pressure?

–Rachel handles animal poop like she’s kneading dough.

–Let’s check in with Ky and Alexa!

–Ky has good energy. She’s ready to kill!

–Frank and Teal are going to build another bridge? Did they not complete it last time? I don’t remember.

–I guess this is still part of last week’s challenge still? Not sure about the editing here.

–Matt and Gabby sit at the top of the leader board.

–Matt is eager to dominate everyone. Seems like a recurring theme with him. World domination.

–Let’s check in with our southern neighbors.

–Team Brazil is going to fish because they don’t have a bow.

–Rene throws his line in the water and almost immediately catches a fish. Thriving!

–Marina looks happy. I’m happy for her. Good job by them!

–Back to the U.S. Team Mexico can go fuck itself, apparently.

–Rachel checks her fishing lines. What did she catch? Is it a giant crock?!

–It was a fish and she lost it. Not thriving!

–Rachel has a momentary emotional breakdown.

–Dan tells the camera that he’s frustrated. He’s basically calling Rachel a weak partner. What’s his problem?

–Jeff and Kerra go after a warthog. Is that a good idea?

–Jeff takes aim, he shoots, and…commercial time.

–Time to make some ginseng tea.

–And we’re back.

–I think he hit the warthog. Let’s find out!

–That arrow has lots of blood on it. Looks like the hunt was a success!

–I did not know that warthogs could run up to 35 mph. That’s the Usain Bolt of animals.

–We get our first “This is what I live for!” from Jeff. It probably won’t be the last.

–Jeff really rubs it in Matt’s face. Well deserved. I love their rivalry.

–Matt thinks Jeff got lucky and doesn’t have skill. He’s so bitter.

–Looks like there might be a hyena problem. Jeff and Kerra must fortify their boma so that the animals don’t come for their food.

–Frank and Teal and Team Brazil complete their bridge, get the 100 points, and then get to choose a tool. I guess the challenge didn’t end last week but continued as long as necessary until all teams completed it.

–Jeff and Kerra have a meat party.

–Nighttime.

–The hyenas crash the party. Everyone wants some of Jeff’s meat.

–Day 6.

–Jeff and Kerra survived the night.

–Frank goes hunting.

–He chases after a wildebeest, but he doesn’t have a shot.

–Baby rhino alert!

–Time for Matt and Gabby to hunt.

–We check in on Team Mexico for the first time tonight. I forgot they even existed.

–I can’t even remember their names.

–They’re still building their bridge so that they can access The Hunting Grounds.

–And that’s all we get from Team Mexico. Back to the U.S. So much for the GlobalShowdown.

–Frank shoots a warthog. Looks like he got a kill. Good job by him!

–Teal says she doesn’t have high expectations for Frank’s hunt. She’ll be in for a surprise.

–Matt and Gabby are still on their first hunt. Chances of success, though, are high at 73%.

–Matt sneaks up on the warthog, fires, and it’s a hit! Holy shit the warthog runs right for him!

–We cut to commercial before learning whether or not the warthog gored Matt. Let’s hope so.

– “Thank you for your sacrifice,” Matt tells his prey.

–We’re back with Dan and his bitching about his partner. I’m waiting for the big blowup.

–Rachel decides it’s time to talk about team dynamics. How will Dan handle the criticism?

–Dan says “it broke his heart” that she feels the way she does. He brings a surprising sensitivity to her needs.

–Back to the other U.S. teams, who are all enjoying their own meat parties.

–Nighttime.

–Nothing happens but more meat talk.

–Day 7.

–Dan’s back is still bothering him. Chances of tapping are at 16%.

–A scroll has arrived. This gives us a chance to see teams Mexico and Brazil for .0001 seconds.

–Dan hangs from a tree with Rachel attached to his waist. I’m no genius, but I’m pretty sure that’s not going to help his back.

–The teams meet for a score update.

–Team Mexico and Brazil are still at the bottom. Chances one of them will be eliminated first is high at 87%.

–The next challenge is a bird trap challenge. Lots of instructions I won’t bother repeating.

–Teal is looking forward to digging through animal feces.

–Looks like we’ve got an elimination coming soon! Will it happen in this episode or will we end on a cliffhanger?

–Time for the contestants to find ten seeds by digging through rhino dung. Fun times!

–Team Australia is in the lead!

–How are teams Mexico and Brazil last in literally every challenge?

– “This knife is duller than Texas’s future,” Rachel quips. Was she talking about team Texas or the state of Texas?

–Teal gives us a math lesson. Is there going to be a test?

–Jeff and Kerra built their trap faster than every other team. Good job by them. But they still have another one to build, right? Not sure why Jeff is gloating about it.

–They’re going to drag out this bird trap challenge until the end of the episode.

–Matt and Gabby finish all of their traps first.

–A string comes untied. Back to the drawing board for those two. Fail!

– “He’s a bushcrafting southern motherfucker,” Jeff says of Frank. That was a good line.

–Team Brazil is moving along. Not sure how quickly though.

–Hey, it’s team Mexico! I wonder what they’re up to? Drinking lattes while soaking up the sun?

–The trap that Dan and Rachel built looks really good. I’d buy that thing from a store (if I was shopping for bird traps).

–Teal is missing a seed! Oh, no! Disaster!

–Matt and Gabby must redo their trap. It’s impossible to know who will win!

–Frank and Teal win! Even having to go back and get seeds didn’t stop them from succeeding.

–Dan and Rachel come in second. Good job by them!

–Team Australia has a major screwup. They just opened the door for the bottom teams.

–Jeff and Kerra’s trap looks awful but I’m not a trap expert so who knows. Maybe it’ll work.

–Nope. It did not work.

–In a shocking development, Team Brazil takes third! Great job by them.

–Matt and Gabby take fourth. I’m really worried about Jeff and Kerra. It’s not looking good.

–Team Australia take fifth!

–Texas and Mexico will fight to the death in an elimination challenge. Remember the Alamo!

–Texas finishes next but it only matters for points. They’ll still be up for elimination.

–And Team Mexico comes in last. Not a good job by them.

–Jeff’s bravado feels hollow. I don’t like their chances at all. But Team Mexico hasn’t shown much fight yet, so who knows.

–And that concludes the episode.

Not a bad episode, although the two hour time slot, again, is just too long. Way too many commercials and they spend too much time on the bird trap. But we know to expect this from N&A now. They stretch it out for the advertisements.

Episode Grade: B-

What did everyone else think?

See you next time on the Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown Running Diary!

Free substack link:

https://open.substack.com/pub/jonpeters241288/p/naked-and-afraid-global-showdown-79b?r=6un91f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I’m gonna say Bill from season 18 episode 4.

He was absolutely useless as a teammate and creepy/rude asf. He was dismissive, selfish, lazy, and apparently had an insatiable thirst. All he talked about was water. When he had his teammate going back and forth (a 45 minute trek) to the old campsite for water and tells her that she would have to make a second trip for more water after he drank his share AND hers, I had to turn off the episode and take a break from it bc I was so angry.

Second place goes to the girl who brought a magnifying glass as her item (can’t remember what season).

If Jeff was yelling and caused me to lose lose a shot like that he would be hanging for dinner. I don’t understand how Matt deals with him!!

Dear. God. The way that whole group treated her towards the end of the challenge was AWFUL. They had all suddenly decided that she was useless and a leech when she LITERALLY WASN’T. If they felt like she was being handed everything, they should’ve told her how they felt instead of ganging up on her and acting like she didn’t deserve to stay.

I can’t say I’m surprised by Chris, Danielle, and Alana believing that since they treated past partners in the challenge poorly (although that still didn’t justify Chris’s gear being thrown in the water), but I was VERY disappointed with Laura, Eva, and Luke because they all seemed like genuinely nice people, so for them to just suddenly turn on one of their own just felt totally out of character for them.

Jeff and EJ aren’t free of blame either. I mean, yeah, you can say you empathize with someone all you want, but if you really empathized with her, you should’ve let her join your group (need I remind you that that is EXACTLY what you did with Shane?!). They may have been against her removal, but they should’ve let her stay with them, or at the very least, just said nothing. It felt like they only said they empathized with her just to feel better about themselves. Actions speak louder than words.

He always seems to assume the worst of Matt while ignoring his own bad behavior over the years? Matt’s comments weren’t even that bad.

It's a myth! Ducks aren't nose blind.

I had to look it up

Episode Name: Fire and Pain

What’s up, everybody! I hope your weekend went well and that you’re ready for two hours of sweaty, naked fun!

Welcome to the Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown Running Diary! Let’s get to it!

–I really hope this episode is good. We all need A Big Win.

–Day 2.

–Time to build a bridge.

–Frank and Teal are in third place. They get a fire starter and a bow. Not a bad deal.

–Teal goes hunting. Chances of success 38%.

–The animals are on the other side of the river. Chances of success drop to 0%.

–Let’s check in with Dan and Rachel.

–Nighttime.

– “WTF was that,” Dan asks as a large animal prowls outside their boma. What could it be?!

–Day 3.

–Dan and Rachel are in last place and only got a fire starter. Sucks to be them.

–Jeff and Kerra are chillin’ in (tied for) last place as well.

–Scroll time!

–The challenge is to build a torch. Seems simple enough, right?

–Two challenges: A torch and a bridge.

– “If you don’t play to win, don’t play at all!” –Pablo Escobar.

–Team Australia is ready to build their bridge. Let’s go!

–Stock footage of a monster crocodile. Nature you scary!

–Jeff put on some fat for this challenge. He knows what he’s doing.

–Matt knows how to build bridges. Remember that one he built on XL Louisiana?

–Gabby tells us that “people are going to be…surprised (by me).” I’m sure everyone knows you’re a capable human being, Gabby.

–Gabby decides to climb a tree. Watch out for rash on the thighs!

–She’s straddling the tree. That can’t feel good on the ol’ privates.

–Remember when Nathan climbed that tree? Good times.

–Now Matt is giving Gabby a piggyback.

–We finally get some time with team Mexico.

–The producers are treating Mexico and Brazil like the B Team.

–Frank and Teal make a torch.

–Flashback to when Teal had an attitude problem during The Apocalypse.

–A giraffe sighting!

–I love how the “river” is actually just a dirty ditch.

–Teal is pissed that Frank isn’t using all of the materials she accumulated for him but it sounds like Frank plans on using it for later torches. Not sure what the drama is here.

–We learn that Alexa enjoys taking instructions.

–Dan and Rachel finish their bridge.

–I was expecting more from everyone’s “bridges.”

–Team Brazil makes an appearance for .0005 seconds.

–Frank and Teal are back on track.

–Team Mexico is in the house. I forgot they were even on the show.

–Texas must complete their torch if they want to compete in the competition. Come on, Jeff. Hurry!

–Matt tells us that he outworks the world.

–Kerra feels like she and Jeff are letting down Texas.

–Matt and Jeff say hello to one another. They’re such good friends!

– “If you’re behind the leader, you’re going to be looking at the ass.” –Matt.

–I mean, technically that’s true.

–Alexa and Ky work well together. They will be hard to beat.

–Is Dan ignoring Rachel? Sure seems like it.

–We finally get Jeff’s trademark “This is what I live for!”

–What do you think they’re using these torches for? Burning down a village?

–Hey, it’s Team Brazil! What are they up to?

–Eating worms. Yum.

–And that’s enough screen time for Brazil, I guess.

–Nighttime.

–Ky and Alexa are tired. They worked hard.

–And we’re back with Team Brazil! Wow! Thanks, producers!

–Lots of creepy nighttime noises around their camp.

–Hyenas surround their camp. Watch out, Brazil.

–The hyenas are now bothering Ky and Alexa. Stupid hyenas.

–Ok, we get it. Lots of nature. Get on with it.

–Day 4.

–Torch challenge day!

–Marina of Brazil is tired. Rene is ready to go.

– “Let’s go “torch out” our competition.” I’ll let you guess who said that.

–Brazil and Mexico are at the bottom of the challenge. I give both teams a 5% chance of winning this competition.

–Torch challenge description: Lots of stuff will happen.

–Only five teams will move on to phase 2. Does that mean the other two teams are eliminated permanently?

–Rene lit that fire in .09 seconds!

–Team Mexico didn’t test their torch ahead of time. Trouble?

–Jeff and Kerra’s torch seems to be working well. Same with Frank and Teal’s.

–Here’s Dan talking about communication again. They’re setting up a real feud between him and Rachel.

–The editing makes it impossible to know who is in the lead, but I think it’s Matt and Gabby.

–Is Team Mexico last to light their torch? I think so. Disappointing. I like them and Brazil.

–Matt and Gabby finish first and are on to the deadfall trap challenge.

–Team Brazil is in trouble. Come on, guys! Let’s go!

–Team Australia lights their rope! Looks like Brazil and Mexico are out of this current challenge.

–Time for the deadfall trap challenge.

–Time for Dan to talk about communication again. They’re really hyping up this fight that seems inevitable now.

–Matt says some stuff.

–I’m not sure Dan was ever forced to do group projects in school.

–Does Jeff know what he’s doing? I’m not sure he knows what he’s doing.

–Rachel offers a solution, Dan doesn’t like the solution but ultimately decides to try her solution, and she declines the said solution. Sounds like marriage.

–Kerra looks like she’s about to lose her shit at Jeff.

–Frank and Teal finish their deadtrap first! Didn’t see that coming.

–Matt and Gabby finish second. Good job by them.

–Ky and Alexa finish third. No surprise there. They’re strong.

–Dan and Rachel finish fourth and hug it out.

–I guess that big fight between them isn’t going to happen.

–Jeff and Kerra finish last and get twenty points.

–Lots of good assets to choose from.

–I fear for Mexico and Brazil.

–Dan has a back injury. Not good. That’ll take you out faster than just about anything.

–Time to call the medic.

–And that concludes the episode.

–Will Dan be forced to med tap? We’ll find out next week.

These two hour episodes are really too long, even when the episode, like tonight’s, is good. They could have spent a little less time on, well, everything.

I was also really disappointed with the bridge challenge. I was hoping for a proper bridge. Maybe that would have taken too long though. Still, couldn’t the bridge challenge been a longer challenge, say, five days, worth more points, etc. I want a true bridge building competition!

Episode Grade: B+

What did everyone else think?

See you next week on the Naked and Afraid Running Diary!

Free substack link: https://open.substack.com/pub/jonpeters241288/p/naked-and-afraid-global-showdown-0a3?r=6un91f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

- ​The Timeline: A 43-day survival challenge featuring 4 distinct trios.

- ​The Rotation Rule: Movement is mandatory every 10 days. A trio can only spend 10 days at their assigned camp. On Days 10, 20, and 30, they must migrate to a different trio's boma.

- ​The Convergence (Day 40): On Day 40, all remaining survivalists must abandon the localized bomas and migrate to a central, shared camp.

- ​The Final Alliance: From Days 40 to 43, the separate trios merge into a single large group, sharing resources and cohabiting for the final 3 days before the collective extraction on Day 43.

- ​The Quality Check: Survivalists are only permitted to migrate if they have successfully built a robust, viable shelter. Substandard builds will halt their progression.

- ​The Leaving Policy: When evacuating a camp, contestants must leave the infrastructure intact. They are strictly forbidden from destroying the shelter or scavenging its materials; only personal items may be carried.

i just started this episode and it’s a trio episode. But Daniel just started crying because he feels left out, but it’s day1 & they’re literally just building the shelter. It kind of shocked me but, on his cons list it did say emotional so, makes sense lol

Just watched naked and afraid S19 E12. Why is there a random watermelon sitting in a tree as Joley and Kyle set up their shelter? You can see it clear as day at 11:35.

S14 E7 Valley of the Leopards. The guy Matt? went from 6.1 to 6.8. The gal Kara? only went from 6.6 to 6.8. Seriously very wrong! Not taking from him, but she found protein the first, second and third time through most of the 21 days. He finally got the snake at day 18. Who does the rating? Very lame for this challenge.

So I’ve already watched the first episode of Global Showdown, but for some reason the next episode is locked. I can see that it’s not a regular episode, so I’m wondering what add-on I need to be able to watch it. TIA

Just watched Naked and Afraid XL: The Colombian Badlands...

This guy Andrew Shayde tapped 4 days into a 40 day challenge for a small thumb injury? I feel like that's a weak move. Sucks when someone like this takes the spot of another survivalist.

He also tapped on his 21-day challenge for ticks in his butthole.

Why do they keep bringing survivalists like this back? Am I the only one who feels this way? What do you guys think of Andrew?

Matt is a top hunter and Gabby is as tough as they come... And Jeff, where did the reverent crew cut guy go...hey Jeff you aren't a true survivalist until you learn to make a friction fire.....Has everyone forgotten that Matt provide food for his competitors in Last One Standing...otherwise he would have probably won....

LOS definitely has its rougher moments over the seasons but I have to say I think the finale of this season was the best one out of all 3. Matt, cheeny and Darrin really showed their expertise. While I was rooting for cheeny, Darrin’s win was definitely earned. I also thought that Matt’s and Cheeny’s reactions to his win were very admirable as well. Definitely feels like the three of them left as friends at the end of the show.

So we just made Texas it’s on country?!? I like it!! Don’t like Jeff representing my great state of Texas though! Lol!!

Why won’t Dani just eat the ostrich egg she has?? She’s malnourished and struggling to find protein but won’t eat her egg. I just don’t understand

I'm always surprised how inclusive this show became. There's been gay and lesbian survivalists, a double amputee survivalist I believe, and the main focus of this post...a trans survivalist named Terra! I really like her! She seems very kind and laid-back. I like how she's treated with respect and how her assigned partner doesn't judge her for being trans. He even relates to how it feels to not always fit in. Terra does tell us what it's like to experience transphobia which I think is a good thing to talk about, even if it's something small like losing followers, that's still upsetting. I feel like this episode is good for people to learn about what it means to trans, I say that because a big demographic for this show is middle-aged adults who are probably conservative. Some will probably quit watching the show out of a blind rage but maybe others will feel enlightened by this.

Me and my mom are watching naked and afraid apocalypse right now and we are HATING Kel, we find her annoying and she is the main problem in their teams relationship. We’re currently on episode 3 and I am curious, what do you guys think?

On Season 18 episode 6. Bill and Jolie started off rough. He was a jerk to her. That made me not like him. But after she dug the well, his whole attitude changed. It was like he was a different person. After watching it for a second time I decided that I like him ok now. What does everyone else think?