Summary

• Production of Naked and Afraid is genuinely treacherous, with survivalists left "on their own" in the wilderness for 21 days.
• Producers only step in when contestants "start to crack" emotionally, offering motivation when needed.
• Cast members often surprise producers by reaching the extraction point quickly, showing resilience in the wilderness.

Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid has often been accused of being fake. But producers, Steve Rankin and Mathilde Bittner revealed that shooting the reality series is genuinely "treacherous" for them. It's mostly because the pair of survivalists — who stay in the wilderness for 21 days, naked and without food or water — are truly "on their own" throughout the season.

While they have an emergency line with the production team, the cast members are still kept in a "bubble". Rankin said the only time they "choreograph" the scene is when the two reportedly underpaid participants meet for the first time on day one. The rest is real and often dangerous for both the filming crew and the contestants.

'Naked And Afraid' Producers Don't Always Get Good Footage Because They Don't Help Survivalists Navigate The Wilderness

Speaking to Reality Blurb in May 2015, Bittner said production leaves the camp before dark. "We need to be safe, too, and sometimes we need to get out of there before nightfall because it's treacherous for us," she explained, adding that the participants are "on their own." However, they are left with "an emergency radio transmitter/walkie-talkie," as well as a whistle in case they need help.

On how the participants navigate the wilderness, Rankin revealed that "they have a map, a very basic sketch map," and "if they go off track during that walk, they might just have a little nudge from the producers."

That's when it gets tricky for Discovery Channel. "We'll try to stay behind and get some wide shots and get a sense of where they are in the environment, but then let them go into certain areas on their own so they can actually be successful," Rankin said of their shooting process. He then said, "It doesn't mean the footage is going to be that great."

But he's "happy to have the imperfect coverage... as long as we can tell the story. Having those things really makes that show incredibly powerful because you know there isn't a producer behind the camera." After season 1, the production started to "allow the cast more freedom."

As a result, producers have "encouraged them to use their diary cams more and more, giving them more time unsupervised. The production gets their footage from "an infrared capable fixed-rig camera in the shelters... which allows more time from the survivalists so they do feel more alone and we don't miss stuff, either."

In 2013, Steve Rankin was rushed to the hospital after being bitten by a venomous pit viper snake while scouting a jungle in Costa Rica for Naked and Afraid season 1.

'Naked And Afraid' Producers Only Step In When The Survivalists "Start To Crack" In The Wilderness

Talking about Naked and Afraid's formula, Rankin said "allowing the survivalists the free reign, the ability to stay in the environment emotionally as well as physically, is key to this. The less we interact with the survivalists, the better. We always try to have minimal interaction." That means even production issues aren't discussed with the participants, so they remain focused within their survivalist "bubble".

"They're in a bubble," Rankin said. "The more we interact, the more we enter the bubble, and we burst it. If we have any issues with our production process, then we always withdraw and then we discuss it away form the cast, and then we go back."

However, Bittner disclosed that they don't indulge the participants' food requests. "We don't give them sandwiches at the end of the day," said the supervising producer. "They will ask for things — they ask for Snickers bars and cake and spray and whatever–but it's very much what you see."

They only step in to motivate the survivalists during their weak moments. "If you lose your mental strength or your motivation, it's over," Bittner stated. "A big part part of what I do is to remind them — when they're having these lows, when they're like, 'I don't want to do this anymore' — remind them why they're there. … reminding them why you're here, and what you signed up for, and you have it in you."

She added, "Your mind will find excuses to get you out." Ranking weighed in, saying that "when the pain gets too much then that's when they start to crack. … When they've had enough, and they can't do anymore, and you see them break, it's tragic, it's heartbreaking. … Every single one of them regrets it."

Here are three of the worst injuries on Naked and Afraid:

'Naked And Afraid' Producers Get Surprised By The Survivalists' Resilience In The Wilderness

Bittner and Rankin both admitted that cast members often surprise them with how fast they reach the extraction point. The former told Reality Blurb that usually, "they'll actually be much more efficient than we were on our scout. They're actually looking at the environment where we sometimes tend to be a little too close to our machines."

"They surprise us how fast they move," Bittner said of the survivalists.

Rankin said production can never tell what will happen throughout the 21 days. "We've met these people, we've vetted them, we've been through the whole process of making sure they're capable of being on the show and making it through the 21 days," he said of the pre-season journey. "We build up a picture of who they are, what they're like, what they're likely to do, how they're likely to interact with each other."

The producer continued: "Every single time, our expectations have never been met. It's always been different from what we expect. It's a lesson about how you judge people." Bittner added that for the crew, "you [also] never know what you're going to step into every day," and that "what surprised me the most about how many of them have these little epiphanies about what matters in life."

She added: "Most of them, across the board, talk about family and how they have to make more time for that, and how we have more than what we need. We really don't need that much to be happy. There's a lot of free time to think and just reflect on your life and where you're going and what matters."

Mathilde Bittner said "it's very common on Day 2 or 3; people start wanting to go home" on Naked and Afraid.