Tanveer M. Khan
When two strangers of the opposite sex, both with adequate knowledge to survive the challenging scenarios they are put in, are brought together in the wilderness for a period of 21 days, without food, water, shelter and clothes, they must shed their worst fears and also their inhibitions to survive the ordeal.
“Naked And Afraid”, the reality TV series, which first premiered in 2013 and is currently going strong in its ninth season, tests a contestant’s grit and perseverance to survive in tough conditions in remote locations of the world. A host of other shows on the small screen are made on the same lines of surviving in odd situations and here’s a look at the list of top TV shows similar to Naked and Afraid that are our recommendations. You can watch some of these shows like Naked and Afraid on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
12. 72 Hours
Presented by actor Brandon Johnson, the reality television series started off in 2013 on TNT and it follows the 72 hours in which a group of total strangers come together in three teams to lay their hands on a briefcase containing a cash prize of $100,000. The group of contestants is only provided with a bottle of water and a tracking device and they have to brave the weather conditions and harsh environments they are put in to survive the odd hours to make it to the end.
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11. Kicking & Screaming
Hosted by Canadian actress Hannah Simone, the reality television series, which was first aired on TV in 2017, saw ten teams comprising of two members each, where one is a survival expert and the other is either a celebrity or a common person. The teams then go through tough conditions they are put in to survive till the end and win a cash prize of $500,000. The show, which lasted for only one season, had the experts persuading their pampered partners to make it to the finish before others did in a bid to endure till the end.
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10. Survive This
With survival expert Les Stroud at the helm of things, the show premiered in 2009, lasting for only two seasons and saw eight amateur teenage contestants, pitted against each other in the ultimate test of survival. At the start of an episode, the contestants’ emotional status and health are checked upon and they are later sent out in the harsh jungles for a day to survive on their own with limited resources to their aid. The one who makes it to the end of the challenging day is named the “Ultimate Survivor” towards the end of the episode.
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9. Man, Woman, Wild
Presented by Mykel Hawke, a former US army man and a survival expert, the reality show, which first aired on Discovery Channel in 2010, saw Mykel teaching his journalist wife Ruth England (and also the audience), the ways and means to survive in difficult scenarios in the wilderness. The show, which lasted for two seasons, saw the couple undertaking exhausting journeys in remote locations of the world, encountering severe conditions and braving them all to survive the wild.
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8. Survivor
The American reality TV show, which was based on its original Swedish counterpart, first aired in the year 2000 and is still running successfully, making it one of the pioneers of the survival reality shows on the small screen. Bestowed upon with several awards, the survival show pits a group of contestants against each other, who must cook, build a shelter and survive for as long as possible on a remote location, eventually to claim a cash prize of one million dollars.
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7. Stranded With A Million Dollars
First aired in 2017, the reality television series sees a group of ten individuals on an adventure trip to an isolated location, where they are handed nothing more than a sum of one million dollars to spend wisely on things of value and last for forty days to win the money. The contestants have to undergo grueling tasks and carry out physically draining activities and journey in harsh conditions to keep up in the race and make it to the last day.
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6. Dude, You’re Screwed
The reality TV series, which premiered in 2013 and lasted for two seasons, was a survival programme, where a group of experts from different walks of life came together as contestants and took up individual challenges and went around looking for civilization, making their way through dangerous scenarios they were put into by the group. The show focused on the hundred hours, which an individual took to reach habitation provided with only a survival kit, made for a compelling watch.
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5. Dual Survival
With nine seasons down already, premiering in 2010, the reality series, airing on Discovery Channel, presents a pair of trained survival experts, who provide tips and tricks to survive in scenarios, mostly in relatively newer territories, which anyone can encounter while away in the wilderness. The duo, equipped with minimal gear, uses their expertise and strategies to meet challenges and demonstrate their skills of survival in predetermined environments.
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4. Man Vs Wild
Known by different names in different parts of the world, the television series, which first aired in 2006, is one of the most popular survival shows on the small screen and its presenter, Bear Grylls, is unarguably one of the most known faces with expert survival skills. The series features Grylls stranded on predetermined remote locations with his film crew, through which he must make his way out and reach civilization. Grylls takes the audiences on an adventure and briefs them on the skills required to survive in a particular challenging environment.
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3. Survivorman
The Canadian TV show, which began in 2004, is filmed, produced, created, written and starred in by wilderness guide and survival expert Les Stroud and it focuses on his knowledge and ability to survive in secluded locales, where he must stay alive for a period of ten days, with little food, water and equipment that he carries with him at the beginning of each episode. The show tests the host’s grit and resilience to stay put in severe environments, which not just test his patience but also his sanity.
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2. Marooned With Ed Stafford
The documentary series, which first aired on Discovery Channel in 2013, follows the escapades of Edward Stafford, an English explorer, who undertakes journeys to different isolated parts of the world and documents his survival skills on a camera, with very limited resources to his aid. Stafford films himself under tough conditions and tests his limits to see if he can survive without the basic comforts in an area secluded from the rest of the world.
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1. Alone
A group of ten people, all meeting each other for the first time, are separated from the entire team and left in uninhabited territories (chosen in various parts of the world for an episode), where they have to survive alone for as long as possible. The reality television show, which first aired in 2015 on History Channel, provides the contestants with limited supplies and a satellite phone, which they can use to contact the rescue team when they wish to quit. The series also provides the winner with a cash prize of $500,000.
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