The 9 Most Disgusting ‘Naked and Afraid’ Moments

Those who agree to go on Naked and Afraid truly don’t know what they’re getting into. Just about anything can happen when these survivalists set out in the wilderness, completely naked and with a partner they just met.

A new season of Naked and Afraid is set to air on February 15, which will put a whole new group of contestants in a battle for survival with nothing but a satchel and microphone necklace on their persons. Each contestant is allowed to bring just one personal survival item with them into the jungle, and over the years, many have suffered injuries, sicknesses, and more.

Some of these maladies have been worse than others, resulting in some majorly gross content on the Discovery Channel show. Check out the most disgusting Naked and Afraid moments below, but be forewarned that some of these clips are a solid 10 on the ick scale.

Duke is stung by a wasp in the groin

Season 9 featured contestant Duke Brady getting stung by a wasp in probably the worst place possible. The incident took place after he stepped on a nest of yellowjackets, leading one to sting him in the genitals.

Duke told People that the pain was “dull” at first, but then his private area “started to swell up.” He said the swelling got “really big,” which caused him to “freak out.” (Watch the painful sting here.)

Sabrina eats a bird head she finds on the ground

In Season 2, Sabrina finds a severed bird head on the ground and eats it. “Could I ever imagine myself picking up a bird skull and just eating it?” she asks as she picks meat from the bone. Cut to: Sabrina getting rushed to a Bolivian hospital with severe abdominal pain.

Contaminated fruit takes out multiple contestants

Four contestants became ill after eating fruit in Naked and Afraid XL Season 2. The medics on the show hypothesized that the sick contestants had developed gastroenteritis after eating fruit “contaminated by the saliva or feces of bats or monkeys” in their South African locale.

Gary develops an intestinal infection

“It’s tearing me apart,” survivalist Gary says in Season 9 as the tannic acid from unripe fruit erodes the walls of his intestines. Hours later, he’s vomiting violently and calling for the medic. He’s then diagnosed with an acid-induced intestinal infection and evacuated from the Brazilian wilderness.

Matt and Karen “join forces with diarrhea”

Season 6’s narrator tells us that because monitor lizards feast on carrion, it’s only safe to eat their leg and tail meat. Contestants Matt and Karen find that out the hard way in the Philippines. “At this point, we have both joined forces with diarrhea,” Karen says, as her and Matt’s mics pick up all sorts of stomach-turning sounds.

Ashley uses her and Matthew’s water hole as her bidet

After Ashley’s digestive mishap in Season 12 — suffice it to say the episode was titled “Shart Attack” — she opted to clean herself in her and Matthew’s water hole in the Arizona desert. Matthew tried to stop her, but the damage was done. And when six fish turn up dead in the water, Ashley worries she has ruined not just their water supply but their food supply, too.

Matt is taken down by flesh-eating bacteria

During Naked and Afraid XL’s Ecuador-set third season, Matt was diagnosed with flesh-eating bacteria in both feet and had to have the pus drained — on camera, of course. “Cellulitis can slowly increase and get worse. It can get into your bloodstream, your lymph node, and it can also cause death,” the medic said on the show. (Warning: The video below is graphic.)

EJ’s injury is just nuts

In Naked and Afraid XL Season 7, contestant EJ got speared by a broken tree branch in a Louisiana swamp and suffered multiple lacerations to his scrotum. “Worst case scenario is an infection, a loss of genitalia, and, if he comes septic, it could be fatal,” the medic explained to viewers. (See the painful moment here.)

Producer’s foot starts decaying after snake bite

As seen in the series premiere, Naked and Afraid executive producer Steve Rankin got a nasty bite from a fer-de-lance pit viper in Costa Rica. By the time he got to a San José emergency room two hours later, his foot had begun to necrotize. “It was just decaying,” he said. “It smelled of death.” (Warning: The video below is extremely graphic.)

Naked and Afraid, Season 19 Premiere, Sunday, February 15, 8/7c, Discovery Channel