‘Naked and Afraid: Castaways’ Finale Recap: Did the Castaways Make It Off the Island?
The castaways’ brutal journey has come to an end. In the season finale of the Discovery reality series Naked and Afraid: Castaways, the remaining six survivalists had to make their way to the northern tip of the island and then build a raft that would carry them out to sea, where they’d be rescued by a passing ship. But it wouldn’t be an easy journey, with brutal temperatures, jagged rocks, and internal squabbles threatening their chances of completing the challenge.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Naked and Afraid: Castaways Episode 8.]
The survivalists fight to make it off the island in the ‘Naked and Afraid: Castaways’ season finale
When episode 8, “Brawl Out,” begins, just six of the original nine castaways remain on the island. Previously, Candice Mishler, Justin Governale, and Rachel Strohl each tapped out due to illness or injury. That leaves Bulent Gurcan, Andrew Shayde, Heather Smith, Kerra Bennett, Patrick French, and Na’im McKee fighting to the finish.
The Naked and Afraid castaways have already been trapped on the island for 18 days, and they are tired, hungry, and ready to go home. But there are still some major challenges ahead. The remaining survivalists – who are now all working as one team – embark on the final leg of their journey, a trip of five miles to the northern shore of the island.
The distance might not be great, but the trip won’t be easy. Jagged rocks along the coast impede their journey, so the trek turns inland. But crossing a wide open field with no shade from the hot sun nearly takes out a few cast members.
Eventually, they make it to their destination. But there’s still one more challenging task ahead of them. To be rescued, they have to build a raft that they can sail out to sea, where they hope they’ll be picked up by a passing ship.
Internal divisions threaten the castaways’ chances of rescue
The end of the challenge is in sight. But the castaways soon discover that in the final days, it may be themselves and not the environment that threatens their chances of success. On the beach, they find oil drums, fabric, wood, and other materials they can use to make a raft.
Na’im and Kerra have already built a raft. While that craft wasn’t seaworthy, they’ve learned from their mistakes and are able to make adjustments to the new raft’s design, such as adding a sail that will help them get away from shore. But as the team works together to assemble the vessel, tensions erupt. Na’im and Patrick get into an intense shouting match, and Andrew has to step in to mediate. Fortunately, the issue is resolved, and work continues.
By day 21, the castaways have finished their raft. They light their signal fire and set sail. At first, it seems like they might not make it far, as waves keep beating them back to shore. But after some tense moments, they make it to open water. Soon, they spot a boat, much to everyone’s relief.
The ‘Naked and Afraid: Castaways’ cast members reflect on their experience
Once they were on the rescue boat, the castaways reflected on their experience.
“I definitely grew in this experience,” Heather said. “I learned to let people in … it’s OK to let your wall down. It’s OK to cry in front of strangers. And it’s OK to care about people.”
“It was kind of a next-level challenge,” Andrew, who previously failed to finish two other Naked and Afraid challenges, said. “It was something incredibly harder than anything I’ve faced before, which makes me even more proud that this was the one I was able to complete.”
“I definitely came her to redeem myself from my previous challenge,” Na’im said. “And it feels like a weight’s been lifted from my chest.
All episodes of Naked and Afraid: Castaways are now streaming on Max.
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