‘Naked and Afraid’: Where Are Some of the Show’s Most Memorable Cast Members Now?
For over a decade, Naked and Afraid has challenged people to survive in some of the harshest conditions on earth. The Discovery Channel reality series has aired nearly 200 episodes since it debuted in 2013 (not counting various spinoffs, such as Naked and Afraid XL and Naked and Afraid: Castaways).
Hundreds of survivalists have competed on Naked and Afraid, with some going on to appear multiple times and cement their status as N&A legends. Others may have only appeared once or twice, but their outrageous behavior still made a major impression. So what happens after their time on the show comes to an end? Here’s where some of the most memorable Naked and Afraid cast members are today.
Jeff Zausch
This is what he lives for. Jeff Zausch is a seven-time Naked and Afraid cast member known for his aggressive, no-holds-barred approach to survival. (He’s also appeared on Peacock’s Snake in the Grass and hosted Dual Survival on Discovery.)
The Idaho native isn’t afraid to play the villain — a role he embraced on Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing. While he didn’t take home the top prize on that show, he’s vowed to return for a second shot at glory. In the meantime, he chronicles his adventures around the world on Instagram. In 2023, he traveled to Greenland, Egypt, and Mt. Everest, among other destinations.
EJ Snyder
Survivalist EJ “Skullcrusher” Snyder is a true Naked and Afraid legend. The Army veteran appeared in the first season of the show, where he and his partner survived for 21 days in Tanzania. He returned to the franchise several times in episodes of Naked and Afraid and Naked and Afraid XL. Snyder also competed on the 2013 show 72 Hours and hosted Dual Survival with Jeff Zausch.
In 2021, the public speaker made his last appearance on N&A, where he suffered one of the show’s most gruesome injuries. These days, Snyder teaches survival skills via live and online training. On Instagram, he shares survival tips and sometimes offers commentary on new episodes of Naked and Afraid.
Laura Zerra
Laura Zerra might be the toughest woman to ever appear on Naked and Afraid. The hardcore survivalist earned one of the highest PSRs, or primitive survival ratings, in the show’s history. Zerra made her franchise debut in season 1.
Over the years, she completed multiple Naked and Afraid challenges and also appeared on Naked and Afraid: Savage and Naked and Afraid: XL. Zerra retired from the show in 2019 but didn’t give up her survivalist lifestyle. Currently, she hosts the show Decivilized for CarbonTV.
Honora Bowen
Honora Bowen might not be a fan-favorite Naked and Afraid participant, but she is one of the most memorable people to appear on the show. Bowen made her N&A debut in 2015, where she clashed with and ultimately abandoned her partner before the show’s crew had to medically evacuate her.
Honora got a shot at redemption soon after her first appearance when she signed on for Naked and Afraid XL. Her attempt at a 40-day challenge was a memorable disaster. Once again, she didn’t get along with her fellow survivalists. Eventually, she resorted to sabotage, tossing the other participants’ tools into the fire and the woods before quitting the show.
Honora later called Naked and Afraid a “Nazi experiment” in a post on her website. More recently, she’s shared some videos on her YouTube channel but has maintained a low public profile otherwise.
Melanie Rauscher
Melanie Rauscher appeared on Naked and Afraid, first on the original show in 2017 and again on Naked and Afraid XL in 2018. In 2022, the U.S. Navy vet was discovered dead at a home in Arizona where she was dog-sitting. Rauscher was 35. Cans of dust cleaner were found near her body; the cause of death was difluoroethane toxicity, TV Insider reported.
After Rauscher’s death, her Naked and Afraid partner Jeremy McCaa remembered her as a “beast of a woman that couldn’t be tamed” in a Facebook post.
Matt Wright
Matt Wright is an elite Naked and Afraid survivalist who has appeared on multiple episodes of the show and its spinoffs. His most recent N&A challenge was 2023’s Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing, where he faced off against some of the other show’s top players for a chance to take home $100,000. Wright didn’t win.
Will Matt be back for another season? That remains to be seen. In the meantime, fans can follow his Instagram for updates from the custom knife maker.
Gary Golding
Even by Naked and Afraid standards, Gary Golding qualifies as extreme. The self-proclaimed “Tarzan of Los Angeles” wants to teach people about consuming as little as possible. On the show, this meant scavenging and eating things that other participants didn’t dare touch, such as rotting meat.
Outside the show, Golding came under fire in 2020 after grilling the meat of a dead baby dolphin he found on a California beach. He appeared on Last One Standing in 2023. When he’s not on TV, he leads kayaking and snorkeling trips in the LA area.
Golding has also hinted he might be back for more Last One Standing. “Stay tuned,” he replied when someone on Instagram commented about needing another season of the show.
Makani Nalu
If you watch survival shows, chances are you’ve seen Makani Nalu (aka Natalie Paul). Not only has she appeared on Naked and Afraid and Naked and Afraid XL, but she was also a contestant on the 2017 MTV reality series Stranded With a Million Dollars.
In 2023, Nalu was a cast member (along with several other Naked and Afraid alums) on The CW series Fight to Survive, which followed a group of contestants fighting to survive 25 days on a remote tropical island.
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