Is There a Prize for Completing the 21-Day Survival Challenge?

Thanks, I Hate It

Unlike reality shows like 'Survivor' and 'Alone,' the only thing people who go on 'Naked and Afraid' win is bragging rights.

Published on November 5, 2023

Contestants on the long-running reality series Survivor do whatever it takes to win the $1 million prize. Alone cast members venture into the wilderness with minimal supplies for a chance to go home with $500,000. But for Naked and Afraid participants, going on the long-running Discovery Channel survival show is all about the bragging rights. 

Do ‘Naked and Afraid’ contestants win money?

Unlike many other reality shows, Naked and Afraid survivalists don’t sign up for the promise of a big payday. Those who manage to complete the show’s grueling 21-day survival challenge don’t win any prize money. The reward is simply knowing that you’ve been able to last for three weeks in the wild with no clothes or food, and only limited supplies (such as a knife or cooking pot). 

Cast members on the original Discovery series don’t win any money, but that’s not the case with one of the show’s recent spinoffs. Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing brought together 12 past N&A participants, including elite survivalists such as Matt Wright and Dan Link, who’d each completed multiple Naked and Afraid challenges. They had to compete against each other in a multi-phase, 45-day challenge. The person who made it to the end first walked away with $100,000. Ultimately, Waz Addy triumphed over the competition and went home with the six-figure prize. 

Are people paid to go on ‘Naked and Afraid’?

While there’s no prize money involved in Naked and Afraid, cast members are compensated. Naked and Afraid XL participants Alyssa Ballestero and Stacey Lee Osorio told People in 2022 that they received a few thousand dollars for going on the show. 

“We’re taking them away from their job and we realize that, and so we give them a weekly stipend to compensate for their lost wages, but no, there is no prize,” casting director Kristi Russell told Channel Guide in 2015.

Cast members may appear on other shows

Sometimes, being on Naked and Afraid can lead to other opportunities in TV. Andrew Shayde has appeared on the original show and its spinoff Naked and Afraid: Castaways. He’s also a contestant on the new CBS competition series Buddy Games. Jeff Zausch, who has survived more than 200 days in his various N&A appearances, was a contestant on Peacock’s Snake in the Grass. Zausch has also hosted Discovery’s Dual Survival alongside fellow Naked and Afraid alum EJ Snyder. 

Other survivalists have used their time on the show to raise their profile and draw attention to their other activities or causes. Laura Zerra hosts an online show called Decivilized for Carbon TV and wrote a book, A Modern Guide to Knifemaking. Gary Golding has used his time on the show to share his message to “consume as little as possible.” In 2022, Blair Braverman, a writer and dogsledder, released a novel, Small Game. It was partly inspired by her time on Naked and Afraid, she told the Wausau Daily Herald. 

Source: People

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