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Naked and Afraid season 17 returned with episode 4 on Sunday, March 10, on the Discovery Channel. Titled Surviving the Road to Recovery, viewers were introduced to two new survivalists, Sam and Sarah, who were strangers to each other and left behind in the wilderness of South Africa to survive for 21 days with no clothes and minimal tools.
Sam and Sarah instantly bonded after discovering they hail from northern California and have struggled with sobriety in the past. Sarah revealed she has been sober for five years, and Sam added that he has been for ten. The strangers gave each other a high-five before continuing their journey in the African bushes.
The official description of the latest episode reads:
"Two former addicts attempt to survive 21 days in the searing Black Hills of South Africa. On their road to recovery, they must contend with man-eating crocodiles, prowling lions and venomous snakes."
After the release of episode 4, what irked fans was Sam's lazy antics. Several Naked and Afraid viewers took to social media to call him out for not helping his partner enough. Netizen @sadie_lexie wrote on X:
"Damn! This woman has the worst partner EVER in NAA history !! This man is useless!"
Sam and Sarah's journey on Naked and Afraid season 17 episode 4
While introducing herself to the viewers, Sarah confessed that she was an alcoholic. The California native noted that it was her overcoming the struggle with sobriety that played a crucial part in preparing her for Naked and Afraid. She said in a confessional:
"I'm feeling super anxious but super excited to take this challenge on. I've made a lot of questionable choices in my life for sure, this is not one of them. It may seem so to my family and friends but I'm gonna prove out her what a bada** survivalist I am."
On the other hand, Sam began his intro on a light-hearted note, joking about being afraid of the thorns found in the African wilderness. He confessed:
"I have had some considerable struggles in my life in my teenage years. I got into drugs and alcohol and this challenge is probably the biggest opportunity I have ever had to prove to myself that none of that stuff from my past determines who I'm going to be in my future. And I am ready to make my family proud of me."
At one point during the episode, Sarah was seen collecting leaches to prepare dinner for the duo. After consuming one of the insects, Sam said, "That's f**king gross." Sarah described the feeling of eating leeches, highlighting that there's blood oozing out in the middle when one bites down the insects.
When Sarah offered Sam the leeches, the latter passed on that, saying he feels it's "not cool" to "(eat) eating little parasites and nasty bloodsuckers." Sarah then complained about Sam being "finicky about food" in front of cameras. She said:
"I mean I don't prefer them. I'm not going out to look for them. I'm not going home and eat them. I'm just like full-on survival feed-me mode."
Later, viewers also saw Sarah doing the hunting when Sam was seen relaxing for most of the part during their journey. His behavior was seen as unacceptable by many, and several Naked and Afraid fans condemned his antics on X:
Naked and Afraid season 17 will return with episode 5, titled Runaway Bride, on Sunday, March 17.
