timmyhollywood

I dunno man. I've liked N&A in other iterations. The Last One Standing. Some of the XLs. There can be something to learn. The survivalists start out pasty and chubby and end up carved out of wood. Here, they're filthy by day two. They're in an area devastated by climate change driven drought, struggling in the way millions of people have to struggle for real, and it's a game. True to the nature of apocalyptic survival, I suppose, it's not a very fun one to watch. People dragging around rusted corrugated metal and drinking dirty puddle water. No thanks. And I swear to god the show superimposed a lion in one scene to make it look closer than it was. Gonna pass on this one; Naked & Afraid has jumped the shark.

I've watched all four of these and this one is definitely the tamest. Like another reviewer pointed out, it's Europe. So, less adventurous and more epicurean. We spend ten episodes watching two middle aged men sample the baked goods in a dozen countries while witnessing the quirky sporting events unique to those nations. Not exactly thrilling, not even a little bit edge of the seat, but like a travel documentary that moves too quickly from one thing to the next and leaves you ultimately feeling a bit empty. Despite the beautiful high def imagery and a couple of transcendent moments (usually around the colorful characters the men meet along the way; in one case some lovely music that's made) this season was a little disappointing.

A group of 16 twenty-somethings get naked and flirt in the Philippines.

That's it. That's the show.

The concept isn't entirely terrible, though. As a fan of the original Naked & Afraid series, I've wondered if any "feelings" ever develop between contestants. It would be only natural. You're in the buff. You're together all the time. Etc.

This show even takes it up a notch -- these aren't any ordinary twenty-somethings, they're Instagram influencers and models and general pretty Hollywood-types. The men are all muscles, the women are big-haired with big eyelashes and big eyebrows.

They're definitely not survivalists. One guy brought baby oil as his "personal item."

Um, okay...

They're clearly being fed; no one is ever hungry and if they fish or forage it's performative, part of the "dates" they go on to see who they want to sleep with more.

The show could have been improved if they'd actually had to survive. At least a little. Then we might *actually* see what they're made of, and whether they can stand each other, if they were actually working toward some common goal, like "don't starve."

5 stars for being marginally entertaining for a couple of episodes.