What does it take to survive on Naked and Afraid? To make it on the Discovery Channel reality show requires a combination of grit, determination, and practical skills. Though some people clearly come into the experience more prepared than others, it can be hard to predict which contestants will last the full 21 days in the wild and who will tap out before they reach the end of the three weeks. But Naked and Afraid makes an effort to do just that by assigning each participant a PSR, or primitive survival rating.
What goes into PSR?
Every Naked and Afraid cast member is assigned a PSR at the beginning of the show. The score, which tops out at 10, is based on mental strength, outdoor experience, and survival skills. As each person progresses through their survival journey, their PSR changes, based on their past performance and odds of survival.
A season 3 episode of Naked and Afraid shed more light on exactly how PSRs are determined. While the score might seem arbitrary, it is actually determined by a trained survival expert who evaluates each person individually.
A person’s PSR is “really focused on their background and their experience,” survival expert Tim Smith explained. “I really try to get at the heart of what they’ve accomplished themselves. Not what they’ve read, not what they know how to do, but what they’ve actually done.” That includes experience with constructing a shelter, the ability to make fire in difficult conditions, and knowing how to find safe sources of water.
“They’ll tell you’ve then built this, done that, been there and there’s nothing that’s going to slow them down,” Smith added. “But this is a mental game.”
Has anyone ever had a perfect PSR on ‘Naked and Afraid’?
PSR ratings aren’t exactly scientific. But they tend to follow a pattern. Untested survivalists who are new to the show might get a PSR of around 6 or 7, while battled-tested vets typically start with a higher PSR. Those with a PSR above 9 are the show’s most skilled survivalists, such as EJ Snyder and Laura Zerra.
While several Naked and Afraid contestants have had PSRs in the 9s, only one person has ever achieved a 10. The show awarded its first perfect PSR to Waz Addy, who won the 2023 spinoff series Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing.
Of course, a high initial PSR means little if a participant is struck by bad luck, such as a surprise illness or injury. And even people who come into Naked and Afraid with solid survival skills and a high PSR can be thrown for a loop by the unique experience of filming a reality show in the wilderness, as Zerra shared.
“There were cameramen. There was a mental aspect of weirdness because they were clothed and you were not, which gives you a sense of vulnerability,” she told Hook and Barrell Magazine. “Plus, you know they’re eating when you’re starving, and you can’t talk to them since there’s this barrier.”
“Think hunting is hard with one other person? Imagine how difficult it is with five well-intentioned camera guys,” she added.
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