S03.E08: Nicaragua Nightmare

[VioletNevermind]

This was one of the more intriguing (for lack of a better word) episodes so far.  I tried hard to dislike Joshua, but couldn't quite make it happen.  He is the epitome of a lovable schmuck.  I think he is the least prepared and able survivalist we've seen.  Joshua looked to be 5'4" maximum, had a belly, and had just quit smoking on the boat to the location.  I mean, come on.  Poor guy was hocking up blood at the "throw up tree" (HA!) and in a state of delirium by day three.  I doubt that nicotine withdrawal had that serious of an effect on him; it had to have been something else.  I would have bet $1,000 at the beginning of this episode that Joshua would not have made it to the end.  Too bad I didn't make that bet.  As for Amanda, she made no effort to forage for food of any kind after Joshua left.  It was as if she was slowly going insane by herself.  Still, she deserves major kudos for sticking it out until the end.

Edited September 8, 2014 by SuzyLee

[LAgator77]

This episode started of with such promise, duct tape, the bubble, sleepwalking, the throw-up tree... Then Joshua left and Amanda just kinda sat there for 16 days. 

Did Joshua bring any survival skills to the table? Seemed like Amanda did most of the work while he swatted horseflies off of her. 

And pierced nipples? Really? Is that something rednecks do?

[peaceknit]

Duct tape, are you kidding me? He got the side eye after that. Kudos to Amanda. I still am amazed that she didn't get sick from that water.

[BusyOctober]

Even if you are Howard Hughes level of a loner, how did Amanda not go off the deep end after 16 days, alone, doing NOTHING except squat by her tent and let the monkey defecate on her from above?  She attempted to make fire only once (as far as we saw)???  She didn't even try to find more pineapples or nuts?  I'm sure the producers were going crazy with the lack of any film-able action.

 

Whatever her (lack of) reason for her immobility, good on her for finishing what Mr. "I'm gonna kick Mother Nature's ass with my roll o' teal duct tape".  I guess it never crossed his mind or the medical/safety advisers to suggest Joshua try to kick nicotine a few weeks or days before flying to Nicaragua vs. an hour before.

[Dagny]

The second season seemed to bring out a different brand of "survivalists".  I knew immediately that the guy was a ex-military dude and wondered how fast he would fall back on "I know how to kill stuff with my guns." Kudos to him for finding the pineapples and plantains.

 

Did they every explain what he was suffering from? Or it was just the combination of starvation diet plus nicotine withdrawls.  How much of a smoker did he have to be for it to be that bad?

 

Amanda was lucky she was in an area where she could get away without fire for that length of time.  There were other solo survivalists who had to tap out because finding food and cutting wood was too much.

[Scout Finch]

And pierced nipples? Really? Is that something rednecks do?

I was kind of confused about that too.

[HurricaneVal]

I found the footage of his sleepwalking particularly creepy.  And...oddly enough for a show of this sort...kind of an invasion of his privacy.  He consented to be filmed 24/7 for this show, but during that time when he was sleepwalking, he was not aware and not in control of his actions, and that just seems ooky to me.

[Ceruleana]

I've had a very short love affair with this show...caught a marathon of it last week or so, and caught up on seasons 2 & 3.  But after this episode, it's me that's going to have to tap out.

 

First, the sound of Josh's violent vomiting getting picked up on his necklace mic was almost too much to bear.  Nicotine withdrawal + 21-day survival in the jungle - food & water = EPIC FAIL.  Between his constant projectile vomiting and those graphic anti-smoking commercials, I don't want to utter the word "cigarette" ever again in life.  Sweet Jesus!  And ditto to what HurricaneVal said about Josh's sleepwalking--it took this whole voyeurism thing to another level, which is mainly my problem with this show.  At least Josh proved himself useful with creating the well and finding the fruit.  And even though I laughed at him, that duct tape came in pretty handy, didn't it?

 

Amanda came across as a bit of a jerk.  Her bitching about the whole bubble (really girl?  you're naked for the free world to see but you don't want to at least cuddle to conserve body heat?  gtfo) and her saying that Josh should "man up" in her diary cam confesh, I just didn't care for her after Josh left.  She didn't deserve that ducttapini!  And did a monkey actually piss on her head?  I quickly switched channels, and I guess it'll be for good.  A lot of the contestants don't strike me as survivalists in the least--just people who've hung outdoors before and don't mind dropping trou.  So like many others have said, it's the same sh*t with a different booty, and I'm already over it.  I'm proud of myself, though because I usually don't give "hit" reality shows a chance.

[Kelda Feegle]

I wish that the editing improved - the continuity was rubbish in this episode - you can clearly see the bananas/plantains in the background shot during one scene then Josh is shown finding them a day later! Nit picky maybe but it ruins it for me.

I totally get that the vomits etc would make it hard but I don't think he gave it a full on go and yeah Amanda really just sat it out for most of the time - props to her for doing most of the initial work tho.

[Granny58]

"how did Amanda not go off the deep end after 16 days, alone,"

I don't think they're really alone.  The production crew is there, though not allowed to interfere unless medically necessary.  

[blackwing]

Joshua tapped out 45 minutes into the episode. I was surprised it was only Day 5!! Then I thought, how are they going to show 16 days in 15 minutes? Guess there wasn't a whole lot to see. Surprised she barely even tried to make fire or look for food. She could have taken a walk and had monkeys throw more nuts at her.

I don't have an issue with them airing him sleepwalking. I found it creepy and odd at the same time. I've never encountered anyone sleepwalking so have always wondered what it looked like. Kind of looked a bit zombielike. It's not like he was doing anything embarrassing, so I don't see any issue with airing the footage.

[PityFree]

I have never seen a man with cellulite before; Josh is the first.

[Blade]

I found this episode to be one of the more interesting mainly because it was the first and only time I've seen anyone bring duct tape as their tool of choice.  I was duly impressed at how handy it proved to be, not only being used for fashioning a cup, to making mats, supporting the shelter, and marking the machete, it came in handy for supplying some make-shift clothes.  Kudos to Josh for the insight and creativity.

 

What baffled me and the husband was how Josh's nausea was blamed on quitting smoking.  Having grown up in tobacco country, I've seen more than my fair share of people quit smoking over the course of many years, including my husband, sister, mother, niece, and way too many friends to count.  Absolutely none of them suffered from nausea when they quit.  Sure, they were 'bitchy', as to be expected, but not a single one complained of vomiting or nausea.  And believe me, they did complain.  Nausea is not even listed as one of the symptoms on the QuitSmokingSupport.com website, though I'm not doubting some people may indeed experience it when quitting.  Now that Naked & Awkward has aired, Josh's reason for ceaseless vomiting has come to light.  Seems he is lactose intolerant and the night before the challenge began, he indulged in some of the local cheeses.  Obviously, not a good idea.  Then again, neither is smoking.  At least me and the Mr. are no longer baffled.

 

Loved the duct tape.

[greyhorse]

So it's Saturday afternoon and absolutely nothing on tv.  So thought I would catch up emptying the DVR queue.

 

This was one of the most boring N&A episodes ever.  The out of shape smoker taps out, and then the girl just sits there for 16 days.   Literally.  Yawn.

 

I think this is the first episode I've seen where the "survivalists" (term used loosely here) don't even have fire or attempt to find food.  They showed her making fire once.  And after he left, all she could do was to try to crack that one measly nut.

 

Duct tape was interesting, but aside from some coverage for the girl and for a blanket, really what was the purpose?  Sure, it allowed them to have a cup to drink water but you could just as easily have fashioned a straw out of something.  Seems like they would have been more comfortable with a fire starter.