12x07 - Shark Attack

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] how you're doing?

[meghann speaking]

I can't handle these bugs,
they're everywhere.

[dan speaking]

[meghann] they crawl up
in between my vag*na lips.

I can't handle it.

[suspenseful music playing]

[man] there's nothing
easy about this.

[man] we got hail.

[rhinoceros bellowing]

woo, my heart's racing.

[woman] if you don't fight,
you won't make it.

It's so hard.

[woman] it hurts so bad.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] it's a crazy feeling
right now, you know.

I've done this before
but this is just

so radically different
than last time.

[meghann] it is beautiful here

and intimidating
all at the same time.

[narrator] straddling the
united states/mexico border

lies the chihuahuan desert.

It is an arid landscape
littered with spiked brush

and fierce cactus thorns.

The area is marked by wild
swings in temperature,

a blistering sun produces
triple digits by day

and chilly evening winds

rushing through
the ravines and canyons

can drop temperatures
by more than

60 degrees at night.

Snakes are probably hiding
all over this place.

[narrator]
the desert is crawling

with over a hundred
and five species of snakes

including the deadly western
diamondback rattlesnake.

And up to five
and a half feet long,

it is the largest rattler
in the west

and uses a forked tongue
to smell potential prey.

[dan] last time my insertion
vehicle was a paddle boat

through a fresh water lake,

I think
that's the farthest opposite

I can think of
from a dry desert like this.

I completed a 14-day
fan challenge in mexico,

k*lled it.

- Oh.
- Oh. Let's go.

And I'm looking forward
to graduating

to the next level
to getting my 21.

I'm a marine biologist.

My job is extremely challenging,

working with a lot
of different people

in really, really
harsh environments.

I'm really big into the ocean.

I'm, like, king neptune.

I can swim through caves.

I'm almost more comfortable

in the water than I am on land.

But out here in the desert,

I'm literally
a fish out of water.

I practice primitive fire.

Shelter building, I'm pretty
confident in as well

but a lot of my opportunities
to practice that

have been in hawaii
where I lived,

where everything's wet,
everything's moist.

I don't have any kind of
experience with the desert.

Definitely an environment
I'm not used to.

I'm terrified,
I'm about to poop myself,

I'm so scared.

[dramatic music playing]

[meghann] I can tell
it's gonna be really hot

and all of these plants
look like

they want to hurt me.

I'm coming into this
as more of a survivor

than a survivalist.

I was homeless at 17

and I had to just rely
on myself,

and my instincts, and my wits.

I've slept outside.

I've slept in parks
in the winter time.

Most of my skills
are self-taught.

Woo.

I'm a single mom,
my son's name is arrow,

and he is three and a half.

His father passed away
when he was a year old,

so it's just me and him.

Mwah.

A lot of my struggles
throughout life

taught me
that I can survive anything

and that I can
get through anything.

I wanna do this challenge

because I have been challenged

a thousand times in my life
and I don't give up.

Let's do it, I'm ready.

[dramatic music playing]

great.
There's no turning back now.

Here we go.

[meghann] I don't have
any problem with being nude.

I think the only thing
I don't like

about being naked
is the bugs landing,

you know, where
it's really uncomfortable.

[dan] this is gonna be rough.

Woo.

Thank you.

[narrator] dan has done
extensive desert research

for potential threats

but coming
from a tropical climate,

he lacks hands-on experience

surviving in brutal
desert conditions.

Dan begins with the psr

or primitive survival rating

given to him at the end
of his fan challenge 6.5.

Meghann's mental strength
has gotten her through

many harsh challenges in life,

but will she have
the physical strength

to endure a marathon
survival challenge

stripped of everything?

Meghann begins
with a psr of 5.9.

[dramatic music playing]

woo.

- Good morning.
- Oh, my gosh.

Is that my partner?

- I'm so excited to meet you.
- Me too.

What's your name?

- Meghann.
- Dan.

Dan, nice to meet you.

- Are you excited?
- I'm so excited.

We're gonna rock this.

I can't wait to get out there.

[meghann] heck, yeah.
Well, we're out here.

[dan] we're out here
already, right.

It's toasty already, man.

Yeah, it is.

The ground is getting
a little warm already.

Have you ever been in the desert

like this before?

I've been to the desert
but not that much.

I'm from arizona,
so I'm used to the desert.

[dan] oh, perfect.
I'm from hawaii.

Oh. Totally not
anything like this.

My background
is on marine biology.

Oh, my gosh.

Well, hopefully,
you got some cool

- marine biology knowledge...
- Yeah.

I'll whip out
all my fish knowledge

as we walk through the desert.

Meghann's good.

I'm happy that she's my partner.

She has experience out
in the desert which I don't,

so it's definitely a good
complement to my skills.

All right.
Let's see what we got here.

[meghann] awesome.

[narrator]
meghann and dan have each

brought a personal item,

a knife and a fire starter,

and they've been given
a pot to boil water.

Now, let's take a look
at our map.

Hopefully
there's some water nearby.

So we're all the way up there,

there's extraction.

[meghann] okay.
It looks like some water here.

- [dan] that's... Yeah.
- So I think...

It's gonna be
what we wanna aim for

- but there's...
- Yeah.

[dan] ...Rattlesnakes
and scorpions and...

[meghann] a whole lot of cactus.

...Every other spike
you think in the world

- is between us and there.
- [meghann] yeah.

We're gonna have to go
through it to get there.

All right. Well, are you ready?

- I'm ready.
- Cool.

- Let's get to it.
- Let's do it.

I'm excited.

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator] dan and meghann
will be trekking

through thorny terrain

dominated
by sharp tusk wild boar

and aggressive javelina,

swarming colonies
of stinging fire ants,

and powerful mountain lions

who ambush prey
at over 40 miles per hour.

[meghann] you ever done
any survival stuff

like this before or?

I did a 14-day challenge
in mexico.

- [meghann] oh, cool. Okay.
- [dan] so I...

So you've got
a little experience then?

It was in like a cold,
pine forest though.

- It wasn't like this.
- [meghann] oh, big difference.

Ooh, I got another one.

My partner is awesome.

He has a big smile

and he's gone through
this before.

So far, I think he's amazing

and I think
we're gonna rock this.

I think I'm snagged.

[dan] ooh.

- Do you mind?
- [dan] yeah.

Oh, okay. Actually, let me go.

- There we go.
- All right.

[dan] [grunts]

it's like the worst environment

- to walk barefoot in.
- [meghann] for real.

Did you do some practicing?

- Some barefoot walking?
- [dan] yeah.

[meghann] the best thing is
just to take it slow enough,

so we make sure
we're not stepping

- on any cactus...
- [dan] exactly.

[meghann] ...Or getting
our feet injured

on the first day.

Yeah, this is tough...
This is tough.

[dan] the ground
out here is rocky

and not alone rocky, it's sharp.

Everything is sharp and spiny.

[meghann] yeah. Holy cow,

there are so many
spines everywhere.

[groans]

[dan] you okay?

- [meghann] whoa. Whoa.
- [dan] you okay?

Okay.

[dan] [sighs] it's getting hot.

[meghann] I'm already
getting very thirsty.

[dan] oh my god. Oh my god.

[meghann] oh, my goodness.
What are we doing here?

[dan] it's insane.

[meghann] it's really hot
standing here.

[narrator]
in the chihuahuan desert,

the roasting sand
can cause foot blisters,

and dehydration,
and heatstroke can occur

in less than two hours

leading to dizziness
and vomiting.

[dan] when you burn your feet,

you just feel everything, huh?

[meghann]
yeah. Yeah, it's crazy.

The way that they're hot
every single poke,

every single,
everything, it hurts so bad.

[dan] like needles.

Oh, gosh.

Even though I'm from arizona

and I'm used to living
in the desert,

this is different.
It's very scary.

Every minute that goes by,

the ground gets hotter
and hotter and hotter.

I'm already
getting very thirsty.

- The heat really just...
- [dan] mmm-hmm.

[meghann] I'm sweating
all of my water out.

[dan] I know.
I didn't think it was possible

to get thirsty so quick.

- [meghann] oh, god. Okay.
- [dan] it's brutal.

I'm thinking if we can just
make it to those trees,

it's pretty close to the water.

And it's possibly
gonna be a lot nicer

on our feet right there.

[meghann] I totally agree
with you, yes.

We might wanna just book it.

[meghann] okay. [bleep]

all right. Oh.

Holy cow.

Oh, god.

[dan] ooh,
they're getting thicker.

[meghann] oh god.

Okay. I'm so thirsty.
It's really...

I'm starting to feel sick.

Oh, yeah.

[dan] you see down there?

Yeah.

Oh, my god.

[dan] hold it in.

Try to hold it in.

[dan speaking]

I'll be right back.

It's only the first day
of the challenge

and heat exhaustion
and nausea is setting in,

that's not a good sign.

[dramatic music playing]

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] woo, that feels good.

Don't push it.

[meghann] oh.

Yeah.

Oh, my god.

- Oh, my god.
- [dan] does that feel good?

Oh, yeah, that's what
I'm talking about.

I see you just getting back
to life immediately.

[grunts] woo, I'm back.

Let's do this.

Okay.

Oh, that was beautiful.

That was possibly
the most beautiful moment

- I've ever had.
- Your feet too.

Oh, that's what
I'm talking about. Okay.

As long as my life
isn't in danger

and I know
that I can recover out here,

I will keep going.

I don't think we're
gonna be able to build

a permanent shelter tonight

because it's already afternoon.

- Okay.
- [dan] it looks like

there's a nice spot
under that tree,

we might wanna
take advantage of.

For tonight,
we're not gonna have

any type of nice shelter.

We don't have the time,
the energy,

or the resources,
so I'm pretty nervous

about how the night's gonna go.

[meghann]
we are freaking exhausted.

I've got my fire going.

Oh, that's great.

[meghann]
my feet hurt, back's hurt,

but we're just trying
to get this done

as fast as we possibly can,

so that we can have somewhere
survivable to sleep tonight.

It's not gonna be the most
comfortable night but...

- [dan] yeah.
- [meghann] ...At least

it should block
some of the wind.

[dan] I thought there'd be
not many bugs out here

but I'm in a swarm of gnats.

[meghann] they are
all over the place.

[narrator] as the temperature
drops and humidity rises,

tiny blood-sucking gnats
move freely in the moist air.

They're attracted
to body heat, sweat,

and other sources of moisture.

They go in your nose,
in your belly button,

in your [makes sound]

places you don't want them.

The feeling of them crawling
into my private parts

and areas of my body
that I don't want them in

is just a little
too much for me.

I'm really hoping they go away

when the sun goes down.

[dramatic music playing]

[meghann]
so it's the first night

and I'm coated in bug bites.

Every five minutes,

I'm waking up
to smack a bug off of me.

Not having a good time.

[dramatic music playing]

[meghann] I'm feeling
really exhausted.

I was covered in ants
the entire night.

[dan] meghann's
already feeling sick

from just when she woke up.

It's gonna get worse
when the sun comes up soon.

- [meghann] I know.
- So we need protection.

I know. You're right.

[dan] bugs last night
were driving her crazy,

but I haven't gotten bit
by a single ant.

[narrator] insects are attracted

to chemicals like lactic acid,

which some people produce
more than others,

making them more prone to bites.

[dan] we can get
a cozy shelter up here

and so that way
we can give her a place

to just ride out the wall
she's in right now.

[meghann] for us to keep
all the thorns and bugs out

and be able
to rebuild this shelter,

we have to scorch the ground.

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator] burning the ground
will k*ll any existing bugs

and create wood ash
that can act as a repellant

for ants and other
crawling insects.

Basically, we're just
containing the fire

and keeping it
just on the ground

where we're gonna be sleeping.

[dan] meghann and I
are switching on and off,

monitoring it to make sure
it doesn't get too far,

but really scorches the ground
as much as possible.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] I'm gonna notch the tree

and meghann's gonna make
some nice yucca cordage.

Really strong bind.

And then we're gonna lay
a couple other ones

that are similar shaped,

and make a big kinda hut,

it'd be nice and insulated.

[narrator] dan and meghann
are rebuilding their shelter

into a dome,
using branches as the shell.

They will then layer it
with sheets of bark

to insulate them
from the elements.

[meghann]
I'm gonna start helping you

lash some stuff down.

[dan] thanks.

I think it looks good.

I think this is actually
gonna do us pretty well.

- I do.
- This is our shelter.

It's coming along.

I'm thirsty.

Be right back.

[beep]

oh [bleep]. Oh [bleep].

[meghann] are you okay?

[dan] huge snake.

[meghann] oh, it's over
there by the tree.

[dan] oh.

[meghann] oh, my freaking god.

- Yes.
- [dan] woo.

I just whipped it around a bit.

[meghann] that was incredible.

[narrator] dan has caught
a western coachwhip,

a non-venomous snake that's one

of the fastest snakes
in north america.

[meghann] you rock, dude.

- [dan] oh, my god.
- [meghann] oh, my god.

Yes.

That's so much freaking meat.

The amount of protein
that comes from the snake

is just incredible.

I think
we'll probably have energy

for a few days off of this.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] just got a huge snake,

which is a huge boost.

With a full belly, hopefully
my partner's attitude

is gonna change,
mood's gonna change.

I really think this is like
hitting the reset button.

At least I really hope.

Look at that.

[meghann] I am ready
for some snake.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan speaking]

[meghann speaking]

it's not easy, but I'm
getting some good meat.

[meghann] having this snake
and all the material

and the meat,
it definitely feels good.

It's tough. But it's food.

I wouldn't call myself a hunter,

but I'm really proud
that I'm able to capitalize

on these opportunities
when there's protein

literally crossing my path.

Uh...

[dramatic music playing]

how are you doing?

[meghann speaking]

[dan speaking]

[meghann] I have massive
welts on my thighs here.

It's miserable,
I've probably not slept

more than a half an hour solid

since we've been here.

I can't handle these bugs,
they're everywhere.

They're swarming me.

They crawl up
in-between my vag*na lips.

I can't handle it.

It hurts really, really bad.

It hurts so bad.

They leave welts.

I have a bunch on my butt.

I can't rest in the day.

I can't rest at night

because there's ants
all over me.

I'm exhausted.

I can't do it, I can't do it.

[dan] my partner's
just miserable.

Meghann does not have
her head in the game

whatsoever right now.

I'm just nervous.

I do not wanna be out here
doing this alone.

That is my biggest fear
with this whole mess.

[gnats buzzing]

[meghann speaking]

[cries] I hate this.

[dramatic music playing]

[meghann sighs]

[dan grunts]

I'm not really sure
that I can do this.

[dan]
just give it a couple days.

I've been where you are.

And it gets better.

I don't know what to do.

It's scary.

It's really scary the thought
of being out here alone.

[meghann]
I'm exhausted and I'm...

I was just trying
to get through one more day.

I just want a bed and some food

and I want the bug to go away.

[dramatic music playing]

[meghann] I don't wanna sleep
in a pile of ants.

It hurts
and it keeps me up all night

and I haven't been able
to get any sleep

or even any rest during the day

because
they're just all over me.

I guess I'm saying
I have to tap out.

I think
you'll regret doing that.

I don't wanna give up,

but I don't feel like
I have a choice.

I'm tapping out.

I'm really... I'm sorry.

[dan] it's okay.

It's all right.

[meghann] I feel like I failed.

And I did, I failed.

I guess I'm just like
not a survivalist.

[dan] I'm an extrovert,
like, I get my energy

from being around people.
I love being around people.

On my last challenge,

I thought holly
was going to leave.

Even it was just
four days to go.

And the thought of just spending

the last four days alone
was terrifying to me.

Just hoping I can mentally
keep it together

for the next few weeks.

[meghann] I don't really belong

out in the wilderness like this.

My body, it's not really
strong enough, I guess.

It's just amazing
how hard it can be

just because you can't find
a comfortable place to sleep.

I did experience that
a little bit

when I was younger,
not having a comfortable place

to sleep, but I usually was able

to find a bench or some grass.

Never been in an environment

where everything is awful.

[narrator] after only four days,

meghann's early departure
drops her psr

from 5.9 to 5.1.

[meghann] I just hope
my partner does good.

I mean, I really do care
about him as a person.

He's tough.

He's definitely tough.

I hope he succeeds.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] looks totally clear out
but the wind is nuts tonight.

Just straight up chilly out.

I'm in my blanket

made from some of the inner bark

from the cottonwood tree.

The shelter is just full
of holes

so it doesn't
really protect too much

and the wind is whipping

right across from me right now.

It is freezing outside.

Not having anyone to share
body heat really sucks.

[tense music playing]

[dan] I'm starting
to freeze my a*s off.

[crickets chirping]

[dan] that was
the coldest night yet.

I'm even totally covered
in my blanket.

And it's still [bleep] cold.

It was a good
60 degree range easy

from early morning
to early afternoon.

[dramatic music playing]

[snake rattles]

[dan] I think for today,
I'm just gonna try to finish

my shelter,
make it nice and insulated.

So actually I'm gonna be
hanging out alone

for the next few weeks.

Now I'm just trying
to lay bark on it,

like, shingling.

This bark will insulate
pretty well.

To really cut the breeze
coming through

when it's cold,
try to keep me warm inside.

I'm building a reflection wall
for the fire.

I'm gonna start
to heat up the rocks

and all of the heat
will reflect back

straight into my shelter
where I'm sleeping.

[narrator] danny is adding
more shelter bark

to the structure
and building a fire wall,

so cold air
coming into the shelter

will have to go
over the fireplace,

resulting in warmer air inside.

[dan] lot of work
to lug these things around

but I think it'll be worth it
and a payoff for sleep.

Not perfect,
but I don't have the energy

to carry rocks
further than that.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] it is freezing
outside but my fireplace

that I made really paid off.

Hot and cozy in here.

Like its own little climate.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] biggest hurdle
in my last challenge

was the complete lack of food.

The food I've caught so far
has been opportunistic.

Just walking and seeing it
and grabbing it.

It's a very short period lately

between when it's too cold
to leave the shelter

and when it's too hot
to walk on the sand.

I'm gonna have to be
a lot of more resourceful

if I wanna catch a javelina
or anything like that.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] I'm really dehydrated.

As soon as you drink
one of these little things up,

you need another one filled.

And you can't even do it
fast enough

to properly hydrate yourself.

I cannot even see.

If I'm about to step
straight onto a cactus,

this is crazy.

[lion growls]

[tense music playing]

something is out there.

[makes sound]

I don't need [bleep] deadly
predators around me at night.

I need to protect myself.

Have some food.

So I'm gonna make one tool
with four pointed spear

on one side and the other side
is gonna be one solid,

really hard spear
that I might be able to hit

a javelina
or something like that with.

The advantage of having
four points instead of one,

like I have on this end.

It's because it's much
bigger radius

to sort of pin something down.

I don't have to be as accurate
when I try to...

When I try to get something.

[dramatic music playing]

[dan] holy [bleep]

got that one.

It's not a rattlesnake.
I don't know what that is.

It's not a rattlesnake.

This thing is fast.

[grunts] get over here.

Ow. Oh, come on.

[tense music playing]

[dan] ow. Oh, come on.

Where did it go?

Oh, my god.
Maybe I just dove into that.

Adrenaline is a thing.

Maybe I just dove
into a pricker bush.

I mean, that was a big meal.
That was no tiny snake.

That was the biggest one
I've seen out here yet.

[sighs]

I think it's gone for now.

[suspenseful music playing]

that's super fresh
probably from a javelina.

I'm seeing their scat
fresh and new every day.

I know they're here.

I just hope I could catch one.

[suspenseful music playing]

whoa.

This is the strawberry cactus
which I read

you can eat the cores out of.

Not the best
but I'll try to force myself

to eat a few bites of it.

[narrator] in the last 10 days,

dan has consumed
around 600 calories,

and expended 30 times
that amount.

[dan] I can't just burn
calories constantly

all through the day
like I've been doing so far.

I need to catch
something bigger.

[suspenseful music playing]

been out here for days,
the low calories

and busting a*s the entire
time doing this alone.

It's exhausting.

Just getting light
headed left and right.

So sapped with energy
like completely sapped.

[suspenseful music playing]

[dan] I got a diamondback
water snake.

I'm stoked.

Not much meat on it,
but when you're starving

even just a bite like this.

This is gonna be great.

[upbeat music playing]

[dan] yeah, not much to him.

I really needed the protein.

Good meat.

Hmm.

That's the of meat.

Tastes shockingly good.

Totally taste the salt in it

and some of the fats.

Hmm, two of my favorite things.

[suspenseful music playing]

[dan] this is definitely
the furthest I've walked

from my camp
and it's not even that far

but I'm exhausted.

It really correlates
with the heat out here.

The heat just like lowers

your blood pressure like crazy.

Oh, my god.

Old boar.

That thing has been here
for a while.

I can barely even smell it.

It's just so dry out here.

It's just preserved.

It's all been eaten out
by ants and god knows what.

This thing probably
could've just succumbed

to the heat or the dehydration.

It's too far gone
for me to really tell.

[sighs] it's morning in day 14.

This time on my last challenge,

I was walking out to victory

but this is a 21-day challenge.

This isn't a 14-day
fan challenge.

Not only am I doing this alone,

I'm doing it hungry as hell.

I'm desperate for a big win.

I think if I find a boar
or javelina

spearing it
is gonna be my best bet.

[suspenseful music playing]

[eagle squawks]

[dan] so I've seen
a lot of burrows

especially up in the desert
in the sandy areas.

And some of them
are like this big

and they're clearly active

could be raccoons
or other small mammals.

I'm gonna find a burrow
and cover up

some of the entrances
and smoke 'em out.

Boar poop,
it's a perfect thing to use

to like toss a chunk
into a burrow

or something like that.

I know mammals hate smoke.

Smoke doesn't seem
to be coming through

the other burrow.

Something would be
scurrying out by now.

There's an exit somewhere
I'm missing

but I don't believe there is,

starting to get lightheaded
really easily.

I spent too much
more time out here.

The lack of nutrition

is really been affecting
my body.

I mean I can feel myself
getting skinnier and skinnier,

starting to make my brain foggy,

temperature extremes
in the day and night.

It's really getting to me.
It's really taxing me

physically and mentally.

[suspenseful music playing]

[dan] thinking right now

is just the worst time on earth.

I look like a damn corpse.

[javelina squeals]

[dan speaking]

[beeps]

[suspenseful music playing]

I'm gonna make a tactical
rattlesnake-skin

survival thong.

Out of this rattlesnake skin
that I found

and some of this cordage
I made out of yucca.

Once I get this wet
it should be pliable

and sort of molds any shape.

[laughs]

I think I can just
roll it around the cordage

and tie some knots
and tie another knot

on the end back there.

Perfect.

All right.

Woo.

It glitters in the sun.

What more can you ask for?

[suspenseful music playing]

[bleep]

this is insane.

Like a big one.

[suspenseful music playing]

[javelina growling]

[dan speaking]

[bleep]

unfortunately,
these bushes are just covered

in spines and thorns
and I can't move quickly

through them at all.

I cannot be running
through that.

It sucks that it escaped.

That would've been,
uh, a hefty meal.

[suspenseful music playing]

I'm finding myself
having to be more

and more careful when I stand up

in the heat of the day.

Definitely feel myself
slowing down

and getting weaker.

Ow.

Wow.

[narrator] dan's low intake
of calories

over the past 20 days
has significantly dropped

his blood sugar levels.

A condition called hypoglycemia,

which is affecting
his nervous system

leaving his motor skills
compromised.

[dan] losing it right now.

[bird squawks]

[dan] the sky is starting
to turn light

and guess how many days
are left?

Negative one,
because it's extraction day.

The last 20 days
have been physically

and mentally challenging.

The hardest thing
I've ever done.

I wanna get out of here
before it gets too hot.

I think I'm just gonna cut
through this water,

soft rocks, shade, everything.

Minimize my time in this desert.

[narrator] to get
to his extraction point,

dan will have
to navigate three miles

through a narrow canyon
that conceals

venomous cottonmouth snakes
and also attracts

mountain lions looking for prey.

[dan] I can climb up and out

once I get
to this cottonwood tree.

[narrator] to get out
of the canyon

he'll then need to summon
the little energy

he has left,

make a perilous climb
200 feet up

on a 80-degree vertical
rock face

and trek a mile
through the scorching desert.

[dan] all right. Let's roll.

[suspenseful music playing]

[dan] this is not gonna be easy.

In the early morning hours
it cools off

but the sun
is gonna be baking down.

And I don't have time to lose.

Just having to watch
every step and move slowly,

it's exhausting.

Getting narrow.

I'm about to climb out of here.

Here we go.

[narrator] dan has burned
over 40,000 calories

during the past 21 days.

His lack of body fat,

the cool morning air,
and water temperature

in the low 60s could drop
his core temperature

to a dangerously low level,
bringing on hypothermia.

[suspenseful music playing]

[dan] it's freezing.

I can't even feel my fingertips.

[sighs]

[suspenseful music playing]

[dan grunts]

oh, didn't make it here
through here.

[suspenseful music playing]

like, might be my tree.

That must be
where I have to climb out.

Steep as hell.

[suspenseful music playing]

[dan] I'm so tired.

Feeling really, really weak.

[sighs]

oh my gosh.

Oh, my god.

If I fall back,
I mean, I'm done.

[grunts]

[sighs]

[suspenseful music playing]

oh, my god.

This is a vast expanse
of open bare desert

that I have to get through.

[suspenseful music playing]

ooh, it's hot.

I've been out here
for hours and hours,

and it's taking everything
I got at this point.

Getting to the hottest part
of the day.

Exhausted. My mouth is so dry.

[sighs]

[suspenseful music playing]

oh, it's a road.

Where the hell is the vehicle?

This better be the right road.

[sighs]

there it is. Yes.

[laughs]

hey buddy.

Oh.

Yes.

I can't believe
I lasted three weeks

in this desolate a*s landscape.

I took on this challenge to grow

and to learn
about living in the desert.

I'm used
to this environment now.

If I never see
cactus spines again,

I'll be the happiest man
on earth.

I didn't get much food,
but spent

almost the entire time
out here by myself.

That's something to be proud of.

I was terrified
of being alone out there,

but I overcame the fear
of being by myself

by just being resourceful
with my own mind.

I didn't know I could do that.

It definitely feels
like now I graduated

to something bigger.

[narrator]
after surviving 21 days

in the chihuahuan desert,
17 of them alone.

Dan leaves the challenge
32 pounds lighter.

His final psr
rises from 6.5 to 7.4.

Woo.

Oh, I did it.

[dramatic music playing]