The inaugural season of “Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing” premiered on May 7 and came to an end on July 16. Following the 21-day-long first phase, the series transitioned to the elimination phase, during which time Sarah Bartell went home.
That format, she said, was antithetical to the communal survivalist experience, in which many hands make light work. “I watched strong people fall, and stronger ones still become jaded by the format,” she wrote in the same Instagram post. “It goes against the usual nature of our instincts as survivalists, and asks us to become something we’re not.”
The series depicts the contestants helping one another and sharing impala meat, among other acts of kindness, but Bartell insists that many more failed to make the cut. “The edit has left out so much kindness and sharing, in favor of pushing the narrative of greed and deception.”
Although Bartell was initially skeptical about joining the spinoff, she ultimately jumped at the opportunity to adventure in Africa. The result was a mixed bag for Bartell. “I…experienced some of the darkest moments I’ve ever had on a NAA challenge, often adjacent to some of the happiest moments I’ve had on a NAA challenge,” she wrote, “and it’s something that I’m still processing, even now.”
