Who are the three Argentines who dared to participate in a reality show completely naked?

Discovery’s hit reality show, Naked survival, premiered its first Latin American version. AND three adventurous Argentinians have joined the challenge in the Colombian jungles. The series is now available and can be viewed via the Max streaming platform.

The program features 10 participants who, in pairs, will try to survive 21 days without food, water and clothes, in the jungle. To do this they must make the most of their abilities, to put nature in their favor. Even if that means always being without clothes.

The Argentines of this edition are very different from each other, but there is something that unites them: the love of nature. Christian (39) is an engineer, loves traveling and outdoor activities. Rodrigo (36), is a bodyguard, but his passion is extreme adventures. Women Stefania (32), a former hockey player, who years ago decided to escape the city and lives isolated in the countryside.

After finishing the challenge (i.e. we already know who won, but the cycle is still in the air without revealing it), the three brave people chatted with Clarion about the prejudices they had about reality, about their lived experience and about what life is really like in extreme conditions.

-What was your goal when you joined?

Christian: The challenge had a clear goal, which was to reach 21 days. This was already implied living in extreme conditions and experiencing extreme sensations, such as being naked. The first goal for me was to be able to connect these two things: to win the challenge and see what happens to you in those conditions that you are not even close to imagining what they are in advance.

Rodrigo: I’ve seen all the movies Indiana Jones, and my goal in life is to get as close to Dr. Jones as possible. The truth is that I like adventures, movies and putting myself through challenges that I don’t know if I’ll be able to face or not.

Stefania: For me the main objective was to go, to be there. And this has been achieved. I wanted to go through it and experience it in a pleasant way, in a state of fullness. That was ideal. You don’t always get the desired results, but in my case you did, even though I had no clothes.

A reality show suitable only for adventurers

-Were you a fan of the show before you signed up?

Christian: I didn’t know it existed in Latin America. I have spent a lot of time traveling and my access to television has been almost non-existent for the past five years. But I had seen Discovery shows about survival. It was a surprise when I heard about the casting in Argentina. But I never imagined he would stay.

Rodrigo: I’ve always been a fan of the show and it was an incredible experience. Already from the selection process it was clear that this was a serious matter, and it was serious.

Stefania: I didn’t know it existed. I haven’t had a television for many years. I was listening to something Naked survival. But I didn’t really know what it was. When I thought about signing up, I went to Google and started watching some episodes. I went all in and now they’ve gained one more fan who’s downloaded Max on their TV and computer.

-Did you think I was serious or were you hoping to get help behind the cameras?

Christian: I will be 100% honest. Every time I heard about it, I thought it was fixed, who gave you food and helped you reach the goal. And it was very beautiful and very painful to be there and realize that the issue is very serious. Production is invisible, you are truly alone. For me it was a great emotion to say “everything I saw is true”. It was like believing in television again.

Rodrigo: Yes, you suffer, and you really suffer.

Stefania: I left my family alone. It is estimated that if you go to TV, there will be some problems in the middle. When I arrived, the first thing they told me was “it is the second strongest experience for the human body after climbing Everest”. I thought it was impossible, then I realized it was true.

-How did your families take it?

Christian: In my case, it was disbelief at first, and once I settled in it was total support. My lifestyle has been quite unique, homeless, traveling from place to place. Within these trips very particular experiences happened to me, so this was one of those, but taken to a very high level of exposure, and this gave it a certain adrenaline. But our families are already seasoned, at least mine.

Rodrigo: Something similar happens to me. For many years my family diagnosed me as crazy for adventures in the Amazon jungle, extreme sports, getting into the ring to fight, doing martial arts or riding a motorbike and spending months sleeping on the side of the road in an improvised tent. At this point in life, my family simply congratulated me and gave me constant support.

Stefania: As a good younger daughter, I don’t tell anything about what I do. Poor people, I told them a few days before it happened. On my birthday they told me I would be leaving in seven days, and that’s when I took the opportunity to tell my family. There I realized that they were fans of the program and always watched it. The impact was greater for them than for me. They gave me a lot of support and love.

Living in the middle of the jungle

-How did you live together in such extreme conditions?

Christian: Any coexistence in poor conditions generates tension. In my case, I had a very nice coexistence with Paulina (her partner during the challenge), with lots of company. We were clear that there would be very little energy. Therefore, we knew there was no energy for discussions. We didn’t take all the fights out into public, we generally took our time and everyone went their own way to calm down. Obviously there is a lot of tension and irritability, but how to channel it is another topic.

Rodrigo: I think it’s a challenge that unites you in the afternoon with the person you wanted to kill at night. My partner is a sweetheart, I will take her away from here for life. But we experienced a beautiful novel, with everything. An electrocardiogram was missing, so many conflicting emotions.

Stefania: Like any family, when good things happen, we are all on top of things and support each other, we understand each other and when critical things happen, things change. The opposite happened to me: I loved Rodrigo, who I wanted to kill during the day, at night. But talk about how the couple can manage the bond, because it’s not one to one, it’s always two to two. It’s a very inhospitable environment, it’s very difficult. But I’ll take a brother.

-Did this experience make you discover something new about yourself?

Christian: Everyday life, the supermarket and the fridge full of things have made us forget how strong we are if we are healthy in body and mind. I understood that convenience is taking away the power we have. I remove the connection with nature. He treats you very badly, but when it was my turn to leave, I only had words of gratitude for everything he had given me.

Rodrigo: I had underestimated the challenge. I thought it would be more than I had already done and it wasn’t. It was really challenging. But I didn’t do anything I thought I couldn’t do.

Stefania: Personally, I was filled with a lot of power. Surviving in the city is much more drastic than being in the middle of the jungle. Being there with the cars, the sounds, the smells and the craziness of the people is heavier. Now that I live in the middle of the mountains, when I have to go for some surgery, I cover myself with protection, I fill myself with energy and I’m ready for anything. I think that thanks to that experience I am more prepared for everything.