The Shortest Amount Of Time A Contestant Has Ever Stayed On Naked And Afraid

Discovery's "Naked and Afraid" is a show well-known for its brutal locations and harsh conditions which contestants must endure with one tool and no clothes in order to make it 14 days in the wild. In fact, some of the locations on "Naked and Afraid" are so hostile that even the film crew and producers aren't safe — one of the show's producers almost lost his life to a snake bite in the jungles of Costa Rica. 

With that said, it comes as no surprise that some contestants who are either unlucky or unprepared don't make it long on this difficult reality show. However, the contestant who holds the record for the shortest stay on "Naked and Afraid" was "Teen Mom" star Maci Bookout who appeared on Episode 12 of Season 9 and only managed to make it one day in the wild.

As a long-time reality star, Bookout didn't have much survival experience, but she had been a big fan of the show and did some training for it beforehand to get ready for the challenge. Even so, the mother-of-three seemed to underestimate what the jungles of Nicaragua had in store for her and confidently stated at the beginning of the episode that, "It's going to suck for sure, but I'm not going to quit."

So, what made Maci Bookout end her time on "Naked and Afraid" after only 24 hours? As it turns out, the ground of the Nicaraguan jungle where the episode took place was covered in thorns and walking around on top of the sharp brush with no shoes caused her feet to hurt so bad that she ended up needing to be carried by her partner Justin Tuell (who lasted eight days on the show). As Bookout shared in the episode, "Watching 'Naked and Afraid' from your couch it's easy to point out all the things that you think people are doing wrong. When you're here and you can actually feel the thirst and the pain in your body it's a completely different story."

Many fans of "Naked and Afraid" and "Teen Mom" on Reddit were disappointed in Bookout's decision to tap out so early; however, others sympathized with the reality star stating that they "give her credit for even trying the show." Bookout also seemed a little humbled by the experience, telling fans on X after her episode aired that she hoped they weren't "too disappointed." However, she jokingly added, "If you are disappointed, I hope you're grateful for your couch & TV."