It’s Naked and Afraid, Robinson Crusoe-style. Naked and Afraid: Castaways, the latest spinoff of the popular reality series, takes nine former cast members and strands them on a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific, with no clothes, tools, or supplies. Over the next 21 days, they’ll have to fight to survive, eventually making their way to a designated extraction point, where they’ll signal a ship for rescue.
The Naked and Afraid Castaways cast includes familiar faces from past seasons, including a fan-favorite competitor who previously completed an XL challenge and a person who appeared on the spinoff Naked and Afraid of Love. A few cast members have also appeared on other reality shows, including The Amazing Race.
Bulent Gurcan appeared on ‘Naked and Afraid XL’
Longtime Naked and Afraid fans will definitely remember one of the stars of Castaways. Bulent Gurcan made his N&A debut in season 10. Unfortunately, the Border Patrol agent had to tap out after 11 days in the Colombian jungle. But he was back for redemption in season 11, and this time both he and his partner survived the challenge.
Bulent also appeared on Naked and Afraid XL Season 6. Although his abrasive personality rubbed some of the other participants the wrong way, he more than proved his survival skills by spending most of the 40-day challenge on his own in South Africa.
Rachel Strohl was a contestant on ‘Naked and Afraid of Love’
Freediver Rachel Strohl made her Discovery Channel debut in 2021, when she was one of 16 singles who starred in Naked and Afraid of Love. The dating show with a twist challenged the cast to find love in an island paradise while also completing tests of their survival skills (all sans clothing, of course).
Earlier in 2023, Rachel returned for a bigger test of her survival skills on Naked and Afraid. She was paired with Na’im McKee (who also appears on Castaways) for an episode that saw them battling the elements in Argentina. While he tapped early, she lasted the full 21 days.
Andrew Shayde competed on ‘The Amazing Race’
Andrew Shayde is a Naked and Afraid vet, having already appeared on two seasons of the show. In season 12, he and his partner were dropped in a remote part of South Africa. Unfortunately, he ended up making one of the more memorable exits in the show’s history when multiple tick bites on his butt got infected. He had to be medically tapped before completing the challenge. Andrew returned to South Africa for a shot at redemption in season 15. Unfortunately, he once again had to tap out before the 21 days were up. Perhaps the third time’s the charm and he’ll get that big win on Castaways.
Longtime reality TV fans may also recognize Andrew from another show. He was a cast member (along with his father) on The Amazing Race Season 3, which aired in 2002. They were the third team to be eliminated.
Where you’ve seen the rest of the ‘Naked and Afraid Castaways’ cast
The other six Naked and Afraid: Castaways cast members have all appeared on recent episodes of Naked and Afraid.
Heather Smith appeared in the season 15 episode “Sucker Punched in South Africa.”
Kerra Bennett appeared her the season 14 episode “Valley of the Leopards,” which took place in Zambia.
Patrick French and his partner tried to survive the Argentine savanna in the season 15 episode “No Gear, No Fear.”
Justin Governale, a former Marine Corps scout sniper and MMA fighter, survived the Guyanan jungle in the season 15 episode “No Holds Barred.”
Na’im McKee teamed up with Rachel Strohl in the season 15 episode “Cry for Me, Argentina.”
Candice Mishler tapped out early in the season 15 episode “Beauty and The Beasties.” Candice also briefly appeared on 90 Day: The Single Life with her ex-husband, Josh Weinstein.
New episodes of Naked and Afraid: Castaways air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery.
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