‘Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’ Season 2: Jeff Zausch Wants to Return, Will Go ‘Scorched Earth’ on Other Contestants
Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’s competition format may not have been popular with all the show’s contestants, but it was a hit with viewers. Discovery Channel’s spinoff of its popular reality series Naked and Afraid is the network’s highest-rated series so far in 2023, according to Deadline, attracting more than 15 million total viewers since its premiere in early May.
Unsurprisingly, Discovery has renewed the survival series – which pits 12 all-star cast members against each other in a race for a $100,000 grand prize – for season 2. So far, there’s no word on a possible premiere date or cast. But one controversial season 1 star is eager for a shot at redemption.
Jeff Zausch didn’t win ‘Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’
Every reality show needs a villain, and Idaho survivalist Jeff Zausch quickly emerged as Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’s resident bad guy. From the moment he set foot in South Africa’s punishing Oribi Gorge, he made it clear he was there to take home the top prize and prove he was the toughest one in this group of elite survivalists.
“I came to destroy everyone there,” he said during a post-show appearance on the Reality After Show podcast with Survivor alum Jonny Fairplay.
Jeff’s outrageous (and at times abrasive) personality didn’t win him any fans among the rest of the show’s cast. While he embraced an “every man for himself” strategy, the other players relied more on cooperation to survive, especially in the show’s early stages. The result was a clear split between Jeff and everyone else. But Jeff’s ruthless style of play – which involved hoarding resources and playing mind games with the other contestants – seemed to pay dividends. Heading into the final five days of the 45-day competition, he was in a good position to win it all.
Then came the fire-building challenge. All five remaining contestants were tasked with building a primitive fire and then boiling a pot of water. But thanks to a heavy rainstorm, finding dry fuel and tinder was difficult. Jeff had anticipated he might need to make a fire and had hidden away from wood in a protected spot the day before. But that ended up not making much of a difference. After multiple days of trying and failing to get a spark, Jeff was eliminated from the competition, much to his disappointment. In the end, only Dan Link and Waz Addy moved on to the final stage, with Waz ultimately winning the $100,000 prize.
Jeff wants to return for ‘Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing’ Season 2
Jeff didn’t emerge victorious on the first season of Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing. But could he get a shot at redemption in season 2? He hopes so. And if he does appear, he promises he won’t hold back.
“If there’s a season 2, I’m going all in … Season 2, when it comes around, you are going to see scorched earth,” Jeff said. “Like, no one is going to have a shelter because they’re all going to be on fire. I’m done. They’ve mistreated me and now I’m pissed. I guarantee you, season 2, the best man will win. That is my commitment to the viewers.”
In other words, he won’t be adjusting his style of play based on his experience in season 1.
“Screw alliances,” he said. “I’m done with them. They’re over. I’m a one-man show from here to the end.”
Jeff hopes for tougher competition in season 2
When Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing returns, chances are it won’t look exactly the same as season 1. There “absolutely will be” some tweaks to the format in season 2, Jeff said.
“They’re gonna have to play different,” he said. “Because everybody’s already seen how this went down.”
Jeff also hopes that the Naked and Afraid alums who sign on for season 2 are truly there to win.
“They better [have] people out there who want this,” he said. “Who want this more than they’ve ever wanted anything else in their lives. That’s what I signed up for. That’s what I was expecting.”
However, he acknowledges that one potential season 2 change could hurt him.
“If voting gets involved, I’m dead and buried,” he said. “If voting is involved I’m screwed.”
Source: Deadline.
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