Fans of Outlast, rejoice! The survival competition reality show turns up the heat in its spin-off, Outlast: The Jungle. This season, 16 strangers are dropped into the Panamanian jungle with nothing but basic supplies, their wits, and each other to battle through the unforgiving conditions. These lone wolves must use all their outdoor expertise to weather the brutal realities of nature and win $1 million, but they can only win as a team. If the previous two seasons have taught the competitors anything, it’s that the ever-shifting alliances can be even more dangerous than the challenges Mother Nature serves up.
“This season felt like throwing gasoline on the format,” showrunner Mike Odair tells Netflix. “We traded the frozen isolation of Alaska for the heat and volatility of Panama, and everything changed: the survival, the strategy, and the social dynamics … This may be our most dynamic group yet.” Read on to find out more about Season 1 and who survived long enough to become the winner.
When will Outlast: The Jungle be released?
Stream the first six episodes on June 10, and then the final two episodes on June 17.
Where can I find the trailer for Outlast: The Jungle?
Check it out at the top of this page.
Who’s competing in Outlast: The Jungle?
- Abby Chu, 32, dive master: Raised in the majestic Colorado mountains, the avid rock climber and martial artist is also a diver who’s swum with shark species around the world. Reliable and calm under pressure, Abby hopes to rally the ladies of the competition into an unbeatable faction.
- Ben Orndorff, 41, former federal agent: Considering his parents met white water rafting, it’s no surprise that world traveler Ben inherited their love of the outdoors. He plans to hide his intelligence background and use his expertise in reading people and manipulating information to his advantage.
- Braxton Fish, 24, adventure vlogger: In the year after quitting a cushy corporate job, Braxton’s gone solo skydiving, backpacked 26 miles through the Grand Canyon, and lived off-grid for weeks at a time. The Utah native says he doesn’t need allies in this game, just opportunities.
- Brett Johnson, 21, commercial fisherman: Growing up in the swamps of Louisiana turned Brett into a natural fisherman and hunter. He once brought down a boar with nothing but a screwdriver. He’s confident that his deep connection to the land and adaptability will give him an edge in any challenge.
- Dave Cecchini, 32, expedition leader: Appalachia born and bred, the wilderness expedition leader’s resume includes survivalist skills like archery and carving his own fishing spears. Confident in his ability to fake friendships, Dave’s ready to throw anyone under the bus to get to victory.
- Halle Cooley, 20, model: Don’t judge this book by its cover — Halle may be a model, but she grew up riding horses, mending fences, and spearfishing on her family’s Texas ranch. She’s also a marathon runner and an expert in jiujitsu who plans to physically dominate the competition.
- Leiya Pillitteri, 26, permanent-makeup artist: This triathlete isn’t just an advanced swimmer and hand fisher, she also excels in building shelters and tools out of bamboo, a key element of her Taiwanese roots and island culture. Leiya plans to play the long game by letting others underestimate her impressive skills.
- Maddy Jones, 28, photographer: The West Virginia native grew up hunting with her father, and could shoot and field dress a deer by the age of 8. She doesn’t need to count on anyone else in the competition to feed her and is sure her killer instinct will make her a strong contender.
- Marshall Strain, 31, general contractor: Years in construction honed Marshall’s ability to make the most out of minimal resources. The young Texas dad has a deep respect for nature and doesn’t plan on sugarcoating his words with his fellow competitors.
- Mary Wedell, 27, farmhand: After 5 years of the gritty reality of van life, the North Carolina native settled in California, where she spends her days working on a farm, surfing, and crafting from the bounty of nature. Mary has impeccable foraging and sewing skills, and is just as capable of identifying poisonous plants as she is weaving a fishing net for a daily catch. Don’t count this flower child out.
- Morgan Colburn, 26, sales manager: A true Florida girl raised in the swamps, Morgan thanks her dad for teaching her how to fish in any condition and MacGyver any tool with limited resources. She’s counting on her background in psychology to help her charm, disarm, and manipulate as necessary.
- Nikki Hru, 28, boxer: Though she now lives in Los Angeles, Nikki says she was born with her feet in the Floridian mud. An expert trapper with uncontested knife skills and an eye for fire making, Nikki’s ready to bring the never-tap-out attitude of a former lightweight champion to the jungle.
- Pharaoh Gayles, 34, wildlife educator: A five-time gator wrestling champion, Pharaoh’s love of wildlife and nature stems from his father, a member of the Seminole people. He spent years with the tribe’s elders in Florida learning how to read the environment and track prey, both on land and underwater. Pharaoh plans to use the harsh landscape to help manipulate the game and isn’t afraid to play dirty.
- Sarah Awad, 25, former rugby player: After her 10-year rugby career came to an end, the bilingual songwriter has been searching for her next big challenge. Sarah plans to rally the weaker players into a strong alliance that can pick off the self-proclaimed “alphas.”
- Sean Jacobs, 38, African aid worker: He now lives in Florida, but before his beach days, Sean spent numerous years working in refugee camps, wildlife rehab centers, and remote villages as an aid worker and animal rescuer. But he’s the furthest thing from softhearted — Sean plans to bulldoze the competition, even if that means stealing food and sabotaging shelters.
- Wes Saunders, 36, former NFL player: The ex-Pittsburgh Steeler grew up fishing with his grandfather, a local North Carolina legend on the water. What Wes lacks in classic survivalist training, he plans to make up for with the strength, determination, and leadership that only a pro football player can bring to the table.
Where does Outlast: The Jungle take place?
The show takes place in the wilderness of the Panamanian jungle.
Who are the winners of Outlast: The Jungle Season 1?
After a grueling two-day hike into the Panamanian jungle as their final challenge and a surprising vote-off, Team Alpha — by then whittled down to just Maddy Jones and Nikki Hru — won the first season of Outlast: The Jungle. Now that the dynamic duo have settled back into the real world, they spoke to Tudum about their experience … and what life is like after winning $1 million.
“Before Outlast, I never would have believed I was capable of going nearly 10 days without food,” says Maddy. “We’re capable of far more than we think when we’re forced to adapt. Looking back, I’m most proud of the grit and determination our team showed.”
“It is so easy to sit in how hard it was: the hunger, the bug bites, the physical labor and mental challenges, the social dynamics,” Nikki reflects. “But even with all of that … To know that Maddy and I did it, that we overcame everything, it is truly an indescribable feeling.”
While willpower and survival knowledge are key, what truly comes in clutch in the jungle is a much softer skill, according to Maddy. “Be the kind of teammate people can count on. When things get hard — and they will — people want to stand beside someone they trust,” she says. “If you’re only looking out for yourself, people will eventually see through it.”
Nikki agrees, adding that plenty of people assume they have the mental fortitude for a competition like Outlast, without realizing what that actually comes down to. “You need to have complete control of your nervous system in order to keep a level head, make choices based on your team’s greatest good, and endure how incredibly hard this challenge truly is,” she says. “Staying levelheaded, positive, and hopeful are, in my experience, truly underrated skills that can make or break someone in these competitions.”
As for how it felt when these last two women standing watched that duffel bag full of cash drop from the sky? Maddy says she wasn’t just seeing $1 million falling into her hands, she was “seeing everything we’d endured, sacrificed, and fought through finally pay off.” And while she realizes it might sound crazy, the first thing she wanted to do after heading home a winner was get back to the woods. “I took my family to Montana for a week,” she says. “We spent our days exploring … soaking in the beauty of the mountains.”
“I think I might have blacked out from the sheer excitement of it,” says Nikki of the duffel bag drop that signaled the end of the game. But she’s looking forward to enjoying her ultimate reward, a “silicone mermaid tail that I can swim in,” which she plans to purchase with her winnings. “I have wanted one since I was probably 5 years old, and I’m going to learn to free dive while in it.”
