FOURTEEN ELITE SURVIVALISTS COMPETE FOR NATIONAL PRIDE AND THE ULTIMATE CASH PRIZE IN "NAKED AND AFRAID: GLOBAL SHOWDOWN"

Discovery Channel's First-Ever International Survival Competition Series Premieres Sunday, May 17 at 8PM ET/PT

(New York, NY) - April 17, 2026 - For the first time in franchise history, fourteen Naked and Afraid All-Stars from around the world - including Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States - battle for national pride and the largest cash prize ever awarded when the all-new series NAKED AND AFRAID: GLOBAL SHOWDOWN premieres Sunday, May 17 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel.

Divided into seven pairs representing their homelands, survivalists' skills will be tested by three brutal and unpredictable ecosystems in South Africa's Zululand. From a scorching savannah stalked by leopards and rhinos to a humid marshland ruled by hippos and crocodiles, and into the violent Indian Ocean teeming with Zambezi sharks, teams must battle both the brutal elements and one another. Over the 40-day challenge, they're given no food, no water, and no clothes as their primitive bushcraft skills, resilience, and interpersonal relationships are pushed to the extreme.

In another franchise first, the competition introduces an official scoring system where teams will earn points by completing survival tasks and excelling in head-to-head challenges. Winning teams will be safe from elimination and unlock critical tools to acquire food, water and shelter, while the bottom two teams must face off in an elimination challenge to remain in the game. With no shared resources, no trading, and no sabotage, each team must rely solely on its own skill and will to survive.

Featuring up-and-coming international survivalists alongside franchise legends and bitter rivals, only one team will emerge victorious. With $200,000 and national pride on the line, the teams competing in the most intense Naked and Afraid competition ever include:

· AUSTRALIA, Ky Furneaux and Alexa Towersey

· BRAZIL, Rene Murad and Marina Fukushima

· MEXICO, Pablo Melin and Fernanda Perez

· TEXAS, Jeff Zausch and Kerra Bennett

· USA EAST, Matt Wright and Gabby Balassone

· USA SOUTH, Frank Eytcheson and Teal Bulthuis

· USA WEST, Dan Link and Rachel Strohl

In addition to watching NAKED AND AFRAID: GLOBAL SHOWDOWN on Discovery, viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #NakedAndAfraid and following Naked and Afraid on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

NAKED AND AFRAID: GLOBAL SHOWDOWN is produced for Discovery Channel by Lionsgate Alternative Television

About Discovery Channel

Across every platform, Discovery Channel is dedicated to connecting audiences who have a passion for adventure and crave a connection to the world around them. Popular series including Deadliest Catch, Expedition Unknown, Naked and Afraid and Gold Rush, along with Shark Week, the annual tentpole programming event, serve as trusted portals that transport viewers directly into thrilling, real, high stakes moments. Through smart, authentic characters whose stories inform and inspire, Discovery celebrates the men and women who will stop at nothing to explore new spaces and achieve their dreams. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

Discovery Channel is part of Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products which also include: Discovery Channel, HBO Max, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.