Bonnie Bolden

bbolden@thenewsstar.com

Copperhead meat tastes clean, but water moccasin, or cottonmouth, has a muddy, fishy flavor. Jeremy McCaa, of Monroe, Louisiana, said it could use some Tony Chachere's or NuNu's. Grubs taste a little like wood when raw and taste vaguely like burned bacon when cooked. He said he ate worms "for cinematic effect." It's all about the slurp.

Jeremy spent part of September and October in the Atchafalaya Basin while filming "Naked and Afraid" for the Discovery Channel.

In February and March 2015, Jeremy had a failed attempt on the show when he and his partner were dropped in the Philippines. He described the location as paradise. The beaches were beautiful and the weather mild, but he and his partner couldn't find potable water. They lasted 13 days before they tapped out. His then-partner, Cassidy Flynn, was hospitalized for five days because of dehydration.

He said the first time, he just wanted to show he could do it, and not a day went by after coming home that he didn't regret how it ended.

Last fall, Jeremy took a call to fly out the next day to Morgan Island, near Morgan City. He said he's the first male contestant to be called in for a redemption round. (Two women who previously competed have had second chances to succeed.)

He can't comment on his success or failure, but his time in the swamp has been split into a two-part episode airing 8 p.m. April 30 and May 7. He and his partner marked their days out on a tree. He coyly declined to show a photo of the camp site because it would spoil the show.

Read more: Monroe chef to compete on 'Food Network Star' | Bull riding movie to film in Louisiana | 3 amazing things about the Atchafalaya Basin | Discovery's next endurance test: Darkness

The most awkward part of spending time in the wilderness with a likewise naked woman, he said, is before he ever meets his partner. The contestants strip their clothes in front of about 15 cast and crew members holding cameras. The same thing is happening to their partner with another crew at a different spot. Once bare, the two start walking in the wild toward the area they'll be camping before they get to meet their compatriot for the next three weeks. In Louisiana, Jeremy partnered with Melanie Rauscher. He said she's like the sister he never had.

Each contestant has a bag that holds the battery to their microphone (hidden in their necklaces) and an item they brought to aid their survival. Jeremy said each person gets to bring four items, and the producer picks one. They don't get to find out what it is until they're dropped off. Each contestant gets an item in his or her bag, and the duo get one bonus item, which can show up in a variety of places.

He said you need something to cut with and, unless you're good at it, something to make a fire with. Other good options to bring would be cooking pots or cords and wire. Don't waste time with a tool you aren't familiar with. Bring what you can use. He said weapons can be built on site, and he did well with a stick, a spear and a club. He also built baskets to catch fish.

Most of the contest, he said, is psychological. The married father of three said leaving his family was terrible the first time he competed. This time, he was less concerned — they were getting food and water.

He said competing makes you appreciate all the things that you take for granted at home — clean water, hot showers and grabbing Johnny's Pizza on the way home.

In 2013, when the show started, he said he wanted to participate but didn't even know how to start a fire with sticks. It seemed like something he should know, and he said he rubbed and ground down a million sticks trying to learn how. He already knew how to make snares, and most of the rest, according to him, is common sense. Don't drink water you haven't boiled is a start.

"You can hang it up on sleeping at night, it don't happen," he said. In the wild, finding sustenance and keeping the fire going are repetitive jobs that can wear on you. "I can't explain to you how bad nights are."

Unlike many contest shows, there's no prize for staying the full 21 days, other than personal satisfaction.

"You're really going after it 'cause it's just something that you want to do," he said.

Usually, Jeremy said, contestants find out their location a few weeks in advance. Trying to study for the Philippines trip, he said, "didn't help a lick." He said he would have preferred a more exotic locale to try again, but it was a fun experience.

"I was getting in just pure hell being thrown in the swamp, and I knew it. My partner did not know it," he said.

He said every few steps, they killed a venomous snake. They also dined on frogs, crawfish and grasses. Jeremy tried to hunt wild boar, which he never caught. His best kill was when he snared a deer. They smoked it and made jerky.

"All restitution has been paid because that was an illegal kill," he said. "Well, in Louisiana, you were not supposed to snare a deer, whether you are in a survival situation and being filmed on TV or not."

He said he honestly set the snare for a hog but caught a deer instead. He was ready to eat anything at that point. The game wardens came up in a big boat shortly after show producer reported the kill. Sitting there naked with two game wardens walking up on him was awkward. He said he remained cooperative, the tickets weren't too bad, and he paid all the fines and restitution required.

Jeremy said in the Philippines his snare traps were pulled after he set them up because a protected species of lizard was on the island. It was as though the whole experience in the Pacific was setting him up for failure.

In Louisiana, the snakes were problematic, but edible. The mosquitoes almost killed him.

"I had blood running down my body, all the way down, dripping off my ankles from mosquitoes. It was literally thousands of them," Jeremy said. He joked he went airborne a few times.

He said lore that mud and smoke will keep the winged predators away is a lie. The gumbo drying in his body hair was immensely painful. "I don't know how you women do waxes."

At night, he said, only a few stationary cameras are rolling, and Jeremy said they caught footage of weird things at night that can't be explained. He cited the legend of Jean Lafitte's ghost searching for his treasure.

"So you watch whatever it is I caught on camera, and then you can make up your own mind by it," he grinned.

Film crews follow the contestants from about 8:30 a.m. until a few hours before sunset. They trade out the necklaces for non-microphones ones before departing for the night and leave the contestants on their own.

Jeremy said this isn't a scenario when the crew offers any help. If someone needs to leave for medical reasons, the show will force them to tap out. Otherwise, it's up to the contestant. The survival rules are firm, and no one is sneaking them a cheeseburger.

What did he miss most about modern society?

"Pickles," he laughed. He and Melanie both included pickles as part of their dream meals once they were pulled out of the swamp. Jeremy spent two hours in the shower to get clean, and he lost 32 pounds.

"You wouldn't've wanted to come around me with a pickle. I would have come at you like a puma," he said.

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Watch parties

Jeremy McCaa said Amvets Post 66, 2915 Armand St., Monroe, will host watch parties for the show starting at 6:30 p.m. April 30 and May 7. Food and drink sales will benefit veterans.

McCaa said the venue is for ages 18 and older.

Call 318-322-1938 for more information.