INTERVIEW: Darrin Reay, who doesn’t own a TV, finds himself a reality TV star

Darrin Reay’s success on television is so ironic Alanis Morrisette could add a lyric to her popular 1990s tune. The 33-year-old resident of Moab, Utah, has not owned a television in more than a decade, but he finds himself one of the popular stars of Discovery’s Naked and Afraid XL, which airs new episodes Sundays at 10 p.m.

“I still haven’t been able to watch the last episode,” Reay said in a recent phone interview. “I don’t have good enough phone service to stream it, and I don’t have access to a television. I haven’t owned a television for 11 years.”

Reay competed on the survivalist show and was asked back for the XL edition, which finds 12 of the best known contestants trying to last 40 days in the South African bush. It’s a difficult challenge, one that includes being aware of carnivorous animals in the area, lack of food, lack of water, lack of fire and exposure to the beating sun.

For Reay, it seems like his South African journey was all in a day’s work.

He began his association with the Naked and Afraid franchise after a friend of his turned down an offer to appear on the show. She recommended that the producers reach out to Reay, and he was more than happy to take the call.

“I’ll take off into the desert in Moab in my loincloth and flip-flops and not come back for a couple weeks sometimes, and so she started telling the casting lady all about me,” he said. “And I got home that night and had like 20 messages in my voicemail asking me to do the show.”

The premise of the show, both the regular and XL editions, is simple. A pair or group of people are dropped naked in an unknown terrain. They must work together and survive the elements for several weeks. Many contestants don’t make it to the end, and there have been more than a few injuries and close calls. This is raw reality television, and one false step could prove fatal (or at least that’s what the dramatic music makes the audience believe).

Reay was well suited for the adventure.

“Every single day I am out rock climbing, or hiking or prospecting somewhere in the mountains or the desert, like 300-plus days in a tent last year,” he said. “I took two weeks to fatten up from climbing season and went straight to Africa to film Naked and Afraid, and since I’ve been back from Africa for four months now, I’ve spent less than 10 nights inside a house.”

Ever since Reay was a little boy he has taken to the outdoors. He would spend a lot of time in his formative years on his uncle’s ranch, and his parents couldn’t keep him indoors.

South Africa was a welcome challenge but a challenge all the same. “Africa is the most amazing, beautiful, harsh land there is on earth,” he said. “I was blown away by Africa. It was just majestic and beautiful. Everything there is designed to kill you. … Every animal there is so extreme and awesome. I really enjoyed it there. I’d go back and do it again.”

He added: “I was hoping it was going to be Africa or Australia because those are the two extreme environments in the world I’ve always wanted to go test myself against, and I got the most extreme of the two. So I was pretty stoked when they told us Africa.”

Before the 40-day mission, Reay was positive and excited for the experience. It didn’t appear that fear or nervousness entered his mind. The more danger, the more animals and the more extreme the environment, the more the adrenaline pumped throughout his body.

“I was so joyous and ecstatic out there, and it was hard,” he admitted. “And I was dying, and I was starving. But yet at the same time I was having the time of my life. I live off that type of excitement.”

Often the human-to-human conflicts on Naked and Afraid are more stressful than the environmental factors. This was true of Reay’s time in South Africa.

“For me the biggest challenge was working cohesively with a group, and having to put egos aside and avoid conflicts with people who I normally tell off in situations,” he said. “That was the challenge for me, and living off the land and being in nature for me is just fun. But dealing with those people, especially under those conditions, that was the hardest challenge of my life.”

At home, although he’s mostly outdoors, his family and friends are proud that he’s living the life he always dreamed about. Reay called them his “biggest fans.”

“I would do it again and again,” he said of his time on the television show. “Africa actually challenged me. I suffered, and I struggled out there. It was the first time in my life I struggled at something, and the only way to get stronger is to go do it again. No matter how hard it is, I have a good time when I’m out there. I’d love to do it again.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Naked and Afraid XL continues with new episodes Sundays at 10 p.m. on Discovery Channel. Click here for more information.