Rough seas ahead! Or at least a few waves of drama. Nine people from all walks of life set sail in Discovery‘s new reality show Survive the Raft—based on a 50-year-old social experiment—that tests not only their survival skills but also their ability to simply get along.
Set adrift on the Acali II off the Panama coast for up to 21 days, the strangers bring different skill sets—and, of course, wide-ranging political and belief systems. A hunter and a vegan. A rabbi and a nonbeliever. In the opening minutes, a Black woman instantly pegs another participant as “a redneck” and “a racist.”
What unites them is a desire to win money, for the group and for themselves. Some of the game involves timed competitions, like retrieving small boxes loaded with cash and getting back to the boat before high tide—but the real challenge is resisting opportunities for treachery (say, keeping the cash instead of sharing). Even worse, new potential contestants with impressive survival skills are introduced. They can stay… but only if someone else is voted off.
“When stripped of modern-day creature comforts and connectivity to the outside world, this group is called to be vulnerable with one another, and what we witness is unique,” notes host Nate Boyer, a former Army Green Beret. “I think the biggest challenge the contestants face is the battle within. You’re going to be tested and pushed to the brink, but can you shoulder that and not be deterred from the ultimate goal?”
The experiment that inspired Survive the Raft was conceived by anthropologist Santiago Genovés in 1973. It ultimately failed—for more, see the 2018 documentary The Raft—but the prizes were added as an incentive for contestants to stay aboard and work through their differences. Can they avoid tearing each other apart?
“America may be more divided than ever,” Boyer says. “As someone who took the oath to defend this nation during a time of war, I get discouraged by what I see and hear in the mainstream media, social media and elsewhere. We can’t move forward in a productive way if we will not listen to one another with respect and humility.” We’re on board with that.
Survive the Raft, Series Premiere Sunday, July 30, 9/8c, Discovery
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