Courtesy Image / Discovery Channel
Malorie Ann Romero survived 21 days in the wilderness for the reality show Naked and Afraid.
Photos of Romero hunting, fishing, hiking and camping make up most of her online presence. Tags such as #outdoorswoman, #womenwhohunt and #shefishes accompany the shots.
Those online images led the producers of Discovery Channel’s reality series Naked and Afraid to get in touch and cast Romero. Each episode of the show, now in its 15th season, features two participants who meet for the first time — both naked, as per the title — and endure a grueling 21-day stay in the wilderness.
Romero’s episode airs this Sunday at 7 p.m. on the Discovery Channel.
“When [the producers] messaged me and told me about the show, I was like, ‘This cannot be real,’” Romero, 39, told the Current during a recent interview. “I had actually never sat down and watched a full episode.”
Committing to the show was a tough call, according to Romero. It required her to leave her two children for an extended period, one of whom has a congenital heart defect. And Romero had health issues of her own to consider: she has an autoimmune disease and is a cancer survivor.
“But I just knew that I couldn’t throw away the opportunity,” she said. “If I did, I would always wonder, ‘What if?’”
During the interview, Romero — who attended McCollum High School, South San West Campus High School and Frank Tejeda Academy — discussed the challenges she faced on Naked and Afraid, which also will begin streaming her episode this Sunday on on discovery+.
What was your initial reaction when you got the news that you were chosen for the show?
I was nervous and excited. I was nervous, because to me, I would be representing all the single moms out there. Sometimes you have those days where you just want to give up because it’s just too much. But on the show, I just told myself that I had to go out there, and that I couldn’t give up. I'm gonna represent single moms and Latinos, and I'm going to represent San Antonio.
What do you think producers saw in your photos that made them reach out to you for a show like Naked and Afraid?
There’s a lot of hunting and fishing photos of me. I like to do the beginning-to-end process. I would go out there for a hunt — a hog or a deer or whatever it may be — and then I would process [the meat] myself and make meals for my kids. Even when I’m fishing, I make my own fishing weights, and I’d go out there and fish and bring it home and make all kinds of meals for my family.
How long have you been hunting and fishing?
The crazy thing is I was partially raised by my grandparents, and they were hunters and fishers, but they would never take me hunting and fishing. But I knew I had a passion for it. I just remember always wanting to help my grandpa. He loved the outdoors. He liked the idea of having to fend for yourself. I wish he was here, so he would know that I went on the show.
Courtesy Image / Discovery Channel
Naked and Afraid participant Romero said she was nervous for the world to see her sans clothing.
I’ve been lost in the woods before. Once, I went turkey hunting. It was my first time, and I went running after a turkey and then suddenly, I turned around, and I couldn’t find my way out. I was drenched in sweat, and I didn’t have my phone with me, and I didn’t have anything to drink. I was so thirsty. All I had was my shotgun and one round.
What happened?
Well, I remember it was getting dark. I wasn't scared. I’m used to the outdoors. But I was like, “I just gotta figure this out.” I knew that if I kept walking, I might be getting myself further [into the woods]. When I looked up, all I saw was trees and sky. So, I decided to just shoot my gun in the air. When I shot it, in the distance, I heard somebody shoot back, and I said, “That’s where I gotta go.” I was probably lost for about three hours. When I finally found my way back, the turkey came running out in front of me. I was like, “Are you freaking kidding me?!” I was like, “This dude's taunting me now.” The turkey was laughing at me.
What do you need to have inside yourself to be a good outdoorswoman?
You just have to have a passion for it — for nature. I know I'm a hunter, but at the same time, I have a passion for the animals, too. I love animals. Right now, I have two pythons at home. I have a pet rat too. Instead of being python food, it became my pet. I have a black widow and a guinea pig, and I have two dogs and a cat. I also have a pet pig who lives inside the house.
You must be pretty excited that your Naked and Afraid episode is finally going to air.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty nervous that the whole world is about to see my bare ass. But, yeah, I am excited. When I was out there [in the wilderness], I just kept thinking, ‘Man, I wish somebody else could see what I’m seeing.” And now they are.
I know you can’t say too much about your episode, but can you give me a sense of some of the challenges you had to face out there in the wilderness?
The mosquitos. I was being eaten so much by these mosquitoes that I felt that I wasn’t going to be able to show my full potential. When you're just constantly being eaten alive, day in and day out, there's no stopping them. It really does bring down your morale. Also, I'll say a little bit about my partner. My partner had a big role in my morale as well. Having someone there to motivate you makes a huge difference. But to have somebody that's just a constant Debbie Downer will definitely bring you down.
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