Snellville mom survives ‘Naked and Afraid’

She and her husband, Bob, stumbled upon the show last year. “We were laughing and I said, ‘I can do that so easily,’ ” she said in an interview. ‘He said, ‘Why don’t you apply?’ It was mostly in jest, but I called his bluff and applied. I was in shock when they wanted me to audition.”

The series creates an Adam and Eve feel by having one naked man and one naked woman spend 21 days in a wild forest, jungle, swamp or remote island.

They have no shoes, no underwear, no coverings and just one item to help them. (Usually, that means a machete, and some fire-making device.) They are supposed to find food and shelter on their own, followed around by a camera crew they are supposed to ignore.

“It’s a show that really tests what you’re made of,” Mergenthaler said. “There are no rewards. You don’t get voted off the island. You basically have to create your own survival. Some people can do it. Some can’t.”

Mergenthaler won’t say if she made it all 21 days, but some folks who appeared on the show have dropped out partway through due to illness, injury or basic lack of will.

Her survivalist bona fides are pretty modest. She knows botany really well, but this was her first time overseas. Past trips to Montana and New York were hardly preparation for the harsh environs of a rain forest.

Survivalist shows have been around for years, including “Man Vs. Wild” and “Survivorman.” And CBS’ “Survivor” is in its 28th season. “Naked and Afraid” adds “sizzle” with pixelated nudity. In its second season, the show has averaged 2.2 million viewers during its first airing.

One thing she wasn’t afraid of: stripping down. “I was quite comfortable getting naked,” she said. “It didn’t bother me. Once we were out of our clothes, there was a comfort level achieved and I never looked back.”

When Mergenthaler returned to civilization, she said she had to take eight showers to get all the gunk off her. Starvation took a toll on her body. She said four months have passed, and she still feels only 75 percent back in terms of her physical strength.

Another thing changed: She has become more spiritual. “I’ve been connecting with blog groups and such to basically spread different messages of hope and light,” she said. Being in that jungle, she said, “made me more grateful for the simplicities we have in life, especially my family. Being away from them so long was like a huge kick in the stomach. When I came back, I just wanted everyone to know how grateful I was that they’re in my life.”