By Andrew Edwards
Elmore/Autauga New Staff Writer
Imagine being stripped down, partnered with a stranger and being forced to trek miles into a South American jungle. Then imagine being swarmed by insects and preyed upon by mammals so large that they’d give creatures from the Jurassic period a run for their money.
That’s what Prattville resident Amanda Kaye, of Prattville, had to endure when she appeared not once, but twice, on the Discovery Channel’s hit TV Show, “Naked and Afraid.”
The show tests a person’s survival skills by placing them in some of the most difficult environments in various locations all across the world. They must last a full 21 days to win the contest, alongside a stranger of the opposite sex, and are given one “survivor tool” to make their stay somewhat easier.
There’s also the caveat that you must remain, well, naked for the entirety of your stay.
So how did a Prattville resident who attended Stanhope Elmore High School end up on camera, south of the equator twice? And how did she become a Deputy for the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office?
“Growing up, my parents were in to living history, like at Fort Toulouse. We would travel and do things like that all the time. I learned a lot of skills from portrayals of those Native Americans in the 1700s and 1800s,” Kaye said.
Kaye said that the show interested her when it first aired back in 2013. She saw online that they were accepting applications and that she would apply as a joke.
“Next thing you knew I was on a plane four weeks later going to California to do interviews,” Kaye laughed. “Two weeks after that I was headed to South America.”
During her stint on the show, Kaye was sent to the jungles of Peru and Guyana. Her first appearance did not go smoothly.
“I had gotten down to Peru and my partner in the episode had backed out at the last minute. So, I had to wait down there, for what felt like a while, for them to fly the new person in. We ended up starting and everything, but by that point I was just done,” Kaye said.
The episode, which is notorious for its copious amount of mosquitos, was the key factor in Kaye withdrawing from the challenge. She only lasted four days.
“One of the cameramen literally had his eyes swollen shut from the amount of mosquito bites. They told me, ‘Look, these are horrible conditions. We totally understand and we want to give you another chance.’ So, they offered me another opportunity to come back out and try it again,” Kaye said.
Kaye, who is mother to three children, said that the babysitting situation at home was taken care of and organized. That played an important role in her decision to return a second time.
“Since everything here was taken care of, I realized that that gave me to opportunity to focus on what I needed to do,” Kaye explained.
Her second appearance in the eastern South American county of Guyana went much more smoothly.
“We were never really hungry. We fished in the Amazon and caught some stingrays, ate some piranhas and honestly had a pretty good time all-around,” Kaye said.
Kaye explained that the camera crew filmed during the daytime, essentially working a 9-5 job before returning to their cabins or hotels. When they weren’t filming, they were still being active behind the scenes.
“When I was in Guyana, the guy I was with and I covered ourselves in charcoal and went jaguar hunting in the jungle. We knew we probably wouldn’t find one but we did goofy stuff like that all the time,” Kaye said.
She was allowed one tool during her time there, and what she brought would probably be atypical to some.
“I brought Potassium Permanganate. It can purify water and can help clean up wounds. It’s kind of an all-around tool,” Kaye said.
In terms of getting used to being naked alongside a stranger, Kaye said the adjustment was not as hard as you may think.
“You just quickly get over the awkwardness because you have to find a good spot to set up shelter or you’re going to have a bad time. You’re focused and you have to get stuff done, because once the sun sets, it’s over. You’re stuck where you’re at because you can’t see anything,” Kaye said.
Ultimately, she was able to use her previous experience to survive the full 21 days – and she learned a lot about herself in the process.
“I found that you can push yourself to any limit and still make it through, even if you feel like giving up. There were a lot days that I thought it would be easier to quit, but as long as you have the mindset to do something, you can get it done,” Kaye said.
Kaye said that she has been offered the opportunity to appear on the show again, but that she would rather spend time with her family instead of embarking on another wild adventure.
“I really don’t have anything else to prove,” Kaye said.
After her appearances on the show, Kaye used her time to travel and hold fundraisers for breast cancer and child cancer. She explained that the travelling took a toll on her, and that she wanted to stay at home permanently. That led her to the Autauga County Sheriff’s Department, where she has served as a Deputy for the past year.
“Amanda has been great, and she does our department a great service. Whenever someone asks her to get something done, she gets right on it,” said Autauga County Sheriff Joe Sedinger.
Amanda, who has always admired law enforcement, explained her reasoning behind joining the Sheriff’s Department.
“I just wanted to help out and give back to the community. I grew up here and have seen how wonderful this community has been to one another over the years. I have a high respect for our law enforcement,” Kaye said. “The people have been great and everyone that I run into has been super nice.”
On the side, she also makes her own custom “A-Klub Knives” which can be viewed at https://www.topsknives.com/
While Kaye did learn a lot about herself during her time in the jungles, she said that one feeling kept coming back to her.
“I just hated being away from my family. They mean everything to me, and there wasn’t a second out there when I wasn’t thinking about them,” Kaye said.
For those interested in following Kaye’s adventure, follow her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/00AK21
