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'Naked and Afraid: Alone': Luke McLaughlin has a close encounter with leopards as he goes days without food

He's eaten bugs and spiders but this challenge really gets to him - because he misses company. Crazy right? 

The outrageous show where contestants survive on the basis of their most primal skills is back and this time, they're all doing it alone. Which means there is no one to watch their back!

All-star Luke McLaughlin took on the task of surviving in the badlands and wilderness of South Africa and it was anything but easy. The 32-year-old from North Carolina who is a known face in the 'Naked and Afraid' franchise has previously made it through a 21-day long challenge in Namibia and a 41-day long challenge in Columbia. He's eaten bugs and spiders but this challenge really got to him - because he misses company. Crazy right? 

The primal survival teacher, armed with a bag, a mini machete, a pot, a trusty bow and arrow, and a map, he sets off to make his way through the lands of South Africa prowling with predators like hyenas, lions, and leopards. 

While all is well and good, there's a bunch of moments in this episode that is honestly weird. After saying how he misses the company during the filing (because this is the first time they're out there without a partner), he mentions how he misses his father and his girlfriend back home. At one point, Luke gets so lonely, he cuddles the skin of a dead hyena that he's killed earlier for emotional warmth. Then, he acts like he's "high on meat".

His first day was off to a good start, but unfortunately, the streak did not continue. He shot down a squirrel in a pretty impressive bow and arrow moment but then, food runs out quickly and he is unable to score a game again for days. 

For almost a week, he has no food. "I can feel my digestions shutting down," he says, lying in the home he's built with thorns. The human body requires approximately 400 calories a day to function and Luke had eaten just 400 - in 7 days. On day 10, he hits the jackpot - or an impala, a medium-sized antelope. He shoots the animal straight in the heart. To stock up the meat, after the feast, he makes an attempt at curing it - but it goes south. Maggots infest the meat and he had to throw most of it away. 

However, his most chilling experience, apart from not having enough or any food is when leopards come very near his home in the middle of the night, drawn by the scent of meat. He hid the leftover meat in between rocks and covered them with Acacia branches, but alas, they couldn't fool these predators. He does, however, make it to 21 days. 

Catch the next episode of 'Naked and Afraid: Alone' on Sunday at 10 pm EST on Discovery