Northeast Texan starring in reality show

A northeast Texan received a one in a million chance and went for it. Maria Lucy Beyonce will be showing us her survival skills on the hit television show ‘Naked and Afraid’.

Better known as ‘Malu’ to friends and family, this Pittsburg native said it all started because she watches the show and discusses the episodes on her own podcast called ‘Oh Heck Naa’.

“I’d watch the show and say ‘Oh, these guys are tapping out. There’s no tap outs in real life’,” Malu said. “And so I did a podcast about this, because I thought people are tapping out way too much. Then the show contacted me and said, ‘You want to talk a lot of stuff, why don’t you go out there?’” Malu explained with amusement that even though she’s a podcaster and not a survivalist, she wanted to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Malu told us about her grandfather, who was once stranded in Korea and had to survive 30 days, “ This will bring me closer to my grandpa.”

Flown to the Columbian Jungle, Malu said the show gave her many new and different experiences that she never would have gone through if she hadn’t taken this chance.

“‘Naked and Afraid’, that’s a good title,” Malu laughed. “Because that’s exactly what you are.”

If you’ve watched an episode of the show, you know that the survivors are put in some scary situations. Malu said she did come face-to-face with a few predators, “It’s an animal and it was upset that we were there. My soul left my body, but my partner went outside and yelled at it. I was in the shelter and it was one of the scariest things.”

And one question that many of us may wonder: what are the feelings that come with the ‘naked’ part of the television show?

Malu answered, “Initially, you’re nervous about being naked. I was highly concerned about being unclothed, but you get out there and you’re hot and scared, you literally forget about it. There’s so much work to do, you just forget. At least I did, and I hope my partner did. But I honestly think the vulnerability bonds us. You don’t have to be best friends, but you’re dependent on each other. We’re both out there afraid and vulnerable and I think that’s what really makes the show good.”

Malu’s episode of ‘Naked and Afraid’ airs on Easter Sunday, March 31, at 7 p.m. on Discovery Channel. You can also stream it the following day on HBO Max.