Pratik Handore
‘Naked and Afraid‘ is a survival series that tests various participants and their survivor skills in some of the most challenging and harsh conditions offered by nature. The survivalists are put into teams of two, who must work together to build a shelter, gather food and other resources to survive for 21 days (40 days on ‘Naked and Afraid XL’) completely naked and without any assistance from the outside world.
At the end of this period, each contestant’s performance is judged, and they are assigned a rating out of ten. If you have always wondered how this rating known as PSR is calculated, we have all the details for you right here. Here’s everything you need to know about PSR on ‘Naked and Afraid.’
What is the PSR System on Naked and Afraid?
PSR, which stands for Primitive Survival Rating, is the parameter by which experts judge the participants’ survival skills. PSR is calculated based on performances in three important categories – primitive skills, mental strength, and experience. These 3 categories can be further broken down into specific abilities required for survival.
We're breaking down Amber & Ryan's PSR scores. Learn how it was done >> http://t.co/GvSGCsHcHZ pic.twitter.com/yqckcZC0XQ
— Naked and Afraid (@NakedAndAfraid) April 21, 2015
As viewers are aware, surviving in the wilderness is no easy task, and it requires a vast amount of knowledge. A survivor’s book knowledge and hands-on experience constitute the experience category. To achieve a high PSR score, a participant must possess the practical and theoretical knowledge required for survival. However, the former is considered more important when calculating the PSR.
The skill category constitutes a survivalist’s ability to obtain survival necessities, mainly fire, food, water, and shelter. Whether it is lighting a fire in wet and humid weather conditions from scratch; scavenging, foraging, or hunting for food; finding a source of clean drinking water; or building a shelter to protect oneself from all kinds of troubles in the wild, all are considered key primitive survival skills. An extraordinary exhibition of such skills can largely shoot up a participant’s PSR.
A survivalist’s mental strength is the third and final component that contributes to their PSR. A participant’s resilience, attitude, teamwork, and ingenuity are closely monitored. How they persevere in the face of extremely challenging conditions, the attitude with which they approach situations, the manner in which they work with their partners and think outside the box to find creative solutions can all increase or decrease a survivalist’s PSR.
The PSR scale can be divided into three levels – novice, intermediate, and expert. A score higher than 7 usually indicates expert survival skills, while lower than 3 is considered a novice. A score between 3 and 7 is an intermediate performance. The highest ever final PSR achieved by a survivalist is 9.1. Both EJ “Skullcrusher” Snyder and Laura Zerra have achieved the score, making them the joint top performers.
It is important to note that, as is the case with most reality competitions, the PSR is a vague system to judge the participants and works somewhat differently from case-to-case. Now that you know the fundamentals of the PSR, you can definitely try to do your own calculations while watching ‘Naked and Afraid.’
Read More: Do Naked and Afraid Participants Get Paid?
