Adventurer and survivalist Ed Stafford is back, pushing his survival skills to the limit and pitting himself once again versus Mother Nature in the brand new second season of MAROONED, premiering August 30, 8:10pm on Discovery Channel. Watch as Ed tackles six new challenges in which he is left high and dry in some of the most inhospitable and extreme environments – equipped with nothing but an emergency phone, medical kit and his camera to record his adventures.
Shot in remote locations ranging from the arid and rocky Gobi Desert in Mongolia to the tropical jungles of Guatemala and the Namibian bushveld, each location presents a unique and deadly test as Ed strives to not just survive, but thrive in some of the world’s toughest environments.
Having become the first man to walk the length of the Amazon in an incredible 860 day feat featured in Discovery Channel series WALKING THE AMAZON, and having spent 60 days alone with just a camera on a desert island for NAKED AND MAROONED, Ed is back again, putting his life in danger as he proves to himself that he can devise a plan to survive in any environment.
Helen Hawken, Vice President Production & Development at Discovery Networks International, commented: “This new season captures Ed doing what he does best – pushing his survival skills to the limits in his true inimitable style. Despite crossing the Amazon and spending 60 days alone on a deserted island, Ed still manages to prove that he can survive and even thrive in even more inhospitable terrains than ever before.”
MAROONED is produced for Discovery Networks International by Tigress Productions. For Discovery Networks International, Helen Hawken is commissioning editor and Tom Gorham is executive producer. For Tigress Productions, Dick Colthurst is executive producer and Tim Walker is series producer.
Marooned With Ed Stafford 2 – Series
Description
On the back of his incredible 860-day
feat traversing the jungle featured in Discovery Channel series Walking the Amazon and 60 days spent
alone with just a camera on a desert island for Naked and Marooned, Ed Stafford faced eight of the world’s toughest
environments in Marooned and is now
back with this all-new second installment of the series.
In each self-contained episode of Marooned, Ed goes into isolation for
approximately 10 days in a remote and potentially deadly location. He’s
completely on his own – unless extreme circumstances take hold. All he’s got is
a camera to capture his adventure and his survival know-how.
There are critical things every
survivor must master in their first few days, starting with water, shelter,
food and fire. Ed must rapidly assess his situation and draw up a survival plan
that takes him beyond the basics to being in control of himself and his
environment. No two episodes are the same as Ed confronts challenges unique to
each environment that require him to use every survival trick in the book.
Each location – Mongolia’s Gobi
Desert, Guatemala and Namibia – arid rocky desert, tropical jungle, and unique
African forest – is difficult and dangerous in a different way and requires Ed
to adopt different strategies in each place.
Episode Descriptions
Philippines – Tuesday 30Th August (PH 8.10pm)
Ed is
in The Philippines, on Coron Island, attempting to survive on a secluded beach.
The seashore is covered in litter, potentially useful for survival but a
depressing reminder of the state of our seas. Ed hasn’t been abandoned on an
island since his ordeals on Naked and
Marooned and when he gets seriously ill, he starts to struggle with ghosts
from the past. Lying on his sick bed of palm leaves, Ed realizes that if
he doesn’t push himself to find water and food quickly this survival mission is
over. But hemmed in by towering granite cliffs he’s concerned there may be no
water to be found.
Argentine Patagonia – Tuesday 6th September (PH 8.10pm)
Dropped
deep in the foothills of the Andes in Argentine Patagonia, Ed faces extreme
exposure to both intense sunlight and freezing temperatures as the southern
hemisphere unleashes a torrent of meteorological abuse at him. Making camp in a
mountain river valley, he subsists on a diet of wild woodland salad, tadpoles
and ant eggs before getting to grips with tickling trout in the fish-rich
waters. In a final demonstration of thriving, he builds an automated fishing
system and creates a living larder to keep his food source alive in preparation
for a final evening mega-meal.
Norway – Tuesday 13th September (PH 8.10pm)
Ed
changes course and heads north towards the Arctic Circle being dropped on top
of a snow covered mountain in the western fjords of Norway. This is the first
time Marooned has ever been to a truly cold location. The conditions are so
extreme/cold that Ed is compelled to wear clothes, but as usual takes no food,
tools or knife. Before entering isolation Ed undergoes special ice training to
prepare him for the dangers that lie ahead. He faces a new set of
challenges having to build a shelter that will protect him from the
inhospitable weather and battling to keep his fire alight on the sodden
ground. He’s under constant risk of hypothermia and the rising spring
tide threatens his home.
Talent Biography: Ed Stafford
Ed
Stafford is the Guinness World Record holding first man to walk the length of
the Amazon River, a journey documented in the Discovery Channel series Walking
the Amazon. Ed is an established adventurer and survivalist for
Discovery, presenting – and self-filming – flagship series such as Marooned
and Into the Unknown.
Born
in Peterborough, England, Ed was adopted as a baby by his parents Jeremy and
Barbara Stafford. Educated at Stoneygate School, Leicester, Uppingham
School in Rutland, and at Newcastle University, Ed earned a position in the
prestigious commissioning course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and
was commissioned as a British Army Officer in July 1999.
Ed
went on to command platoons in the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, gaining his
Northern Ireland medal in 2000 for his tour of Crossmaglen, South Armagh. Ed’s
happiest military years were spent as an instructor at RTC Lichfield where he
oversaw several hundred Army recruits through their basic training. Ed left the
military in 2002 as a captain.
After
leaving the Army, Ed used his leadership and outdoor skills as an expedition
leader with the former charity Trekforce. He led groups of volunteers on
community and conservation expeditions into the jungles of Belize, Guatemala
and Borneo, and was eventually promoted to Country Director of Trekforce in
Belize, overseeing all in-country operations.
Following
a role as a United Nations contractor advising UN electoral workers on
planning, logistics and security during Afghanistan’s first ever presidential
elections, Ed decided to return to expeditions. Ed took on a new challenge –
setting up extreme cold weather expeditions in Patagonia, Argentina, for the
expedition company GVI. Ed was Director of Programmes in Argentina and ran the
Argentinian branch of GVI, carrying out scientific research projects and
Northern Ice Cap traverses in Chile.
In
2007, Ed was offered work with the BBC’s Natural History Unit. Ed was
contracted to fly into Guyana and manage the construction of a filming base
camp in the heart of the Guyanese rainforest. Ed managed 35 Amerindians over
this construction period then became the camp’s logistics manager when the film
crew arrived nine weeks later to start filming Lost Land of the Jaguar,
in which Ed appears briefly giving a safety brief to the presenters in the
opening program.
In
Ed’s first program with Discovery, Walking the Amazon, he took on an
860-day trek along the Amazon River. This was the longest jungle expedition
ever attempted and the first time in history that anyone has walked this entire
route. His Guinness World Record breaking feat made headlines the world over
and was described by Sir Ranulph Fiennes as ‘truly extraordinary…in the top
league of expeditions past and present.’ It shifted Ed’s focus from managing
and leading teams in dangerous environments to using his expedition skills to
educate people about environmental matters and to inspire others to achieve the
seemingly impossible.
In
2011, Ed was awarded ‘European Adventurer of the Year’ in a ceremony in
Stockholm, Sweden; and in 2012 he received the ‘Charlie Burton Award’ from Sir
Ranulph Fiennes’ Transglobe Expedition Trust for outstanding bravery. He was
also made a trustee of the same trust. Ed is an ambassador for the Scouts and a
global ambassador for Land Rover.
Ed’s
second series with Discovery, Naked and Marooned, saw him push
his limits even further, spending 60 days alone on an island with only his bare
hands to keep him alive. The first series of Marooned saw Ed face
challenges in some of the most remote locations and extreme environments this
planet has to offer; and he’s back for a second installment, in which he’ll
once again push himself to his limit and beyond.
Interesting
Trivia
Season 2 by the
numbers: 9,600km journey on foot took 859 days to complete.
First cold weather experience on a survival
show
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
