‘Naked and Afraid’ Heads to Alaska for Coldest Season Premiere Yet

Naked and Afraid has always found new and creative ways to challenge their contestants, but this season may push the nude survivalists to their brink.

In Sunday’s season premiere of the hit Discovery show, things are getting switched up for the two survivalists, who as in the past will be stripped of their clothing and dropped into the harsh wilderness to survive for weeks on end, working as a team.

While in the past, pairs have been stranded in locations where the temperature isn’t the greatest of their worries, the new season kicks off Sunday with two contestants being dropped into the frozen tundra of Alaska, where PEOPLE reports the high temperatures were in the low 40s and the lows dipped below freezing.

For such an extreme switch, the network chose two of their most experiences challengers — Steven Lee Hall and Laura Zerra — who have taken on the dangerous wilds of Alabama, South Africa, the Bahamas, Panama, Peru and Colombia collectively.

Hall explained that regardless of his experience on the show, the cold brought with it a whole new host of challenges.

“It was beautiful,” Hall, 35, told PEOPLE ahead of the premiere, “but some of the most beautiful places on the planet are also the most inhospitable. This was the final frontier.”

Hall and Zerra were given a few fur pelts for keeping themselves from developing hypothermia at night, but were still mostly naked while trying to stay alive for 14 days.

“It was the hardest challenge yet,” Hall said. “Hypothermia is a concern even in the tropics sometimes, but it was constantly on our minds here. Laura and I are both really experienced fire makers, so there was that…but it was so cold.”

“You can lose a few digits out there,” Hall continued. “The weather can kill you.”

Keeping their extremities warm in the dangerous temperatures was of particular concern, and for Hall, keeping his genitals from developing frostbite was a unique challenge to face.

“I would lose a finger or a toe before I’d lose that,” he said. “I was in deep snow sometimes, and I thought a lot about how to keep it warm.”

Season 10 of the Discovery show will also feature locations including an alligator-infested Florida swamp and African wildlife area and will feature the first ever group of three people, as well as romantic couple competing together.

Naked and Afraid premieres Sunday, March 3 at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.

Photo credit: Discovery