Naked and Afraid contestant Sarah Danser has died following a car crash. She was 34.
The reality TV star, who first appeared on the Discovery series in 2017 before being cast on its spinoff, Naked and Afraid XL, in 2018, was a passenger in a car collision on Sunday, Oct. 20, in Kahala, Hawaii, Honolulu police told KSLA.
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Police reported a 59-year-old man was driving eastbound when he lost control of the car and collided with a parked vehicle. Danser, who was a passenger in the car, was hospitalized in critical condition before her death on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Danser, who had moved to Hawaii more than a decade prior, was wearing lei, scarves and bandanas given by her friends when she died, her family told KSLA.
“Magical is the way to describe her. Sarah had this positive energy about her that just really filled the environment that she was in,” her brother, Jake Danser, told the outlet.
Living in Hawaii was a perfect match for the self-described “pirate,” who described herself on social media as a boat captain, a scuba diver, and a survivalist. In addition to her time as a survival expert on Naked and Afraid, Sarah also starred on The CW’s competition show Fight to Survive in 2023. Her family also shared that she had survived breast cancer twice.
Many have paid tribute to Sarah, including her employer, Island Divers Hawaii. “Heavy hearts as we say goodbye to a good friend and great captain,” the business’ Thursday, Oct. 24, Facebook post reads. “Sarah brought such great energy to everyone she came in contact with. You will be greatly missed.”
Sarah’s Naked and Afraid co-star Melissa Lauren also shared her memories of her late co-star. “Sarah was [one] of the most adventurous souls I’ve ever met. She wasn’t only a fierce survivalist on Naked and Afraid (she completed XL in South Africa with me), but a Breast Cancer survivor who kept an inspiring and positive attitude through her treatment,” Lauren wrote on Facebook two days after Sarah’s passing.
“She loved the ocean, nature and exploring – I always considered her a ‘modern day pirate.’ She was one of those people that saw the world through the eyes of a child, in awe of the things that many of us take for granted,” she concluded. “Rest easy Sarah, I know youre out there exploring somewhere.”
Sarah’s final post on Instagram, a photo of her captaining a boat, has become a memorial site for her fans and friends. “Rip sweetheart, you were always my favorite on the show,” one person commented. “You are loved by so many and your legend lives on.” Another wrote, “Such a sad loss in the survival community and in the community of kindness and compassion.”
