Investigation Discovery explores the truly bizarre tale of a man who claimed to suffer from amnesia for 20 years. The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle dives into Benjaman’s life and reveals facts the documentary team wasn’t expecting to uncover.
The documentary event is scheduled to air over two nights, beginning on Monday, May 25, 2026 at 9pm and wrapping up on Tuesday, May 26.
Investigation Discovery offers this description of the documentary:
“In August 2004, a naked and injured man was found behind a Burger King in rural Georgia. Claiming to suffer from a rare form of amnesia, he called himself Benjaman Kyle. In 2014, with the help of filmmakers Shannon and Eric Evangelista, he set out to piece together his forgotten life. But as cracks in his story emerged, producers uncovered realities that revealed disturbing inconsistencies in his past, revealing three cold cases and a possible connection to a powerful Midwestern crime family.
As new evidence surfaces, the producers face mounting threats, placing one of their own in danger and revealing the devastating cost that can come with chasing the truth.”
The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle is produced by Hot Snakes Media.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in ‘Michael’ (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate)
Biopics are usually only as interesting as their subject. And some of the most interesting subjects with the most exciting lives are rock stars, so it makes sense that some of the most interesting movies would be about them, movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, and Walk Hard. So, the new movie Michael, about the life of the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, has to be great, right?
Well, not so fast.
Michael follows the career of Michael Jackson (played by Jaafar Jackson, son of The Jackson 5’s Jermaine and nephew of The King of Pop), from the early days of The Jackson 5 right up to the mid-eighties Victory Tour. This period covers his time in The Jackson 5 as well as the making of his solo albums Off the Wall and Thriller. Of course, this is the period of time when he became the biggest musical entertainer in the world.
The screenplay for Michael was written by John Logan, who penned movies like Gladiator and Skyfall. And it was directed by Antoine Fuqua, who did The Equalizer movies and Southpaw. So, on paper, it’s got an action-packed pedigree. And truth be told, there are segments of the movie that are exciting and full of energy.
Unfortunately for Michael, it was executive produced by pretty much the whole Jackson clan (except for, curiously, Janet), and it seems a bit overprotective of its subject. Make no mistake – Michael is entertaining, even compelling at times, but it’s extremely safe. It’s a story that is already widely known, and it sticks to that story. There is very little in it that will be revelatory to even casual fans. It even seems to whitewash the often abusive and neglectful ways in which Michael’s father (played wonderfully by Colman Domingo from Sing Sing) treated him.
There’s no drama in Michael. Even the more tragic and traumatic moments in his life – the Pepsi commercial incident, for example – are treated with little to no fanfare. Just another normal day where Michael almost dies. No big deal. No emotional weight. It feels like a Hallmark Movie Channel adaptation of MJ’s life. It’s all very sanitized.
The music is, of course, easily the biggest draw to the movie. Michael Jackson is one of those artists whose songs are all classics. Even those who don’t own a single MJ record will know every song in the film. Not just recognize every song but literally know each one by heart. And the movie knows this, as MJ’s music is front and center. Just as it should be. The smartest thing Michael does is treat its last 20 minutes or so as almost a concert film. It leaves things on a high note and sends the audience off singing “and the whole world has to answer right now just to tell you once again, who’s Bad?”
Again, Michael is not a bad movie. It’s very watchable, and it’s entertaining enough in its own right. It just doesn’t take any chances, so what fans get is more like VH1’s Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story than Sid and Nancy. Which is probably what Michael Jackson fans want. They want to worship their hero without seeing any of the warts. And that’s what they get with Michael.
Now, Michael does only go up through the mid- to late-eighties, so there’s still plenty of Jackson’s life left uncovered, and what came after this period of his story next is much more…controversial. And the movie does leave itself open to a sequel. So, who knows what we’ll get if/when a part two is made? But hopefully, whatever it is, it’s not quite as protective as Michael is. Because it may be the family’s chance to tell his/their side of the story, and whitewashing it will just put everything into question.
Anyway, if you’re a big fan of Michael Jackson, you’ll like Michael. If not, it’s still worth a watch, but you won’t get the same return on investment.
GRADE: C (although the music is a hard A+)
Rating: PG-13 for some thematic material, smoking, and language
Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes
Release Date: April 24, 2026
Studio: Lionsgate
The promo shows Eve and Three Rock are in serious trouble and in need of rescue on CBS’s Fire Country season four, episode 16. Directed by Gabriel Correa, episode 16 – “Not Worth the Risk” – will air on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 9pm ET/PT.
“Not Worth the Risk” Plot: Bode sets out to prove his leadership skills during a historic cold snap that plunges Edgewater into crisis mode. Meanwhile, Jake contemplates a life‑altering decision that could change his future forever.
Max Thieriot stars as Bode, Kevin Alejandro is Manny, Diane Farr is Sharon, Jordan Calloway plays Jake, and Jules Latimer stars as Eve.
Fire Country stars Max Thieriot (SEAL TEAM) as Bode Leone, a young convict who sought redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates were partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode was assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son until his troubles began.
Someone’s trying to scare people into selling their land on CBS’s Sheriff Country episode 16, directed by Nicole Rubio. Episode 16 – “Twenty Four Candles” – will air on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 8pm ET/PT.
“Twenty Four Candles” Plot: While Skye celebrates her 24th birthday, Sheriff Mickey Fox investigates a brutal attack tied to a land-grab scheme.
Morena Baccarin leads the cast as Mickey Fox, Matt Lauria plays Nathan Boone, W. Earl Brown is Wes Fox, Michele Weaver plays Cassidy Campbell, and Christopher Gorham stars as Travis Fraley. Executive producers include Fire Country star Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, Matt Lopez, Jerry Bruckheimer, and KristieAnne Reed.
Morena Baccarin stars as straight-shooting sheriff Mickey Fox, the stepsister of Cal Fire’s division chief Sharon Leone (Diane Farr of Fire Country). She investigates criminal activity while she patrols the streets of small-town Edgewater, contending with her ex-con father, Wes (W. Earl Brown), who is an off-the-grid marijuana grower, and a mysterious incident involving her wayward daughter.
Justin Kirk (Weeds) reprises his guest-starring role as Tad the Mayor on CBS’s Ghosts season five, episode 17. Directed by Katie Locke O’Brien, episode 17 – “The Investor” – will air on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 8:30pm ET/PT.
“The Investor” Plot: When a promising opportunity to save Woodstone is threatened by a personal conflict, Sam and Jay are forced into a difficult choice. Meanwhile, election day arrives as Flower and Isaac go head‑to‑head to become Ghost Representative.
Season five stars Rose McIver as Sam, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay, Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac, and Richie Moriarty as Pete. Danielle Pinnock is Alberta, Asher Grodman is Trevor, Román Zaragoza stars as Sasappis, Rebecca Wisocky plays Hetty, Devan Chandler Long is Thorfinn, and Sheila Carrasco plays Flower.
Ghosts is a single-camera comedy about Samantha and Jay, a cheerful freelance journalist and chef from the city, respectively, who threw both caution and money to the wind when they decided to convert Woodstone Mansion, which Sam inherited, into a bed & breakfast—only to find it was inhabited by the many spirits of deceased residents who now call it home.
The departed souls are a close-knit, eclectic group that includes a saucy Prohibition-era lounge singer (Pinnock); a pompous 18th-century militiaman (Scott Jones); a ‘60s hippie fond of hallucinogens (Carrasco); an overly upbeat ‘80s scout troop leader (Moriarty); a cod-obsessed Viking explorer from 1009 (Chandler Long); a slick ‘90s finance bro (Grodman); a sarcastic and witty native from the 16th century (Zaragoza); and a society woman and wife of a 19th-century robber baron who is Sam’s ancestor (Wisocky), to name a few.
The opening of the B&B and Jay’s new restaurant are a source of intrigue, anxiety, and curiosity among the spirits, but they will gladly put up with the commotion as long as they can continue to interact with a living inhabitant.
Neon’s final trailer for Hokum is even creepier than the previous teasers. Severance’s Adam Scott stars as a writer who visits a sinister-looking inn where a staff member has gone missing. He’s warned to leave the inn before he stops looking like his passport picture, but of course he doesn’t.
“When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite,” reads Neon’s synopsis. “Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past.”
Adam Scott stars in ‘Hokum’ (Photo Credit: Neon)
In addition to Adam Scott, the horror film stars Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O’Connell, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio. Written and directed by Damian McCarthy (Caveat, Oddity), Hokum is produced by Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy, Ruth Treacy, Julianne Forde, and Mairtin De Barra. Ken Kao, Josh Rosenbaum, Dan Kagan, Andrew Childs, Ben Ross, and Rami Yasin serve as executive producers. Additional executive producers include Bryan Meng, Dr. Terence Chan, Tom Quinn, Ryan Friscia, Jeff Deutchman, and Evan O’Brien.
McCarthy’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Colm Hogan, production designer Til Frohlich, costume designer Lara Campbell, and editor Brian Philip Davis.
A scene from ‘Omaha’ (Photo Credit: Greenwich Entertainment)
First-time feature film director Cole Webley makes an auspicious debut with Omaha, a powerful family drama set against the backdrop of the 2008 economic crisis. Webley describes his feature as “an examination of grief, love, and vulnerability,” and the deeply unsettling ending takes the audience by surprise, delivering a gut punch – especially to parents of young children.
Webley’s debut film focuses on a Nevada dad (John Magaro) who, following the death of his wife and the foreclosure of his home, feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. It’s nearly too much to bear, and he can’t see a clear path out of this downward spiral for his family. His money’s run out, but the love for his children – Ella, 9 (Molly Belle Wright), and Charlie, 6 (Wyatt Solis) – remains strong. In fact, it’s so strong that he sacrifices everything to ensure they not just survive but thrive.
Dad packs his kids and their beloved golden retriever Rex into his rundown car for a road trip he’s forced into taking. The vehicle is barely functional, pennies are pinched to buy gas, and he skips meals for himself to make sure his kids are fed.
Ella, an incredibly perceptive and empathetic child, senses her dad is hiding something that will dramatically change their lives. He won’t explain where they’re heading, and Ella seems determined to convince him that they can make it through these tough times, as long as they remain a family. She understands that something is wrong but doesn’t know how to help take away some of his pain.
A gut-wrenching moment early on serves as a catalyst for Ella’s heartbreak, and the scene is masterfully executed, leaving the audience in tears. That moment is just the first of many that pierce your heart. (Seriously, have tissues nearby.)
Ella needs to handle more than any child should, thrust into the role of substitute mom for her little brother. Charlie’s a carefree, adaptable kid who knows that he’s safe if he has his sister by his side. Ella doesn’t have that same sort of support now that her father has emotionally shut down. Dad’s disconnecting is an act of self-preservation, given his ultimate decision.
John Magaro has never been better than as a father whose spirit is as broken as his finances. Magaro’s performance is utterly compelling throughout, but it’s when he finally reveals the reason behind the trip that just how extraordinary his portrayal of this poor, unfortunate soul becomes clear.
The performances from the young actors playing Ella and Charlie, Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis, are remarkably natural and authentic, some of the most genuine portrayals of childhood I’ve seen on screen. Wright, as the protective older sister, is simply astonishing, delivering an incredibly nuanced performance seasoned actors can’t match.
The 2008 economic crisis isn’t just a backdrop: it’s a character, stealing the family’s hope. Omaha’s strength lies in its unflinching portrayal of the dad’s desperation as his options become increasingly limited. As the march toward a crushing decision goes on, small moments of joy – like a visit to the zoo or a pause to fly kites – become more poignant in hindsight.
Omaha’s emotionally shattering climax is presented with brutal honesty. What makes it more devastating is that the premise is inspired by actual headlines from 2008. (To keep this spoiler-free, I’m linking to the inspiration.)
Screenwriter Robert Machoian (The Killing of Two Lovers) takes a difficult decision that most would criticize and makes it relatable. We might not have made the same decision in these circumstances, but we can understand and even forgive the dad’s choice.
Omaha offers a blunt look at life on the fringe. It’s a harrowing watch, but looking away misses the point. The film is anchored by performances so raw they turn a story of desperation into something deeply human.
GRADE: A
Rating: PG-13 for thematic material
Runtime: 1 hour 23 minutes
Release Date: April 24, 2026 (Limited)
Omaha screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
CBS’s Tracker season three, episode 17 travels to Hamilton, Montana where two besties sneak back into one of their homes in the dead of night. One of the girls, Tory, wakes up to a noise and calls out to her friend, Julie. Tory goes looking for her and finds Julie and her parents dead. A man begins whistling, and she hides under the bed, working hard to stifle a scream.
She watches in shock as the man caresses her dead friend’s head. Suddenly, Tory’s pulled feet first out from her hiding place.
(The following is a recap of season three, episode 17 – “Daughters” – and there are spoilers.)
Randy (Chris Lee) calls Colter (Justin Hartley), apologizing for the case he’s about to ask him to handle. Randy admits he’s already told the family Colter will help, but it’s pretty traumatic. Julie and her parents were brutally murdered, and Julie’s friend, 16-year-old Tory, is missing. Tory’s parents are desperate and think the killer took her while she was still alive.
Colter takes the case and meets with Tory’s mom. The police advised her the FBI is on its way, and she just wants her daughter found. She insists her daughter is alive but is scared because the police dogs are searching the surrounding area.
Sheriff Bellows is in charge of the scene and isn’t thrilled about Colter’s presence. He orders Colter off his crime scene. Colter looks around outside and finds a blue pen stuck in the ground and blue material on a leaf. He walks a bit further and sees a branch broken off just as FBI Special Agent Temple (Briana Venskus-Vazquez) walks up. Colter explains Tory’s parents hired him, and both Colter and Temple think this is where the killer watched the house. The blue material is from blue boot covers.
The police believe the killer left through the front door, but Colter disagrees. Temple’s with the Behavioral Analysis Unit and believes the perpetrator has done this before. Colter thinks the killer was watching the house for days and points out multiple spots that prove his point. Temple reveals this guy has done this twice before and always takes a trophy.
He seems to keep his trophy alive for a couple of days to torture them before dumping the bodies. Temple’s working on her own because it’ll be hard to convince her supervisor that it’s the same guy. They both know Tory doesn’t have much time.
They try and figure out how he took Tory, and Colter finds tracks that indicate he put Tory on a drag litter. The killer had outdoor and/or hunting skills. They continue walking through the forest to where he probably parked the car. Given his past, Tory probably has less than 24 hours to live.
We’re shown Tory begging for her life as the killer dresses her up.
Temple’s legal methods of obtaining neighborhood security footage are way too slow, so Colter calls Randy for an assist. Randy hacks into a home security camera near there and sees an RV heading north at 2:37am. The license plate is muddy, but he can make out a couple of numbers and will work on getting the rest.
Temple thinks the killer crosses paths with the victims and then studies them before making his move. Temple believes Julie was the target, not the parents, if this is the same guy. Colter asks to see the crime scene, and Temple warns him it’s brutal.
She shows Colter photos of the dead parents, staged sitting up in bed. They were killed first, and then Julie was stabbed and left on the floor. Temple believes Julie surprised him; he killed her, and then he took Tory.
They look through Julie’s room, and Colter spots photos on a desk that were probably taken last night. The dress Julie was wearing in the photos is in the trashcan. They luck out, and there’s a credit card in the trash can that belongs to Julie’s mom. There’s a charge for a hair salon an hour away last night at 6pm, and that’s where Colter and Temple head.
The stylist confirms Julie’s mom was one of his regulars. He’s shocked to hear about the murders and doesn’t recall seeing anyone strange. The girls told him a professional photographer offered them modeling work, but he doesn’t remember the photographer’s name.
Randy discovered the RV with the partial plate belongs to Nelson Reagan, who has sexual assaults on his record. Reagan’s a photographer and Randy sends Colter his home address.
They find the RV and Colter breaks in. It’s set up like a dark room, with photos hanging all over. Colter hears a noise outside and chases Reagan as Temple looks around inside. She locates a bloody knife in a drawer.
Colter tackles Reagan and demands to know where Tory is.
Reagan’s taken to the station and claims he didn’t do anything other than take photos of the girls. Temple shows him the bloody knife used to kill Julie that she found in a drawer. Reagan swears he’s being framed.
Reagan thinks someone stole his RV and asks for a lawyer.
Neither Temple nor Colter thinks Reagan has seen the knife before, and Temple admits he doesn’t match the profile. The knife’s handmade and has a mark on it that might be traceable. Temple confirms this murder was the first time the killer used a knife.
Randy finds the local knifemaker, Amos, and sends the address Colter’s way after warning him that Amos has a violent past. Amos claims he doesn’t know about the knife in question until Colter says the killer took a young girl that they hope is still alive. Amos looks through his receipts and sees he sold it to G. Lee, which is probably a fake name. Fortunately, he has a mailing address where he shipped it.
Night’s fallen when Colter heads to the address while filling Temple in on what he’s learned. He’s going there alone, and she’ll get there as quickly as she can.
Colter makes his way through a building, finding items that could be used to torture victims. He follows noises through a hallway and mistakes Tory for the killer. The killer knocks him out and ties him to a chair.
It turns out the killer is the stylist, and he admits he planted the knife in the photographer’s RV. Colter’s gotten closer to finding him than anyone has before, and Colter claims that’s because he’s gotten sloppy. The killer describes Julie and Tory as having rot in them that needed to be fixed.
Colter keeps him talking, trying to stall until Temple gets there. He asks to see Tory to verify she’s still alive, and when the killer goes to fetch her, Colter begins trying to get out of the chair.
Temple drives up unaware that Colter’s been captured.
The killer tells Tory it’ll be over soon as she begs to be released. He unties her and drags her toward the room where he was keeping Colter, who’s managed to get loose. The killer receives an alert that there’s motion outside and kicks Tory in the face, knocking her out.
Colter grabs a flashlight and spots blood, racing to Tory’s side. He assures her that he’s there to help just as he hears a noise outside.
Temple hears sounds in the woods outside and shoots toward them without actually seeing her target. The killer fires back, whistling as he approaches her. Colter sneaks up behind him and snaps his neck. Temple was shot in the clavicle, which isn’t a fatal injury.
The cops and EMTs arrive, along with Tory’s parents. They’re overjoyed to be reunited with their daughter.
Colter climbs into the back of the ambulance with Temple, who’s sorry she couldn’t save the family. Colter reminds her that Tory’s alive because she did her best. “I think the world’s a better place because you try,” says Colter.
CBS’s Marshals episode eight opens on a peaceful note, but the tension quickly ratchets up when the team receives a tip on a wanted bank robber. However, things are not as they seem, and a team member’s in serious jeopardy.
(This is a recap of episode eight, “Blowback,” and there are spoilers.)
Tate (Brecken Merrill) and Cal (Logan Marshall-Green) join Kayce (Luke Grimes) as they inspect East Camp. There’s friendly banter as Kayce checks out the grass to see if it’ll be enough come winter. After Tate rides off, Kayce confesses being a dad is the hardest thing he’s had to deal with.
Cal’s just said he’s happy to have a peaceful morning when Tate rides back, announcing there’s a sketchy guy heading toward the house. The sketchy dude carrying a guitar case turns out to be Garrett (musician Riley Green), a guy Kayce served with in Afghanistan. Garrett is shocked to see Cal and tells Tate that they are three quarters of a group known as the Four Musketeers. Cal disagrees, and no one mentions the name of the fourth.
Cal isn’t thrilled to see Garrett and takes off instead of sticking around to talk.
Cal and Belle (Arielle Kebbel) exchange a smile at work, but he cuts her off when she wants to talk. He claims he’s fine and reminds her they agreed to respect boundaries at work. “It’s nothing personal,” says Cal.
Kayce works with Monica’s mustang as he catches up with Garrett. Kayce remembers that Garrett was in a bad place mentally when he last saw him 10 years ago. Garrett claims he’s better now that he’s making a name for himself as a musician. He reveals that Cal ended his military career, which explains why they were so cold to each other.
Over at the bar, Miles (Tatanka Means) and Maddie (Morgan Lindholm) have made it to their third date. Miles wonders if she’ll tell her dad they’re dating, and she responds by pulling him across the bar for a kiss as Cal walks up.
Miles confesses he didn’t initially know she was Cal’s daughter. Cal doesn’t say how he feels and walks away.
Andrea, Kayce, and Garrett chat over beers. They flirt, and Garrett calls Andrea his new muse. It’s tense when Cal walks up and refuses to join them. Instead, he drops off cash to pay for a few rounds.
The following morning Kayce tells Cal that Garrett seems better. Cal’s leery of his sudden appearance and doesn’t get why he suddenly showed up out of nowhere. He thinks Garrett’s damaged, and Kayce doesn’t mince words, accusing Cal of causing a lot of his damage.
Fortunately, wanted bank robber Reed Pollard has popped up nearby, which gives the team something to focus on. Pollard’s always one step ahead of the law and is in Montana scouting his next takedown. Apparently, he’s at the rodeo grounds, and Cal takes Andrea and Kayce with him to check it out. Belle and Miles stay behind to monitor the situation, and neither is happy about being benched.
Snow falls as Cal, Kayce, and Andrea walk around the cattle stalls at the rodeo grounds. They spot movement and track it when suddenly three armed men appear behind them. The team takes cover, but the marshals are ready, and after minimum gunfire, they take the bad guys down. Kayce chases after who they believe is Reed and engages in a shootout in the barn.
Reed escapes through a hole in the wall.
Cal returns to the station and reports that Kayce’s still chasing Reed but thinks he clipped him. No hospitals have reported a gunshot wound, and Cal orders a statewide search. The dead guys didn’t have IDs on them, just guns and zip ties.
Miles is sulking over not being part of the action and thinks if the full team had been there, they might have caught Pollard. Cal thinks it’s just as likely one of them would have been shot. Cal reminds them he’s doing what’s best for the team and orders them to find Pollard.
Cal confesses to Belle that he’s irritated Maddie’s dating Miles and thinks she’s doing this to piss him off. Belle throws his own words back at him and tells him to respect work boundaries.
Kayce and Andrea head to a shed where an intruder was spotted and find a dead man. Unfortunately, it’s not Pollard.
The team discusses their findings thus far, and it turns out the fourth man had no known connection to Pollard. The three other dead men also don’t have any connections to Pollard. None of the four are from Montana, and they have clean records.
Cal wonders why four strangers would come to Montana to work with Pollard when they aren’t criminals. And Pollard still hasn’t been seen, which makes the team wonder about the tip that was called in. Did Pollard call it in on his own team as a distraction?
Andrea and Cal pack up the dead men’s weapons, and Cal’s concerned that Kayce went home to check on Garrett.
Kayce finds Garrett in the middle of a nightmare, and when he tries to wake him, Garrett attacks. Kayce manages to hold on to him as he calms down. After everything’s mellowed out, they sit outside, and Garrett confesses life in a war zone made more sense than in the civilized world. Being part of the team was everything to him, and he’s tired of trying to find gigs. Music is a healthy escape, but once he finishes playing, things get dark. He’s been in jail, homeless, and in a psych ward. Garrett feels like he’s being punished for the death of the fourth Musketeer, and Kayce reminds him that wasn’t his fault.
Kayce understands loss and understands feeling hurt, but the ranch has helped him heal. Garrett’s not a cowboy, but Kayce asks him to stay as long as he needs until he figures things out. “We may not be teammates anymore; we’re still brothers,” says Kayce.
Belle and Miles continue to check on any relationships the dead men have with Pollard. At the same time, they discuss his new relationship with Maddie. Miles is worried being with Maddie complicates his relationship with Cal. Belle thinks it’ll blow over.
Cal receives bad news from the doctor and tunes the doctor out when he assures him that he’s not alone.
Andrea’s by herself transporting the guns to forensics when her map app gives her the wrong information. Just as she’s trying to figure it out, a car T-bones her at a high rate of speed.
Cal returns to the station, and Belle informs him Pollard was located in a jail in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Why did a tipster say he was in Montana? Belle has no idea since the New Mexico cops didn’t find any Montana connections. And they still haven’t found out anything helpful on the four dead men.
Cal thinks it’s a setup and asks Belle to check with Andrea on the guns. Kayce shows up as Cal is rubbing his neck, and Cal admits he thinks Pollard was bait. Kayce reveals Garrett’s doing pretty bad and is going to stay at East Camp. Cal feels responsible for Garrett’s struggles and wonders if it’s safe for him to hang around. Kayce reminds him they aren’t supposed to leave a man behind.
Belle can’t get ahold of Andrea, and she hasn’t dropped off the guns. Miles talks to the sheriff and learns that Andrea’s smashed vehicle was found two miles from the lab. They found blood in the vehicle along with the truck that hit her. Andrea isn’t in the area, and neither is whoever was in the truck.
Traffic cam footage shows the truck hitting Andrea and then a van coming up behind her and grabbing her. Cal and Kayce recognize this as a classic ambush technique. Andrea was unconscious when she was taken. Cal orders everyone to make recovering their only job.
Kayce thinks this is personal. Whoever did it has something against the team.
Andrea’s tied up and has a hood over her head in the back of a van when she comes to. She kicks the woman who’s guarding her, but the woman has a cattle prod and knocks Andrea out again.
Miles discovers footage of a cargo van registered to Treasure State Demolition. Kayce immediately recognizes the company.
The van finally stops, and Andrea’s tossed out and kicked in the ribs. Her hood’s taken off, and she’s face-to-face with Randall Clegg (Michael Cudlitz). This is his revenge for what her team’s done to his family.
It’s all hands on deck at the station now that they know it’s Randall Clegg. His family lost their contracts, and the company went bankrupt after their run-in with the marshals. Clegg still blames Kayce in particular for his family’s downfall.
Andrea’s taken into a basement and tied to a chair in front of a camera. Randall declares that he’s going to be the spark that “burns the land clean” after the government has done nothing but take it away.
It’s tense in the car with Cal and Kayce; Cal’s not happy to have Garrett back in the picture. He shows up and now they have another teammate, Andrea, in the crosshairs. Kayce hopes this situation turns out better than their last one.
The team arrives outside the Clegg compound, and backup is still an hour away. Cal explains how they’ll approach the operation, and they’re all anxious to get Andrea back. Kayce has them freeze as he eyes the main house. He signals for them to move forward just as they come under gunfire. It’s obvious the Cleggs were expecting the team and have taken up strategic positions.
The team’s outnumbered and outgunned as episode eight ends…
Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid goes international with Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown, debuting on May 17, 2026 at 8pm ET/PT. The latest addition to the N&A franchise pits 14 all-stars against each other in a brutal competition in South Africa.
Ky Furneaux and Alexa Towersey will represent Australia, while Rene Murad and Marina Fukushima will represent Brazil. Pablo Melin and Fernanda Perez will team up for Mexico.
The USA will field four teams:
• TEXAS, Jeff Zausch and Kerra Bennett
• USA EAST, Matt Wright and Gabby Balassone
• USA SOUTH, Frank Eytcheson and Teal Bulthuis
• USA WEST, Dan Link and Rachel Strohl
Discovery Channel provides this description of the new series, which offers the biggest prize in franchise history: $200,000.
“Divided into seven pairs representing their homelands, survivalists’ skills will be tested by three brutal and unpredictable ecosystems in South Africa’s Zululand. From a scorching savannah stalked by leopards and rhinos to a humid marshland ruled by hippos and crocodiles and into the violent Indian Ocean teeming with Zambezi sharks, teams must battle both the brutal elements and one another. Over the 40-day challenge, they’re given no food, no water, and no clothes as their primitive bushcraft skills, resilience, and interpersonal relationships are pushed to the extreme.
In another franchise first, the competition introduces an official scoring system where teams will earn points by completing survival tasks and excelling in head-to-head challenges. Winning teams will be safe from elimination and unlock critical tools to acquire food, water, and shelter, while the bottom two teams must face off in an elimination challenge to remain in the game. With no shared resources, no trading, and no sabotage, each team must rely solely on its own skill and will to survive.
Featuring up-and-coming international survivalists alongside franchise legends and bitter rivals, only one team will emerge victorious.
Poster for ‘Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown’ (Photo Credit: Discovery Channel)
