EDITOR'S NOTE: The News Leader originally published this story in late January. The episode is scheduled to air this Sunday, April 7. on Discovery.
At her core, Fairland Ferguson is an entertainer. Now living in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she runs a horse farm and event center, Ferguson grew up in Staunton, the daughter of artist Willy Ferguson. Maybe that's where she got a flair for the dramatic and a desire to bring joy to others. Well, joy and maybe some shock thrown in for good measure.
Ferguson's dad created the large watering can sculpture that sits near the intersection of Commerce Road and Greenville Avenue. That was in 1999 and, while now it's an iconic piece of art in the city, at the time the reaction ranged from love to outrage.
Some of Fairland Ferguson's work may inspire a similar range of emotions. Since retiring as an equestrian trick rider who performed with both Dolly Parton's Stampede and Cavalia, Ferguson has dipped her toe into both acting and modeling. She has been part of a documentary about women breaking job barriers called "UNLADYLIKE2020" and took part in the 2016 North American Bodypainting Championship.
Now, Ferguson has combined both of those — acting and nudity — with her latest venture into the entertainment field as a cast member on the Discovery Channel's "Naked and Afraid."
The reality television show places two strangers together, without clothing, in extreme environments. In addition to not having clothes, they are also left without water and food. They then try to survive for 21 days.
The new season of "Naked and Afraid" premieres Sunday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. on Discovery, but Ferguson's episode doesn't air until April 7. Although she can't be too specific about what happened until after the episode airs, Ferguson did tell The News Leader that she was in a remote location in Colombia in the northwestern part of South America.
She left for the trip shortly after appearing on horseback in Staunton's Happy Birthday America parade at Gypsy Hill Park this past summer.
"I flew into Bogotá," Ferguson said. "And I really don't have any idea where I was after that. I got into a smaller plane and then I got into a little car ... it was a very remote location."
Ferguson can't reveal if she stayed the entire 21 days — The News Leader will confirm she lived because, well, we talked with her this past Monday — or much else about the adventure. She's not even sure what parts of her stay will make the cut when the show finally airs.
"It definitely was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life," she said.
Enjoyable probably isn't the correct term to use for her experience, but she said it's crucial to find some joy amidst the struggles she faced or it would be even more miserable.
"Out of all the survival skills, I think my mindset and my attitude was the strongest I took," said Ferguson, who has shown the ability to overcome adversity in her life.
While in South America, Ferguson realized it was the 20th anniversary of the most catastrophic experience in her life, a nearly fatal experience that does get mentioned on the show.
In 2003, in between her sophomore and junior years of college, Ferguson was on a trip to Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke. With a daredevil-like personality, she attempted to leap 70 feet from the edge of some rocks into the water. She lost her footing just before jumping and didn't clear the rocks on the way down. Lucky to survive, Ferguson broke 46 bones, including 23 in her face. Her left leg was so badly broken that doctors feared she may not walk again. She also damaged her left eye to the point that there was concern she would never see out of it again.
She endured 13 surgeries and a year of rehabilitation, but came out on the other side able to both walk and see. What she couldn't do was play basketball. A high school player in Staunton under Coach Dan Bonner, Ferguson got the opportunity to play the sport at South Carolina's Coastal Carolina University. The injuries she suffered ended that part of her life, but while finishing her degree she got a job at the Stampede in Myrtle Beach, not far from Coastal Carolina. That was the start of her riding career, one that lasted 12 years and took her around the world.
Now, Ferguson has set her sights on acting, still entertainment but in a different format. "Naked and Afraid" wasn't on her radar though. She didn't even know the show existed until, while visiting a friend for the weekend, she watched it. After a particularly difficult week at work, Ferguson was complaining to her friend, who suggested she apply to be on the reality program.
"She was like, 'It will be great. Then you can forget about all your problems because you'll have much bigger problems,'" Ferguson remembers her friend saying.
Ferguson admits she probably shouldn't have listened to her friend's advice, but, in the moment, it sounded like a reasonable solution to her current situation. She went to the show's webpage that day and applied to be a cast member, writing that she was an overworked vegan who runs a horse farm and event center and nothing on "Naked and Afraid" could be worse than the job she had.
It took a couple of months, but eventually she was contacted by someone with the show. By that time, things at work had settled down a little and Ferguson started questioning what she had done. But she's a committed person and decided she wouldn't back out.
"Things escalated to the point where I was on a plane headed to South America," she said.
Although any private parts are blurred for TV, the contestants are completely nude while filming. Ferguson said it was awkward for a very short amount of time. After that she said things got "very real, very quick." Friends have asked her if there was sexual tension with the man she was stranded with. The answer is a resounding "no."
"You're just trying to survive," Ferguson said. "I wasn't going to find a mate."
"Naked and Afraid" is not a dating show. It's about survival, she said. It's also a show that Ferguson hopes brings her more opportunities in television as she continues to pursue an acting career.
"This is just an opportunity to, ha, ha, ha, get exposure," Ferguson said. "And see what comes of it."
— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
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