Reality TV shows are a dime a dozen. Since their inception, reality shows have been done to death, and seemingly every concept imaginable has been explored. Then came Discovery’s Naked and Afraid, where two strangers are left naked and with no resources and must survive in the wild for a month. It’s one of the most bizarre concepts for a TV show ever. Saturday Night Live seems to realize the insanity of Naked and Afraid, and decided to elevate the stakes with a fictitious celebrity version. Check it out.
This sketch was definitely the strongest from last night’s episode, and it worked so well for a few reasons.
First off, having Peter Dinklage and Leslie Jones playing exaggerated versions of themselves worked really well. While the short would have worked if they were playing new characters, the added comedy of the SNL actress and Game of Thrones star being stranded together made every joke land harder.
There was a great deal of physical comedy that worked simply by pairing Leslie Jones with Peter Dinklage. Jones stands at 6 foot and made her personality equally large in this digital short. This juxtaposition between Dinklage’s straight man, as well as their physical discrepancies, made for each shot of Naked and Afraid being humorous.
Definitely my favorite part of Naked and Afraid: Celebrity Edition was Leslie Jones’ insistence to calling Peter Dinklage Tyrion. Since Game of Thrones is such a widely popular show, people must refer to Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister all the time. The shock of meeting/being near a celebrity has been known to render us civilians starstruck, and surely people momentarily forget the actor’s name, but remember his character. Leslie Jones exaggerates this by referring to Peter as Tyrion for the entirety of their naked 21 days.
Leslie Jones started off crazy in this sketch immediately. Showing up to begin shooting in an uber, she exits the car already fully naked. While Peter Dinklage tries to maintain his composure and quickly disrobes himself, things only continue to escalate when the duo reveal what survival tool they each brought with them. Although Dinklage brought flint to create fire, Jones just brought a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot. She puts that shit on everything.
Adding to the hilarity of Leslie Jones’ antics in survival are her lustful feelings towards the Game of Thrones actor. She is shown checking “Tyrion” out often, and quickly makes her move when the two are cuddling to keep warm. While spooning Dinklage, Jones lets her hands linger down to the Lannister jewels, much to his dismay and my delight.
Overall, Naked and Afraid: Celebrity Edition was a standout moment from an otherwise shaky episode of Saturday Night Live. What did you think of last night’s episode? Sound off in the comment section below.
