LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) – A Lexington native is preparing to “bare it all” on national television.

Andrew Shayde lives for adventure, but he’s quick to admit, traveling is tough for a guy who has spent the last 20 years working with non-profits.

Currently, he works as the Development Director at Arbor Youth Services here in Lexington but this former boy scout is resourceful, making his dreams a reality through reality TV.

For most people, getting the chance to compete on reality TV is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but Shayde is no stranger to it. His first taste of reality TV came nearly 20 years ago when he traveled the world with his dad, competing on ‘The Amazing Race’.

“I think I kind of just got that itch for another adventure,” Shayde said.

Fast forward to 2020, he was on TV again, this time letting it all hang loose on ‘Naked and Afraid’ season 12.

“I applied and step by step,” Shayde described. “Eventually I found myself in Africa.”

Andrew dropped out of the contest early, but not by choice. The medical team made that decision for him after he was bit by a tick.

“I just felt like there’s this unfinished business,” explained Shayde. “Like, I still have to prove that I can do it.”

And he’ll get that redemption on season 15 of the show, which premieres on Feb. 19. This time around, he’s taking his preparation for the show one step at a time.

“I like walk through my neighborhood barefoot, like an absolute weirdo,” Shayde detailed. “But that’s to toughen up the bottom of my feet. All the neighbors, I’m sure, think I’m absolutely nuts.”

Those closest to him tend to agree.

“If my dad could see me right now he’d be like, good job boy working had,” Shayde said on the his first appearance on ‘Naked and Afraid’. “Why are you naked?”

“I might do something like The Voice or something like that with air conditioning and clothing and that,” Andrew’s boyfriend Russ Evers joked.

As crazy as it sounds, Shayde says he’s excited about his next adventure.

“These are my resumes for when I’m 95-years-old, sitting in a retirement home center telling people about how I’ve been to Africa two times,” Shayde said. “You know, look at all the amazing things I was able to see – Giraffes, elephants, lions… no cages, no bars, just me and them. That was unbelievable! how many people get to do that?”

Shayde says his goal isn’t fame or fortune.

“I’ll never be a rich man and be able to afford trips to all these other places.:

Rather it’s all about the experience.

“Even if it’s dangerous, even if it’s scary, even if I’m afraid, I’m gonna do it, and I hope everybody does that.”

Shayde’s episode of ‘Naked and Afraid’ will be a first in the show’s history as it will feature four male competitors trying to survive together. Typically, each episode of the show features one man and one woman.

You can watch Shayde try to complete the 21-day adventure on March 12 on the Discovery Channel.

You can follow Andrew on social media; Instagram, Twitter, Facebook