Mark & Olly: Living with the Tribes

{{inc-tv|date=October 2021}}

Living with the Kombai: The Adventures of Mark and Olly premiered in 2007. The season follows Mark and Olly as they live with the Kombai tribe of West Papua in Indonesia. The forest tribe demonstrates methods and techniques of solving problems using skills and tools unfamiliar to the civilised. Mark and Olly do as the Kombai do 24 hours a day for the entire run of the show.

{{Episode table| background=#7fb233|overall=5|title=20| airdate=18|episodes=

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 7fb233

| EpisodeNumber=1

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2007|01|14}}

| Title=Finding the Kombai Tribe

| ShortSummary=Extreme travelers Mark Anstice and Olly Steeds begin a unique expedition into the rainforests of West Papua to track down and live with the remarkable Kombai tribe, a people whose way of life hasn't changed since the Stone Age.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 7fb233

| EpisodeNumber=2

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2007|01|14}}

| Title=Living off the Land

| ShortSummary=Mark and Olly learn to live off the jungle in the same manner as the Kombai.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 7fb233

| EpisodeNumber=3

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2007|01|21}}

| Title=Home Sweet Home

| ShortSummary=Mark and Olly attempt to make their own treehouse, but their efforts are futile. The Kombai offer to build them their own treehouse.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 7fb233

| EpisodeNumber=4

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2007|01|21}}

| Title=Justice System

| ShortSummary= Mark and Olly uncover the brutal reality of the Kombai justice system, when a murder is committed.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 7fb233

| EpisodeNumber=5

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2007|01|28}}

| Title=Giving Back

| ShortSummary=Mark and Olly create some gifts for the tribe.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 7fb233

| EpisodeNumber=6

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2007|01|28}}

| Title=Sago Grub Festival

| ShortSummary= The tribe has a festival and invites Mark and Olly to be hosts.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 7fb233

| EpisodeNumber=7

| OriginalAirDate=?

| Title=Best of

| ShortSummary=The documentary highlights some of the best moments.

}}

}}

Living with the Mek: The Adventures of Mark and Olly premiered on Sunday, February 10, 2008.{{cite web|url=http://oliversteeds.com/2008/02/05/living-with-the-mek-2/ |date={{format date|2008|02|05}} |accessdate=March 24, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227221620/http://oliversteeds.com/2008/02/05/living-with-the-mek-2/ |archivedate=27 December 2008 |title=Living with the Mek (World's Lost Tribes) }} It charts Mark and Olly's time with the Mek tribe.

{{Episode table| background=#f9b354|overall=5|title=20| airdate=18|episodes=

{{ Episode list | LineColor = f9b354

| EpisodeNumber=8

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2008|02|01}}

| Title=Journey to the Unknown

| ShortSummary=Mark and Olly trek through the mountains of West Papua seeking a sufficiently remote village for their adventure. After an unwelcoming greeting, they convince the village of Merringman to allow them to stay.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = f9b354

| EpisodeNumber=9

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2008|02|17}}

| Title=The Test

| ShortSummary=Mark and Olly get bossed about by chief Markus, eat tadpole kebab, get roped into a wedding from hell and, to their horror, hear tales of tribal revenge killings.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = f9b354

| EpisodeNumber=10

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2008|02|24}}

| Title=Birth, Death & Initiation

| ShortSummary=Mark and Olly get bossed about, suffer from sleep deprivation, attend an elder's funeral and get initiated in the tribe's traditional penis gourds - painful!

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = f9b354

| EpisodeNumber=11

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2008|03|02}}

| Title=Home Sweet Home

| ShortSummary=Mark Anstice and Olly Steeds begin constructing a new house, are reprimanded for not wearing their traditional penis gourds, hear gossip about sex lives in the village and become embroiled in a tribal rape trial.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = f9b354

| EpisodeNumber=12

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2008|03|09}}

| Title=Dark Side of the Mek

| ShortSummary=A sighting of suangi leaves the tribe terrified that they may be under attack by supernatural forces. As Mark and Olly help rebuild the village, Merengman's dark past rears its ugly head, and the tribe is forced to call on the services of a traveling shaman.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = f9b354

| EpisodeNumber=13

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2008|03|16}}

| Title=Bridging the Divide

| ShortSummary=A food shortage calls for desperate measures and the tribe are forced to build a bridge across the river to get help from their traditional enemy, the village of Minay.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = f9b354

| EpisodeNumber=14

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2008|03|23}}

| Title=The Battle of Beliefs

| ShortSummary=Mark and Olly visit their tribe's traditional enemy, only to find money, clothes and religion.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = f9b354

| EpisodeNumber=15

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2008|03|30}}

| Title=Farewell to the Mek

| ShortSummary=Merringmen throws a farewell party for Mark and Olly before they leave for home.

}}

}}

Mark & Olly: Living with the Machigenga aired from February 8, 2009 to March 29, 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Mark_and_Olly/ci.About_the_Show_Machigenga.show?vgnextfmt=show&idLink=86573b36aa1be110VgnVCM19dc4eb00698b3a0a____ |accessdate=February 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201170728/http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Mark_and_Olly/ci.About_the_Show_Machigenga.show?vgnextfmt=show&idLink=86573b36aa1be110VgnVCM19dc4eb00698b3a0a____ |title=About the Show |archivedate=February 1, 2009 }} The show airs at 10 PM ET on Sundays.{{cite web|url=http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Mark_and_Olly |accessdate=January 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124125007/http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Mark_and_Olly |title=Mark & Olly: Living with the Machigenga |archivedate=January 24, 2009 }} It charts Mark and Olly's time with the Machiguenga tribe.

{{Episode table| background=#9dc4eb|overall=5|title=20| airdate=18|episodes=

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 9dc4eb

| EpisodeNumber=16

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2009|02|08}}

| Title=Strangers in the Rainforest

| ShortSummary=Mark and Olly trek through the jungle to the Machigenga village Koran Korata, where they must prove themselves worthy of living in the village.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 9dc4eb

| EpisodeNumber=17

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2009|02|15}}

| Title=Hell or Heaven

| ShortSummary= Mark and Olly visit a local shaman near Koran Korata who guides them on a drug induced spiritual journey.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 9dc4eb

| EpisodeNumber=18

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2009|02|22}}

| Title=When a House Becomes a Home

| ShortSummary= Mark and Olly must build a house to live in. Mark is asked to care for an orphaned Woolly Monkey

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 9dc4eb

| EpisodeNumber=19

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2009|03|01}}

| Title=Trouble in Paradise

| ShortSummary=Chief José's son goes missing after a sudden rain causes the river to rise to dangerous levels. A gang of armed colonistas unexpectedly visit the village. José's pregnant wife Rosita goes into labor.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 9dc4eb

| EpisodeNumber=20

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2009|03|08}}

| Title=Boys to Men

| ShortSummary=Mark & Olly must defend the village's reputation in a local tournament where they compete in archery and eating! They also endure a tribal ceremony where they are stung by bees. They are also taught to hunt and track down monkeys.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 9dc4eb

| EpisodeNumber=21

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2009|03|15}}

| Title=Show Me the Money

| ShortSummary=It's harvest time in the village and the excess crops must be transported downriver and exchanged for metal goods. But first Mark and Olly must successfully build a dugout canoe from the villages most ancient and valuable cedar.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 9dc4eb

| EpisodeNumber=22

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2009|03|22}}

| Title=Father of the Bride

| ShortSummary=Mark & Olly hear they may get to witness the ancient rituals of a wedding. But before he will give his daughter's hand in marriage, the chief wants to test the young suitors manliness, and Mark and Olly must provide some healthy competition.

}}

{{ Episode list | LineColor = 9dc4eb

| EpisodeNumber=23

| OriginalAirDate={{start date|2009|03|29}}

| Title=The End of the Affair

| ShortSummary=After four months living with the Machigenga, Mark and Olly prepare to leave the village of Koran Korata

}}

}}

The series was accused of fabricating translations of interviews with the Machiguenga to portray the tribe as "sex-obsessed, mean savages" during its third season.{{cite news |title=TV series about Amazonian tribe accused of faking scenes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/02/mark-and-olly-living-with-machigenga |work=The Guardian |date=2 August 2011 |first=Mark |last=Sweney |accessdate=2 August 2011 |location=London}} Glenn Shepard, an anthropologist who has worked with the tribe for more than two decades, and Ron Snell, who grew up with the tribe as the son of American missionaries, called the show "staged, false, fabricated and distorted." Both speak the tribe's language fluently. Shepard compared the show's methods to the film Borat.

Survival International director Stephen Corry said: "One stereotype followed another, with the [tribe] variously portrayed as callous, perverted, cruel, and savage ... TV is now getting away with portrayals which wouldn't be out of place in the Victorian era." BBC Worldwide has decided not to air the show again. The allegations were completely rejected by the broadcasters, producers and distributors.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/05/tv-series-amazon-tribe-was-not-faked?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Mark | last=Sweney | title=TV series on Amazon tribe was not faked, say producers | date=5 August 2011}}

• Tribe – another TV series with a similar premise

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{official website|http://www.yourdiscovery.com/worldslosttribes/index.shtml}}

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Category:Travel Channel original programming

Category:2000s American documentary television series

Category:2007 American television series debuts

Category:2009 American television series endings