TMZ got an exclusive look at Sam's return to the franchise -- this time he's on "Naked and Afraid XL" -- and he wasted no time making history yet again, as the clip shows him getting a "d**k tick" while out in the Colombian Badlands.

It would be a painfully remarkable event, no matter whose junk picked up the little hitchhiker -- but Sam makes it, well ... maybe the worst luck of all time.

Remember, he became an 'N&A' household name last year when he burned his private parts while sleeping next to an open fire. Now, his meat sword's getting put through the wringer, yet again.

Check it out ... Sam screams out in pain, explaining to fellow contestants Adam and Heather the arachnid has burrowed deeper into his skin after his failed attempt to remove it.

He was immediately reminded of his incredibly bad luck, saying ... "On my first challenge, I actually had a hot coal pop out the fire and burn my junk. And now, I've got a tick trying to eat away at my helmet."

In a moment of panic, Sam declares he's going to rip off the tick, but Heather and Adam quickly discourage him -- no one wanted to see that!

The show medics eventually step in to do the dirty work ... though we don't know how it all worked out, because the clip ends. The episode airs Sunday night on Discovery Channel.