Alone (TV series)
Alone is an American reality television series on History. The first, second and fourth seasons were filmed on northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and the third near Nahuel Huapi National Park in Patagonia, Argentina. The fifth season was set in northern Mongolia in Asia. The sixth and the seventh seasons were filmed in the shore of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It follows the self-documented daily struggles of 10 individuals as they survive in the wilderness for as long as possible using a limited amount of survival equipment. With the exception of medical check-ins, the participants are isolated from each other and all other humans. They may "tap out" at any time, or be removed due to failing a medical check-in. The contestant who remains the longest wins a grand prize of $500,000.
The series premiered on June 18, 2015. On August 19, before the finale of season 1, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which would begin production in the fall of 2015 on Vancouver Island, Canada. Season 2 premiered on April 21, 2016. Season 3 was filmed in the second quarter of 2016 in Patagonia, Argentina and premiered on December 8. One day before the season 3 premiere, History announced that casting had begun for season 4. Season 4 was set in Northern Vancouver Island with a team dynamic and premiered on June 8, 2017. Season 5 was set in Northern Mongolia and allowed losers from previous seasons to return and compete. It premiered on June 14, 2018. Season 6 began in June 2019 and featured ten all new contestants between the ages of 31 and 55. It was set just south of the arctic circle on a lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
In January 2017, a Danish version of the series premiered with the name Alone in the Wilderness on DR3. It featured ten contestants and was filmed in northern Norway in the fall of 2016. Participants chose 12 items from a list of 18. Since this, three more seasons with Alone in the Wilderness have been produced.
In the fall of 2017, a Norwegian version aired with 10 contestants spread around a lake with fish. It was near the tree line, so the few, small, mostly birch trees left few land resources. The last contestant tapped out after a little more than a month.
The sixth season premiered on June 6, 2019.
A spin-off series, Alone: The Beast, premiered on January 30, 2020. In this series, three people attempt to survive in the Arctic for 30 days, with no tools or supplies except for their own clothing and a freshly killed animal.
The seventh season premiered on June 11, 2020. Participants in this season are attempting to survive for 100 days in the Arctic wilderness in order to win $1 million.
Format and rules
General rules - all seasons
Contestants are dropped off in remote areas of Northern Vancouver Island, Patagonia, Northern Mongolia and the shores of the Great Slave Lake, far enough apart to ensure that they will not come in contact with one another. The process begins in mid to late autumn; this adds time pressure to the survival experience as the approaching winter causes temperatures to drop and food to become scarce. Although terrains may differ in each contestant's location, the drop-off zones are assessed in advance to ensure a similar distribution of local resources is available to each contestant.Contestants each select 10 items of survival gear from a pre-approved list of 40, and are issued a kit of standard equipment, clothing and first aid/emergency supplies. They are also given a set of cameras to document their daily experiences and emotions. Attempting to live in the wild for as long as possible, the contestants must find food, build shelters, and endure extreme isolation and psychological distress.
Contestants who wish to withdraw from the competition for any reason may signal a rescue crew using a provided satellite telephone. In addition, medical professionals conduct periodic health checks on the contestants and may, at their discretion, disqualify and evacuate anyone they feel is unable to continue participating safely. The last remaining contestant wins a $500,000 cash prize. Contestants are warned that the show might last for up to a year.
Pairs Format (Season 4)
Season 4 was also filmed in Northern Vancouver Island but included a team dynamic. Fourteen contestants, consisting of seven family-member pairs, were individually dropped off in remote areas of Northern Vancouver Island. The two members of each team chose 10 items of survival gear to be equally divided between them. The team chose one member to be taken to a campsite; the other began approximately away and was required to hike to the site, using only a compass and bearing to find the way. If either member tapped out or was medically evacuated, his/her partner was disqualified as well. The last remaining team won the $500,000 prize.Season 5
Season 5 contestants were selected from non-winning contestants from Seasons 1 through 4. The rules were otherwise similar to Seasons 1 through 3.Season 7
For Season 7, the contestants attempt to survive for 100 days in order to win a grand prize of $1 million. A segment at the end of each episode has host Colby Donaldson talking post-season to the contestants featured in that episode about what occurred, accompanied by "never before seen footage."Reception
The series received positive reviews in its first season and outstanding reviews for its third season, and earned a respectable 2.5 million total viewers, placing it in the top three new nonfictional cable series of 2015.Episodes
Series overview
Season 1
The first season premiered on June 18, 2015. It was won by Alan Kay, who lost over 60 pounds during the course of the season. His staple foods were limpets and seaweed. He also consumed mussels, crab, fish and slugs. Lucas Miller enjoyed his time on the show and was selected based on his work as a wilderness therapist. His most difficult experience with the show was making honest confessions to the camera. Sam Larson described his time on the show as "playing in the woods". He set a goal for himself to last 50 days. After he reached his goal, a large storm hit the island, which Larson described as being larger than any he had seen and prompting his decision to leave the island. Larson said that the loneliness and solitude took the most time to adjust to, and that his preparation for the show mostly consisted of mental preparation.Location
The season was shot in Quatsino Territory, located near Port Hardy, British Columbia.Quatsino is a small hamlet of 91 people located on Quatsino Sound in Northern Vancouver Island, Canada, only accessible by boat or float plane. Its nearest neighbour is Coal Harbour, to the east, about 20 minutes away by boat, and Port Alice, to the south, about 40 minutes away by boat. The largest town in the region, Port Hardy, is located about an hour northeast by boat and vehicle.
Contestants
Season 2
Season 2 began on April 21, 2016. The season had 13 one-hour episodes, including the reunion episode and the first "Episode 0", which shows how the 10 contestants from are chosen based on survival skills, on-camera personality, and how readily they learn the camera equipment. This was the first season to include women as well as men. The winner, David McIntyre, lost around 20 pounds in the first weeks alone. Mike Lowe made his time on Alone innovative and made a sink, boat, football game, and many more.Location
The second season was also set on Vancouver Island, in Quatsino Territory, located near Port Hardy, British Columbia.Contestants
Season 3
The third season premiered on December 8, 2016. The winner, Zachary Fowler, had lost 70 lbs before the end of his stay. Season 3 marked the first time a contestant was pulled for medical reasons; the first was fourth place, Dave Nessia, who was pulled out when, due to inadequate caloric intake, his systolic pressure barely exceeded his diastolic pressure, putting him in danger of death due to inadequate perfusion of the internal organs. He had been in starvation mode for so long, even though he left with 33 halves of dried fish still ready to eat, he was surviving with the thought of only eating half a fish every other day. The second, and the person who stayed the second-longest, Carleigh Fairchild, was pulled out because, at 101 lbs/45.8 kg, she had lost nearly 30% of her starting body weight and had a BMI of 16.8. Participants are automatically "pulled" at a BMI of 17 or less.Location
The third season was set in Patagonia, Argentina, in South America. The contestants were spread across multiple lakes in the foothills of the Andes mountain range. Unlike in seasons 1 and 2, which were located on the Pacific Ocean, season 3's food resources were mostly limited to brook and rainbow trout, forage, small birds, and the possibility of wild boar. Contestants also were at a disadvantage because they had no access to the flotsam and jetsam that washes up on the Pacific Coast. They also had no salt source.The weather in Patagonia is comparable to that of Vancouver Island, with rainfall averaging 78 inches a year. However, unlike Vancouver Island, snowfall is extremely common in the winter.
Predators in Patagonia include wild boar and puma.