New TV Survival Show - Alone

I posted this on Alan Kay's Facebook page:

Alan, deep congratulations on your win.

You handled your experience with grace, dignity, and humor all the way through.

When you won, you demonstrated that you are, indeed, a true warrior poet - you made the win all about everything except yourself. You remembered what was truly important every step of the way.

You demonstrated that true survivors make it because of character and integrity. Those are the most important qualifications.

Thank you for taking the risk of making such an intimate experience available for all of us to share.

Hopefully we will cross paths at a campfire someday.

Best,
Brian Jones
Moderator, Wilderness and Survival Forum at Bladeforums.com
 
22-rimfire, I grew up in blackbear country, and I'm confident that if I got to a point where I felt threatened by one enough to need to spray it, that would shake me bad enough to want to leave. Its one of those things where I'm pretty sure I know how things would go, but if they didn't turn out how I expect, its because they've gone badly. But you are right, no idea until you are there. I'm also thinking from a production standpoint, once you know there is a problem bear, you have to pull the guys out, but that affects the outcome. So that would have to be worked into the rules.
 
BillyJoeBobJim said:
CLOTHING/APPAREL/PERSONAL EFFECTS (Maximum allowed baseline gear)
1. 1 pair high leg Hunting boots
2. 2 pairs of Outdoor Pants (can unzip into shorts)
3. 1 t-shirt
4. 2 fleece or wool shirts (a hooded fleece is approved)
5. 3 pairs wool socks
6. 1 hat (brimmed, wool or baseball)
7. 1 bandana or shemagh
8. 1 pair gloves
9. 1 light outdoor jacket
10. 2 pairs underwear
11. 1 rain jacket and rain trousers
12. 1 thermal underwear (long)
13. 1 pair of gaiters
14. 1 pair of Crocs, Teva sandals or Keen sandals
15. 1 toothbrush
16. 1 pair of prescription eye glasses
17. 1 personal photograph

TRACKING/SAFETY (Provided to Each Participant)
1. 1 canister wild animal repellant
2. 1 air horn
3. 1 backpack
4. 1 camera pack
5. Camera equipment
6. 1 emergency flare
7. 1 satellite phone
8. 1 emergency personal flotation device
9. 1 first aid kit (military type – tourniquet, wadding, ace bandage, alcohol, plastic bag, etc)
10. 1 small mirror
11. 1 20×20 canvas tarp
12. 1 10×10 canvas tarp for camera gear
13. 1 head lamp
14. 1 gps tracking device
15. 1 emergency rations pack to include water and food

WINTER PACKS (Provided to Each Participant)
1. 1 woolen sweater
2. 1 pair of gloves
3. 1 trapper’s hat with ear protection or toboggan

SPECIAL ITEMS (Pick 10)
Shelter
1. 12×12 ground cloth/tarp (grommets approved)
2. 8 mm climbing rope
3. 550 parachord – 20m
4. 1 hatchet
5. 1 saw
6. 1 axe

Bedding
1. 1 multi-seasonal sleeping bag that fits within provided back-pack
2. 1 bivi bag (gortex sleeping bag cover)
3. 1 sleeping Pad
4. 1 hammock

Cooking
1. 1 large (no more than 2 quart) Pot, includes lid
2. 1 steel frying pan
3. 1 flint or ferro rod set
4. 1 enamel bowl for eating from
5. 1 spoon
6. 1 disposable lighter
7. 1 canteen or water bottle
8. 1 bear canister

Hygiene
1. 1 bar soap
2. 1 8 oz tube of toothpaste
3. 1 face flannel
4. 1 40 m. roll dental floss
5. 1 small bottle bio shower soap
6. 1 shaving razor (and 1 blade)
7. 1 towel (30” x 60”)
8. 1 comb

Hunting
1. 1 300 yard roll of nylon single filament fishing line and 25 assorted hooks (No lures)
2. 1 primitive bow with 6 Arrows (must be predominately made of wood)
3. 1 small gauge gill net (1.5 m deep x 6 m long and 2 inch [50 mm] mesh)
4. 1 slingshot/Catapult
5. 1 net foraging bag
6. 3.5 lb roll of trapping wire

Food
1. 5 lbs of beef jerky (protein)
2. 5 lbs of dried pulses/legumes/lentils mix (starch and carbs)
3. 5 lbs of biltong (protein)
4. 5 lbs of hard tack military biscuits (carbs/sugars)
5. 5 lbs of chocolate (Simple/complex sugars)
6. 5 lbs of pemmican (traditional trail food made from fat and proteins)
7. 5 lbs of gorp (raisins, m&m’s and peanuts)
8. 5 lbs of flour. (starch/carbs)
9. 2 lbs of rice or sugar and 1 lb of salt

Tools
1. 1 pocket knife
2. 1 hunting knife
3. 1 leatherman multi-tool
4. 1 sharpening stone
5. 1 roll of duct tape or 1 roll of electrical tape
6. 1 small shovel
7. 1 small sewing kit
8. 1 carabineer
9. 1 LED flashlight
10. 1 pair of ice spikes

PROHIBITED ITEMS
1. Fuel or matches
2. bug spray/mosquito repellant.
3. sunscreen/Chap stick
4. sunglasses
5. beauty products
6. map (detailed topographical)
7. compass
8. unapproved technology (anything with a battery or an engine, eg. cell phones, computers, watches, etc.)
9. professional snares
10. firearms of any kind
11. ammunition
12. explosives or gunpowder
13. animal poison
14. professional fishing rods
15. fishing lures, flies, bait kits
16. fishing traps
17. food or beverage (except the options from the selection list)
18. decoys
19. animal calls
20. tree stands
21. professional bows or crossbows
22. scopes of any kind
23. tents or shelters
24. stoves, pressure cookers or other cooking appliances
25. hydration packs
26. fire pits
27. electric or propane lanterns
28. inflatable boats
29. filtration, purification devices, iodine tablets
30. coolers or food storage boxes (except optional bear canister)
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Very comprehensive list. Wow. I wonder why not just give each guy a 6500 ci pack and tell him to pack whatever will fit in it or on it and he has to hike to the boat launch 4 miles away with it. Then give him his emergency/shelter/tracking supplies.

Also, why 20m paracord. I can easily pack 100-200 ft.
 
fishiker said:
My wife and I watched every episode and both thought Alan was the most likely one to win from the beginning. As the show progressed I found myself more and more wanting Sam to win. The maturity he showed was far beyond his years and there is no doubt in my mind that his is one hell of a tough individual. I was impressed with the final four and watching the show has made me more aware of the items I keep on hand for emergencies.
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We just finished it also. Finally something realistic on reality television. I live in the PNW and the climate here that time of year is brutal and unforgiving. I have tons of respect for all the guys that took on this challenge.
 
Thoroughly enjoyed the show

I would like to see a all the participants put a book together with a section from each of their experiences and what they learned, would change in equip. selection and why, how they would prepare mentally, etc. They show only gave use a few hours out of 50+ days.

I've seen on other forums criticizing these guys but I don't know anyone who has stayed out alone for this period of time with limited essentials.

I don't understand why Sam didn't make a better shelter or select a better site. I think this one mistake cost him.

I've read that chances of survival, as in life or death survival, is enhanced by the appreciation of beauty. I thought it was interesting that Alan was still in awe of the beauty of the outdoors as he was extracted and flown out.
 
Brian Jones said:
I posted this on Alan Kay's Facebook page:

Alan, deep congratulations on your win.

You handled your experience with grace, dignity, and humor all the way through.

When you won, you demonstrated that you are, indeed, a true warrior poet - you made the win all about everything except yourself. You remembered what was truly important every step of the way.

You demonstrated that true survivors make it because of character and integrity. Those are the most important qualifications.

Thank you for taking the risk of making such an intimate experience available for all of us to share.

Hopefully we will cross paths at a campfire someday.

Best,
Brian Jones
Moderator, Wilderness and Survival Forum at Bladeforums.com
Click to expand...

Really cool thing to say. I totally agree. :thumbup:

I really enjoyed the show, although I only started watching about half way through. I think Alan's philosophical approach, combined with a great sense of humour and some good luck with fishing and his location saw him through, To my mind it was all about mental fortitude and stoicism in the end. The place was clearly hostile as hell for all concerned and it was mental toughness that counted the most. Cody Lundin talks a lot about that in his book, positive mental attitude etc. I think Alan really benefited a tremendous amount from his experience, I'm sure they all did, but he really 'got it' I felt. That and the half a mill didn't hurt I'm sure. :D

I thought it was a very good show, and quite unusual for TV these days. I would like to see it continue with a different location next time obviously.

Perhaps we could have a 'Celebrity Alone' with all the survival experts competing against one another... :D
 
Alan said he lost SIXTY pounds .... sixty . I wonder what he weighed going in and when he came out . It seems that was an advantage , a person not over-weight would have to get more food , Alan could afford to go without food . His attitude of not quitting obviously worked , he wanted that $500k

Lucas could have stayed longer it seems , he didn't mention a wife and he seemed to ok food wise .

Sam missed his wife .

Is the show a creation of the USA History Channel or the Canadian History Channel ?
 
That's a lot of weight, for sure. Would be interesting to know more details on how much work they did looking for food and that sort of thing. Mors Kochanski has speculated that for each extra pound a person has they can live up to an extra day in the woods, although this is largely dependent upon being in a state of ketosis. There are likely other side effects though for those with certain body types or those not used to fasting.
 
60lbs isn't out of the question, old guys hold a lot of fat around the organs. The starvation/ low calorie diet science is furry at best, and you are correct, there are a lot of variables that might matter, or might not. Even things like epi-genetics, and other cool stuff like that. There is some math that can be done based on body-fat percentage that could work out your total fat-burn lifespan. But the other thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the starvation info that floats around is from the 1800s or earlier. Not a huge area of research.
 
I'm glad Alan won. I was rooting for him the whole time. Really enjoyed his perspective and positive mental attitude as well as his first thought of helping his parents and kids before helping himself as soon as he found out he won. What a great dude. Finally nice to see someone real on reality TV.
 
I wouldn't want to complicate the game much but it might be interesting to have milestones or threshholds. Like if your weight drops below a certain level you are out. As a viewer, I'd rather see someone go a month and accomplish things, like Lucas, rather than go two months and just lay around starving the slowest. I guess I'd rather see a bushcraft competition than a "survival" competition. Either that or give them rifles and allow them to actually get food so it isn't about conservation of calories.
 
There are other shows that do similar things, but not as a head to head competition. Could be interesting, if the genre takes off, someone will do it, either firearms, or a winter trap-line.That's less interesting to me as it might as well be the woods, and ax and a cooler of steaks. In which case I'll watch Ray Meares.
 
I thought there were some shows following folks trying to survive a winter or other particular amounts of time, more reality tv than competition. these guys probably had some things that would have pulled them out, they just weren't published.
 
Wormil said:
I wouldn't want to complicate the game much but it might be interesting to have milestones or threshholds. Like if your weight drops below a certain level you are out. As a viewer, I'd rather see someone go a month and accomplish things, like Lucas, rather than go two months and just lay around starving the slowest. I guess I'd rather see a bushcraft competition than a "survival" competition. Either that or give them rifles and allow them to actually get food so it isn't about conservation of calories.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Liked his yurt and boat. His 2 string guitar was cool.
 
Brian Jones said:
60 lb weight loss in less than 60 days is a downright dangerous weight loss plan.
Click to expand...

I agree. I'd weigh what I did in high school if I lost 60 lbs. That would not be good. I was very thin then.

The weight loss also tends to confirm that these guys were not eating nearly as well as you sometimes might have guessed from the show.
 
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We loved this show. But we concluded that the show should have been called when it got down to the final 4. Our take is that once it got to that point, it was primarily a question of who had the body fat reserves to last the longest in a starvation situation. All 4 had the skills and all 4 seemed to be maximizing harvest potential. At a certain point, low calorie intake just overwhelms psychology.

Speaking of food gathering and sorry if this has been discussed in the previous 24 pages, but were they allow to kill black bears? I'm thinking kill a bear with a bow and/or spear, smoke the meat and settle in? Mitch and Sam both had bows and I think the ability to take one. Why didn't they?
 
Bear would have been in season, but with only a 45-55lb recurve, bear hunting would be pretty marginal. Yes a good hit would bring down a black, but not quickly. Then its a matter of storage, sure they could render out a lot of the fat, then cook and dry some of the meat, but that would be tough, especially having to watch your back. and I don't think you can just smoke blackbear meat, I do believe they are a trichinosis carrier. Could be wrong, but I think you have to full cook then dry it for preservation. Hunting for a den might have worked as well, as the bears were bedding down, a bear might be able to be trapped, then killed safely, but huge risks involved.

as for weight loss, the whole speed of weightloss thing might not be based on much reality. I don't know where there is any original, controlled studies regarding this. One anecdote does not data make, but Penn Jillette did 105lbs in 100 days, seems to be doing alright.

Also makes you consider how calorie dense modern food really is!
 
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