mythreecents

WalnutQueen, I've only lived on the island 3 years, having moved from the East Coast. You can't beat the trees and the seas out here, I see why you'd miss it. I'm down in Victoria so missing the Up Island gossip. I do have several friends that live up that way but none have ever even heard of the show--they must have kept a pretty low profile! And yes, TV peeps do a great job of ruining a good thing! In this case, for sure.

So happy the show returned to VI, because I'm here and enjoy seeing a setting I'm familiar with. Although I must say I did enjoy last season more than I thought I would. So sad about this pairs business. This is the first episode I've watched all of, and my fears are confirmed: too much bottled reality style that I can see in a gazillion other shows. No introspection. Too much whining. Too little backbone. Too homogenized characters. Too few true characters. Too much third party type camera work that took me out of the premise. Too little shaky, first person, right there with you cameras. Too much together. Too little 'Alone'. Two doesn't work. Too bad. :(

Being on Vancouver Island, I really, really enjoyed the last 2 seasons. But then to my surprise, I tuned in tonight and actually liked Patagonia better--so far so good! Thought Mr. Adopt-a-trio would tap out as soon as he was rain-whiny. Ms. Herbalist's bamboo chair was neat, she seems to have a real mindset of making a home, and I'm dying to see someone display real skills like that. Mr. Boar Hunter might be difficult to watch but it is a survival show; and I do love bacon so I can't be a hypocrite. I'm terrible with putting the names to the faces, so please excuse my nicknames til I get to know them all better.

I started out LOVING this show, and although I've watched every episode (more than once, thanks to History Canada's penchant for re-running things to death), I lost interest halfway along and am not as invested in the outcome as I'd like. Boo. I'm not sure if it was the editing, maybe? In any case, my main reason for watching the finale will be to see the dog/wolf/false alarm/bait & switch/editing shenanigans. And I think David might just hang in there to squeak out a win over Effen Larry.

I kinda thought, and from the contents I'm in the minority, that Nicole actually tapped out for health reasons. I've no doubt she misses her kids too, and I do believe that "mother's guilt" plays more of a role than fathers', as someone upthread mentioned, the men seem to be using their children as fuel to do well, tough it out, make them proud. But to get back to Nicole--once her food sources dried up (thought she'd have more foresight), I think she suffered more than the others because of her MS (especially as she manages it holistically and diet is such a huge part of it). I think because she refuses to use her illness as an excuse, it was by default she said her kids. Or not. And yeah, when's the wolf/dog/puppy showing up?

I tend to agree with this. Nicole, from the beginning, has had such a positive, upbeat attitude that it's easy to buy into the idea that she's had an "easy time". She was lucky in the fish department but I believe that even if she hadn't had that location, she would have made her own "luck". As to concerns about her looking haggard or letting her health suffer, I don't think she looks any worse for wear than the men, and I don't think she's stupid enough to risk her health. She's taken the time and figured out what she had to do to manage her MS holistically; typically folks that invested in their own health don't take unnecessary risks and it may be even be argued she'd take far less of a risk. I do think of the final four that F'ing Larry and David are the two with the 'stick-it-out-because-money-may-buy-happiness' factor. Both Jose & Nicole I think may not be "hungry" enough. I'm not good with predictions, so won't hazard a guess. And I'm cranky beyond crankiness that the "Alone: Deeper Cut" episodes have such teensy tiny captioning for the extra part. Can't read it unless I stand in front of the tv and don't want to be that close to F'ing Larry when he gets going.

Actually, the tide either takes it back out, or every few months, there's "beach sweeps" by intrepid boaters looking for treasure, so the garbage isn't ever there very long. The cove is not easily accessible from land, so we don't get down to clean it out ourselves before either waves or other boaters take it away.

Weighing in on the "seeding the beaches" theories: I don't know what the producers are doing, obviously, but I can attest to the fact that with the changing of the tides, an unbelievable amount of stuff can show up on the shoreline. We're on a small cove, and everyday the beach looks different. In the past few months alone, I can recall enough articles of clothing to open a thrift shop, part of a canoe, a seal carcass, a beach ball, an anchorage buoy, a blue bag of recyclables, several boat fenders, a half dozen gas/water jugs, and enough giant logs to outfit a midwest US state park in cabins. Never saw the same quantity and variety of flotsam and jetsam in a lifetime on the east coast, but here on VI, it's crazy pants. So, the amount of "found goods" doesn't surprise me at all.

From the VI-WILDS site: During Jan/Feb: "the bears do not truly hibernate, but enter a state more similar to a deep sleep. Unlike true hibernators, their metabolic activity is still close to normal, and their body temperature does not drop more than a few degrees."

Just to weigh in on smoking fish: the smell of cooking attracts bears (it's right in the BC wildlife handbook! Be careful bbq'ing in the woods!); the smell of salmon smoking might as well be an invitation to dinner. If I were Nicole, knowing the bears and how close they were, I wouldn't smoke fish. The great black shadow moves easily through old growth forested landscape catching a scent in the breeze he turns and moves in close hears laughter sees smoke mouth watering hunger peaks no one sees as he approaches, unaware of what circles, watching then melting back in trees having recognized grill smells beast grumbles and slowly moves off them no wiser for close proximity what's wrong with these creatures-hot dogs, again?

The "wolf" looks like it could be any one of a number of the mixes that are used for sledding in the North, and of which there are tons of "rescues" here on VI. But maybe it's a wolf, just thought it would be fun to throw that out there. :)

Okay I'm just gonna wade into the Land of Strange Theories here. The footage of the wolf leaping at someone doesn't look at all like a wolf to me, it looks like a dog, wagging tail and all. I think (drum roll please) it's the WINNER'S dog coming to greet the WINNER when the team comes to tell the winner the news. Now all we have to do is find out which of camptestants has a dog. Brilliant, what? Or you know, it's a coastal wolf...whaddo I know? I don't, however, think for a second that Nicole's campsite was a given based on her medical state, sex, or what ever. I think she's thriving because of her mindset. While the rainforest may be completely different than the African savannah (or wherever she did the lions thing), her mindset of being part of the ecosystem and respectful but not terrified of her companions in it is what's setting her apart. And I just feel the need to stick up for poor Desmond for tapping out, again, as I see his name has come up. I would have made fun of him too, but for our own experiences. We moved out here to VI just 2 years ago, as I said way back upthread, and stayed for the first month in a cottage on a beach that could easily be in one of the campsites. Let me tell you, these woods can be eerie, and completely unlike the forest in the rest of the continent (and certainly on the Eastern seaboard). The denseness of the growth, the sheer enormity of the trees, the untangible aura of prehistory, it's a very different feel, and I can see someone who's completely at home in other wilderness being thrown for a loop here. ( Come to think of it, that's another edge for Nicole, being from the Pacific Northwest this is not unfamiliar to her).

He did say cedar, which is great for smoking. Cedar planked salmon, yum. Trying to figure out why I haven't been enjoying the most recent episodes as much as the earlier ones. For some reason, I am having trouble seeing them as individuals, and telling some of the them apart. I don't know if I'm not paying enough attention, or it's the editing (some week seeing them, some weeks not), but I totally thought that Mike & Randy were the same person and had to go home to Barbara leaving behind the board games and personal sized sweat lodge and boat. Then I realized one guy has long hair, too late. And I confuse Effin' Larry and Justin until last night, when someone said they missed Effin' Larry so I knew that guy had to be Justin. (Loved that he did that climb for veterans with PTSD, love that it re-energized him). Jose & Nicole stand out for obvious reasons, their personalities are unlike anyone else's on the show. And Limpet Man depresses me listening to him. Go home, Limpet Man. So, whether it's from the editing, or me not taking notes, I have much less investment in the cast than I thought I would at this point (with above noted exceptions). I too would like to see more of the footage of the camps, the how and why of certain things. I understand the point of the "but they are ALONE" vs "but it's SURVIVAL SKILLS" argument, and think there could be a better balance in editing between the psychological stressors of being truly alone, and the how-to practical aspect of setting up camp in the rainforest. And yes, please, History stop with the "cliffhanger" treatment. You can only see Nicole whisper "Look, it's a bear" so many time before going yes, yes it is. I think there's enough to sustain interest without the manufactured drama.

I haven't seen the promo yet, so I'm not sure how the wolf/wolves are being presented, but Vancouver Island wolves are pretty shy, elusive creatures. When we first moved here and were doing research into which creatures were most likely to rip us from our beds and eat us alive (outdoorsey folk we were not), we decided in order of abject terror: cougars, bears, sea otters, banana slugs, wolves. On the spoiler front, I'm a spoiler junkie, and this is not a show that would be ruined for me by knowing ahead of time that say, David started hallucinating, wandered into the woods, found Larry, thought Larry's swearing was a chicken clucking, and tried to rip his legs off like a drumstick and both had to go home. I'd watch the hell outta that, even knowing it was coming. Looking forward to tomorrow night!

I know that reality tv isn't always...well, real. But, I was so disappointed to read this because I don't recall hearing ANYTHING about a shoulder problem during her episodes, does anyone else? It would be one thing for the producers to exaggerate or play up an edit for added drama, but this seems not quite fair to Tracy or us. I mean, we could decide for ourselves if it was her fear of being out of control at the bear cub, or fear of the bears in general, but this shoulder thing wasn't in the mix. Boo! And my money's still on David to go next, unless he dissolves into a soul-sucking pool of bitter self-pity mixed with religious and parental guilt and is washed away with the tides in the next rainfall. Or you know, he finds a bucket of fried chicken and a Coke on the beach and that fills him with renewed vigour and takes it as a sign from Jesus that he needs to stay "FOR HIS CHILDREN"!

I didn't hear her say why; I just put it down to wanting to switch it up a bit (fillets last week, steaks this), and now that I think about it, the way she prepped them suited the way she cooked them (smoked & boiled, I think last week, and fried in the pan this week). Or she was more of a hurry this week to dress the fish, takes much less time to cut it into steaks than to fillet.

I agree! I think you hit the nail on the head--it's how they view the experience. Nicole's distress as she cried and told her story seemed very normal, and cathartic. When it was done she sniffled and got back to business. I guess "healthy" is the word I'd use. Tracy, on the other hand, did not seem to have actually dealt with her issues, and consequently, seemed to have an unhealthy response. I'm using these as broad examples because clearly I don't know what goes on in their heads, but that's the impression I am getting. "Soul-strength" is a great phrase, thanks for that.

LOLOLOL I was thinking the same thing when I saw him do that, but kind of backwards. I thought "I guess they don't have the measure twice cut once rule in electrician land"

So, tonight! The pre-show: was excited to see the current contestants provide insight but THEN! I thought, they're speaking in the past tense, which yah I know it was last week, but does that mean they're not still up Island wandering around the rainforest? Because I've been kind of hoping a few of them still are, even as we watch, though I know that's unlikely. (Or is it? Does anyone know for sure?) Larry knows there's more than one mouse on VI right? His threat to burn the place down seemed way over the top. And the constant bleeping is annoying. Shortest fuse of any electrician I've seen... Nicole: I love Nicole's philosophy on being respectful to the creatures she kills to eat. As a former professional chef, it's one I hold dear. I think I would be concerned about her "oneness" with the bears, but knowing she has a background in living with lions in Africa, clearly big predator experience so her attitude is educated as opposed to overly optimistic wrt the bears I think. Her story of looking for her stepson is heartbreaking. It seems they all have a "story", which I'm guessing is part of the reason certain folks were cast: a compelling story to relay to the audience. Randy: nice to see him catching fish. And a mattress, mattresses are so key to staying warm, I'm surprised more of them haven't built up mattresses, that we've seen anyway. Also, nice ink. But Randy, the show is called "Alone". "Alone" Randy. Did you not get the memo? Why you talking so much about how you don't want to be "Alone"? You only have to stay alone til everyone else goes home, it's not a permanent state. Jose: the shift from "surviving" to "wilderness living" (I think that's the phrase he used). Great distinction when you're in it for the long haul. Looking forward to seeing his boat and hope he doesn't miss the salmon run. David: still there hey? I missed the first 15 minutes, but it's on again in 2 hours so I'll watch then--did I miss Mike and the launch of SS Barbara? ETA: I saw the re-broadcast! Mike WAS so cute with his boat, he looked so happy with it. I look forward to seeing how he uses it to his advantage.

Sea otters are protected :) And yeah, attention is always worth more than dollars, in my book. Also, to seasick's point about being a couch critic: well said! I wouldn't be so bold or presumptuous to questions someone's motives about why they're in the contest or why they tapped out, say, or whether or not they are really scared, or whatever. But I think it's okay to wonder about choices, and I would genuinely love to ask questions: Why didn't you make the fire right away? Why did you put the water on a slant? Why did you set up this or that? Why do you hold the axe that way? And so on.... In fact, I would LOVE if they re-ran the episodes after the season was done, Deeper Cut style, with each contestant providing commentary as to what they were thinking as they were doing something, providing reasoning or feelings. So having Mike say "Yes, I talked about Barbara all the time but it made me feel less lonely" or David "I tried to find a better spot for the fire, but this was more protected even though it was uneven" or some such.

This about David--trying to pin down what makes me feel uncomfortable about him. He was the evangelist/missionary guy, or something? Seems like a lot of suppression going on there. I'm trying to only judge based on survival skills but he's making my whackydoo radar ping.

No roe in the boys, roe is all eggs, all lady salmon :)

Was surprised he didn't this week. He looks "beaten" already, if you know what I mean? I know the fish catch picked him up but... And then Randy, please, because he looks like he's a step away from crazy pants. Although, I have to say, his log lean to looked impressive! But living hand-to-mouse is not going to work... Nicole: Awesome shelter, looks so snug. Her excitement over the chum salmon made me laugh, and the fact she was not at all squeamish about dispatching it. And she showed a little more caution regarding the possibility of the bears being around. After last week, I wondered if she might be too "Snow White talk to the animals" to make it safe to stay. I was thinking how chipper she still is and wondering if she's in for a really hard mental fall. I know the previews show them all looking morose, but they were all starving last week so it's hard to say from the editing. Might be just a temporary thing. Mike & Jose: More please! I'm hoping the lack of footage means they've been around a lot longer. Justin: He's absolutely right about having the "gym", which made me laugh. I thought they'd have enough to do, especially in the early days (setting up shelters, camps, projects) to give them enough activity but clearly not, and as he said it's good for his mental health. VI rain can suck the life out of anyone (as a recent transplant to the island, I can attest to the misery of the winter). And who said "Larry, never change"? I'm with ya on that one! Also tonight was the first time I realized the "Deeper Cut" version with Alan's commentary was available on Cdn History, so I was really excited about that (it's the little things, don't judge). Really enjoyed his insight and funny remarks.

Thank you for the welcome :) I find it incredibly annoying that we can't see the same info on History's show as the US site; it's our IP address that gives us away as Canadian (same reason we can't get US Netflix, etc) and automatically redirects us to the .ca version of the site. Interesting about contestants on another forum, I'll have to search for that. Of course it's easy for us "couch coaches" but from what I see here it's just mostly curiosity about their motives and choices as opposed to "hey, that guy's an idiot for doing that!", you know? Thanks for the info on the rations, five pounds isn't a lot. I haven't seen anyone eat any so maybe they're hoarding it till they are absolutely desperate? YES, this bit with Randy and not fishing. Even if he thought he'd be able to hunt game, he's on an ocean island. Fish are fairly plentiful and would require the least amount of energy to get and cook. Game would be something I'd think of as a bonus, more so than rely on as a staple.

Just discovered this show and delighted to find a forum. Not usually a survivor/reality type watcher, but this is gripping I think largely because we recently moved to VI, and remember how Desmond looked, peering into the deep, deep woods on his one day? That's pretty much how we felt! All good now, but I can tell you the density and majesty of the trees here can be quite something... I understand why they can't/don't show everyone each episode, but it's hard to get to remember names when a couple of weeks go by, especially as we don't have the benefit of the show's US web site (find History.ca lacking). Tracy-shocked, shocked to see her tap out so quickly, and like some others have said, I think in retrospect she'll see that her reaction the bear cub appropriate in every way. There's something about her that makes me sad, and I hope she is able to get rid of her demons. Nicole-Oh, dear. My hopes for you will dwindle if you aren't more careful about the bears; putting your net there is like saying "Here, Bear, I caught your dinner for you!" They are opportunistic feeders and learn quickly, so I hope she rethinks that net placement. Jose-missed him this week! Mike-I was pleasantly surprised to see him kick it into high gear and look forward to seeing his camp expand. I'll put him and Jose in front. I don't know that his constant Barbara talk will do him in, though, because I'm thinking that just talking about her makes him feel better and keep him focused on the prize. David-couldn't believe he made his own gill net (nice job too!) because he seemed quite hapless with everything else. I was ready to get a bucket of chicken after listening to him (he was the chicken & Coke guy, right?) I think he'll be next to go (barring an accident/injury to another contestant). Larry-he's the McSwearyPants, right? Not sure what to think of him, or Justin No Pants yet. Question about the rations: they did get rations this season, right? There's been no mention of them? And why did so many wait so long to set up fishing nets/lines/traps? Wouldn't that have been number 1? Wish list: Still photos, somewhere, of their various camps. I'd love to take a good luck at their shelters, camp layouts, various things they've built.