S10.E03: Growing Pains

[Quilt Fairy]

Quote

As the participants get past the shock of being dropped in the wild, the ability to think outside the box proves fruitful to some but a detriment to others; some grapple with the choice between building a shelter and finding food.

Airdate: June 22,2023

[iMonrey]

The episode description above could literally be any episode.

Wow, Lee tapped out on day 18. I thought he was made of stronger stuff. In fact I would have bet on him as the winner. And Ann tapped, same day apparently. I don't know if it is simply the luck of the draw, and some contestants wind up in a location with better fishing and more game, or if it's just that some of them are trying harder than others or are better at it. Lee certainly seemed to have the skill set, and he didn't seem to be suffering that much. Just hungry. I mean, they have seen this show before, right? What exactly did they expect? 18 days is not really that impressive. It hasn't even snowed yet.

So this week we covered Mikey, Ann, Alan, Lee, Cade, and a little bit of Luke. Mikey recovered from his bout with nausea but is still waxing poetic about his wife and kid. I still don't like his chances of overcoming the loneliness.

Alan on the other hand really seems to enjoy playing for the cameras, and has a pretty sweet shelter, although I wonder about that open top when it starts raining/snowing. I wonder if the other contestants could hear him screaming when he caught that fish. I had to look up what a pine marten was. Apparently it's in the weasel family.

It seems like Cade is still overly reliant on hunting, he says if he can't hunt he can't win. Nobody has ever won this thing just by hunting. Also, Cade is drinking water right out of the lake, and almost started a forest fire. He seems likely headed for a tap-out from injury.

No offense Ann but your mom sounds like she was kind of an asshole. Wouldn't even congratulate you or acknowledge a win at something?

And just like that, we're down to eight.

Edited June 24, 2023 by iMonrey

[mlp]

Aw, Lee.  I liked him and I wanted him to win even though he was one of the older contestants and was already quite thin.  He wanted to buy a new plane to reach more people in his territory which is an admirable goal but it's not quite the same motivation as wanting to provide for your child or prove something to yourself.  I think he knew he wasn't going to make it to the end so there was no reason to push himself to the point of jeopardizing his health before tapping. 

Ann did an amazing amount of physical labor for a small woman almost 60 y/o.  She knew her body needed food and I think she was worried about having a heart attack alone and hours from help.  I didn't blame her for tapping either.  It was a shame she didn't get to use that great cabin she built.

 

[rmontro]

I thought Ann was being entirely realistic when she tapped out.  If she was too weak to process a moose, there wasn't really any point of her being out there anymore.  Lee built a nice cabin and got gassed.

Taz and Luke are the two that impress me the most right now.  Luke has a great dugout cabin going, but I wonder how he'll do once the fishing and food starts slowing down, he's a big guy.

I was impressed with the guy (can't remember his name) who released the pine martin, because he took down all his snares after that.  He didn't want to snare an animal he couldn't eat.  I like the positive ethics involved in that, but it's liable to cost him in the game.  

[madmax]

And just like that, the two oldest contestants are gone.

I had thought that Lee would go further, but he was smart in realizing that he couldn't make it in starvation mode, as thin as he was.  No need to put more damage on your body.

Ann did a bit  too much on that cabin and I think it did her in.  I don't know why these people go all out on the cabin.  Alan(?) did a really cool teepee that I think would be pretty warm in the winter.

Mikey is next.  Too much "I miss my son"

[PaperTree]

Mikey better REALLY cook that new bird.  He's lucky he seems to have recovered.  I thought he was a goner.  I don't think he'll last long.

Interesting how his son's autism seems to have opened his eyes.  Few people will admit they were ignorant.  I'm impressed.

Nice teepee Alan, but what's he going to do when it rains/snows with that top open?  Bummer he can't keep the marten.  Nice fish!

Lots of time and effort for Cade to make those arrows.  Seems to work.  Nice shooting, but don't set the forest on fire, dude.  Good thing he found that bucket.

Ann scores big with that grouse.  Nice shot!  Odd parenting strategy by her mother.  Can one arrow really take down a moose?  How is anybody going to preserve a several hundred pounds of meat if they manage to kill one? 

And down she goes.  Did the bad grouse get her too?

Lee making berry soup.  No fish and no food, going big on the cabin brings him down

Luke going cabin big too.

These things look very large to heat, we'll see how it plays out.  They look pretty leaky, too.

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, PaperTree said:

Nice teepee Alan, but what's he going to do when it rains/snows with that top open?

I was wondering that myself.  But it's a tried and true design, so it must not be a major issue.

[SassyCat]

I think we are all surprised that Lee was the first to tap. I thought he was definitely a contender for the win, but his low weight was going to be a real struggle to get him to that point if he could manage to get regular food wins. I never imagined it would happen so soon. His face was already getting skeletal looking and the flesh was sticking to his facial bones by the time he pressed the tap button. He would have been medically tapped by production very early in this season because his BMI would have dictated so, though. Thin people like he started out as, lose weight so quickly if meals are missed. Building that beautiful cabin fort just yanked every bit of fat off him at light speed. Sorry to see him go.

Ann, another one who put too much energy into building a house right off the bat and her heart rate being so elevated. Lots of that going on these days, everywhere. Even kids. I don’t blame her for worrying about her own hearts health and not taking any chances with the physical stress signs she was feeling. It’s just not worth dying for. She knew she would not be able to handle and process a huge moose if she were lucky enough to take one down. Logical thinking on her part.

They haven’t been showing Jodi, or that other woman, who peed outside her shelter very often or at all. The first episodes previews for the next weeks show gave a quick moments shot of Jodi’s cabin she was building and the angle i saw of it looked like it was going to be very small. Other quicky shots of it, look like it is going to be larger than I originally expected it to turn out like. I can’t wait to see what she has actually built.

I am waiting for the day Cade stumbles upon his quiver full of 8 remaining arrows. I’d be out there every day trying to retrace my first hike in hopes of finding it, while hunting before the snow comes. Thats for sure. 

[Red Bridey]

Honestly, Cade is a bit of a dumbass, isn't he? Builds a fire pit that sets the woods on fire. Loses his quiver and is unable to find it again two weeks later, even though it presumably hasn't gotten up and walked away. I'm sad Lee left. I had him pegged as the winner! Mikey talks way too much about his family, kiss of death for contestants. And I have a new video boyfriend: Alan. I flove his attitude and his sense of fun!

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, SassyCat said:

I think we are all surprised that Lee was the first to tap.

Lee was the pilot guy.  He had built that raft to help him fish, but apparently he wasn't getting any more fish.  Definitely surprising that he was the first to go.  It was almost like he thought "I'm going to build a cool cabin to show what I can do, and then I'm out of here".  When they came to pick him up, he was standing proudly next to the cabin.  I admit, it was nice.

[madmax]

15 hours ago, PaperTree said:

Can one arrow really take down a moose?  How is anybody going to preserve a several hundred pounds of meat if they manage to kill one? 

For all of these folks wanting a bear or a moose with a bow and arrow, they better be damn good.  Hit one of those huge ass animals in the wrong spot, you're just gonna piss them off.  As to preserving, it's a lot of work.  They'll be drying meat for days.  Maybe dig a cache or something,  or if they get one when it's cold, build a "refrigerator."

9 hours ago, SassyCat said:

I am waiting for the day Cade stumbles upon his quiver full of 8 remaining arrows. I’d be out there every day trying to retrace my first hike in hopes of finding it, while hunting before the snow comes. Thats for sure. 

Seriously.  He really does seem like an idiot.  

[iMonrey]

21 hours ago, SassyCat said:

She knew she would not be able to handle and process a huge moose if she were lucky enough to take one down. Logical thinking on her part.

Well sure but she could probably manage a grouse or some fish. It's not like bagging a moose was her only option. I understand she was worried about her heart rate, I'm sure I'd be worried too. But early tap-outs like this just demonstrate how little some of these people understand what they're signing up for. I mean, we all watch the show, and even we're savvy enough to know you don't waste that kind of energy on an elaborate structure right out of the gate. I don't know why so many of the people keep making that mistake, it almost always takes them out of the game.

Quote

They haven’t been showing Jodi, or that other woman, who peed outside her shelter very often or at all.

Jodi was one of the five featured in the first episode and we saw her briefly again last week. Melanie was also featured last week. They tend to focus on half of them each episode so everyone has gotten pretty much equal coverage by now.

[Quilt Fairy]

On 6/24/2023 at 1:34 PM, SassyCat said:

I am waiting for the day Cade stumbles upon his quiver full of 8 remaining arrows.

There was a close up shot with Ann and her quiver of arrows and one thing I noticed about Ann's arrows was that the fletching was bright, neon colors.  Something as simple as that would make them easier to find, it seems to me. 

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

There was a close up shot with Ann and her quiver of arrows and one thing I noticed about Ann's arrows was that the fletching was bright, neon colors.  Something as simple as that would make them easier to find, it seems to me. 

I keep wondering if that quiver is going to turn up later in the season (Cade's quiver, I mean).  It was impressive that he was able to make his own arrow and kill a grouse with it though.

[Red Bridey]

Yes, I do agree Cade's arrow making is impressive but every time he misfires,that arrow is going to be harder to retrieve and reuse. He seems to be really dumb about basic skills. And will it matter at all after he burns down the forest?? 😠🔥🙀

[iMonrey]

Quote

Yes, I do agree Cade's arrow making is impressive but every time he misfires,that arrow is going to be harder to retrieve and reuse. He seems to be really dumb about basic skills. And will it matter at all after he burns down the forest??

You have to think some of these people go on this show hoping to promote their business, but in Cade's case it was probably a mistake. I mean, if you're looking for a hunting guide, and hear this guy was on Alone, then find out he lost is arrows and nearly started a forest fire two weeks in, are you really going to hire him?

[Blackie]

Just catching up, like EVERYONE else , so surprised that Lee tapped all ready, I thought he was all set up to be caching lots of fish. I don't think they even mentioned his raft again. I wonder if he was recruited on be on the show (didn't someone say his brother (?) has a TV reality show). It seems like he had good skills but didn't really prepare by gaining some weight before hand. He should have spent 18 hours straight fishing instead of building but I guess he really thought the fish would come.

When Ann saw that giant bull moose, I said out loud "how are you going to handle that?"  She needed to focus on the small food, like that older lady from previous season that lived on the berry leather.

I like Alan from BC and his attitude about ethical hunting and not disrupting the land too much. I like his Teepee and that is how first nation people made their shelters so their must be some way to protect the opening on top once it rains/shows, I think it is a smart structure. 

I didn't catch how Cade made the tips for his arrow, just by sharpening the wood tip? I can't believe in 1 week he wouldn't have waked past where he had dropped it, how far away from his camp was he?  I call BS on that.

I like how Luke planned ahead, custom making his gators so he could use them for drying berries. I think there was something else he brought that he could repurpose , I forget now.

[HurricaneVal]

I suspect that Lee did some internal accounting and realized he wasn't going to be able to stick it out for the win, so why not get out now before he totally destroys his body--and therefore his business--by continuing to stay in and failing further down the line.  Lee is a bush pilot, right?  If he can't pass the FAA physical because he's compromised his body by starving himself in this competition leading to long term damage, he's lost his business.  Or at least a significant part of his business if he's one of a few pilots.  He made the right decision, sorry to say.  I hope he does well, and can leverage the "As seen on season 10 of Alone!" claim to drum up more business.

Mikey still talking about his family is concerning, but I liked his little TED talk about autism, and for people to learn about it and be a little tolerant for kids and adults with it.  I like that he's thinking about his kid as an adult, and how that might go.  Yeah, he's talking about family, which is usually a harbinger of a DOR, but I think his talking about his special needs son is giving him motivation to use this show as a platform of education.  I liked how he admitted he was ignorant before educating himself on autism, there was a hint of an apology there, like he might have been less tolerant of the neurodivergent in the past, and is sorrowful about that today.

I still think Cade is manufacturing a story to get more screentime to build a postseason business or elevate appearance fees.  At least he's not doing it by being purposefully whacky.  I do believe his arrows really are lost, but I think he's elected to make his own arrows because it is a better story than "I lost my arrows, looked around, and found them, whew!"  His narration did say he looked for a week for the arrows, but the editors didn't elect to show any proof of that, so we're left to wonder how hard he really looked.  I think he's also a victim of the "ultra hunter man" mentality.  In the "before" shot while he still had the arrows, the arrow, not quiver exactly, but arrow cartridge storage thingy, the arrow shafts, arrow heads, and fletching were all dun or camo colors.  Absolutely nothing that would stand out, so losing his whole kit can be chalked up to his eschewing of safety, high-vis, equipment in favor of stealth.  Obviously he didn't think that through, he was going to lose his arrows no matter what after he shot them and missed.  Mr. HV mentioned that maybe that wasn't his choice, and he had to accept whatever gear the producers gave him.  Except in nearly the next scene, there's Ann, with very visible, nearly neon fletching on her arrows.

I was very impressed with....Alan was it?....who not only freed the pine marten from his snare, but took all his snares down in the area.  Now, I know that letting the one go from the trap was required because of the hunting regs, but taking the rest down probably wasn't required.  So that was a good thing, and his stated reason was since he knew that was a pine marten area, he didn't want to catch more only to have to release them.  But I also have to think he knew that if he did keep catching them, their screams while they were held in the snare would likely provide warning to any other animals he might trap there and get to keep.  He made the right decision for many reasons.

Short of being mildly annoyed with Cade, I'm really OK with everyone so far.  Nobody is getting on my last nerve.  I even smiled at Cade's obvious enthusiasm after his home made arrow found its mark, so he's not irredeemable in my eyes.  I am liking this season so far.  It does seem like the fishing window was rather narrow this time.

Mr. HV and I are always shouting at the screen for everyone to fish-fish-fish while the fish are there, gather-gather-gather while the berries etc. are there, and smoke-smoke-smoke and dry-dry-dry the excess, because there will soon come a day when the fish and berries are not there.  Put up a good, temporary shelter while all that fishing and gathering is getting done, then mull over the plans for the permanent shelter and strategies for getting other food while all that fishing, gathering, smoking, and drying are happening. 

We do this screen shouting, by the way, seated in our La-Z-Boys in our lovely heated home while eating bowls of ice cream, or other lovely and tasty food.

[rmontro]

12 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

Yes, I do agree Cade's arrow making is impressive but every time he misfires,that arrow is going to be harder to retrieve and reuse.

If he can make one, he can make others.  I don't know how many heads he has to use though, or things to use as heads.

[iMonrey]

16 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I suspect that Lee did some internal accounting and realized he wasn't going to be able to stick it out for the win, so why not get out now before he totally destroys his body--and therefore his business--by continuing to stay in and failing further down the line.  Lee is a bush pilot, right?  If he can't pass the FAA physical because he's compromised his body by starving himself in this competition leading to long term damage, he's lost his business.  Or at least a significant part of his business if he's one of a few pilots.  He made the right decision, sorry to say. 

I'm sure he made the right decision to tap out, but I would argue he made the wrong decision signing up for this show in the first place. I assume everyone who wants to be on the show has at least seen it before and understands how it works. We're on our 10th season already, it's impossible not to know what these people are in for, so I do not understand why so many of them are delusional about what their resources will be, or waste all their energy building enormous structures for shelter right out of the gate.

16 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Mr. HV and I are always shouting at the screen for everyone to fish-fish-fish while the fish are there, gather-gather-gather while the berries etc. are there, and smoke-smoke-smoke and dry-dry-dry the excess, because there will soon come a day when the fish and berries are not there.  Put up a good, temporary shelter while all that fishing and gathering is getting done, then mull over the plans for the permanent shelter and strategies for getting other food while all that fishing, gathering, smoking, and drying are happening. 

Exactly. I know this. You and Mr. HV know this. Why don't so many of the people on this show know this?

And for every Lee or other early tap-out there's someone who'd love the opportunity to do this show and was turned down for some reason or didn't make the cut because they want five men and five women.

[Yeah No]

13 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'm sure he made the right decision to tap out, but I would argue he made the wrong decision signing up for this show in the first place. I assume everyone who wants to be on the show has at least seen it before and understands how it works. We're on our 10th season already, it's impossible not to know what these people are in for, so I do not understand why so many of them are delusional about what their resources will be, or waste all their energy building enormous structures for shelter right out of the gate.

I'm usually the person cheering on the older contestants but after a certain age (and he and the woman that also tapped out are at or beyond it) it would take an especially hardy person to be able to make it on this show, or an especially smart and/or lucky one.  If Lee found fish galore he'd probably still be out there.  He took a risk putting so much energy into making a shelter and then realized it wasn't going to be so easy to find food after he had already tired himself out.  I think some of them think they'd better build the shelter while the weather is good and they still have a lot of energy, but they don't realize how much energy building it is going to take out of them while they're also not eating enough.  Then when they realize they can't find enough food to come back from that, it becomes a problem.  It would probably be a better strategy to scale down the shelter size and alternate between building it and finding food. 

One of them, I think the one building the teepee said he was trying to save time and energy by building a simpler structure.  That's probably a smart move if his moss and other building materials/construction methods are as good as he thinks they are.  

When I was young I had energy galore and probably could have lasted a while out there no matter what.  I remember when I first started to watch this show I was several years younger and still could picture myself handling some of the aspects of this challenge.  Now I look at it and know it would be impossible for me to last a week out there much less a couple of months.  These two people that tapped out are just around that age when you still think you "have it" but then might be forced to realize the hard way that you really don't anymore, at least not to the degree you thought you did. 

I have friends around that age that find out after ignoring my warnings that maybe they're biting off more than they can chew.   My best friend and I are the same age but we both have friends 4 years younger than us and we talk about this all the time, how we gently have to warn them that they're not the spring chicken they were even a few years before.  It sneaks up on people and some of them end up overestimating their physical endurance, like my friend who thought he was going to be able to handle mowing his own lawn after his son who used to help him moved out of the house to another state.  Knowing the size of his lawn, I told him maybe it was time to get a service to do it like my husband and I do (and have done for several years now), but he insisted he could handle it.  Well, I'm not saying "I told you so" but he had to learn the hard way that he isn't up to doing it on his own anymore.  And forget a riding mower, he doesn't want to spend the money on one.

[Jeanne222]

On 6/23/2023 at 10:14 AM, iMonrey said:

The episode description above could literally be any episode.

Wow, Lee tapped out on day 18. I thought he was made of stronger stuff. In fact I would have bet on him as the winner. And Ann tapped, same day apparently. I don't know if it is simply the luck of the draw, and some contestants wind up in a location with better fishing and more game, or if it's just that some of them are trying harder than others or are better at it. Lee certainly seemed to have the skill set, and he didn't seem to be suffering that much. Just hungry. I mean, they have seen this show before, right? What exactly did they expect? 18 days is not really that impressive. It hasn't even snowed yet.

So this week we covered Mikey, Ann, Alan, Lee, Cade, and a little bit of Luke. Mikey recovered from his bout with nausea but is still waxing poetic about his wife and kid. I still don't like his chances of overcoming the loneliness.

Alan on the other hand really seems to enjoy playing for the cameras, and has a pretty sweet shelter, although I wonder about that open top when it starts raining/snowing. I wonder if the other contestants could hear him screaming when he caught that fish. I had to look up what a pine marten was. Apparently it's in the weasel family.

It seems like Cade is still overly reliant on hunting, he says if he can't hunt he can't win. Nobody has ever won this thing just by hunting. Also, Cade is drinking water right out of the lake, and almost started a forest fire. He seems likely headed for a tap-out from injury.

No offense Ann but your mom sounds like she was kind of an asshole. Wouldn't even congratulate you or acknowledge a win at something?

And just like that, we're down to eight.

I marvel at your ability to know their names and activities about each one!

I refer to them as the guy that puked or the older lady!  Sigh.

[Jeanne222]

11 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

I marvel at your ability to know their names and activities about each one!

I refer to them as the guy that puked or the older lady!  Sigh.

Regarding being able to keep a moose I remember on I think episode one talk about maggots getting to something.  That's still to happen.

Wasn't there a fellow on an earlier show that caught and smoked many fish?

 

[Yeah No]

43 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

I marvel at your ability to know their names and activities about each one!

I refer to them as the guy that puked or the older lady!  Sigh.

Me too, I just referred to one as "that guy with the teepee", LOL!  😄

[rmontro]

On 6/26/2023 at 3:25 PM, Blackie said:

I didn't catch how Cade made the tips for his arrow, just by sharpening the wood tip?

I think he said he used the broadhead tip for grouses to put on the end of the arrow.  He said the weight would help it fly straighter.  I'm no archery expert, but it appears they had different kind of tips that they could attach to the arrows.  Maybe there's a different tip if you want to shoot a bear instead of a bird, for instance.  Apparently he lost the quiver with the arrows, but he still has the tips.

I don't think Lee was quite as bad as some might say.  He did have a plan in mind, which was to use his net to passively catch fish while he put up his shelter.  He had a good start with it, so he probably expected it to produce more.  But he did continue to burn calories when he knew there were no fish coming in, so I guess it's on him anyway.

I keep thinking if it were me, I would lay about three or four logs a day to pace myself.  But then maybe I'd never get it done.  Also, these videos are edited, so they probably work on these structures over a longer period of time than it appears on the show.

[Blackie]

3 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

I marvel at your ability to know their names and activities about each one!

Last year I started keeping a list so I can keep track and not continuously have to go back to the website. The list has the name, where they are from, what food they got, their shelter and then the important info liked "puked", "peed outside tent", "lost arrows", 

[iMonrey]

4 hours ago, Blackie said:

Last year I started keeping a list so I can keep track and not continuously have to go back to the website. The list has the name, where they are from, what food they got, their shelter and then the important info liked "puked", "peed outside tent", "lost arrows", 

Same.

[Yeah No]

On 6/28/2023 at 6:50 AM, Blackie said:

Last year I started keeping a list so I can keep track and not continuously have to go back to the website. The list has the name, where they are from, what food they got, their shelter and then the important info liked "puked", "peed outside tent", "lost arrows", 

Haha, you're old school!  In the past I've referred to the History Channel or some other website where they list the names and photos of everyone on that season and a short bio on them.  I just haven't felt the need to do that yet this time.

[madmax]

On 6/28/2023 at 4:56 AM, rmontro said:

I don't think Lee was quite as bad as some might say.  He did have a plan in mind, which was to use his net to passively catch fish while he put up his shelter.  He had a good start with it, so he probably expected it to produce more.  But he did continue to burn calories when he knew there were no fish coming in, so I guess it's on him anyway.

I just caught one of the earlier episodes where the Canadian guy that got hit with a hockey puck (so Canadian...) said "I know the fish are here" after he caught one.  Just one.  Not necessarily.  Lee caught a few, then none.  Happens all the time.  They should have passive methods, like gill net or snares, along with active methods, like hunting and fishing.  Not going to make it otherwise unless they pull a Juan Pablo.