Season One Talk: Wolves And Cougars And Bears, Oh My!

[cooksdelight]

Note to Mitch: If it's pouring down rain, put out your pot and anything else you have to catch FRESH RAINWATER!!!!

Alan's impersonation of Julia Child when he was cooking that worm (or whatever it was) was fricken' hilarious.

[riverheightsnancy]

It was a big slug! I think that the guys who last the longest, we haven't really been exposed that much yet.  That one guy from Canada, I think it was, really had it together, he was calm and had everything going, fire and good camp. 

[tanyak]

I think both Joe and Mitch moved their camps. Mitch said that he had crossed the river several times. That's why his clothes were all wet and he had to set up a new camp.

Joe is screwed if he lost his firestarter, or whatever it's called.

Edited June 26, 2015 by tanyak

[cooksdelight]

I will have to root for Alan since he's local. I just checked Facebook and all of my friends that watched the show tonight are all giddy we have a local representative.

[Quilt Fairy]

Alan's impersonation of Julia Child when he was cooking that worm (or whatever it was) was fricken' hilarious.

OMG, I was so not expecting that! "Just cook the slug in brown gravy and don't worry about the excrement because we'll just add more wine...."

 

cooks delight, the reason they have to make more than one trip is that besides their backpack and other camping gear they have a big-ass camera case that looks like it weighs a good 50-60 pounds.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[candall]

Joe is screwed if he lost his firestarter, or whatever it's called.

Joe's weak sauce if he's staked his whole game on a 'store-boughten sparker,' which wouldn't even last indefinitely in the first place.  Who would head off into the woods for a potential year of isolation without practicing multiple methods of making fire? 

 

Eyeglasses.  Shoestring bow.  I even saw one survival show guy put some of his own pee into the corner of a clear plastic baggie and prism the sunshine onto the tinder. 

 

Come on, Joe, show us what you've got.

 

[Whew, sorry.  I also curse the Survivor idiots who invariably spend the first nights dehydrated and shivering because no one bothered to Youtube firemaking.]

[Quilt Fairy]

With the climate and location they're in, I don't think there's much chance of getting direct sunlight for long enough to make a fire. Remember, none of these apparently experienced guys could make fire with a ferro rod the first few days. Without one, Joe could be an Eagle Scout and still be screwed.

 

I found the 2nd episode as interesting as the first. Not having any narration really helps, and while they have different personalities, none of the guys seem to be total a$$holes so far. Although you would think that half a mil would, y'know, motivate these people! Too many people are giving up too easily too early.

 

Joe seems likely to go in the next episode. I guess I don't have to worry about there still being a couple of them out there. Maybe we should start a pool on how long it takes before there's a winner.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[ethalfrida]

I can't wait until one of them gets the gumption to go look for someone else. Do they know others are out there? Somewhere?

 

This could wind up being a great Broadway musical when it's all said and done.

The caption on the first episode said they were isolated and left in impassable areas.

I'm in...

I like Wolf Boy, lol.

Edited June 26, 2015 by ethalfrida

[walnutqueen]

So, tap-out #2 has PTSD from being bitten by a dog as a child.  He leaves because he's afraid of being "eaten by wolves".  Because, that happens so often. 

 

Might as well just say "I miss my mommy" and call yourself done.  Will the next guy to leave use the "my Daddy was never there for me and I miss my kids" excuse?  :-)

 

A 1 in 10 chance to win $500,000.  Most people would stand in line to buy a lottery ticket longer for those odds.

[humbleopinion]

Ferrocerium is the word of the day boys and girls...

Learn how to spell it, use it in a sentence but more importantly ...do not misplace it.

Hopefully, Joe will figure out to hit rewind on his cam and see specifically where he put it.

[ProfCrash]

Fresh rainwater still should be treated before you drink it. It comes into contact with plants and can carry bacteria from that contact. It is less likely to cause serious harm then water in a pond but it still should be treated. Just like running water should still be treated. It is less likely to cause you harm then still water but it can still have harmful stuff in it.

 

Put yeah, capture a bunch and boil it when you get fire or risk it a bit at a time until you have fire.

[humbleopinion]

The early episodes seem to give the spotlight to the men who are on the brink of tapping out.

Need to get rid of a few more of the wannabes before we can distinguish one from the other.

 

Who knew those big bags of clippings that fly off of gardeners' trucks onto the freeway were boats?

 

My early prediction: Lucas Miller

The guy who put the extra set of eyes on his hat, had his coffee pot on the fire, set up his canvas tarp teepee style with a tarp foyer.

[ethalfrida]

I agree with this.  I am no way an outdoors person and I'd never do a show like this but even I wondered why Josh didn't move his camp.  

 

Yes on the questions about the show:   I know they said they're separated either by mountains or rivers and can't get to each other, but do they know how many people are in the challenge?  Do they find out when someone's tapped out?  I wonder how long they stay since I think they said there was only one winner.  

 

What I like about this show is how quiet it is; there's no narrator and no annoying music (at least not yet).

The more I think about your question the scarier the scenario becomes... the one about not knowing who was still in. And the quietness. But not having the other reality show elements there is indeed refreshing.

 

Does anyone think some of the contestants are "plants"? Designated early tapper outers?

Edited June 26, 2015 by ethalfrida

[mlp]

I missed the first episode and have some questions.  I gather from the comments that two people have already left, Josh and ?  How do they make contact and then get out?  Which one said he never leaves home without a gun?

 

Biggest question and one not explained on the site AFAICT.............  How are they shooting all that footage?  I know they have cameras with sound but..... Where are they?  The guy who used a makeshift boat to cross the little lake had footage of part of that and footage of himself finding fresh water.  Where were the cameras and how did they get there?

[ProfCrash]

They each have a satellite phone that they can use to contact Production to tap out or in case of an emergency. The dude who left in episode two said he always has a gun on him at home. The first to tap out was in episode one and was a cop. He lasted one night. Well, not even a night because he probably called as soon as the bears were nosing around his camp and they made him stay the rest of the night. Each person had a case of camera equipment located where they were dropped off. They had to set up cameras around their perimeters to capture what was happening in their areas. They also have cameras that they carry with them. We don't know how batteries and the like are being handled.

[riverheightsnancy]

The early episodes seem to give the spotlight to the men who are on the brink of tapping out.

Need to get rid of a few more of the wannabes before we can distinguish one from the other.

 

Who knew those big bags of clippings that fly off of gardeners' trucks onto the freeway were boats?

 

My early prediction: Lucas Miller

The guy who put the extra set of eyes on his hat, had his coffee pot on the fire, set up his canvas tarp teepee style with a tarp foyer.

Yeah, I fear that you are correct. My early fav was Mitch, but I fear that the editing is saying he leaves next. I think that you are correct about Lucas. He really had it together. It was impressive. Now THAT is the type of guy one could learn how to survive out in the wild from. Really loved his hat. 

[Quilt Fairy]

Hopefully, Joe will figure out to hit rewind on his cam and see specifically where he put it.

That might work. And that is something that I would never have thought to do. However, I think Joe knows the general location - by the fire - but it looks like due to a combination of rough weather and an incoming tide that a wave might have taken it. Also the beach looks like gray pebbles, and the ferro rod is gray so it's not going to stand out even if it's not lost at sea.

 

When I originally saw all the water around their locations I didn't think water was going to be a problem. It took me a while to realize that they're not on a big lake.

[humbleopinion]

He just made his life more complicated because he HAS to keep his fire lit.

Is this incident the wake up call he needs to kick it to the next level, getting his mental game sorted out or will the lost fire tool sink him.

I'd put him on the bubble.

 

About camera placement-the men place the camera in a far spot, walk back then tape themselves going toward it.

Then pick it up and place it in another vantage point and so on...

Les Stroud shows himself do it all the time on his Survivorman show.

 

Hope they have a reunion show.

The Season 1 remaining dudes could still be duking it out on VI for all we know.

If anyone can find the quitters' twitter accounts put the  link here so we can read their take on the show.

[Quilt Fairy]

This is a link to a video of Chris and Josh (they must be on a Ponderosa somewhere), but I can't get it to play. Maybe you'll have better luck.

http://www.history.com/shows/alone/videos/chris-tells-josh-about-his-time-alone?m=5189719baf036&s=All&f=1&free=false

[riverheightsnancy]

This is a link to a video of Chris and Josh (they must be on a Ponderosa somewhere), but I can't get it to play. Maybe you'll have better luck.

http://www.history.com/shows/alone/videos/chris-tells-josh-about-his-time-alone?m=5189719baf036&s=All&f=1&free=false

Hi Quilt Fairy, I got it to play, I am using Chrome. It started immediately with a wicked loud McDonald's commercial, so it woke me right up. Anyway, it was mostly Chris recounting the wolves and the noises that made him decide to quit. But he got a total zinger into Josh by saying that "at least he wasn't the first to tap out" Bwah. He also talked about being totally out of his element because he wasn't used to the vegetation as it is different in Florida. Having visited Florida myself, they do have pine trees there, so there are some similarities. 

[LittleIggy]

I would completely be worried about the cougars first and foremost animal wise.

Didn't one guy in the "back home" footage say they had 40 items to choose from?

I did the personality quiz on the Alone page on History.com. My match was Mitch. I'm relieved I wasn't a match to one of the tappers! :-)

The Julia Child impression was a hoot!

[ramble]

This show is so interestingly quiet. I'm quite liking it. I can't keep anyone straight yet, but the fact that didn't show the young wolf howler much makes me wonder if he lasts awhile & that disappoints me. Maybe he'll grow on me later. I enjoyed Mr. Julia Child. He was very upbeat in comparison to some of the more panicked guys. It freaks me out a bit to see the guys filming bears & know they are alone out there if something were to happen. I'm off to do the personally quiz (thanks LittleIggy) & I fear I may get a system error telling me I'm such a hopelessly indoor person that I match no one.

ETA: I got Josh. In case anyone forgot he was the first to tap out. To this I say: incredibly accurate quiz! Hahahahaha.

Edited June 27, 2015 by ramble

[Quilt Fairy]

I can't keep anyone straight yet

 

That's actually pretty easy because whenever they switch, they have the person's name on-screen.

 

This show is so interestingly quiet. I'm quite liking it.

 

"Interestingly quiet" is a good way to put it. It could be why I like it so much. It's amazing me that with all the ancient alien crap, copy-cat reality shows and pseudo-science that populate the History Channel these days they are actually airing something different and good. Somebody's probably going to get fired over this. ;-)

Edited June 27, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[Neurochick]

I took the personality quiz and got Sam, the howler, don't know what that means.

[candall]

I got Alan, but I have to question the "skilled in the combative arts" assessment unless they're counting my cranky remarks on PreTV.

[riverheightsnancy]

I took the quiz and I got Dustin. We haven't seen much of him yet, so I guess that "I" last for a little while! lol

[Quilt Fairy]

I took the quiz and got Joe. Now, where are my car keys?

[rainsmom]

So frustrated. I wrote a long post to get caught up and the system ate it. Sigh.

 

Laughed my butt off when Chris tapped out. Too scared to handle the world if there's not a gun in reach. That's really sad, if you think about it. Think of all he misses because he's so busy fighting against those perceived evils all around him.

 

I hope Mitch doesn't tap out soon. He was so chill and seemed to really know what he was doing. But I can see his circumstances getting to him. Hopefully he'll get dry and warm and get some water and food into his belly.

 

Thought the guy who puts eyes on the back of his cap was smart. Candall, I would do what you suggested -- mark my territory!

 

I enjoyed watching the bear, but yeah, it was scary too. The factoid they displayed said black bears attack humans because they're hungry. That's true. Most grizzly and brown bear attacks are defensive. Wearing bells and making noise works because most of the time bears would rather avoid the confrontation. Playing dead works sometimes with grizzlies and brown bears because they're attacking for defense. Playing dead doesn't work with black bears. If they attack, they're predating -- they'll be happy their prey was so easy to subdue.

 

I was so glad to see Alan took advantage of the slugs -- and that Julia Child impression was hysterical! He did the slugs correctly too. Prepared correctly, those slugs will provide a steady supply of protein, because they're EVERYWHERE up here.

 

I was happy to see so many catch systems and to see the men expand their territory in search of better camp sites. I should have been more patient last week. Bad me. They're doing well.

 

Oh! They said the list had 40 items on it. I'm dying to know what the other things on the list were.

 

I took the quiz. I'm Brant. Which one is he?

[Brooklynista]

Ok, what the heck is bear spray? Is this really a thing? I'm from NYC and I have mace! Same thing? Is that really effective against a bear? I would think it would just agitate the crap out of a bear and make your mauling even worse.

[humbleopinion]

Bear spray

http://www.centerforwildlifeinformation.org/BeBearAware/BearSpray/bearspray.html

It is like inhaling micro ground up ghost peppers as well as getting it in your eyes and mouth.

It stings, burns, hurts like Mofo, so the bears back off.

Yellowstone we came upon bear after bear but we never had to use our bear spray, but our hand was on the nozzle.

Go back to the  Alone  website and you can find the master list and the 10 specific items each man chose.

 

Brant looks like a young Grizzley Adams.

[Neurochick]

The questions I have about this show never end.  

 

Usually on these types of shows, there is a time frame;  on Naked and Afraid they're out 21 days, in Survivor they're 39 days (I think).  Les Stroud did 7 days (?).  So I wonder how it was for this show.  I mean if there's no time frame, this show could go on for months.  Maybe that's why they picked this place, because it's tough to survive there.  What would happen if it was three months, four months, five months, and  three men were still there?  What would the producers do?  

Edited June 27, 2015 by Neurochick

[rainsmom]

The questions I have about this show never end.  

 

Usually on these types of shows, there is a time frame;  on Naked and Afraid they're out 21 days, in Survivor they're 39 days (I think).  Les Stroud did 7 days (?).  So I wonder how it was for this show.  I mean if there's no time frame, this show could go on for months.  Maybe that's why they picked this place, because it's tough to survive there.  What would happen if it was three months, four months, five months, and  three men were still there?  What would the producers do?  

 

The application for season 2 says you should be prepared to stay as long as a year. One of the guys in the episode also mentioned it could be as long as a year. So I guess the producers were prepared for it to go on a long time. It doesn't really take a lot from the producers though -- except for people to watch the film and cut together the stories. Man, that must have taken a LOT of man hours. If I were the senior producer, I would assign one producer to each person. That producer then watches all that feed and creates a story for the person. In production meetings, then, they share how the stories are progressing, and the senior producer can say, "Okay, we want to emphasize the struggle in this one. This guy needs a redemption arc. Let's make this one the guy the audience will hate" based on what the producers tell about the raw footage.

[humbleopinion]

Keep thinking about that Japanese soldier in the jungle who didn't know the war ended so was still in combat mode decades after everyone else went home.

Hoping producers don't interfere and give updates or any info about the other Aloners.

Complete aloneness.

No people interaction.

Sure don't want any guys teaming up to split the half million, want ONE winner.

Irritated me when one guy said if he stayed out so many months he would see it as a personal victory.

Preemptive reason to tap out early.

Please send a pack of wolves to his camp to accelerate his personal victory timeline.

Aloners should go in with the attitude of one year minimum to separate the men from the boys.

Then it gets interesting... who will go beyond the initial agreement to win.

 

My favorite is the guy in the dingy who drops them off and picks them up.

What is his story?

Is he a local?

Is he a producer?

He is the last one the guys talk to and first one they talk to when they tap out.

Very enigmatic.

Edited June 27, 2015 by humbleopinion

[walnutqueen]

I would love to see a "Behind the Scenes" or "Making Of" special after the show airs.  I want to know how they scouted the locations, who the local consultants were, and who the rescue team was.   I want to know everything about this show!!!

 

rainsmom - are you from the Pacific Northwest?  I grew up in Vancouver & the Fraser Valley, and have made several trips to Vancouver Island.  The Port Hardy area I visited was about the wettest place I'd ever seen - and that was in summer!  I just love seeing the scenery again - it makes me really homesick (but not enough to make me move back from sunny SoCal, eh!).  :-)

[rainsmom]

Yep, I live about an hour NE of Seattle in the foothills of the Cascades. Vancouver Island is my favorite place in the world! I'm not sure what part is my favorite. It's all so beautiful. This show is filmed up on Quatsino Sound. You can google Quatsino, one of the small towns on the sound (but not near these guys). It has 91 people and can only be reached by boat or float plane. I tried to convince my husband that we should move there, but shockingly, he's not convinced.

 

Hey, what do you guys think about creating another thread specifically for question for a producer? We can contact the production company and ask them to stop by. Even if they don't participate, maybe they will answer some of our questions with on-screen blurbs or something. And a thousand times YES to a "Behind the Scenes" episode!

Edited June 27, 2015 by rainsmom

[walnutqueen]

How awesome, rainsmom - I love the Cascade foothill area, too, and Seattle was my second favorite city (Vancouver's still #1). 

 

I was thinking they were dispersed somewhere between Quatsino and Winter Harbor (population 20).  Quite the beautiful area - and yes, remote as hell!  I checked the average monthly temperatures and rainfall in the area, and it is cool and very WET. 

 

I love the idea of an "ask the producers" thread, too.

[cooksdelight]

I love the idea of an "ask the producers" thread, too.

I am putting the question to the admins to find out if that's doable. I'll get back to you guys once I find out. Thanks.

[Quilt Fairy]

For a short while today I was able to view videos again, and I got to hear "Alan's Pinecone Song". I thought it would be a happy-chipmunk-and-squirrels song but it's actually an ode to using the pinecone as toilet paper. "If you go / against the grain / it's sure / to cause you pain..." And he's got a nice baritone. Between that and the Julia Child impersonation, I think Alan's a winner. Definitely someone you'd like to have with you in the wilderness.

[Brooklynista]

I would certainly pick Alan for my team. Him singing a little Diddy would ease my mind about eating slugs. And with chopsticks no less!

[Neurochick]

The application for season 2 says you should be prepared to stay as long as a year.

 

 

Wow, that is very interesting and unusual for a reality show.  I wonder how the producers sold the idea to the History Channel.  I wonder if any other channels passed on it.  If someone stayed for a year, I wonder how long the show would last.   To me, it seems better suited for a documentary than a reality show.  

[rainsmom]

Wow, that is very interesting and unusual for a reality show.  I wonder how the producers sold the idea to the History Channel.  I wonder if any other channels passed on it.  If someone stayed for a year, I wonder how long the show would last.   To me, it seems better suited for a documentary than a reality show.  

 

Good questions. I wonder if they sell the show to a network before or after the first season. Who actually foots the bill? This would have been a relatively low cost show since they didn't have to pay for any sets, lights, camera operators, and so on.

 

I really wonder how many episodes this season will have. Does it depend on how long they last? Obviously, they're not going to keep showing 1-2 days per episode if people lasted for months. But if they all tapped out within a couple of weeks....

 

So very curious!

[cooksdelight]

Who actually foots the bill?

Advertisers. Always, and I've not paid attention to who the main ones are. But hats off to them for sponsoring such an intriguing show.

[walnutqueen]

I'm not surprised History picked this up.  They had another really good competitive reality show called Top Shot, which ran for 5 seasons.  I really liked that one, too.  It was all about marksmanship and sportsmanship - such a nice change from all the other drama-centric shows.

[cooksdelight]

I cannot imagine how awful it would be if Jeff Probst popped his head out from behind a tree, "What? You're dragging behind!!! You are falling so far behind!!! You better shake a leg and get moving or you'll starve!!!"

[muffkins]

If this is filmed in Quatsino Sound, then it is on the west side of the Island and will not get any protection from the mainland from ocean weather systems.  It looks like its either late winter/early spring, or fall/early winter, so the wind coming off the water will be cold, cold, cold.  I spent the first 17 years of my life in the Nimpkish Valley, about 3 hours north of Campbell River, so the wolves and bears wouldn't really bother me, but cougars freak my shit out.  They are quiet, sneaky and almost impossible to see before they pounce.  There is no way I'd be out there without a rifle and a dog.  My dogs went everywhere with me when we were out in the bush.  I don't really understand why they are having such a bad time finding water, there are little streams and creeks everywhere out there.  I mean it basically drips off the rock faces most of the time.  Also the insistence on boiling it.  Granted it's been 29 years since I lived up there, but the water never killed me.  Still, I do remember camping trips in February at Atluck Lake, being freezing cold and wet constantly, but I had my parents, siblings and grandparents around to keep my spirits up.  Being alone would suck.

[cooksdelight]

It's nice to hear from someone who's spent time there, thanks for sharing.

[LittleIggy]

To quote the Stranger from "The Big Lebowski": Sometimes you eat the b'ar, sometimes the b'ar eats you. ;-)

[HurricaneVal]

I'm in.

 

Two episodes in, and I still really can't tell anyone apart (even with the helpful chyrons), other than "hippie dude," "guy with eyes on hat," and "die, howler, die."  Come to think of it, "hippie dude" and "guy with eyes on hat" may possibly be the same person.  Must re-watch.

 

After the first episode aired, I checked here to see if there was a forum yet, and no, so I posted my thoughts on the show and ep. 1 elsewhere but thought I'd repeat it here:

 

Sooooo..... Last night I watched the premiere of The History Channels ultimate survivor show Alone. I missed the very first part, but the premise is that they take a bunch of "survivalist" guys, dump them off separately on the most remote part of Vancouver Island (British Columbia) with only a backpack of ten survival items and a bunch of Go-Pros and some motion sensitive infrared game cameras.

 

Vancouver Island is gorgeous. It is also huge, wet, full of impenetrable forest, boggy marshes, rocky shores, and apex predators like cougars and black bear. I have no idea how long this lasts, but I got the impression (must read the material at the link I posted above) that it is kind of a "last man standing" sort of thing--this "experiment" will go on until all but one guy taps out.

 

There's a few problems. One of which is: none of these guys is much of a cinematographer, so it is kind of like "all Blair Witch, all the time." Maybe they'll get better. One of the guys actually has a decent camera sense, and his footage looks like Scorsese compared to the others. Another problem is, as far as I could tell, most of these guys seem to be mid-westerners, east coasters, (both US and CA) or from the south, and the terrain, climate, flora, and fauna of Vancouver Island pretty much have them all cowed, and in several cases, cowering. One guy tapped out the first night. Well, actually, I think he would have preferred tapping out the first night, but had to wait until morning to either communicate that, or for pick up. Either way, he spent a night utterly terrified under his tarp, and watching a man mentally pee his pants all night long just isn't all that fun for me. The lack of interaction, like we find on Naked and Afraid, makes it both boring and refreshing. I think it is intended that all the guys stay separate, but it is conceivable they could find each other--especially once a few of them manage a fire. But these guys are no Les Stroud, Survivorman, and it shows in their monologues with the camera. That's kind of a problem too.

 

They all seem out of their depth, but there's a couple of guys who seem to be well grounded and already making plans to buckle down and hunker down. There's a couple of whackaloons, and one young guy who I just want to slap or get eaten by a bear because of his attitude and arrogance. If this were Survivor, he'd be voted off first.

 

I'll give it another couple of chances. At the very least, it makes me want to go back up to Vancouver Island!

[Neurochick]

I wouldn't be able to tell who's who if I hadn't made a chart, where I write the name, age and where they're from.  I did this while watching episode one and it has helped a lot.

[Quilt Fairy]

But these guys are no Les Stroud, Survivorman, and it shows in their monologues

with the camera.

 

 I think they're actually pretty decent cameramen, considering the circumstances. It can't be easy to be filming  yourself and talking to the camera as you're navigating difficult or unknown terrain if you're not used to it. JMO, but I think a couple of them are easily as good as Les Stroud. Of course, I think that's a pretty low bar. YMMV.

 

This is from the episode description for this week, so I'll put it in spoiler tags:

Someone starts building a cabin.