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After The Tap-Outs, Inside The Show: Give Us The Dirt


humbleopinion
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For the Alanophiles, you can see your heart throb sans beard in this clip from June 18, 2015

http://www.today.com/video/can-historys-alone-cast-find-their-way-to-studio-1a-467509315902

Tap Out #2 has the nerve to sit with Lucas and Alan.

 

Kathy Lee is a dolt.

 

Sorry if the above link has appeared before, too lazy to scroll the whole forum.

  • Love 1

For the Alanophiles, you can see your heart throb sans beard in this clip from June 18, 2015

http://www.today.com/video/can-historys-alone-cast-find-their-way-to-studio-1a-467509315902

Tap Out #2 has the nerve to sit with Lucas and Alan.

 

Kathy Lee is a dolt.

 

Sorry if the above link has appeared before, too lazy to scroll the whole forum.

Yeah, no joke. Chris does not deserve to sit with Lucas or Alan, regardless who wins at this point. Personally, I am really only interested in hearing from the last 5 and especially not the first 3!   "I didn't come here to be prey" waaah, sniffle. The last 4 have stayed longer than all of the others combined and I have my heart set on Mitch winning, but I think that whoever wins at this point, really deserves it, no matter who it winds up being. The bigger thing for me is how long does everyone think that the last person lasts? They are around Day 25-26, right? That would be an interesting betting pool to have. I am going to say 45 days, but I have no reason or rational for that number. Just a plain old guess because the weather is getting colder there during the filming and that is making it harder. 

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I can't watch that Today clip. As soon as she said "They have to film each other" I knew she had no clue what the show was about. And do they normally play games like that with guests? "They have to find their way to Studio 1A"? What the fuck does that have to do with the show?

 

The only good thing about it is we know that Alan and Lucas made it out OK. Of course that means Sam or Mitch could still be out there.

Edited by Quilt Fairy
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Not sure what happened to my comment...it didn't have any spoilers! I will repost the gist.

 

Kathie Lee is an idiot. What part of "Alone" does she not understand? She thought they had to film each other? Every time I accidentally see her on the job, she has no clue what's going on. Is she on something? I'm serious. She might be on something.

 

(That's all I am saying about the video! My speculation about season 2 is just my speculation. They didn't mention season 2 in the video at all) :)

 

I am wondering what they will do about season 2, if it will be a new location. It might be interesting to do tropics or desert, or even just a drier temperate forest but maybe in a harsher winter environment (like northern MN/WI or the UP of Michigan). That would really allow them to shine, but the snow and cold would still present a challenge.


That leaves the Final Four-Lucas, Alan, Mitchell, Sam.

Who will be the cheese that stands ALONE?

 

Is his actual name Mitchell? I know Mitch is usually a nickname for Mitchell, but his last name is Mitchell, LOL...maybe his first name isn't Mitch, and it's just a nickname based on his last name. I will lose sleep over this :-P

I only watched a bit of Alone - An Inside Look (too exhausted after watching True Detective) but it looks like they did  good job. And now we know why Chris, Alan and Lucas were in NYC, they were probably taping the commentary on that episode. Although why they bothered with Chris, I have no idea. Like he said during the scene where Lucas breaks down on the beach "By that time, I was already home."  I'd understand if he was more photogenic, but compared to Alan and Lucas, well, there is no comparison. More tomorrow when I can watch the whole thing

Edited by Quilt Fairy

Love, loved, loved Inside Look. Wish they had done that with all the episodes -- and hope they do it with all the remaining. Though I, too, wonder about having Chris there, the three of them shared a nice camaraderie. I love that they appreciated each other's accomplishments and knowledge.

 

Lucas is a cutie, but still sailing the Alan love boat.

I have Comcast and the Inside Look is OnDemand now. They called it episode 07 Bonus. So I had to click it to see if that was it.  I watched it and (no fear) there are no spoilers (IMO). It seems the guys were aware not to say anything past the episode and/or the editors took out anything that could be a spoiler. I felt like they wanted to say more about Sam or Mitch but held back. For the LIFE of me, I cannot understand WHY Chris was there. He added nothing at all. He was tap out #2 on day 2 (I think). Seriously. Give us Brant or Dustin. They lasted longer. I feel like Lucas and Alan were just tolerating him. Lucas and Alan could really bond over their reflections and Chris was there asking questions, but didn't add anything. Chris seemed surprised at how long they were there by the days listed on the episode. Not sure if he actually knew until that moment. 

Some interesting things learned (and postulated by members here) from the inside edition. 
1) Alan said his fish trap really didn't work (aww) and he would make it a little different now that he saw that it was not as effective as his gill net and the little traps. He did not comment if he got to take it though and I was waiting for that nugget. So, no hints on that. 
2) Lucas stated that they were not allowed journaling items. However, I wonder if they were not allowed to journal in other ways? Could a person have attempted to write on a bark or fashion paper of some kind? I suspect that they wanted them to talk to the camera, and not be silent writing things down.
3) Alan and Lucas both said that the setting up for the camera work was so much effort and work. Lucas said that he really tried to do a nice job, which is probably why we have good footage of him and Alan too. 
4) They said that Sam's traps were too big for mice. They were not being critical, but they thought they would be more effective if the angle was lower for mice. 
5) Chris asked if they ate anything with fur. Lucas and Alan were careful how they answered that to reflect what has been shown up to now (my impression). 

It was a good episode, I recommend it just to hear them talk about the weight loss and other small tidbits. 

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See, I think the fact that Alan's fish trap didn't work is a spoiler. It means that he couldn't tap a potentially major source of easy protein. It might mean he didn't make it to the end.  Although I did like one of the comments he made: "I kept saying to myself: 'Not dead yet, can't quit'."  And Lucas cleans up pretty well.

 

They aired a new promo during this show. It showed Alan, Lucas, Sam and Mitch on Day 1 and then much further along shown only as Day ??. Good way to keep the suspense up.

 

I wonder if they are doing any more of these. I appreciated this one a lot, but if they do them on every episode it might get redundant.

See, I think the fact that Alan's fish trap didn't work is a spoiler. It means that he couldn't tap a potentially major source of easy protein. It might mean he didn't make it to the end.  Although I did like one of the comments he made: "I kept saying to myself: 'Not dead yet, can't quit'."  And Lucas cleans up pretty well.

I didn't think of it that way, but I guess that you are correct.  He also said that he was eating a lot of other things, so it didn't matter as much that it didn't work. 

There's at least one more -- next Sunday.

You're right, and it looks like it will be commentary on next Thursday's new episode. So maybe just the last 4 episodes? I'd really like a commentary on the very first ep right when they were first put down, first impressions, etc.

 

My TV listing shows Thursday's ep as episode 9 even though it should be episode 8, but the description is right, talking about a freeze coming, which matches last week's previews.

Edited by Quilt Fairy

In the show last Sunday, they talked about packing in as many calories and extra fat as they could prior to hitting the woods. Alan specifically talked about all the sugar he ate.

 

I actually think that was a poor decision. Most of them -- with the exception of Lucas -- had plenty of fat going in. By eating the way they did, they turned their body into an uber-efficient SUGAR burner. When your body burns sugar as its primary fuel, it needs frequent feeding in order to perform optimally. They would have been hungry as soon as they missed a meal, and they would have REALLY felt the effects of suden deprivation. Eventually they likely turned into fat-burning machines, but they had to go through the transition (which can be unpleasant) during the trip.

 

Alternatively, if theyhad spent the weeks or months leading up to the trip eating a diet of meat, fat, and veggies, particularly if they limited their food to lots of food just once or twice a day, they could have turned themselves into efficient FAT burning machines before the trip. One of the benefits of that kind of diet is it lends itself to fasting very easily. People who eat that way aren't restricting their meals -- they naturally find they eat less often and can often skip entire days of eating and barely notice it.

 

*shrug* If I did it, I'd be a fat burner before I left, so I could train my body to behave optimally in those situations before I needed it.

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Actually, there was a slip-up if I understood correctly. When they were discussing some of them stocking up on food (Alan even mentioned grabbing Snickers in both hands - for a laugh)Lucas kind of gave his belly a pinch, glanced over at Alan and said something like, "Maybe I should have done that." Alan looked back at Lucas and I could swear he said, "Thank you" and they laughed. My interpretation of that exchange was that Lucas tapped out BEFORE Alan and Alan gave him the funny, "thank you" as in "thanks for not stuffing yourself, thus allowing you to stay longer". Anyone else remember this scene?

Edited by Ina123
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I think that it could go either way. Lucas is obviously at a disadvantage being smaller, but the post a couple above does make an excellent point regarding the extreme fatigue and hunger someone will experience that is used to gorging and eating a lot of sweets. I tend to lean towards a person that is already lean, and eating that way may have an easier transition to this change in eating, but not necessarily an easier time overall in the long-term. 

 

From what we have seen, Alan is eating the best or the most with maybe Mitch 2nd. With Mitch's loss of the trot line, we will see what happens, however, maybe he will find it? We won't necessarily know until next episode.  Seriously, the hubris of Chris sitting there with 2 of the final 4 talking about how, even if a person took down a bear, it would be such a waste of the meat. Big cry baby tapped out 2nd and tapped out because of the bears and being scared, sitting there talking to 2 people who made it to day 31 (at the very least). What a joke. 

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Mostly disappointing, perhaps because my anticipation level was so high. They basically took the little 2-3 minute videos already available on the HC website and slapped them together. Or, more likely, it happened in reverse. I don't think anything new was learned. Anyhow, when you see it in one long take, it's apparent that this was one session where the men were introduced one at a time in the order they tapped out. It wasn't like the Survivor Ponderosa where the previous bootees are sitting around waiting for the next one to show up. So it begs the question of exactly when this was filmed. I will give the producers props that they continued the spirit of the show and didn't have anything other than the participants themselves. But I almost longed for a host to do the interviews and ask more perceptive questions.

 

One thing I did like was the sequential 'time-lapse' (for lack of a better word) they did on the four remaining men. That didn't have much new footage (I think there was a little) but it really brought home how they've changed.

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Enjoyed the sequence when Alan was commenting how he was double fisting Snickers at the hotel to add body fat just prior to the drop off and the slight and slim Lucas refered to the strategy as "smuggling butter."

Hearty laughs from the 3 guys.

The Mutual Admiration Club of Lucas, Alan and Chris for the other 2 last Aloners, Mitch and Sam was classy and respectful.

Nice how they praised the adaptability and ingenuity of the other guys while watching their footage.

 

I can see why Chris was chosen to represent the early Tapouts, he is has a healthy sense of humor about his time on VI and not a whiner.

You can tell he was a favorite of the producers with his easy going way.

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The stilted delivery of the Tapouts' questions to their predessors was definitely producer driven.

Maybe if the reunion was at a bar like they do on Deadliest Catch, it would had loosened the lips of the Tapouts.

Because it was just a rehash with nothing new, just looked at who got back to their swimsuit weight or were still treating themselves with rebound eating.

 

Baffles me how some of the early Tapouts passed the audition.

Why was Josh even a consideration?

No disrespect but were the producers blinded by his occupation in an metropolitan urban city and not the typical rural survivalist stereotype?

I don't think they intended any participant to come off so poorly as he did.

 

Joe had no fight in his dog....Pushed that button as fast as he could come up with an honorable excuse to get out of Dodge.

 

Brant still looked dazed.

 

Highlight of the show were the reaction shots of each man when the producers told them what number they were when they were rescued.

Relief to NOT be the FIRST was palpable.

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If they'll send me to VI, I'll volunteer for it. (I'm an armchair survivalist, though. I doubt they'd take the chance.)

 

I was pretty disappointed with this. I wanted more frank discussion between the Tapouts. I wanted longer discussion. I get that the producers were trying to interest new viewer into turning in for the remaining episodes, but I was bummed to spend 20 minutes of the show on the remaining four plus a long preview of things to come. (I finally got smart and turned it off -- I don't want to be spoiled.)

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Why are y'all so hard on Joe? Because he was so careless as to lose his ferro rod or because he didn't try to last without it? Because I think he might have lasted a long time had that not happened.  

 

Agreed, I think people are confusing Joe with Josh, (the cop) who admitted that he checked out within moments of being dropped off.  I have maintained that I think Joe would have lasted longer than Brant and Wayne and probably Dustin. I agree that Brant seems a little "off". 

Agreed, I think people are confusing Joe with Josh, (the cop) who admitted that he checked out within moments of being dropped off.  I have maintained that I think Joe would have lasted longer than Brant and Wayne and probably Dustin. I agree that Brant seems a little "off". 

 

Oops!! Guilty!! *hanging head in shame*

 

It's hard for me to keep the names straight without typing this while watching it.

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Considering how long the final four lasted, I think they should have had all four of them. Sam, as young as he is, would have had an interesting perspective.

 

I remain impressed by how supportive they are of each other. I love that they didn't think about the competition, per se, and didn't want the others to fail. Sure, you want to last the longest, but that's different from wanting the others to FAIL.

 

I checked my DVR. Next episode is Thursday, and the commentary show is next MONDAY, rather than Sunday. Then the following Thursday is the finale followed immediately by the last commentary show. I hope the final commentary show is something more than the three talking heads! I've enjoyed these, but I want more out of the post-finale episode.

 

Ed. to add: Oops, Quilt Fairy is totally right. I posted in the wrong thread. Can a mod move this?

Edited by rainsmom
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I can see why Chris was chosen to represent the early Tapouts, he is has a healthy sense of humor about his time on VI and not a whiner.

After watching part of the latest episode, I was coming here to post just that. He's got a sense of humor, and when he asks Lucas and Alan questions, they are coming from his own knowledge and experience.

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After watching part of the latest episode, I was coming here to post just that. He's got a sense of humor, and when he asks Lucas and Alan questions, they are coming from his own knowledge and experience.

 

Yeah, you have a valid point, but I have to disagree. I don't care that he can laugh and joke about the "experience" of 2 days and is a good sport and has a nice personality and can't be more than 5 feet at any time from a firearm. Save that for the reunion show when all of them are there. I don't even understand WHY he is there. Many other people lasted longer than him, why can't we hear from any of them? What about Dustin, Brant, Joe (ferro rod guy)? Why is it only Lucas and Alan? Are they telegraphing something about this week? Why isn't it Lucas, Mitch, Sam and Alan? Why? Perhaps it is a spoiler regarding who taps this week? If so, that is REALLY overt. I can't be the only one who has thought this. (This is the spoiler thread-so I think this is safe to post this comment here). 

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(edited)

 Lucas found the milk crates (soon to be repurposed into crab pots) while canoeing and scavaging the shore for detritus.

  No inquiry by the panel if that is where he got his frying pan that he used to cook his cormorant.

 

Alan used a Dakota Fire Pit-efficient for cooking but does not throw out much heat.

Alan's food dream... "Angelic hands stirring a silver bowl..and I wake up to nothing."

Alan asked Lucas about the loud raindrops on his tarp and Lucas said the sound was like "mother's milk" and calmed him.

 

Wonder if Sam did hunt but chose not to film his excursions into the woods?

Or the unsuccessful footage was left out by the editors.

Same for fishing, sling shotting?

Very little Sam, other than his mental state.

Hope he spills the beans on the reunion show what he was doing most of the time.

 

Mitch made the leaf tarp boat early in the competition to cross over to the other shore to be near fresh water.

But the constant rain has made proximity to fresh water unneccessary since he could catch rain, enough for his needs.

Wonder if he regrets leaving the sunny side of the street?

So few sunny days so not worth it to go back to original spot.

Edited by humbleopinion
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I like that they point out little things like the milk crates that I completely overlooked when I first watched the episode. The commentary is very helpful.

 

I'm not sure if it's a spoiler, but this was the first time I saw the teaser that said "4 men remain - but by the end of the week 2 will go home". It's not clear, of course, whether the week is a viewer's week (i.e., by the end of the next episode) or if it's 7 days in the competition. It makes me anxious.

 

We've been set up to believe that Sam and Mitch will be the ones to tap out next, but I wonder if it's really Alan and Lucas who leave and that's why they're in NYC doing commentary and Sam and Mitch are still out there. Yikes!

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We've been set up to believe that Sam and Mitch will be the ones to tap out next, but I wonder if it's really Alan and Lucas who leave and that's why they're in NYC doing commentary and Sam and Mitch are still out there. Yikes!

I would hate to think that the producers would be so obvious. They have pretty awesome thus far.  If Lucas and Alan were the next 2 to tap out, then having them on the show would have been giving it away (I think). It would be pretty unbelievable if Mitch and Sam were still out there though. I doubt it, but that would be something else. My bet is about 45 days. I think that is what I said in a previous post. I will see how close my guess is, within 2 weeks. I think the upcoming episode will be really exciting or awful depending which horse you have your money on. Either way, we already know that 2 tap out. So we will see. Maybe it is Mitch & Sam.  I really want Mitch to win. I love his stuff with his adorable daughter and his thoughts about his family. He seems like a wonderful dad, although maybe a bit quiet for the show's purposes. I think the final 4 have all been pretty awesome, although I really can see Sam's youth in some of his musings to the camera. 

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I think Mitch and Sam are the most likely, because they're having the hardest time finding food. That said, Alan has said that he has accomplished what he came out there to prove, and Lucas has some pretty wild emotional swings.

 

I want Alan and Lucas to be the final two, but I'll be happy for whoever progresses. I think the final four did an impressive job, period. I've learned from all of them.

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I think Lucas is going to win this. He has made the most progress when it comes to shelter and food. I think he is able to rebound from the emotional lows the best. He has his really down times and then comes up with a project to help his situation and boost his spirits.

 

Alan is great but he seems to be pushing his limits pretty hard now. Sam is unwilling to use the resources from the sea and he is not going to last long eating a mouse a day. Toss in not wanting to miss too much time away from pregnant wife/newborn child and he is likely to go soon. Mitch could rebound but I am not so certain he has the same internal resources as Lucas.

 

I am amazed at how little work most of them have done on their shelters. I would think that getting a solid shelter that is functiuonal would be a huge priority. The ability to have a good fire, stand up and move around, organize gear, dry out gear, and not feel so closed in has to be insanely important. They have all the wood that they need to set up the necessary structure. Everyone seems to have at least one tarp and a ground cover. Heck, they have the material they need to build the base structure and then use the pine boughs to cover the structure. It won't let light in the way that Lucas's shelter does but the insulation would be better. Alan knows how to do this, we saw him use the technique to build his cook tent.

 

I wonder if they are all surprised that they are still there. They expected people to tap out by this time so they didn't focus on a more permanent structure.

 

Do black bears hibernate? If so, they should at least have a bit of time where they don't need to worry about the bears. I wonder how they will do with ice fishing.

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I am amazed at how little work most of them have done on their shelters. I would think that getting a solid shelter that is functiuonal would be a huge priority. The ability to have a good fire, stand up and move around, organize gear, dry out gear, and not feel so closed in has to be insanely important. They have all the wood that they need to set up the necessary structure. Everyone seems to have at least one tarp and a ground cover. Heck, they have the material they need to build the base structure and then use the pine boughs to cover the structure. It won't let light in the way that Lucas's shelter does but the insulation would be better. Alan knows how to do this, we saw him use the technique to build his cook tent.

 

This is the psychological part. They KNOW it is temporary. They know that they can tap at any moment or that it could end at any moment. Some of them may be white knuckling just hoping to last to that moment in order to win. In a small way this is not really living and surviving in the wild as a lifestyle, but hanging on the longest in a very difficult environment.  So when things really get hard, many of them have said that they are doing anything trying to conserve calories. Imagine if this were a real life Castaway. Many of us would wait as long as we could hoping for rescue. Once that hope gives out and we start to face reality, we may give in and start to build a "permanent" shelter. This means that this has now become real life. We have given up on that "other" life, unless and until we can figure out a way to get off the island. That transition could take a long time (in real life).  I think the best example of a person who did this and filmed it, was a documentary that a guy filmed off himself doing exactly this in Alaska (I forget his name, but it was farther back in this thread and a PBS special). It had a different tone because the guy had some interaction with the outside (although we DID just find out that these guys were being checked by staff on the weekly-not so alone- and that is an interaction of sorts), and had more stuff, like guns and things. But this guy built a real cabin and grew food. He was in it for the long haul. Most of the guys on Alone, KNOW that it is not going to last forever. Psychologically, that really changes everything.  I still want Mitch to win and I think that editing has been purposeful to make him and it look bad as a misdirect. They generally focus a lot on people before they tap. IMO-not a spolier, I know nothing but my love of Lovely Mitch! lol

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I wonder how they will do with ice fishing.

No ice fishing. The cold front they've already been through is pretty much the lower limit on cold in that area. It will mostly be in the 30s during the winter. The killer is the wind and rain, which makes it feel MUCH colder than it actually is.

 

I agree with you on the permanent shelter. I've been surprised that no one but Lucas has taken a long-term view and done anything to be more comfortable. Now, if it's really cold, I wouldn't necessarily want a huge shelter, since it would be harder to heat. If I can do an inside fireplace, I might want something larger, but otherwise, I want small and well insulated.

 

You could be right about Lucas. He's impressive.

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Sam has a bed of sorts built. He has wood and then some boughs covering the wood. Lucas's yurt seems to be a good size. There is enough room for him to move a bout a bit when the weather is too crappy to go outside, room to store his gear, and a decent fire pit. Honestly, I think the ability to stand up and move about a bit would be so psychologically important. I thought I saw some small shelves were he had a few things stashed.

 

If I were Lucas, I would probably add some tree boughs around 2/3 of the shelter. A bit less light but the insulation would probably be worth it. I have a feeling that their sleeping bags are meant for hard core cold temperatures so it might not be all that necessary. Who knows. I am wondering what he is going to build next.

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