Season Two Talk: Brand New Contestants, Same Old Bears

[jvr]

Tracy....wtf... the one weakness I had pegged for you not winning this whole thing was your obvious mental distress but I did not see you taping so early. So disappointing.

They need to add a psychological test to choosing the contestants. I know they want what they think is good tv but it's not. I want competent, strong mentally and physically, smart people. People tapping out so early and easily is not cool!

Where the fuck is Jose!?!?! We are gonna drop in on him and he will have a whole damn village built. 

I'm just mad that I can already see this not going very far. You can see these people aren't mentally strong, already contemplating tapping for a bucket of chicken lol. Starvation is a terrible thing and most have never really felt its effects. Jose is going to be mad when they come and tell him everyone quit 3 weeks in.

Edited to add: Nicole and those bears....what a bad decision. Putting that net there was dumb and then not leaving it when she saw a grown ass bear with some babies was foolish. 

Edited May 13, 2016 by jvr

[Brooklynista]

59 minutes ago, MostlyContent said:

For just a moment, I believe they showed a simple tarp tent off a bit from the cool kitchen, but I'm not absolutely positive.  

I wouldn't worry. I expect Mike will have a full log cabin with a stackable washer and dryer finished by next week. He already crafted an outdoor shower just for shits and giggles since he had a few minutes to spare.

[rainsmom]

I'm sooooo disappointed about Tracey tapping out. When she first started to cry, I thought, "I guess we were wrong about her not being afraid," but when I realized she was upset because her aggressive response might have hurt the baby bear, I got teary. I want to hug her. I do wish she hadn't tapped, though.

Really miss Jose, but Mike is also a project whiz. He *does* have a separate tent to sleep in, but he did what I would want to do -- create a large work area he can stand up in and work in when it's raining. Of course, the major winds might tear it apart. We'll see.

Larry is awfully morose. Justin is adorable.

I understand what Mary Kate was thinking when she put the gill net where she did, but it was still foolish. If the bears see there's anything in the net, they're going to shred it. Also, I agree -- she shouldn't have run. Backing away would have sufficed. Fortunately, black bears rarely attack preemptively for defensive reasons.

I love this show.

[jvr]

Quote

Also, I agree -- she shouldn't have run.

It's easy from the comfort of your home watching on tv to say, don't run Nicole! But the instinct is strong and I don't begrudge her. Even knowing that black bears are unlikely to charge you even with cubs, and standing on their hind legs is just them trying to better identity what you are and if you are a threat, that shit is beyond scary! I'd have a hard time slowly backing away and not running as fast as I could even knowing that is the last thing I should do. I guess you should have it in your mind that there is no reason to run, if this bear decides to chase you, you aint outrunning it.

I doubt anything happens to her though, that bear is more likely to get spooked and run her cubs up a tree then run after her. A bad ep for the remaining two women.

[muffkins]

I can not believe that the one guy wove a net.  Was that David?  Ingenious.  I wouldn't be able to do that.  But I think he is also the one who is dehydrated near a creek.  Why isn't he drinking it?  The water on the Island is excellent and we've never boiled it.  I generally just stick my head in the creek and slurp.  I was also in shock when Tracy tapped.

[HurricaneVal]

OMG.  I did not call that.  Poor Tracey...I hope she gets some help.

Poor Barbara.  Seriously, your kiss is compared to a crawling slug on national TV.  Not cool, Mike.  Not cool.

I'm only ten minutes in.  Tracey is gone, Mike has kissed a slug and built an awesome wood drying rack.  I can't wait for the next 50 minutes.  Or, what, twenty if you take out the commercials...

And last week's episode just showed up on the OnDemand menu.  I'll play both for Mr. HV over the weekend.

[humbleopinion]

Mike:

I kissed a slug and I liked it

The taste of her slimy wet slick...

[Saylii]

I was disappointed in Tracey.  From what I could gather of the last moments, she was in the wilderness because she wanted to find peace with herself and become more zen in stressful situations.  Then when she was rightly aggressive towards the bear cub she felt that the wilderness and being alone couldn't help her.  I mean, good on her to tap out but that seems like such a weak reason.

I did notice in all of her speeches that she didn't quite have the grasp on the long-term plan like some of the boys do.  I don't think we really heard her talk about projects or how she was eating.  I wish her edit could have been more informative if there was any of that on tape.

Also... How many cameras does everyone have?  I noticed there was a shot where you could see Tracey holding the flare and holding the big camera.  It would have only been possible with a second camera.

[holly4755]

I am going to try to post gingerly here 

Tracey, well, a two bears a coming for a close enough visit at night when you have a fire  an air horn and finally have to drive them away with a flare is pretty bad. I don't know what the next day or even the next hour could bring, but I think she used her safety equipment totally out.

[GreyBunny]

Poor Tracy, I hope she gets the help that she needs.  Don't worry about scaring the baby bear, if it learns that humans are scary and it should stay away from them, the better off it will be.

David has some simmering anger problems that really creep me out.  Points for weaving his own gill net, that's a cool skill to have.

Nicole, back away slowly from the bears, don't run and act like prey.  When they leave, move the gill net someplace else.  Jeez.  Bear food, that one.

Is Mike the name of the orphan guy?  Love him.  He's got his camp tricked out and he's just cruising along easy peasy.  He's going to have a fully furnished condo and 3 car garage built by next week.

Congrats to the guy who scored the fish feast.

Edited May 13, 2016 by GreyBunny

[humbleopinion]

MAI for this episode: Jose and Justin

 

Mike has fashioned the first "Alone" line of furniture, soon to be in all the Crate and Barrels nationwide.

Table for 6, backless log chair, a three tiered shelving for all your wood storage organization needs-small, medium and large pieces of kindling and a fire pit with custom drying rack.

His camp looks sharp with taut tarp, foot pedaled hand washing station, table, fire area and storage.

But Mike looks so sad and lonely sitting at that table looking out into the forest.

He needs to whittle a statue of his wife, Barbara, sort of a Wilson ball companion like in the movie, Castaway, and have her sitting at the table with him.

[Auntie Anxiety]

I simply cannot stop laughing when Larry is doing his thing.  He is hilarious.

Felt bad for Tracy.  The ghosts of the past were haunting her. Although I so wanted her to win, it appears that her mental state was going to force her to tap out at some point and she knew it. Guess she figured she might as well cut her losses.

[seasick]

That gill net (Dave) was awesome.  But Dave what's the big deal about making fire and boiling water?  It's the lifeblood out there.  It looked like he threw together that awkward,  slanted fire ring, while everyone else has their wood stacks and fire areas set up.  Get with it.  I'm getting the impression your heart's not in this thing.

Mike!  What an awesome camp.  Wondered about how to dry wood.  now I know!  Probably can dry your clothes above. Table and chairs?  "Faucet'?   wow.  And the cooktop with the stones.  So clever.  

Wonder what Mike's going to do for permanent shelter.  I noticed the big tarp was for his table and chairs etc.  Small tarp was hung over the new cooktop.   No doubt he'll build something.  I got nervous when I saw him splitting wood with the MK technique though!  

Tracy.  Taking on guilt wherever she can.  But that misery is optional.  I agree she probably did that baby bear a huge life-favor.  (and I think she should have tried moving her camp if she was going to stay)  I like her and hope she is willing to get help to let this stuff go and allow herself to enjoy life.  It was just all very bizarre.  

[raven]

35 minutes ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

I simply cannot stop laughing when Larry is doing his thing.  He is hilarious.

Yeah, he is weirdly entertaining.  I felt a little badly that I laughed when he accidentally let his first fish loose so it was nice to see him being so happy with all the fish at the end.

The military guy was kind of fun with his "day 276, I've begun to talk to the animals" and "I do have pants, I don't always wear shorts".  He seems pretty camera comfortable.

Mike did amazing and impressive work but I worry about his loneliness.  He seems to enjoy the challenges but all his talk about Barbara makes me wonder.

David making the net was impressive too but boy was he beating himself up over tipping his pot over.  Relax David!  Think positive.

Nicole seems pretty happy, if kind of reckless with the bears.  The mental piece is so important, which leads me to Tracy.  Aw Tracy, please go talk to someone.  I was hoping she'd be around a while.  It was appropriate to be aggressive in that particular bear situation, I get that she feels worried and guilty about whatever she's done in the past, but only she can help herself and I hope she does. 

[seasick]

1 hour ago, raven said:

.

 

Mike did amazing and impressive work but I worry about his loneliness.  He seems to enjoy the challenges but all his talk about Barbara makes me wonder. 

.

 

 

Mike and Barbara = Peter Pan and Wendy

[riverheightsnancy]

1 hour ago, raven said:

Mike did amazing and impressive work but I worry about his loneliness.  He seems to enjoy the challenges but all his talk about Barbara makes me wonder.

Obviously, Barbara is Mike's touchstone. He equates her with life and love. Because of his background, he may feel that she is the only one that really loves him and he cannot be without that or her. Obviously, he really loves her. When a person revolves their entire life around someone else, it can be a little obsessive or stifling, unless Barbara feels the same about Mike or just accepts him, warts and all. Perhaps they are just perfect for each other and that is why he misses her so (like twins often talk about their relationships). I could be in the woods for a year and not miss my "better" half. ha. So I think that Mike might have something pretty special there. I think it is obvious that Mike will tap out solely due to this and no other reason.  No Jose and no Randy (right?). I want to see Jose, editors. I know you are hiding him because, he likely wins and it is so obvious that you are not showing him a lot, but we can handle it. Show us what he is up to. 

[Ocean Chick]

I do hope Tracy gets the help she needs to find peace with herself.  Her actions with the bears in camp were the right thing to do, so she shouldn't be wigging out like that.  Her internal feeling must not have shown up on the camera, if they scared her that much.  Tracy - RUN, don't walk, to your nearest counseling session.  Your doggy needs you to be well and healthy.

And Mike!  WTH?  You just compared Barbara's kisses to a wet, slimy slug crawling across your lips.  Man, you are SOOOOOOOO dead when you get home.  Heh.  But yes, I expect to see him finishing up building a split level house with automatic garage door openers next week.  The man in ingenious.  I just hope he has enough projects to keep his brain busy and out of the dumps.  I could see him pulling a Tracy once the rains set in and he's confined to camp and has nothing to do but think and remember and get sad.

Loved David's gill net making skills, and also loving that he's not taking chances with the water.  Too bad he waited until he was already dehydrated before trying to boil a batch.  Dehydration makes you stupid and clumsy.  Which makes you tip over your pot of water and spill it all.  Which makes you mad and swear-y.  Not good.

Was that Justin who did the whole "Day 284" thing?  That reminded me of Alan - good sense of humor.  That will help a lot out there.

And yes, Nicole - if you string your gill net where you see bears are fishing, you will continue to see bears.  They're probably thinking, "Oh, what a nice person, catching fish for us in that net.  Thank you, nice person!"  Heh.

[SRTouch]

Wow, Tracy tapped out over her bear encounter! Here is thought she was doing everything right, and with her demons she saw herself turning into the Hulk, which she couldn't stand. If you watch the Washington State Fish and Game show (sorry, the name escapes me) when they release a problem bear, they scream and yell, have dogs bark, shoot it with rubber bullets, etc - pretty any and everything they can thing of to make the bear terrified of humans. Like a couple people have already said, Tracy scaring "baby" bear may end up saving its life in the long run. I don't think Tracy feared the bears, though she knew they could be dangerous, what she feared was how she reacted violently without conscious thought. It's too bad she tapped out, because when she looks back and analyzes the encounter, I think she'll come to the conclusion that her reaction was right on. I hope she can find her inner peace, but as others have said, she may need to look for it in therapy rather than going off alone.

As for the rest of the gang --- some good, some bad..... and where the hell is Jose?!? Turns out I was wrong to question those not taking paracord. Everybody seems to have rope, now, well everybody except the one dude - what was his name - digs up roots and manufactures his own cordage (where the hell is Jose). VI shores may look pristine, but turns out all kinds of useful trash gets washed ashore. I wouldn't be surprised to see a skiff or canoe next - not a Lucas canvas model, but aluminum with outboard motor. Maybe that's why they give them flotation devices.

The previews show a storm coming, and I can't help but think I'm not very confident the shelters we've been shown will fare very well in high winds. I thought Nicole was making a wickiup, but in the preview clip of the storm that looks like her scrambling to secure a rope on a tarp covered shelter. Mike's kitchen/work shelter will be blow away as is, but he should be able to protect his work by getting everything down, laying the tarp on it, and putting logs or heavy chunks of logs on the tarp. He'd be a lot more fun to watch without the orphanage stories and longing for Barbara (kissing a slug, eewww, could have kept that image to himself). He's sort of a MacGyver mixed with the Professor. Which reminds me - WHERE THE HELL IS JOSE!! 

[seasick]

okay so we have Jose, Nicole, Larry, David,Justin, Randy, Mike left.  Barring injury, who is going to be our next tap-out?

 

Just thinking -- Tracy who hates violence and confrontation was a little friendly with the guns in the preview.  No?  

[qtpye]

11 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Mike:

I kissed a slug and I liked it

The taste of her slimy wet slick...

I love Mike and his skills, but I thought the next scene was going to be him living with the slug, who he now calls Barbara.

Edited May 13, 2016 by qtpye

[ClareWalks]

TracyGoddess! You will be missed. I felt so bad for her, feeling bad for the baby bear. I hope she got some fried chicken and tacos - that other dude's dream food (which actually sounds amazing right about now).

No Jose or Randy. I was curious about them, too. Although it looks like Mike is almost as MacGyver-y as Jose! Very clever with the running water.

LarryDowner was in full force. Now that he is getting fish maybe he'll be a bit less salty.

I just want to point out that we are not sure that Nicole ran away from the bears. The shots of the bears and the shots of her feet moving quickly were separate shots. They may have been creative editing to add drama.

[piequinn35]

No Jose and Randy? Why?

It was unlucky for Tracy, she was in the mama/baby bear's territory, I would be scared too even just watching the tv.

I hope Dave catches fish soon, good for Larry after losing the first fish he got 4 fishesssss :D

Mike is smart too like Jose and 

Nicole, please don't run :/

[LAgator77]

Tracy. Has. Issues. I mean, did she think she should have sung a lullaby to the bears? She did exactly what she was supposed to do. 

Mike has serious Swiss Family Robinson skills. Maybe that was the only movie they had at the orphanage. I hope his camp holds up when the bad weather hits. 

Justin-I knew there was a reason I liked you. I hiked San Gorgonio 2 weeks ago, in a sleet storm, in shorts. Above the waist I was fully bundled up, but my legs don't get cold. 

Larry and David are BORING. I just kinda tune out, they whine too much. But good on David for making his own gill net. That took patience for sure. 

Nicole should teach wilderness survival to preschoolers.   

[HurricaneVal]

2 hours ago, Ocean Chick said:

I could see him pulling a Tracy once the rains set in and he's confined to camp and has nothing to do but think and remember and get sad.

Hopefully because he's built up such a sweet, sweet camp--seriously, I've seen people car camping in the state campgrounds with stuff that isn't as nice or organized--when the doldrums set in, he'll be able to relax and enjoy it.  After he carves his beer mug and brews a batch of spruce beer that is.  By that time he'll have an entire cadre of trained banana slugs, and he'll be conducting a circus.

I thought I saw something of a sleeping platform along the wall of his picnic shelter.  Is he the one who brought the bivy sack?  He might not need anything more than his stretched tarp to keep the rain off.  I did notice that nowhere did his tarp touch the ground, which is a good thing, that way it acts like a rain fly.  The rain will run off and away if he's positioned the shelter correctly or maybe he's dug a ditch to carry the water away.  (Hell, he's probably already put in a whole storm sewer system, while carving a likeness of Barbara into the manhole covers.)  Those who build their shelters such that the tarps touch the ground and don't pay attention to the runoff and drainage get wet interiors.  MK, I'm looking at you...

[LittleIggy]

I was hoping Mike would say he woke up to a bear kissing him! ;-) I love Mike's mad skills. Hope he builds a good shelter before the storms.

Tracy is another military/law enforcement person to tap out early. Her reaction to the bear cub encounter was bizarre. Don't they do psych evals of the contestants?

Wonder if Jose will have domesticated a wolf by the time we see him again?

[piequinn35]

haha LittleIggy I was thinking that too that bear was kissing Mike :))

[ClareWalks]

Mike definitely had a bed there. It looked cozy. If I were him one of the first things I'd do is build a "toilet." I'd dig a deep hole and build some sort of stool (pun intended, LOLOL I need a nap.) with a hole in it to sit on. With a healthy supply of leaves/ferns for wiping.

[piequinn35]

^ Yes and what Iggy said, by the time we see Jose again, he has a cabin, outhouse, and a pet :))

[DropTheSoap]

Tracy didn't tap out because of the bear. Tracy tapped out because of Tracy. I hope she finds the help she needs. 

[cherry slushie]

This is kind of trivial, but did anyone else crave something crunchy when Nicole was munching on the sea asparagus?  I need to try those; they literally sounded delicious!

On another note; I'm worried about Mike lasting because he longs for his wife to a degree that might suck the 'oomph' out of him.  

As for everyone else, I haven't grown attached yet, need another few episodes, although I was bummed that Tracy tapped out. Two women down. :(

Edited May 14, 2016 by cherry slushie

[mythreecents]

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. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

Being Mike's wife would wear me out.  Too much responsibility for someone else's moods.  Veers much too close to codependency for me.  That being said, Mike is killing it!  That faucet Clorox bottle was genius.  When he crafts himself a cellphone and a telephone tower, let's just concede the victory to him.  Didn't see much from Jose last night, so he might be keeping pace.  

Did Randy tap out without me knowing it? Let's put an APB out for him.

[pagooey]

So sad and shocked to see Tracy go. She didn't hurt that bear cub at all by being loud at it. :) I hope she comes to realize that, and that she successfully conquers her demons. 

I am impressed with Mike; he's got some Gilligan's Island shit going on at his campsite, what with the elevated cooktop and foot-operated hand-washing station. The implication about Barbara's kissin' skillz on national television, though...that might've been a mistake, buddy. 

David also rubs me the wrong way, somehow, but I was very impressed with his handcrafted gill net. 

After Larry's many tirades, whenever his chyron comes up onscreen I amend it to "Fucking Larry." I was tickled to hear him try to stick to "frickin'" this week--and that he swore as happily at actually catching fish as he did with rage when sticks/cliffs/trees got in his way. I have a soft spot for him, somehow. 

[seasick]

13 minutes ago, mythreecents said:

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. 

Welcome to the forum!  So cool that u live on VI.  I think another poster lives there too..I think Muffkins does. 

Seems we're all dying to see their full camp set-ups--wish we could get  tour from each one.  And it would be fun to see the progress from Mike and Jose as they seem that they will keep improving.  I have no idea what Jose's camp looks like --or Dave or Justins.  I was surprised at what a pathetic set up that Dave had for fire.. no wonder it spilled over.

 Most do have rations.  Randy, the one who lost his fire starter, did not take any,  but many used 2 of their 10 options on rations.  Some took pemmikin, some dried legumes, some gorp.  Each ration choice was 5 pounds if I recall.

I also wonder why so long to put up their gill nets.   

I wouldn't be surprised if Dave was the next to go as well. He's really romancing those food thoughts too much; that can get to you.  He's on another forum and gets pretty sticky about us couch coaches who question their choices etc.  A little sour grapes maybe.  

OT  I find it so odd that Canadians cannot access the History channel website.  I'm no internet guru by any stretch so I wonder how they know you're internet is Canadian.  I wonder if you could access it if you went through google chrome. I'm talking out my butt I guess but i find it odd that one can 'win a Nigerian lottery' somehow but not access a US website.

[SRTouch]

4 hours ago, seasick said:

okay so we have Jose, Nicole, Larry, David,Justin, Randy, Mike left.  Barring injury, who is going to be our next tap-out?

Way I see it, Randy has a couple big hurdles, both pretty much of his own making. First off - food. He's the only one to bring NONE OF THE OPTIONAL RATIONS. Guy admits he really doesn't know much about fishing, and as we all know the ocean is where the food is. #2 - fire. He'll need to work harder to get and keep his fire, which means he needs more wood, which means he works harder, which means he needs more food - an endless cycle. I'd like to see how he's going about maintaining his fire and if he's figured out how to get food from the ocean. Perhaps he's spending all his time keeping the fire going and looking for food, and doesn't have the time and energy to do mess with the camera. As a wilderness instructor he may be able to overcome his self made handicaps, but for now he's my pick for next out. 

[ClareWalks]

4 minutes ago, SRTouch said:

Way I see it, Randy has a couple big hurdles, both pretty much of his own making. First off - food. He's the only one to bring NONE OF THE OPTIONAL RATIONS. Guy admits he really doesn't know much about fishing, and as we all know the ocean is where the food is. #2 - fire. He'll need to work harder to get and keep his fire, which means he needs more wood, which means he works harder, which means he needs more food - an endless cycle. I'd like to see how he's going about maintaining his fire and if he's figured out how to get food from the ocean. Perhaps he's spending all his time keeping the fire going and looking for food, and doesn't have the time and energy to do mess with the camera. As a wilderness instructor he may be able to overcome his self made handicaps, but for now he's my pick for next out. 

It is really amazing how skilled, yet unprepared, Randy is. His skill with the bow drill is outstanding, since he could start a fire in such a wet, cold environment. He appears to be very good at bushcraft. Yet knowing they're going to VI, I cannot even believe he didn't practice fishing. Watching last season with Sam, I can't believe he thought he'd be able to catch or hunt game. Ignorance is no excuse this season, so it's just weird to me. The only thing that might ensure his safety for a few more eps is that he DIDN'T show up in this episode. Usually they focus on the next to tap out. I still think Larry isn't long for this world...well, this show, anyway :)

[mythreecents]

3 hours ago, seasick said:

Welcome to the forum!  So cool that u live on VI.  I think another poster lives there too..I think Muffkins does. 

Seems we're all dying to see their full camp set-ups--wish we could get  tour from each one.  And it would be fun to see the progress from Mike and Jose as they seem that they will keep improving.  I have no idea what Jose's camp looks like --or Dave or Justins.  I was surprised at what a pathetic set up that Dave had for fire.. no wonder it spilled over.

 Most do have rations.  Randy, the one who lost his fire starter, did not take any,  but many used 2 of their 10 options on rations.  Some took pemmikin, some dried legumes, some gorp.  Each ration choice was 5 pounds if I recall.

I also wonder why so long to put up their gill nets.   

I wouldn't be surprised if Dave was the next to go as well. He's really romancing those food thoughts too much; that can get to you.  He's on another forum and gets pretty sticky about us couch coaches who question their choices etc.  A little sour grapes maybe.  

OT  I find it so odd that Canadians cannot access the History channel website.  I'm no internet guru by any stretch so I wonder how they know you're internet is Canadian.  I wonder if you could access it if you went through google chrome. I'm talking out my butt I guess but i find it odd that one can 'win a Nigerian lottery' somehow but not access a US website.

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? 

 

3 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

It is really amazing how skilled, yet unprepared, Randy is. His skill with the bow drill is outstanding, since he could start a fire in such a wet, cold environment. He appears to be very good at bushcraft. Yet knowing they're going to VI, I cannot even believe he didn't practice fishing. Watching last season with Sam, I can't believe he thought he'd be able to catch or hunt game. Ignorance is no excuse this season, so it's just weird to me. The only thing that might ensure his safety for a few more eps is that he DIDN'T show up in this episode. Usually they focus on the next to tap out. I still think Larry isn't long for this world...well, this show, anyway :)

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. 

[seasick]

Agreed, Randy is a likely candidate for the next tap.. I kind of forgot about him.  But..  He lit his fire on day 7 and we left off the morning of Day 10.. so it's possible he's willing to hang in with the fire problem.  However, agreed not bringing rations or showing any interest in fishing along with with his fire problem does not bode well.  Surprised we didn't see some follow up this episode with Randy.

[humbleopinion]

What was the deal with David getting so dehydrated?

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink!

Did he think water was going to fall out of the sky?

Apparently, he was moaning about how his rain catcher was dry.

He has a ferro rod, there is plenty of wood growing out of the ground(trees) and accelerant (resin from the trees)  so start a fire and use that pot with the lid you have and boil some to drink.

Oh yes, David have your fire on a level surface so the pot doesn't tip over and give you 3rd degree burns.

You don't live on the tilted part of VI like Larry.

Did anyone else see that blue laundry basket in the background when David was checking for fish?

Wonder if it will show up in his camp.

Mike would have turned the laundry basket into some kind of cougar trap like in the game Mouse Trap.

[walnutqueen]

Welcome, mythreecents!  It is so nice to meet a new fan, especially someone living on Vancouver Island.  I am a total technophobe with an really ancient laptop, but if there were any way to copy the contestants' bios and 10 items lists from the US site to a file and send it to you, I'd be happy to try ...  :-)

Tracy has some major PTSD going on, or so it would seem.  She needs to deal with those demons, somehow.

[GreyBunny]

mythreecents

Welcome!  I sent you a message that might help you out.   If there's stuff you want to see we can copy pages and send them to you. 

Quote

What was the deal with David getting so dehydrated.

No kidding.  I'd bring a pot with me and day 1 I'd be boiling water if catching rain wasn't an immediate option.  I'd also have a drying hut for wood constructed on that first day as well.  If they're going to stay on VI for a few more seasons I'd prepare by learning to catch fish and other seafood using primitive means.  Trying to catch rats and other land animals seems like a waste of time.

[Snarklepuss]

I said a couple of weeks ago that I loved Tracy but just worried that her inner demons would come to the fore and and do her in.  One thing I've learned from this show is that anyone with baggage, especially about themselves, is going to eventually make everything about that, and won't be able to live with it in the end.  When people have the distractions of modern life to run and hide from their inner hurts they can manage to avoid a meltdown and will cope OK, but put them alone where there's nothing but them and nature and they end up with no distraction from unresolved issues.  They'll end up obsessing on them and become crippled by them since they have no defense against them.  Tracy's biggest issue is the self-blame she heaps on herself for what she sees as years of overly aggressive, destructive behavior.  So now anything that makes her feel even a little aggressive is unacceptable to her.  But life sometimes requires us to be aggressive.  I think out in the woods with predators is a perfectly acceptable time to show a little aggressiveness.  And besides, that was nothing, she was just scaring them away, not really hurting them at all.  It just amazes me that she made her leaving about her baggage and did not just come out and say she was scared or whatever.  I say it's too bad but I knew she was damaged goods and didn't get as invested in wanting her to win as a result.

Mike is another one - We saw this last season with (ack I can't remember his name) who almost built himself a little village and when he ran out of projects became so bored he cashed it in (he spun it a little differently but that's how I saw it).  I see the same thing coming with Mike.  He's running away from whatever hurt and boredom he's feeling as a result of being out there all by himself away from his wife by throwing himself into all those projects.  That's a great coping mechanism for a difficult situation, but what about the inevitable time in the future when he's exhausted his repertoire of projects?   If he doesn't have mental or spiritual projects to focus on, he'll end up letting missing his wife/life consume him and he'll tap out.

I find that I'm a very different kind of person than most of these people.  I would have no problem being alone like that.  If I had basic survival under control, I'd use the rest of the time time to think about deeper life issues, make it about a quest for inner peace, enlightenment, getting closer to the divine, composing music, poetry, whatever.  To me it would be like a quest up to the mountain top; a Thomas Merton-like imposed solitude.  But then again I realize I'm not the typical person that would sign up for this show.  So far Nicole seems to have a sunny enough attitude, but again, to me it seems a little shallow.  I'm not really sure yet.  The thing about Alan that made him so cool in my opinion is that he was actually very in touch with himself.  He was philosophical.  He used the time to exercise his mind and spirit.  Some of the stuff he came out with I found truly inspiring.  He had a depth and an inner well of mental resources to draw upon when faced with nothing else to focus on.  I didn't just admire his survival skills, I admired him as a person.  You can have all the external world survival skills in the world, but if you don't have your inner world survival skills sorted out that will do you in all by itself.  So far Jose seems to have his inner life in better order than some of them so far, which bodes well for him because it's obvious that he's an excellent survivalist.  The only thing is I don't sense any particular desire to win in him.  It's not just about survival but about wanting to outlast everyone else.  We'll see.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Snarklepuss

[Quilt Fairy]

mythreecents, if you go to the posts for April 22 in this thread (it's page 3 of 10 for me, but that depends on what font size you have) SRTouch did a cut and paste from the History website with the listings for what items they're allowed to choose from, what items are forbidden, and what items are provided by the show to all the contestants. I could have sworn that someone did a cut and paste with what everyone actually picked this season, but I can't seem to find it.

I was watching the Deeper Cut airing of last week's episode and when Larry went on one of this swearing rampages, I could very clearly hear a "fucking" that didn't get bleeped.  Also Tracy had some comments up during her story about the shooting in 1997 which were something like "I just had a premonition something bad was going to happen, so I wanted to get my story on tape."  Once I saw that, I had a bad feeling that she would be the next to tap out.

[ghoulina]

I was so sad to see Tracy tap out. So sad. I really think she could have done well out there. She must have been through some real crap in her life. I did not think there was a single thing wrong with how she handled that bear situation. But it clearly brought up something inside her that was very concerning. I really feel for her. I'm hoping she eventually seeks some sort of therapy, because it seems like she has a lot of unresolved stuff going on inside her head. 

Mike is doing very well out there. I love his whole setup! I can totally relate to that need to have everything in its place; I'm pretty OCD myself. I also think it's good to keep busy out there, while you can. It's healthy both mentally and physically. If you're getting some fish every day, why not spend your time improving your situation? His drying rack and hand washing station were pretty freaking cool, and he was smart to hang his tarp in a way that gives him enough room to move around. I'm not sure yet if his attachment to Barbara is going to be a problem or not. I could see him getting too lonely, but I could also see talking about and TO her being kind of comforting for him. We shall see.

Not much to say about Justin this week, but I like his philosophy about only taking items he can think of at least 2 uses for. Smart dude. 

Larry, Larry, Larry. He's like the Bad Luck Brian of that island. Gets the worst location. Falling down slopes. Catching fish, then losing fish. FINALLY he got some dinner by the end of the episode! No more grousing out of him. 

But that's okay, because we've got David to take over the grousing role. Can't fish. Has to boil water. Waaaahh. Seriously. What is wrong with this dude? You have to start a fire and boil a pot of water??? Oh the horror! And I was not impressed with his choice to shut off the camera to curse. Don't you worry about our delicate sensibilities, David. We've been listening to Larry cursing up a storm for several weeks now. And it's okay, Christians aren't perfect. It's okay to get mad and let a "damnit" escape your lips. Yea, he's a bit exhausting. 

No Randy or Jose this week, but a tiny bit of Nicole at the end. Girl, please don't RUN away from the bears! I need one female to stay on this island. 

[ghoulina]

23 hours ago, raven said:

The military guy was kind of fun with his "day 276, I've begun to talk to the animals" and "I do have pants, I don't always wear shorts".  He seems pretty camera comfortable.

My husband was convinced Justin had to have been from the PAC NW (my husband is from OR), because of the way he was walking around in shorts. He said that his legs and feet just don't get as cold as the rest of his body and my husband was like, "Yes! That's exactly how I am!" But I think Justin is from KY, lol. 

 

21 hours ago, seasick said:

Just thinking -- Tracy who hates violence and confrontation was a little friendly with the guns in the preview.  No?

I don't really remember, but I don't think the two are necessarily related. Plenty of non-violent people own and use guns. People hunt, people shoot for sport (competitively for example).People own guns for home defense.Tracy was in law enforcement, it doesn't surprise me that she'd be "friendly" with guns. I don't think that necessarily has anything to do with her issues. I'd wager something stems from way back in her childhood. 

 

20 hours ago, LAgator77 said:

 

Tracy. Has. Issues. I mean, did she think she should have sung a lullaby to the bears? She did exactly what she was supposed to do

 

 I agree, and I said as much in my original post. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it wasn't what she did - but how she FELT inside when she did it. And what she ALMOST did. Maybe she saw herself going to a place where she was less in control of her actions and it freaked her out?

 

17 hours ago, seasick said:

I also wonder why so long to put up their gill nets.  

I wonder if it's because they're taking time to get a feel for the tides? Figure out the best place to put one, and when to check it?

[Kelda Feegle]

I adore Larry McLanguageWarning but it seemed forever between claiming the fish and eating the fish,  8.45 pm he started cooking? 

Really sad fire from the Christian guy, and he should have been boiling water way earlier, nice net making skills though. 

I could stand to hear less about Barbara thanks, but great hand washing station.

Need to see josé please kthx

[seasick]

I do feel badly that Tracy lets her guilt keep her from  enjoying a great experience. I'm sure it spoils many experiences and i hope she is willing to get help and let it go.  I'm not sure what the payoff has been for hanging on to this stuff. 

 I dreaded what bedtime stories were to come.   

I think they all go out there looking for what is inside them..test their skills, endurance, the aspect of total self -sufficiency and where loneliness and isolation takes them emotionally.    When Tracy started up right away it suggested that her sole purpose was to unleash and unload her demons upon arrival and the survival/bushcraft and camera aspects were the vehicle to do so.     It was a little self-serving   IMO . 

[Snarklepuss]

2 hours ago, ghoulina said:

I don't really remember, but I don't think the two are necessarily related. Plenty of non-violent people own and use guns. People hunt, people shoot for sport (competitively for example).People own guns for home defense.Tracy was in law enforcement, it doesn't surprise me that she'd be "friendly" with guns. I don't think that necessarily has anything to do with her issues. I'd wager something stems from way back in her childhood.

With regard to Tracy, her father was in the military and she learned about guns from him.  I think she was involved in either prison or criminal violence and probably had to use aggression with inmates or suspects and she is over that and trying to develop a softer side of herself at this point.  She seems to have been a "military brat" (I hate that term) and never grew up in one place.  She is still a wanderer and I read that when she applied for the show she was technically homeless.  So yeah, I think some of her issues go way back.  I think it may even be similar to PTSD with her in that when she finds herself being at all aggressive she might have bad flashbacks to physical confrontations in her past that she would rather forget, but can't, and it puts her in a very negative place, especially about herself.  With her there is also remorse.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Snarklepuss

[seasick]

Ghoulina..I think you made a good point.  re; guns not an association to violence.  It didn't seem to fit Tracy's extreme sensitivity which is why it came to mind as odd that she's into the gun sports.  Kind of an off-handed remark without the bigger picture in mind.

[Snarklepuss]

I'm going to take a wild stab at a theory about Tracy.  I think she may have severely hurt or killed someone in the line of duty and it either got her in trouble and she lost her job over it or it horrified her and caused her so much guilt that she quit and started running from the pain by moving around a lot and not really settling on a new career.  I think she may have been invested in developing her "tough" side due to her father's influence and her career, but one really compelling experience brought her in touch with her sensitive side through the intense guilt she felt over causing someone that kind of harm.  And that's why she's hyper-sensitive to anything associated with violence, especially when she's causing it.  Just a theory.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Snarklepuss