S02.E09: The Madness

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

While some of the participants push themselves to ensure long-term survival, others question their ability to endure.

[riverheightsnancy]

David has really grown on me. I like his insights about things now. Larry cannot leave fast enough for me. Cannot stand him. What, no Nicole tonight? Would rather see Nicole than Larry! Justin has that Sam stare. I think that he will be next. (wrote that before the end of the episode). Glad to see Jose's kayak in the water. I liked his moment about praying for something and the float he needs, appears. Now, next week we should finally get something on all of them left. 

[MostlyContent]

Well guys, we called it.  Jose did not go kersplash.  :)   I liked his prayer being answered.  This man just seems to be so darn......grateful for everything.  It's definitely a mindset.  

David and Larry got to eat.  That was nice.   Larry just goes so overboard about everything that it's hard for me to appreciate anything about him.   Country mice are smarter than city mice?  Okay.  Reminds me of a book.    

Too bad about Justin, but yep, he sure did develop the 'Sam stare'.   

[muffkins]

My PVR didn't record this as the show info was missing and it just showed a generic blurb with the original start date on it.  Hopefully the one later on today is the new one and I can watch it later.  Sometimes Technology is irritating.

[Snarklepuss]

Sorry to see Justin go but once he got all philosophical, I knew it was coming.  And just when I started to like him, too.  I liked what he said about trying not to give into the games his mind would play with him about going home, but obviously he did give into them pretty soon afterward.  It gave me some insight into what it must feel like to be out there alone.  I wonder if like he predicted, he did regret leaving after having that first meal back home.  I can see that he's a doer and not a be-er.  It must be hard for someone like that to feel productive when they're not on some great adventure.  I'm not a doer like that, I can be very comfortable just being and contemplating.  And it's much easier for me to keep my eyes on the prize.  Speaking of that, I'm developing tons more respect for David now and I hope his new found food source helps him to last a lot longer than it originally looked like he would.

I can't believe we're down to the final four already.  I'm wondering who will go next.  Larry, hopefully.  I'd like the final 3 to be Nicole, David and Jose.  Of the three of them David seems to have the most drive to win, and now that he's figured out how to catch crab, it may be the thing that clinches it for him.  I don't know why but as much as I admire Jose I keep thinking he is the type that once he experiences a really tough obstacle he will just bag it and go home.  Nicole is harder for me to predict.  Her sunny positive attitude may clinch it for her, but I worry about her too.  I don't like it that they didn't show her in this episode.  With only 5 people to feature there's no reason they couldn't have included her.

[mlp]

I realized last week that I'd become fond of David so I was delighted when he caught those crabs.  Hunger has been his biggest issue.  Otherwise, he seems determined to go the distance.  I think he has a good chance now.  

Larry cracks me up.  I doubt that I'd like him much in real life but his carrying on about the mice made me laugh.

I think Justin rationalized his departure.  His philosophy was fine but he was talking as if his choice was between living his life as he wants and spending the rest of his life on VI.  A couple more months wouldn't have mattered in the long run if he'd really wanted to stay.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, MostlyContent said:

Country mice are smarter than city mice?  Okay.  Reminds me of a book.  

Or the Yogi Bear cartoons. "Smarter than the average bear!"

[Snarklepuss]

47 minutes ago, mlp said:

I think Justin rationalized his departure.  His philosophy was fine but he was talking as if his choice was between living his life as he wants and spending the rest of his life on VI.  A couple more months wouldn't have mattered in the long run if he'd really wanted to stay.

I know, it's not just Justin, a lot of them have acted like it was an epic life decision they made to do what they wanted to do and not be bogged down by the futility of just existing.  Like being on the island was some kind of life sentence they were making the decision to free themselves from.  It's like they begin to read all kinds of super-cosmic symbolism into everything that IMO was misplaced and exaggerated, perhaps because being alone that long messed with their heads.  Also, I suppose that's what people do who don't live in a philosophical head space most of the time like I do.  It's like all of a sudden they realize all this stuff about what their lives really mean and what they want to change about it, and they see staying there as keeping them from it.  It's an overreaction due to being hit upside the head with being forced to be alone with their own thoughts.  I wonder how long it takes after they tap out before the humdrum reality of their real lives hits them like a cold slap in the face and they realize they aren't able to fulfill all those lofty idealistic newfound goals so easily or ever.  Plus they forfeited a $500,000 prize over only 20-30 more days of what was certainly NOT the worst existence ever.  I have a feeling a lot of them kick themselves over this later.

I think their reaction is part of a kind of phenomenon.  A very good high school friend of mine was a victim of Sept. 11th.  He is a news photographer and was under the South Tower when it fell.  Both of his legs were crushed and he ended up under a car so he survived.  He is absolutely fine now due to titanium rods in both his legs, but the experience changed him.  I saw him go through stages with it.  In the beginning it was like he was born again and had a completely new outlook on life.  His priorities were suddenly very mature - He was never that mature before that, LOL.  He had all kinds of new goals for his life and wanted to set out right away to achieve them.  Well, I'm sure you can tell where the story goes.  Life has a way of bringing us back down to reality.  In the 15 years since he has gone back to being mostly like he was before.  Not that he was a bad guy before, but he's not all philosophical and cosmic about everything all the time anymore.  And he's gone back to being a bit of a jerk like he was before.  The one thing that remained is that he continues to never take his life for granted and his Facebook page is filled with him taking a big bite out of life.  Of course he is an extrovert with tons of energy.   My point is I think the "Alone" experience does something similar to people.  It is a very old phenomenon for people to go away into the wilderness alone to "find themselves" and that's what I think is happening here.  Only it can be a deceptive thing if you aren't used to contemplation.  What seemed so clear out in the wilderness changes when you get back to your real life.

[seasick]

53 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

 

.  I don't know why but as much as I admire Jose I keep thinking he is the type that once he experiences a really tough obstacle he will just bag it and go home.  Nicole is harder for me to predict.  Her sunny positive attitude may clinch it for her, but I worry about her too.  I don't like it that they didn't show her in this episode.  With only 5 people to feature there's no reason they couldn't have included her.

I've always thought just the opposite of Jose.  I think his experience has taught him to expect that things will not always go his way or as planned.    He doesn't appear to get frustrated or give up too easily, and is not a sore loser like my my buddy Effin' Larry.   However he seems a little too hyper focused and in a one track mind.  16 days and more with that boat.!  I think that amount of time to one endeavor to make it so 'perfect' is a luxury in his circumstance.  I think he loses a sense of priority to his perfectionism esp. in woodworking which he seems to love. 

I thought it was a very bad sign that Justin considered tapping just because he had to move his camp, despite his little attitude rally after the hike.   Someone with a mind to stay for months would do it without a second thought.  It really isn't that big a deal.   He had the attitude of a vacation camper.   

[Snarklepuss]

1 minute ago, seasick said:

I've always thought just the opposite of Jose.  I think his experience has taught him to expect that things will not always go his way or as planned.    He doesn't appear to get frustrated or give up too easily, and is not a sore loser like my my buddy Effin' Larry.   However he seems a little too hyper focused and in a one track mind.  16 days and more with that boat.!  I think that amount of time to one endeavor to make it so 'perfect' is a luxury in his circumstance.  I think he loses a sense of priority to his perfectionism esp. in woodworking which he seems to love.

Yeah, I don't know, I think it's because Jose is so generally content that eventually he won't have the drive to stay on past a certain point.  That's not to say he won't last almost until the end.  But to win on this show I think someone needs that extra drive that will make them walk over hot coals through a fire.  I'm just not feeling that with Jose.  I'm thinking if the weather or other environmental things stay as relatively easy as they have been Jose might win, but I can just see him getting to a point where he just won't want to be bothered anymore and will say he's gotten what he wanted out of it with no regrets and go home, but that it might be before either Nicole, David or Larry.

[seasick]

Unless there is an injury I'm calling Nicole for the next tap-out, reason being kids and other commitments.  Actually I think other commitments could be a conflict for Jose too.  I'm wondering when his next 'war re-enactment ' contest is scheduled.  

This is where Effin' Larry has an advantage.  He effin' hates his job-life and will put up with all sorts of shit to avoid going back.    

Justin was in a big hurry to move on to his next great adventure of living out of his pick-up truck.  Mustn't miss out on that opportunity!! Those truck stops and campgrounds are calling!  Nah that never gets old....

[holly4755]

who would expect  Larry to be in the top 4? I mean really? Has Karma gone so far astray? maybe struggling buys some people more time. Well it has been one month, the cold weather should be coming soon. 

[LittleIggy]

Larry's gleeful description of how he killed that poor mouse- I speared it! I cut the bastard's throat!- made me ill. Please don't let that jerk win.

Another military guy bites the dust. No surprise there.

I'm tired of Jose's freaking boat. I hope all the salmon are gone by the time he is through tweaking it.

[LeighAnne]

I have this mental image of the Alone producers sitting in a room, staring at monitors, and occasionally saying to each other, "When is David going to figure out that we put him in the Crab Cove?"

[Ina123]

Except for the obvious money to the winner, does anyone know if they get money just for being on the show? If so, how much? That would help me to understand tapping out a little better. Sort of, "Well, at least I'll get my episode pay."

Wow, David hit pay dirt. I would have never picked him to win but food seems to be all he needed. Now he has it.

Bite the dust, Larry. He is tenacious, tho. He could hold out.

I like Jose. Still feel like it's between him and Nicole.

Who knows? It could be any of them. We haven't seen them in the real sleet, snow cold, yet. Does anyone know if the early winter was temperate for VI in '15? Season 1 had snow but none thus far in season 2.

[roamyn]

While the way Effin Larry described hunting & killing that mouse was hilarious,  I couldn't help getting all philosophical.

I saw a tangible allegory of Larry/Mouse and Settlers/Native Americans.  It almost made the horrible Indian wars real life.  Movng in on their territory, taking over resources, hunting to kill just because he doesn't understand them.

Larry could've caught the mouse and got himself a pet.  So he wouldn't be so Alone.

Missed Nicole.  Love her & want her or David to win.

[riverheightsnancy]

I think Jose has focused hard on the kayak because he is playing for the long-term. I don't even know if he would call it "playing" but, it seems that his goals are long-term and he is not likely to tap because of a little frustration. Now, he has intoned that he has been worried about getting enough fish to stay into the future, and I think if this boat thing didn't work and he can't get fish, he would tap, but I think he only taps due to getting hurt by not having any food. He seems very measured and cautious about what he does. He was very controlled in the kayak.  I would imagine that the money would be a welcomed prize (he would likely call it a blessing) for doing something that you supposedly love and teach. I think that the prize money would allow him the freedom to continue to pursue his outside interests (like the international medievaI fighting that he does - I think that is what it is). I still think that he wins. I wouldn't mind a David and Nicole, Jose final 3. I think Larry will go next because they are already foreshadowing him talking about whether it is worth it to stay. The editors (IMO) have been really heavy handed this season and the stupid drama has not been necessary. 

[Ocean Chick]

I like that Jose always seems to have a Plan B, C, D and F - that's the kind of thinking that can make him a long timer out there.  I'm happy that David got crabs.  I am sorry, though, that Justin tapped out.  But when he started in on the philosophy I knew he'd be gone by the end of the episode.  I liked him and his attitude, and I hope he does have lots of adventures in his life.  I'm good with either Jose, Nicole or David winning at this point.  Effen Larry needs to learn to chill out a bit - he'd enjoy life so much more. 

[candall]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I'm tired of Jose's freaking boat.

Not me.  I was impressed as hell with that thing.  That was one tight little vessel!   After all that time watching him put it together, I was still amazed and couldn't figure out how there were strips of wood affixed to the outside of the skin.  I was wondering how he could stitch anything with his "bone needle," that was so much larger on the eye end than the point--wouldn't the thread material wind up slipping around inside the big hole made by the eye?  But the tarp was perfectly taut.  All hail the Delicata!   (Which is not to say I was disappointed we didn't see the play-by-play on the outriggers--it was really okay to just skip that part.  I'm probably not going to build my own kayak.)

 

Did not really enjoy the mouse vendetta.  This show would not be enjoyable to me if trapping provided the main source of protein.

[My cat recently brought in a mouse through the doggie door.  She dropped it and amused herself tormenting it with a couple of pounces and then . . . lost interest and walked away.  Horrified, I went sprinting across the room and slammed the door shut so at least the mouse would be contained in one room.  He flattened out like a dollar bill and slid right under the closed door.  I'm still on high alert, imagining him skittering about.  They're tricky little devils, but I was rooting for that particular undermouse against the creature one million times his size.]

 

The tap-outs are always interesting.  With this one, it crossed my mind that he had decided to create a feasible narrative.  Higher mountains to climb, other challenges beckoning, this show is delaying my pursuit of excellence.  Maybe.  I can't detect deception under the best of circumstances, let alone figure out the nuances of delusion or motive with these people, in this situation, through my tv.  But in retrospect, I appreciate the simplicity of "HOLY SHIT, THAT'S BEAR POOP!!!" and "I miss my wo-man."

[humbleopinion]

Jose prayed REAL hard and a flotation device with a mile of rope divinely washed up exactly on his beach.

I pray real hard to make the yellow light before it turns red. Doesn't work.

Hope David figures out that he should catch as many crabs as he can NOW and make a crab farm so he has a source of food when the weather turns stormy.

Start knitting a crab corral.

Larry's family is sitting on their couch nodding as he reveals more and more of his true self.

The intense, laser hate for mice.

The over the top celebration complete with maniacal laughing when he finally got kills.

Remember the comedian Gallagher who smashed  fruit with a giant mallet with such glee?

Photoshop Larry's face over Gallagher's and replace the watermelon with a mouse.

 Justin needed to leave, he was bored.

I was fearful for the trees around his camp.

He was so bored that he could have carved totem poles out of all of them just for a project to occupy his mind for an afternoon.

All in all, very watchable episode.

[ClareWalks]

Don't get me wrong, I think Jose is a damn genius and clearly so skilled. But honestly, how long can it take to do this damn boat? He has a lot of free time. It shouldn't have taken 4 days to add an outrigger. That's why I'm kind of at the point where I'm like "what are you doing out there, Jose?" It would help if the editing were better, of course.

[walnutqueen]

Well, apparently my fears were well founded :

On 5/27/2016 at 2:00 PM, walnutqueen said:

I feel very sorry for the next motherfuckin mouse Larry lays eyes on ...

:-)

[Auntie Anxiety]

I had a hard time understanding Justin's comment about it being 11AM, already having all his chores done and being bored because he had nothing else to do.  How about exploring the area a little bit more?  How about making his camp better?  I know people might scoff, but last night made me think that bringing a pad and pencil (with a big eraser) would have been a great idea (I know, you'd have to eliminate some other items).  If I were out there, it would give me the opportunity to do some writing without having distractions (like my computer, the tv, phone calls) and be able to concentrate on that collection of essays that I've been trying to write for a long time now.  I wonder if Jose's long and drawn out canoe building is a result of his attempt to keep boredom at bay.

I'm not saying that Effin' Larry has bipolar disorder (overly diagnosed in my opinion), but he seems unable to regulate his emotions.  His highs are very high and his lows are very low.  I doubt that he's much different emotionally in his day-to-day life off the island.  

David got a better edit than in the past.  I actually almost like him now.  

Guess nothing exciting happened with Nicole during the Day 31-33 interval?

Yesterday in the garage when I got into my car, I saw a mouse that had died in one of my mouse traps.  I hate mice with a passion!  And I thought of Effin' Larry!  Not much meat on that little thing.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Auntie Anxiety

[candall]

56 minutes ago, humbleopinion said:

Hope David figures out that he should catch as many crabs as he can NOW and make a crab farm so he has a source of food when the weather turns stormy.

Start knitting a crab corral.

What a terrific idea--never crossed my mind.

[qtpye]

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Country mice are smarter than city mice?  Okay.  Reminds me of a book.  

I think he was trying to justify the mouse out smarting him most of the time.  Yes, Larry, VI mice are geniuses that spend each night plotting to take over the world, Pinky and Brain style.

After the show I really hope Larry does not find his happiness as a serial killer.  His glee over the brutal way he killed that mouse was giving me Ramsay Bolton vibes (Game of Thrones reference...for those who do not know).

Contrast this with Nicole gently talking to and then letting go of the salmon in a loving manner, from last week.

Thank God that mink with the eel in it's mouth did not go through Larry's camp.  Larry would claim the mink was purposefully taunting him and then declare a Vendetta.

 

Quote

Yeah, I don't know, I think it's because Jose is so generally content that eventually he won't have the drive to stay on past a certain point. 

I think there was a psych study where they broke down the people into categories like very happy, mostly happy, satisfied, dissapointed, and unhappy.  These were not the exact names, but you get the idea.

The mostly happy people had a really good balance of great attitude combined with ambition to make progressive changes in their life, while the very happy people were much more content to not make any great changes, because they were very happy (duh).

It will be very depressing if Jose taps out, because the man was almost tailor made for the show. 

[Snarklepuss]

1 hour ago, ClareWalks said:

Don't get me wrong, I think Jose is a damn genius and clearly so skilled. But honestly, how long can it take to do this damn boat? He has a lot of free time. It shouldn't have taken 4 days to add an outrigger. That's why I'm kind of at the point where I'm like "what are you doing out there, Jose?" It would help if the editing were better, of course.

ITA, and that's one reason I have my reservations about Jose.  Once he achieves the goal of the boat and the fishing it may get boring after a while and he'll have that "Is that all there is?" moment that the others had before him.  One reason it took him so long to make the boat may be because he was trying to stretch it out to fill up the time.  The boat may have given him a purpose that has kept him relatively content, but once he's achieved that plus everything else he may have wanted to accomplish he may not be so contented anymore. 

[Trace]

As much as Larry reminds me of my anger-management-issues ex?  This is survival of the fittest, folks.  The mice must die!!

[Snarklepuss]

4 hours ago, roamyn said:

While the way Effin Larry described hunting & killing that mouse was hilarious,  I couldn't help getting all philosophical.

Nah, me, all I could think of was "Caddyshack".

Start at about minute 1:30.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Snarklepuss

[meep.meep]

Bye Justin - Bye Justin's pecs.  He had no interest in staying there long term.  His shelter was minimal, he never reinforced it after moving.

When I watch this, I think back to Frontier House where the families were graded on how well they prepared for the winter.  They had to have so much forage for animals, food, wood chopped, etc.  Do the Alone contestants get some briefing on how much they need to survive a longer period of time?   The local Indians would dry fish for the winter.  Maybe that's Jose's plan.

Was this the first time they've shown much of Jose's site?  He really has a pretty site with lots of open space, small streams, and widely spaced trees.  Compared to Larry and Justin's vertical camps, there's no question where I'd choose to stay.

[mlp]

I don't understand why Jose gets so much criticism for the amount of time he's spent working on his boat.  Apparently he has his campsite set up the way he wants it and he does his "chores" in the mornings and then has the rest of his days to do whatever he chooses.  He works at his own pace which isn't affecting anyone else except TV watchers who want more action.  :) 

[ClareWalks]

12 minutes ago, mlp said:

I don't understand why Jose gets so much criticism for the amount of time he's spent working on his boat.  Apparently he has his campsite set up the way he wants it and he does his "chores" in the mornings and then has the rest of his days to do whatever he chooses.  He works at his own pace which isn't affecting anyone else except TV watchers who want more action.  :) 

Well, that is true, but then he's been telling the camera for weeks "I need to hurry if I want to get this boat done before the salmon run" over and over. Again, it could be that the editing is off.

[ProfCrash]

I am sorry to see Justin go. There is always something else that can be done to improve camp but I think Justin was comfortable with what he did and was ready to go. I thought his comments about his survival training as it related to his military job were interesting. He could do more and stay longer but he never really saw survival as a long term endeavor but something that you do because you have to. He is really good at it but he didn't want to be there for a long time.

Nice to see Larry and see him doing ok.

Loved seeing David catching crab and doing well.

Jose finally gets some screen time and his canoe survives. Woohooo But it needs adjustment. Not surprising. It doesn't catch him anything, not surprising.

I missed seeing Nicole.

[qtpye]

I am going to miss Justin...I loved his attitude and smile.  Though it was nice to see David smile after he got the crab.

[pagooey]

I'll be damned--I've reached the point where I like them all. David's a bit of a mope, but his perpetual fantasy-holy-grail of a bucket of chicken amuses me. Nicole is a purely enjoyable presence, and I missed her this week. Jose is an artiste, and I have immense respect for his skills...although weeks of Kayak Workshop have not been the most exciting viewing. I was shocked that those dinky little outrigger floats worked at all--shouldn't they have extended further from the kayak, and/or been bigger? I'm picturing Mike paddling around in the SS Barbara here.

And Larry, F*ckin' Larry, bless you--you are comedy gold. I don't know what it says about me, that I am endlessly entertained by his stream of epithets, and the fact that he gets just as frickin' excited and happy over a smooshed mouse as he got incensed and furious at cutting logs a leeeetle too short, over and over again. I'm a little worried that we are temperamental soulmates. I'm glad to see him comparatively happy, now--the little bastard might just be tenacious enough to win this thing.

[lidarose9]

Anybody who gets bored in this environment is so missing the point of the experience. Plus: $500K. Seriously. The quitters all act like they just signed up for this because they didn't have other plans for their late summer vacation. I can sympathize with people who tap out of hunger or fear or even loneliness, but the complaints about being bored make me want to slap them.

David could have been gorging himself on crab all this time, but didn't because of his lack of imagination. I have grown to like David; he is resilient, but this was a great illustration of how short-sighted he is.

Larry has the emotional maturity of a 12-year-old boy. I was horrified by the mouse slaughter. I had to look away. I just don't want to see anybody take that much delight in killing something, even a mouse.

[zibnchy]

Last season I liked this show. This season I LOVE it. But I am still not sure which one is Larry and which one is David. Anyway, mouse guy provided me with a belly laugh for the night. I hope he has a sense of humor about himself because that mouse stuff was crazy.

[Quilt Fairy]

Justin's tap-out was why they call this show "Alone" and not "Survivor" (apart from the obvious copyright issues). He's got the military mind-set which equates survival with staying alive long enough to get back to friendly territory. It's primarily the same skill-set you need to succeed on this show but a totally different philosophy. I do appreciate that he lasted almost another 2 weeks after his climb. We never did hear if he got his sleeping bag completely dried out. When he cleared out his sight you could see he had a beautiful little hut, I don't know if it would have lasted through a winter but it looked nicely made and finished. I wish we had seen more of him making it, especially after he had to move his camp due to the flooding.

Quote

 But I am still not sure which one is Larry and which one is David. Anyway, mouse guy provided me with a belly laugh for the night.

Larry is the mouse guy. He swears. A lot. David is the crab guy. He swears only once in a while and apologizes when he does.

Did anyone else notice something a little odd with last night's show? There was a point - I think it was with David after he had cooked his crabs and it was around sunset - where it wasn't him talking to the camera, it was very obviously a voice-over. In my recollection they've never done that on this show, and I wondered if it was indicative of something, I'm not sure what.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Quilt Fairy

[LocimusPrime]

Being alone 60-70 days should be enough to win this game. 8-10 weeks that's it and bingo you walk away with half a milli.  

• They got this all wrong, instead of social people with families, they need anti social people.  Hermits, homeless people, Tibetan monks, convicts who have been in isolation for extended periods of time.  Give any of the above, the 30 items and a 3 month crash course in Vancouver island survival and they could outlast these contestants  
• if I was going to apply for this contest, I'd fly out 3 monthes in advance and pick a location close to where they are filming and bury a chest of goodies,heck I might bury two at different locations. Or have a small gps tracking device sewn into one of my personal items- a super heavy coat would be best and have my buddies disguised as fishermen roll through and accidentally drop things near the shore in water tight containers. Things like tequila, cigs, more nets, lures, night vision goggles, a radio, iPad, maybe a cellphone with hand crank charger and hot spot capability ect. 
• All contestants should actually take a 2-3 week trip to the island and get acclimated. 

[candall]

39 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

[...]it was very obviously a voice-over.

Yes!  He was singing, and then the singing continued in the background while he was talking!

I thought, well, this is great--if he can do that, he can have conversations with himself and not be so Alone.

[rainsmom]

1 hour ago, LocimusPrime said:

• They got this all wrong, instead of social people with families, they need anti social people.  Hermits, homeless people, Tibetan monks, convicts who have been in isolation for extended periods of time.  Give any of the above, the 30 items and a 3 month crash course in Vancouver island survival and they could outlast these contestants  

Nope, they didn't. The show gets x number of episodes. That number isn't going to increase if people actually last for months and months. It just means the cost of the show goes WAY up, because they have to keep people on VI to support the participants for longer and because they would have a crap ton more video to crawl through. Why do you think they put the participants there in the fall instead of the spring? They WANT them to tap quickly.

Also, the show is focusing, not on survival, but on how being alone affects the players psychologically. They picked people who would be affected INTENTIONALLY, so they would have better material. 

[Snarklepuss]

3 hours ago, LocimusPrime said:

Being alone 60-70 days should be enough to win this game. 8-10 weeks that's it and bingo you walk away with half a milli.  

• They got this all wrong, instead of social people with families, they need anti social people.  Hermits, homeless people, Tibetan monks, convicts who have been in isolation for extended periods of time.  Give any of the above, the 30 items and a 3 month crash course in Vancouver island survival and they could outlast these contestants 

I think the reason they don't do this is that they want to find contestants the audience will like and root for.  I don't think they want to sign up the out of the ordinary types because the average viewer will not relate to them and their particular issues and struggles. 

1 hour ago, rainsmom said:

Nope, they didn't. The show gets x number of episodes. That number isn't going to increase if people actually last for months and months. It just means the cost of the show goes WAY up, because they have to keep people on VI to support the participants for longer and because they would have a crap ton more video to crawl through. Why do you think they put the participants there in the fall instead of the spring? They WANT them to tap quickly.

Also, the show is focusing, not on survival, but on how being alone affects the players psychologically. They picked people who would be affected INTENTIONALLY, so they would have better material. 

I agree with you about the show engineering it so they don't last forever out there but I think the "better material" is a function of having picked people who the audience would relate to.  Just average people, some of whom have families or at least SOs that the audience would sympathize with as they miss them.

This season, didn't they put them out there a month earlier?  I think that's what's putting more of an emphasis on the psychological aspects such as boredom and futility because it isn't all that hard for survival experts to survive out there at that time of year.  Last season the weather got worse faster so it soon became a real test of their endurance under trying circumstances.  Because of the weather changing they were too busy dealing with more of the survival angle of it to indulge in the luxury of boredom.  I think that's why there are more tap outs from real experts out there when they were surviving just fine.  After a while they just got bored.  If they had a real challenge such as the seasonal change  they might actually not have tapped out so early.  I think that would have been the case with a couple of them at least.

[LittleIggy]

10 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

Well, that is true, but then he's been telling the camera for weeks "I need to hurry if I want to get this boat done before the salmon run" over and over. Again, it could be that the editing is off.

I wish we could see what food sources Jose is using now. Does he record only the boat building?

[zibnchy]

My guess is that in the finale we'll see the camera on Jose and then it'll pan out slowly til we can see that he's, in fact, built himself an entire little town. There's a Home Depot and a diner. He met, courted, and married a local woman and they raised 5 healthy children. Then he invented the internet. All in the first 33 days.

All in the same amount of time that it took mouse guy to kill 1 (one) mouse.

[lidarose9]

6 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Larry is the mouse guy. He swears. A lot. David is the crab guy. He swears only once in a while and apologizes when he does.

David wears glasses. I was getting Larry and Justin mixed up for a while, but if you're patient, Larry always gives himself away with the cussing.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

I wish we could see what food sources Jose is using now. Does he record only the boat building?

Jose has a Youtube video that shows him harvesting and cooking snails. It was 4-5 minutes long and a nice bit of footage that should have been in the show, IMO. There was a link in the S2 thread but I think "Jose" and "Alone" will bring it up.

Quote

 I was getting Larry and Justin mixed up for a while, but if you're patient, Larry always gives himself away with the cussing.

Well, you won't be getting them mixed up anymore.....

[MostlyContent]

11 hours ago, zibnchy said:

But I am still not sure which one is Larry and which one is David.

David wears glasses, and is almost perpetually morose.  But, now he has crabs.  yay.  

Larry has a temper and kills mice, AND considers that a victory.  yay.   

Now that we're down to four; Nicole is a female, Jose is zen.....and David and Larry.  

Edited June 25, 2016 by MostlyContent

[ClareWalks]

There actually WAS a homeless guy on Naked and Afraid. Clarence. He crushed it. Dude was totally zen and yep, wanted to be alone. He actually stayed in a separate shelter from his partner! But I think for long-term survival, if you pick a homeless person they at least need the primitive survival skills to get a consistent food source. Might be hard to find those types among the homeless.

[LocimusPrime]

13 hours ago, rainsmom said:

Nope, they didn't. The show gets x number of episodes. That number isn't going to increase if people actually last for months and months. It just means the cost of the show goes WAY up, because they have to keep people on VI to support the participants for longer and because they would have a crap ton more video to crawl through. Why do you think they put the participants there in the fall instead of the spring? They WANT them to tap quickly.

Also, the show is focusing, not on survival, but on how being alone affects the players psychologically. They picked people who would be affected INTENTIONALLY, so they would have better material. 

Well I got it all wrong then.. I was hoping this show was about who could survive out on their own the longest. I really don't care for the psychological aspect. After awhile they all say the same thing..I miss my family, time is at a standstill, why am I doing this ect.... Yawn.  I mean really the introspective parts of the show are the most boring to me.  I get so bored when they start talking about their lives and what they are going to do to change things ect... Give me some action! 

The better material would be building cool stuff-maybe a full cabin, Building a two story shelter ect, Fighting wild animals with spears and axes, Hand to hand combat with a wolf, Setting up booby traps for bears. Venturing out into the other parts of the island ect. Perhaps some things we haven't seen like preserving food for the long haul, facing snow or a blizzard. Teams of two would be nice as well- at least a change of pace. They could also allow rifles ( change the location to a place where hunting is allowed). They could throw them all into some jungle with hostile natives that they would have to deal with. 

[cooksdelight]

I am tired of the philosophical types. Give me 10 people hungry for the money, for a variety of reasons. I was mad at Justin for leaving, I wanted to see him be the last man standing.

Now, I'm pulling for Larry. He cracks me up and he's out there for the money, both he and David are. The mouse killing didn't bother me as much, as the owner of two cats who regularly bring me mice, snakes, birds, lizards. Usually still alive. Until I kill them. They're maimed at that point anyway, it's the kindest thing one can do.

Jose is going to be in for a rude awakening when he goes fishing and the salmon have all left.

[riverheightsnancy]

On 6/24/2016 at 11:49 AM, Auntie Anxiety said:

  I know people might scoff, but last night made me think that bringing a pad and pencil (with a big eraser) would have been a great idea (I know, you'd have to eliminate some other items).  If I were out there, it would give me the opportunity to do some writing without having distractions (like my computer, the tv, phone calls)

I'm not saying that Effin' Larry has bipolar disorder (overly diagnosed in my opinion), but he seems unable to regulate his emotions.  His highs are very high and his lows are very low.  I doubt that he's much different emotionally in his day-to-day life off the island.  

 

Cooks, I'm shocked! :)   I thought that you adored Alan last season for all his philosophical insights? What happened? (I did just read something somewhere that Alan said that all that stuff fades away as one gets back into real life. All the lofty thoughts and goals become a distant memory and he has lost touch with it).   I still like Jose (he has been my horse from day 1. Besides for MK-we know how that turned out), so I am sticking like glue and hoping for a good turnout. 

For myself, I think that they are all out there for the money to some degree, but some of those that do this for a living may not want to admit that on camera. I think some of these wildlife instructors feel like they have to be in it for spiritual of holistic reasons or their students/followers may think that they are poseurs (all about the $$$). Some of us (especially season 1), ragged on the early taps out especially if they said that they were ONLY in it for the money. We were not very kind (me too!).