S02.E12: Into The Abyss / S02.E13: The End Game

[SRTouch]

37 minutes ago, piequinn35 said:

Is there a link please for the finale? grrr at History Canada 

Oops, maybe we should have separated the two hours with the second hour having spoiler warnings for folks who have to wait a week for the second hour. 

Course, if you're like me you know you would have peeked. At least in this case you folks got cheated. Not able to watch the last hour, or IIRC you didn't get to view the complete equipment lists of what was given everyone and what they had to choose their 10 items from. Hopefully you'll get the reunion episode next week.

[piequinn35]

I just finished watching it now, if Jose didn't fall in the water, this show could go more than 70 days, I knew it when he fell in the water he was done.

Sorry Larry you reached your breaking point and you didn't have a crab pool like David. and congrats David! I cried a little when he told his kids that he won. 

I saw a wolf in the background when Jose tapped. and they never showed that wolf footage in the intro? huh

Great season! :)

 

PS the reunion special I will just see it on the internet coz grrr History Canada

Edited July 15, 2016 by piequinn35

[riverheightsnancy]

22 minutes ago, piequinn35 said:

I saw a wolf in the background when Jose tapped. and they never showed that wolf footage in the intro? huh

Really? We need a screen grab of that for sure! 

[piequinn35]

^It could also be a pre-recorded thing like the eagles, etc.

[Addicted]

Congratulations David, I knew you could do it.

I love how David was talking about staying even longer when his daughter was sneaking up behind him. 

I don't think it's right that they made him stay 2 more days after Larry tapped.  C'mon these guy are starving.

[pagooey]

Well, F*cking Larry, I still f*cking love you, man. Somehow I found his whole arc, and his emotional evolution--wide-swinging as it was--to be the most compelling. Maybe it was partly the editors' doing, but Larry's rawest, most open moments seemed to make it onscreen. His little breakdown, sobbing and praying for mercy, was very difficult to watch, and I'm an atheist. 

(I also worried that finding out he was the last tap--SO CLOSE!--would drive Larry to madness. And hell, maybe it has...but holly, thank you so, so much for posting that video of Larry's homecoming. Larry, stopping at the bakery before seeing his family, and bringing home approximately a gross of cinnamon rolls? Comedy GOLD. Even better--Larry waiting to cut his homecoming cake until he'd retrieved the other $300 or so of pastries from the car. And HELL YEAH he wants ice cream! I do feel better about Larry, I do!)

The suspense of the last episode was masterful. Brilliant editing, and I'm delighted and thrilled for David. I thought he was doomed for sure when he bashed his knees like that. I'm 46, and smashed my knees into the under-dash in a car accident in February; it took me almost four months to feel completely normal.

As for Jose, I was also shocked that he just stood there in the water waiting for rescue. He was SO DONE he no longer seemed to be thinking clearly. Did he actually end up borrowing clothes to change into from one of the producers, since he'd soaked virtually everything of his own? I was touched to see the one guy loan him that dorky, colorful little toque, like a South Park character. You're an interesting man, Jose, but I don't think this show was right for you. 

[piequinn35]

3 hours ago, Whyyouneedaname said:

www.history.com/shows/alone 

Thanks for the link but we are always redirected to grrrr history.ca website that doesn't have ep13. I watched from a different site for tv shows.

 

David said he will be a "yes" dad from now on to his kids.

David, what if one of your kids asks you this: "Dad, I want to get married?" would you say yes? :)

[SRTouch]

24 minutes ago, piequinn35 said:

Thanks for the link but we are always redirected to grrrr history.ca website that doesn't have ep13. I watched from a different site for tv shows.

 

David said he will be a "yes" dad from now on to his kids.

David, what if one of your kids asks you this: "Dad, I want to get married?" would you say yes? :)

Whoa, David, I know you want to be the "yes" dad, but remember you said you were going to use that money for your kids college. Dude, after taxes, you might already be short depending where those three kids want to go unless you have some college money already socked away.

[seasick]

I too think Jose may have--let us say--'not cared too much'  if he went out in a kayak spill.  He pulled that sat phone out the second he came up for air.  As I have said, he's been courting disaster for awhile, I think. looking for an honorable way out.    And yeah--I thought the same thing ..either get out of the water or in.  It was strange.  It was NOT the way handle hypothermia if the rescue was more than 10  minutes away.  If he could withstand THAT for 30 minutes he could have taken off his clothes, put on what he had left, start  fire and get into his sleeping bag. A little strange. He should have done that regardless. ( But then he would not have been in distress any longer....)

I think when Larry finds out that David could have gone at least a few more days he will be okay with it.  It's not as if David  called for tap 20 minutes after Larry did.  That would be a killer.  Larry was done done done.

I saw far more signs of "wilderness living" (ala Jose) from Nicole and even several others.  Fab boat building and woodworking;  survival  ability not so much

[candall]

57 minutes ago, SRTouch said:

Whoa, David, I know you want to be the "yes" dad, but remember you said you were going to use that money for your kids college. Dude, after taxes, you might already be short depending where those three kids want to go unless you have some college money already socked away.

But pssst, it would be an excellent time to ask for some wheels--that iron's never going to be any hotter, kids.

 

LOL, it will be worth the trouble of my painfully slow download process to see Larry diving head first into a metric fuckton of cinnamon bunnage.

 

I wonder if there's any film of Shauna wrapping her arms around Jose's scrawny frame.  I kinda think he took a dive to guarantee that warm embrace.

[SRTouch]

10 hours ago, seasick said:

I think when Larry finds out that David could have gone at least a few more days he will be okay with it.  It's not as if David  called for tap 20 minutes after Larry did.  That would be a killer.  Larry was done done done.

ITA Had Larry known there were only two left, he might have rallied for a day or two, but he truly was out of gas, while David was still feeding himself. At that point it would have taken some catastrophe (like slipping and really being hurt) for David to lose. In fact, IIRC it took a couple days after Larry tapped before the boat showed for a regular visit before David found out he had won. And, yes, great shot with daughter sneaking up behind him. Typical David reaction, too, as he turns away to collect himself before hugging her. Then he takes her around to see his cove. He called it Desolation Cove, but still appreciated the beauty.

Contrast that to how Larry would react, jumping up and down hands pumping in air yelling "I f***ing did it, now I can get off this f***ing Island and get a f***ing cheeseburger!!!" David learned to work with nature for food, finding the best fishing spots, exploring and finding tidal pools for crabs, while Larry was fighting nature all the way.

And let me just add that while Jose may have had all kinds of skills, in the end he went down doing what he said he teaches students not to do. He was trying to impose his will on nature, instead of waiting for the low tide to reset his net. Not sure why he couldn't wait for the tide cycle, even it it would have been days. Why not try a trot line along the path the fish were using when they were caught in the net. Instead of adapting to his surroundings like David, he continued to insist on trying to do it HIS way. And yes, despite his rationalizations, his eating those mussels was another time where he was forcing things.

Edited July 16, 2016 by SRTouch
Clarification

[SRTouch]

Another puzzling question for the final four. Remember Alan from season one, dude who took no rations with him and pretty much survived on seaweed, fish, and the occasional crab - and was the big winner? Remember Mike on an early episode giving a tutorial on different edible seaweeds? Why did we not see the final four collecting any seaweed? Was there no seaweed on there beaches? Maybe our editors figured we'd already seen that, so no need to repeat. I don't think so, though, as I don't remember any of them talking about kelp.

Nicole could have smoked or dried salmon during the run. (Drying fish may be hard in a rain forest.) A little fish with a lot of kelp would greatly extend your food supply, and make a good meal. Instead she did nothing to provide for the future, and booked as soon as the frost killed her greens and the run ended. Jose, same thing. He told us, I think on one of the Deep Cuts, that he pretty much caught fish whenever he took out the kayak. Problem was, with the arrival of winter he couldn't take it out as often with the water so cold. Again, why no preserving fish when they were available, and extending the meals with seaweed/fish stew. Poor Larry, starving and eating the limpets he collected for bait, but never heard him mention kelp. Even David, who towards the end was getting fish and crab, could have extended his supplies with kelp. Heck, he could start a crab farm if he could protect then from the weasel/mink/marten.

I was more than a little surprised no one learned from Alan's diet. Ok, boring as heck, and you may upchuck forevermore when you smell fish/kelp stew, but he survived 56 days eating it. Another Alan trick no one tried was the soda bottle trap. Maybe tiny fish, but fine in stew, and soda bottles are pretty much on every beach. All these guys took emergency rations, had better weather to prepare for winter, and really didn't improve much on Alan. Really disappointed with Nicole. She was my pick. She took two ration packs, had a primo site with salmon, good weather, is a trained biologist, lives in the PNW, and collects plants for personal use at home... yet I'm convinced Alan could have beat her even if she had good weather and he had crappy weather.

Edited July 16, 2016 by SRTouch
Clarification

[dgpolo]

Quote

But pssst, it would be an excellent time to ask for some wheels--that iron's never going to be any hotter, kids.

I thought the car David drove home looked brand new. Does anyone know if that was an 'extra' prize, his real car or just 'product placement'?

nevermind, I just realized it must have been a rental.

Edited July 15, 2016 by dgpolo
clarification

[Fiddler1]

2 hours ago, candall said:

LOL, it will be worth the trouble of my painfully slow download process to see Larry diving head first into a metric fuckton of cinnamon bunnage

Nice clip!  I got a great deal of vicarious enjoyment from watching Larry in the bakery and at home with his cake and pastries.  He wasn't my favorite, but I was really starting to worry about him, both food-wise and mentally.  I'm happy with the way it ended, though.....David grew on me as he came out of his log-sitting slump and got so darn DETERMINED.   I wish all the contestants all the best as they go on now!

[Auntie Anxiety]

3 hours ago, SRTouch said:

Dude, after taxes, you might already be short depending where those three kids want to go unless you have some college money already socked away.

It's a bad habit of mine to immediately estimate how much a cash prize will really be after paying taxes on it.  I'm a bit of a realist, I guess.

Effing Larry kept talking about winning and having enough money to sell their house.  I couldn't really understand that, unless it meant that they were under water on it.  

[Joan Z]

Never thought I would be so sad when Jose tapped out. I was mentally done with this season when Nicole tapped last week. But then listening to Jose saying he stayed there for his wife and then boom, he's in the water. I kinda feel for him. But did he really stayed in the water until the crew picked him up??? How long did it take for the crew to get there?? I was screaming at my computer "run! Get out of the water and get fire going!" I find it strange that he just stayed in the water. He did says he can't move so i expected the crew will carry him out of the water but I saw he got out of the water by himself which means he can move. I'm confused. 

Isn't it funny in the beginning of the season we predicted Larry and David are not gonna last long and they both ended up in top 2!! And what a turnaround especially David! Many people wanted him off of their TV screen and now people actually liked him. I'm still not a fan of him but i don't dislike him either. Or maybe because i still can't get over Nicole's tap out. 

Nicole mentioned on her fb that she separated with her partner. I wonder if she did some deep thinking while on VI. She never mentioned anything about her partner while on the show. She only talked about her kids. 

Some people criticized her for relying on gillnet to catch fish but she said she also use hooks and line. And she also smoked some fish. So maybe these guys do know what they're doing but the editing make it seems like these guys are noob!

David deserved the win but I kinda miss Alan. No one in this season was as entertaining as Alan. 

Edited July 16, 2016 by Joan Z

[ethalfrida]

Just when I got to like effing Larry, it's all done. He reminded me of mother effing Doakes on Dexter. 

[Scaeva]

Regarding people not making preparations for winter, like smoking fish...

I wonder if they went into it knowing they weren't going to stick around long enough to tough out a winter. A year is a very long time to be away from family, friends, and real world responsibilities like working and paying off a mortgage, so I wouldn't be surprised if most have personal goals that are well short of going the distance. Even if this series were to last a decade, I seriously doubt we'll ever see anyone go more than three months.

I don't have the skill set to be a contestant, but if I did, I don't think I'd plan to tough out the winter. You know food sources are going to be more scarce and by that point you've probably already been there for two months and lost a lot of weight, and now have to deal with being miserable anytime you're not in your sleeping bag or next to a fire. TAP!

I wonder if the show runners would impose more stringent rules on contestants who make it to winter, like not being allowed to take their makeshift boats out on the freezing water. 

[ProfCrash]

I wonder how close they have the boats to the camps by the end. I could see Production deciding to have boats by each site as the show progresses. The chance of an accident has to increase as the show goes on and so they move the rescue boats in closer and closer as the days progress.

It might be that Jose was told that he would have to tap if he tipped the boat because the water was too cold and his chance of surviving hypothermia was slim, hence the immediate tap. I was sad for him but happy he didn't win. He was absent from the show for far to long. He was an interesting dude and I wish we had seen more of him but we didn't. The boat looked great and worked ok but was such a time sink and ended up being the reason for his tap. 

Larry did well but I never developed a liking for him. I found his swearing humorous and it was nice to see him rebound. Too bad he couldn't figure out the fishing.

Love David winning. He did a great job and seemed to appreciate the experience a little bit more each and every day. He made Desolation Cove work for him. He really did seem to grow as the season went on. 

I am thrilled that they had better weather, it made for a more interesting season. It was nice to see them out doing stuff all the way to the end. We didn't get the stuck in the tent boredom that we got at the end of last season. 

[cooksdelight]

I'm very happy with the outcome. Compelling episodes, and I agree that Jose decided he'd had enough and tipped. Poor Larry, losing so much weight and hunger getting the best of him. I think David could have stayed out there for months. For a guy who said he'd never been much of a fisherman, he surely caught more than anyone else. Maybe everyone combined.

[lidarose9]

So it seems to me that winning this is not about best survival skills or most mental toughness, as it is about 1) having good luck with location and food resources and 2) being adaptable enough to take advantage of them.

I noticed when Sweary Larry got home, he didn't say anything about the mental/emotional toll of the isolation and missing loved ones. He said it was all about being desperately hungry. And maybe that is true. I really think the emotional stuff would be surmountable with a full stomach.

[holly4755]

Here is Nicholes exit post - about what she ate, she apparently had lots of food, how she kept warm, etc. 

[LittleIggy]

Yay for David! He really grew on me. I think it's cool that 2 dark horses were the final competitors. Doesn't say much for Mr. "Don't survive, thrive" Jose that he was starving at the end. As someone said, that kayak was " Jose's Folly." Wasn't too impressed with his camp either.

[LisainCali]

Oh my goodness, I just have to say how surprised at the last two episodes of this series 2.  I didn't watch the first season. 

Its all about the food.  David came alive when he began catching fish, crab!, and he had some protein in his system/brain.  I'm pretty sure he could have lasted a LOT longer with his new found skills.  

Jose and Mike were my initial picks for #1 and 2.  Bless Mike.  He has had such a tough life, at a very young age, but just couldn't survive emotionally without his love.  Talented guy with building his new home. second only to Jose, imho, in mad survival skills.  

Great show.  I hope the have a season 3.  

[Auntie Anxiety]

20 minutes ago, LisainCali said:

Great show.  I hope the have a season 3

I thought I saw a commercial during the show about season 3 and that it is somewhere other than Vancouver Island.  I was fast forwarding through the breaks but I'm pretty sure there was something to that effect.

[humbleopinion]

Patagonia is the home of Season 3 and coming soon.

[LocimusPrime]

1. Not impressed with Jose's skills. His shelter was terrible. His boat was too small and had terrible outriggers. His fishing skills seemed non existent. 

2. Can someone explain why his clothes couldn't be dried by fire.  He could have built a good sized fire and slept in his sleeping bag while his clothes where drying. 

3. What's to keep someone from planting a gps device inside your boot or hidden in the padding of your coat and having your buddies fly overhead at night and drop you goodies or staging a shipwreck near your site. You can get a used boat fill it with goodies and wreck it. The production company doesn't have control over the airspace or waterways.  Oh and there are some ultra thin small gps trackers out there. Grape sized but thin as a quarter. Just sew it into the lining somewhere.   

4. If Jose was worried about hypothermia why did he just stand in the water for 10-20 minutes. Not buying it. 

5. Hunting is nearly impossible, trapping is pretty much worthless, this entire game is about catching fish. 

Edited July 16, 2016 by LocimusPrime

[LocimusPrime]

If you really want to win the game, throw the Sat phone away as soon as you get to the camp. No more impulses to tap out, you couldn't even if you wanted too.  Catch 60 fish and you win the money ( avg 1 fish a day w gill nets, lines, and hand fishing) 

[Joan Z]

8 hours ago, SRTouch said:

Another puzzling question for the final four. Remember Alan from season one, dude who took no rations with him and pretty much survived on seaweed, fish, and the occasional crab - and was the big winner? Remember Mike on an early episode giving a tutorial on different edible seaweeds? Why did we not see the final four collecting any seaweed? Was there no seaweed on there beaches? Maybe our editors figured we'd already seen that, so no need to repeat. I don't think so, though, as I don't remember any of them talking about kelp.

Nicole could have smoked or dried salmon during the run. (Drying fish may be hard in a rain forest.) A little fish with a lot of kelp would greatly extend your food supply, and make a good meal. Instead she did nothing to provide for the future, and booked as soon as the frost killed her greens and the run ended. Jose, same thing. He told us, I think on one of the Deep Cuts, that he pretty much caught fish whenever he took out the kayak. Problem was, with the arrival of winter he couldn't take it out as often with the water so cold. Again, why no preserving fish when they were available, and extending the meals with seaweed/fish stew. Poor Larry, starving and eating the limpets he collected for bait, but never heard him mention kelp. Even David, who towards the end was getting fish and crab, could have extended his supplies with kelp. Heck, he could start a crab farm if he could protect then from the weasel/mink/marten.

I was more than a little surprised no one learned from Alan's diet. Ok, boring as heck, and you may upchuck forevermore when you smell fish/kelp stew, but he survived 56 days eating it. Another Alan trick no one tried was the soda bottle trap. Maybe tiny fish, but fine in stew, and soda bottles are pretty much on every beach. All these guys took emergency rations, had better weather to prepare for winter, and really didn't improve much on Alan. Really disappointed with Nicole. She was my pick. She took two ration packs, had a primo site with salmon, good weather, is a trained biologist, lives in the PNW, and collects plants for personal use at home... yet I'm convinced Alan could have beat her even if she had good weather and he had crappy weather.

I blame it all on the editing. Randy had mushrooms and all that but the editing only shows him had 1 mouse and the fish that he caught before he tap out. Then, I remember David said he had bull kelp and eel but the editing make it seems like he only had bull kelp when 'his train' wasn't moving and they never showed the eel. If I remember correctly, Nicole also said in one of the episode that she ate seaweed or bull kelp. She said on her fb that she ate 26 different species while on the show. 

At first, I thought Nicole tap because she had run out of food but then I read on her fb that she saved some of her rations for the winter. So that probably means she still had some foods left when she tapped. She also said she smoked some fish and used her fishing lines but of course, they never showed that. 

I kinda hate how the editing make it seems like these guys have no idea what they're doing. But then, we just have to remember that this show is more about mental strength. I think the reason why they choose survivalist instead of regular people (other than for safety reason) is because they want to prove that great survival skills and knowledge doesn't guarantee anything when you're left completely alone with limitations on what you can do and hunt; have the luxury to make that one phone call to get out of that place, not knowing how long you'll be there, and add to all that, starvation, poor diet, poor weather and being alone affecting your judgment. 

We think we can stay out there for a long time. I'm pretty sure before they went on this show, some of these guys think they can do this easily. I mean, Mike and Jose said in the beginning of this season they planned to stay for the whole year. But look at how long they lasted. One guy from last season, i think his name is Chris. He seemed like a real deal, he even had a survival book. You'd think this show is a piece of cake for people like him but he lasted about a week or so. 

[Jipijapa]

Tapping out immediately was probably the smartest thing Jose ever did on the whole challenge.  He knew it was over the minute he got totally soaked.  In that weather?  There was no way he would have been able to get himself dry in time to forestall hypothermia, or near-hypothermia.  Since he was starving as well, it would have been pointless.  

Yay for David and Larry.  I sort of had a soft spot for Larry, because a lot of guys in my family are like him.  Very whiny and swear a lot, but it's mostly all noise, and having a pessimistic surface attitude is sometimes just only one part of who somebody is.  Larry's words were often at odds with his behavior.  He bitched and moaned endlessly, yet he had the gumption (and hope) to move his camp successfully.  He cried and screamed a lot, yet he lasted longer than all but one of the contestants.  As we saw with other contestants who talked a good game and looked the part, who you are on the surface is not necessarily who you are deep down.

Why did both these guys last so long?  I think it's because they were more desperate than the others.  They didn't have lives they were happy about, back home.  

David was a credible winner but he also had the good fortune of having a productive location.  Once I saw his discovery of the tide pool with the crabs in it (in a recent episode), I knew he would probably win unless he did something really stupid.

I like the fact that David won, too, because it means that the winner isn't always going to be some alpha-male, squirrel-eating quasi-military type (wasn't Alan a corrections officer or something like that?)  David and Larry were more everyman.  Yay also for Nicole making the final four, although I agree that she did not have a real winter strategy to fall back on once her gill net failed her.

I'm the most sorry that Tracy tapped out so early; I would have liked to have learned more about her, but she just had bad bear luck.

[Joan Z]

4 hours ago, LocimusPrime said:

2. Can someone explain why his clothes couldn't be dried by fire.  He could have built a good sized fire and slept in his sleeping bag while his clothes where drying. 

Because it's humid, cold and been raining a lot. It could take some time or days for him to dry his thick clothes. 

Edited July 16, 2016 by Joan Z

[Jipijapa]

Yes - Jose really had zero chance.  Maybe earlier in the season with warmer weather, he might have, but it would have taken days for his clothes to dry (if at all) and with low calorie intake, he just wouldn't have been able to build a fire big enough and keep it going to dry out.  It was just basic common sense for him to immediately reach for the button.

Frankly... the only common sense he displayed all season...

Maybe we just didn't see enough of Jose due to editing or bad footage or whatever, but it struck me that he was there to show off or advertise his skills, not to actually fulfill the objective.  I know little about boating but even I knew that he was going to have a big problem with that boat.

Also, agreed with the commenter uptopic: like Alan, David's attitude grew better and better as time went on, and I think the discovery of the Dungeness crabs was the turning point (this is before he found the tide pool); reminded me of how things seemed to turn for Alan when he invented the plastic-bottle traps that caught the crayfish.  There's a turning point for both contestants when they realized they had found a sustainable, predictable food/bait source.  The one thing in common they both had:  tide pools.  Real (in David's case) or artificially made (in Alan's case).  If I were a contestant in Vancouver Island again I would definitely try to build a tide pool out of rocks or something.  A lot more durable than a gill net.

Edited July 16, 2016 by Jipijapa

[Joan Z]

7 minutes ago, Jipijapa said:

Yes - Jose really had zero chance.  Maybe earlier in the season with warmer weather, he might have, but it would have taken days for his clothes to dry (if at all) and with low calorie intake, he just wouldn't have been able to build a fire big enough and keep it going to dry out.  It was just basic common sense for him to immediately reach for the button.

Frankly... the only common sense he displayed all season...

Yeap, no way of drying the clothes with that weather. Last season Mitch had molds on his clothes when he tried to dry them. 

[humbleopinion]

Jose standing next to his boat, waiting for the camera crew to arrive, making sure his boots and clothes were thoroughly soaked reminded me of a baby waiting to be lifted out of a tub.

All right Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up.

Shauna, that performance was for you.

Sorry, you still have to support your husband and listen to his stories for the umpteenth time.

[raven]

19 hours ago, pagooey said:

Larry, stopping at the bakery before seeing his family, and bringing home approximately a gross of cinnamon rolls? Comedy GOLD.

That was awesome - before he even saw his family!  Then he tells them "I really missed food" and his wife prods "and your family" hee.  I believe him when he says he was missing them but it was the lack of food doing him in, that if he had food then he would have focused more on missing them. 

Great points that David stayed out a whole other day and half after Larry tapped while they brought the daughter in.  David was pretty set and as we saw was ready to hunker down for a while.  Starving Larry was at the end of his rope. 

2 hours ago, Jipijapa said:

Yes - Jose really had zero chance.  Maybe earlier in the season with warmer weather, he might have, but it would have taken days for his clothes to dry (if at all) and with low calorie intake, he just wouldn't have been able to build a fire big enough and keep it going to dry out.

ITA.  He seemed kind of in shock after his spill, which is why I think he just stood there after pushing the button, similar  to Mary Kate sitting on the beach after slicing her hand - I remember the guys on the boat yelling "elevate it" - which I'm sure she knows to do, just the shock of the accident and the disappointment leave you standing there.   Jose of course had also lost weight so was physically weakened; he just knew it was over for him then.

 

2 hours ago, Jipijapa said:

Larry's words were often at odds with his behavior.  He bitched and moaned endlessly, yet he had the gumption (and hope) to move his camp successfully.  

I agree, bitching is just part of who he is but he gets stuff done.  Maybe not with the best attitude at first but he pulls himself together and tries something to improve his situation.  I'm glad he got his cinnamon rolls. His wife also made me laugh with her disclaimer "we never have this much sweets in the house" it's OK if you have stuff like that.

2 hours ago, Jipijapa said:

There's a turning point for both contestants when they realized they had found a sustainable, predictable food/bait source.  The one thing in common they both had:  tide pools.

Great point - I forgot about Alan's tide pools.  Obviously it's edited but David really did seem to get more positive as time went on and he had success surviving, he just decided he was there for his family, he was eating and he was going to stay.  I think he was the one who said that it just became his new reality; contrast to Larry (and I like Larry) who kept talking about what he was missing.  We didn't hear much of that from David at the end though he talked about it in the beginning.   In the helicopter he talked about suffering having a purpose and on VI he just decided that he was going through it for a reason, and that gave him peace and equilibrium and he didn't feel like he was suffering anymore.

Edited July 16, 2016 by raven

[seasick]

3 hours ago, Jipijapa said:

Yes - Jose really had zero chance.  Maybe earlier in the season with warmer weather, he might have, but it would have taken days for his clothes to dry (if at all) and with low calorie intake, he just wouldn't have been able to build a fire big enough and keep it going to dry out.  It was just basic common sense for him to immediately reach for the button.

Frankly... the only common sense he displayed all season...

3 hours ago, Joan Z said:

Yeap, no way of drying the clothes with that weather. Last season Mitch had molds on his clothes when he tried to dry them. 

I have to say I disagree!  Maybe in his current state of mind and physical state it was too much for him to be able to overcome, but it could have been overcome.

First, I think the wise thing would be to prepare for taking such a risk.  Don't wear 85% of your clothes! . (that''s practically common sense)  He wasn't going out for the day, it was only for a short time to anchor his net.  Keep dry clothes at camp and have a fire somewhat still alive.  They can have a fire smoldering, he shouldn't go out knowing he'd have to start a fire from scratch.  He wasn't planning to be gone long. 

Ramp up the fire the minute you slog back to camp, get out of the clothes,dry off as best you can, change  into dry clothes and warm by the fire and then get into the sleeping bag.   20 minutes later you are good to go.

Jose's shelter was little more than a rain fly from what I saw.  If he had a shelter that cold contain more warmth,  drying would not be that hard.  It was a sunny day.  He should already have had a drying rack for his clothes made anyway with his skills.  It was a sunny day and they did not suffer the constant rain S1 did.  The heat from the fire would dry his clothes regardless of his poor shelter.

I have seen people suffer thru long nights of 50 degree weather naked with nothing else but each other's body heat.  Jose was not in a deadly hypothermic situation by any means even with only a few clothes left, and his shelter as is.  

I understand he was not in the best of shape to withstand more pain and hardship and if that was the 'icing on the cake' for him I get it.  But that was by no means an automatic end-game situation like an deep cut or injury would be.

[holly4755]

woulda coulda shoulda - could be the death of them. The little white writing next to Jose said something about being in shock after the accident that paralyzed him and if I recall correctly 45 degree water will kill you in 20 minutes, so the boat must have been close. 

Much like the white writing by Nichole in the tapping deepest cut episode indicates she was not that hungry, she had food stores. From what she wrote on her facebook and the comment on her scene I think she was a bit upset that she was edited as hungry making people believe that was what motivated her - she also said her insulated hut was quite comfortable and warm if dark and she didn't have to boil water because it was rain water. I tend to believe she was just tired of being out there living off the land - so much better where there are fireplaces and grocery stores. 

She and Jose are running a survival course this weekend. 

Edited July 16, 2016 by holly4755

[riverheightsnancy]

I agree with a lot that has been said about the editing. If you read Nicole's Facebook entry, she was drying fish and did have food left over. She had an intuitive feel that her kids needed her. It was her choice at that point because she had food. If you read her post, she was set up well. She even was heating water for bathing (maybe that was Jose talking about taken heated rocks and putting them into that barrel her found though).  I suspect that we will hear (if we get all of them for the reunion, but if it is like last year we won't and THAT will be a big disappointment), it's all in the editing. Based on Jose's videos, I suspect that he might have a lot to say about that. I think we were shown a somewhat skewed view of him and that kind of pisses me off. We all marveled at the blowing stick. Why weren't we shown more? Why weren't we shown all of Nicole's stuff either?  I hope the editors don't start to stock up on crazed survivalists that play to the camera. I will likely quit the show next season if they continue to go in this direction. Regarding Jose in the water, maybe he thought that he didn't have the strength to get out and had to wait? I think that he is a lot smaller than most of the other guys (Larry seemed more beefy and so did David). Nicole states that she gained 8 pounds (I know, right?) for the show. 

[LocimusPrime]

5 hours ago, Joan Z said:

Because it's humid, cold and been raining a lot. It could take some time or days for him to dry his thick clothes. 

im sorry but I don't believe that to be true not with a campfire built inside a shelter. What does humidity has little impact when you are using direct heat. Build a decent size fire and humidity will not have any significant impact. I tried it this morning and dried a thick wool sweater in 55 minutes by fire. This after noon I'm going to get some more wool clothes drench them in water, wrap them in some tarp like material and build a fire on top of them ( kinda like cooking boar or goat). 

Never should it take days  

[cooksdelight]

Quote

Don't wear 85% of your clothes! . (that''s practically common sense)

I don't think Jose has any. He's living in Canada where he can't work. OK, so move your wife and yourself to a place where you can work, if you want to be the provider. Or did he marry her for whatever she had to offer?

As for him teaching a survival course, I'd bet it's all about him talking to hear himself talk. As the show progressed, I saw more and more that he was there to advertise himself.

[Mocking Bird]

10 hours ago, LocimusPrime said:

If you really want to win the game, throw the Sat phone away as soon as you get to the camp. No more impulses to tap out, you couldn't even if you wanted too.  Catch 60 fish and you win the money ( avg 1 fish a day w gill nets, lines, and hand fishing) 

Hearts x 1000 for this advice.  If I weren't too old, fat and complete without skills I'd try out for the show and follow it.

I disliked David from the start and never warmed up to him.  I wanted Nicole to go the distance and she broke my heart.  I want people on the show that want to win not contemplate their navels until they've found the inner peace and strength to tap out.  Bleccch! 

Being one desperate motherfucker who wanted the $500,000 more than any other person out there (except Larry) is why David won.  That and the fact that he had food.  That guy was a barnacle.  As long as he could get a scrap of fish he was never going to tap.  Never.  David had nothing but eyes on the prize, baby: $$$$$$$.  I'm totally cool with that.

[holly4755]

I don't believe anyone built a place that could have an indoor fire. Nichole had the coziest but no light and she brought hot rocks in to warm her place. I think last year master builder Lucas started building a chimney but gave up when he could not make the mud set.

[humbleopinion]

The new group of Aloners will need to figure out better shelters and a way to have indoor heat without killing themselves with carbon monoxide for the next season in Patagonia.

Jose could have built a sweat lodge(like Randy did) with hot rocks and steam, run out NAKED  in the freezing water to drop his anchor rock then crawled into the sweat lodge to warm himself quickly.

He was determined to use his useless kayak, wearing every stitch of clothing he owned AND his boots to launch a bad plan.

Jose thought the audience would be fooled by his noble tap out scenario but we saw through his bull shit charade.

Doubtful he will admit to such at the reunion show next Thursday.

[roamyn]

David's bio says he's the author of a post-apocalyptic series of books.

So he's not as poor/broke as it's been shown.

I'm not sure where the idea came from that he was less qualified.  He started a wilderness ministry and a wilderness survival business, in Brazil.  Maybe because he admitted he wasn't much of a fisherman.  Well, he is now!

I haven't seen S1.  I'm tempted to go online and watch it now, even knowing who won.

[humbleopinion]

Dave was up to his eyeballs in debt, having to give half of what little money he made from book sales and wilderness businesses to his ex-wife, no way to pay for his kids' college educations and no big money making prospects, so his thousand yard stare into tapping out adding yet another failure to his big pile made him to resolve to not give up.

Watching Season 1 is crucial to knowing who Alan(everyone do their best Julia Child imitation), Lucas( 2 Note Song) Sam (mouse connoisseur) Mitch(lovely) Brandt(brackish water drinker causing his hallucinations of Indian symbols in his tent) are when we refer to them in a snarks.

Alone Season 1 would be a good binge watching.

Edited July 16, 2016 by humbleopinion
weird spacing problems

[SRTouch]

In an odd way, I'm actually feeling kind of vindicated by the reports coming in about Nicole. Seems I was right way back when to think she'd be able to survive physical, but that she was to social to be able to handle the mental. Also, admittedly maybe because it reinforces my thoughts, I believe her claim that our kindly editors were playing games making us think her tap was all about hunger. Like the bit about her running from bears - never believed that. Turns out she was smoking and drying fish, she was collecting seaweed, pretty much she was doing the things we'very been saying she should be doing - it was just that we weren't being shown what she was doing grrrr Really burns me when I think about it, because when I read her bio way back before episode one I looked forward to her doing what she actually did, but we didn't get to see it because of editing. I'm no longer thinking she failed at the survival challenge. Instead she goes into the group headed by Lucas last season and Mike this time - people that were surviving, maybe even thriving, but quit because they were ready to go home. 

Jose, OTOH, nothing I'm hearing makes his tap seem better. He failed the survival challenge, and really never came close to his wilderness living after he missed the salmon run. Despite admitting that his weakness is becoming obsessive and focused on trying to force nature to follow HIS PLAN, he continued  to do things I'm sure in hindsight he will admit weren't nature's way, but HIS way. Maybe I'll end up changing my mind, but for now he's a disappointment. Right now, I don't see how his tapping was anything but a physical and mental breakdown that can't be explained away by bad editing. He was hoarding his rations, but was starving and I don't think he was thinking straight when he ate those mussels or when he climbed into the kayak for what he admitted was a risky move to reset his net. At that point he was running on fumes, and about ready to tap, both physically and mentally running out of gas. I disagree that he threw in the towel and tipped the kayak on purpose. I think he thought he could force his way, and when the kayak flipped hunger and the cold water caused him to go into shock. At that point, I don't think he was thinking. He had mentally rehearsed getting to the panic button, and after fumbling a little he just hit the button and shut down. 

As always, as I sit here on the recliner with 20/20 hindsight I can come up with questions of why didn't he just do such and such. First, obvious to me, as already asked, why did he have his boots in the kayak? If camp was too far away to walk in wet clothes, why not prepare a cache where he could keep his boots and a fire kit close to his launch point? Everyone was given extra socks and sandals, so that's what to wear when boating. Heck he knew what he was doing carried the risk of being dunked, so why not have a fire banked on shore, with firewood handy. Sure I remember hearing it was hard to keep a fire going, but bring a packet of dry wood, kindling, and the fire starter from camp when he knew he was going in the kayak. Then before launching the kayak, lay everything out so all you need is to strike a spark, and cover it to keep it dry if it starts raining. So if he got wet he could dry off enough to back it back to the shelter. Like others have already said, he's wearing wool, and wool insulates when wet. Wring out your clothes, dry off as much as prossible, put on the boots that you have handy and dry in the cache, and hurry home to warm up in the sleeping bag. Problem is, he was already about to tap - had already said if he failed to get a fish he was gone. Getting dunked was survivable - not getting food for a day was survivable - getting dunked and no food, nope he's gone. 

[humbleopinion]

Jose was branding himself from Day 1.

Jose is the Kim Kardashian of Alone.

Winning would have been great but Jose was always about the branding of his image and cashing in on seminars and appearances like this weekend's event with Nicole.

[candall]

Umm, >awkward throat clearing< all due respect, but Nicole and Jose are professional wilderness survival instructors (I think.)  It's not the greatest endorsement to starve out of the internationally televised wilderness survival competition.

So, technically, let it never be said Jose couldn't sustain himself--it was the capsizing that did him in.  No arguing with hypothermia.  And no arguing he wasn't soaked through and through, because the rescue boat plucked him straight out of the drink.

And Nicole wasn't starving either--we know this because she says so, right there on her Facebook page.  But why would the editors choose not to show what would have been extremely interesting footage of someone preparing a supply of smoked or dried food?  More likely they would have been thrilled to showcase that process, if anyone had given them some footage.  One of the highlights of the early shows was that guy trying to bury his fish to make it last just an extra day or two.

Nicole was in bad shape after the salmon were gone, the seals ruined her fishing and the cold killed her plant protein.  When she was feeling "lightheaded," she didn't go back to her shelter and break open the salmon jerky, she followed a damn bear trail, searching for scraps.

 

I adored Nicole--loved her attitude toward the animals, loved her cheerful monologues to the camera, loved her sharing her knowledge about the varieties of plants.  But I think if her kids gave her a psychic phone call, it was to say, "Mom, it's over."

.

[Auntie Anxiety]

Quote

Umm, >awkward throat clearing< all due respect, but Nicole and Jose are professional wilderness survival instructors (I think.)  It's not the greatest endorsement to starve out of the internationally televised wilderness survival competition.

Candall, I like the way you think.

The main reason David was able to outlast everyone was because he had a steady supply of food. If the others had as plentiful a supply, I dare say that they would have stayed. I got the feeling that Jose woke up every day thinking to himself that if he didn't catch anything THAT DAY, it was going to be enough of a reason to tap out. Nicole "hearing" her children is akin to the sign from God excuse. Your reasoning makes all the puzzle pieces fit, at least in my mind.

[rainsmom]

5 hours ago, roamyn said:

David's bio says he's the author of a post-apocalyptic series of books.

So he's not as poor/broke as it's been shown.

Yeah... trust me. Being a published author, whether traditionally or self pubbed -- even of a series of books -- doesn't necessarily mean you make more than enough to buy a nice dinner or two.

(And he is self published.)

Edited July 17, 2016 by rainsmom