S04.E06: Thicker Than Water

[riverheightsnancy]

49 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Not sure they're going to need a cabin for the long haul, because the way things are going, three weeks might be enough to win this thing lol.

No, that was just a joke.  Seriously, I think the pairs we have left may be around awhile.  If I were to guess, the Brockforffs (father and son) will be the next to go.  Not because they're weak, but because I think it's going to come down to the Bairds and the Whipples (unless Brooke's low weight causes problems, as some suggested early on).   I know the Bairds aren't well liked on the board, but I could see them winning.  They had what, 16 fish for supper this last episode, plus the duck for breakfast?  I'm sure they're not going to be able to continue finding food at that rate, but still.  I'm rooting for the Whipples though.

If those ginger headed low-budget Kris Kringle imitations win, I am done with this show! Brooke & Dave all the way! 

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Brooke's over doing it by carrying the large rocks, not asking Dave for a hand even though she feels weak ...some pent up resentment?

I think she's an independent woman who likes to do stuff herself.  I can relate to that!  

[AZChristian]

Many times when I want to compliment and express appreciation to my hubby, I'll say, "What a guy!!!!"

[Ken S]

Readers Digest as has posted previews for episodes 7 and 8. I placed them in the "Spoilers" section of Alone if you're interested. 

[PaperTree]

Finally just watched the episode:

Sleeping on the ground in a rain forest may result in your getting wet. Geniuses.  The Bonzo Brothers coming through.  I can't help it.  I laughed when the dude was puking.  Then the tide turns and a bounty of fish show up.  At least they are comic relief.

"Good times are about to roll"  Chop!  Hmmmm  Then the duck shows up for dessert.  Oh my!  I really hope they don't win.

Hey Dad!  It's the Pacific NW, dummy. It rains there A LOT.  Storm after storm after storm blows in from the North Pacific OCEAN in the fall.  

I live in NJ.  I am well aware of the difference in climate between the coasts.  The tides seem to befuddle them.  People from MD should know better.  Chesapeake Bay and all.  And little things like yearly Nor'easters that bring sheets of wind-driven rain for many hours as the storm grinds up the coast.

The LA boys should also know all about buckets of rain and the importance of high ground and have failed to prepare as well.

I agree with so many previous posters.  That tap out was BS.  Quit whining and trying to blame everybody else.  May Chris host every tick in Louisiana for his disgusting behavior.  "We need to get you home"  Fuck off!  Too chickenshit to admit you're a cry-baby loser.  You're brother hiked through hell for 10 days for you.  Credit to the editors showing the scowls on Brody's face.  

My dad was an international airline pilot way back when I was a kid.  He could be gone for 2 or 3 weeks at a time.  He missed birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, weekends, whatever.  Pffft!  It was part of life.  He could bid for certain days off, but that was done monthly, a couple weeks in advance.  We could only plan once the schedule came out and it's strictly on a seniority basis.  He also had one month of standby a year, usually in the summer and a month vacation, usually in the winter, but never in December :)

Meanwhile at Dave & Brook's Seaside Resort.  They seem to be overbuilding this cabin.  Unless they can get more food they might burn themselves out.  

[MaraJadeSharpie]

I am just completely baffled by the "explanation" Chris gives about tapping out:

"The gift I chose to give my family, instead of my half of the prize money, was the experience of being chosen over money. In the end, my half of the prize money didn’t seem like a fair trade off for what they were experiencing."

That's some serious narcissism. The money will do more for your family than your mere presence after a two-week absence!

[humbleopinion]

Chris: I'm home, family!

Wife: You won!

Presley and other kid: You and Uncle Brody won!

Screaming, jumping up and down, more screaming...

Wife: That was so fast..who knew it would take less than 3 weeks to win?

Chris: Er...you all won something better than the money...

Wife: A trip...a car...a new spa?

Chris: The knowledge that I chose you and the kids over being away for an indefinite amount of time is much more valuable.

Kids: No, it's not.

Wife:  Let your father explain because he is just talking out of his ass right now...WTF, Chris...

Kids: Uncle Brody and Auntie are walking up the driveway...why is she carrying a bat in her hands?...

Edited July 23, 2017 by humbleopinion

[rmontro]

Maybe Chris should quit his job and stay home all day so he won't miss any experiences with his family.  I'm sure they will be comforted that he chooses them over earning a living and supporting them.

[LittleIggy]

22 hours ago, MaraJadeSharpie said:

I am just completely baffled by the "explanation" Chris gives about tapping out:

"The gift I chose to give my family, instead of my half of the prize money, was the experience of being chosen over money. In the end, my half of the prize money didn’t seem like a fair trade off for what they were experiencing."

That's some serious narcissism. The money will do more for your family than your mere presence after a two-week absence!

OMG! He actually said that? What unbridled asshattery!

[LocimusPrime]

Man these contestants are weak this season. Terrible 

On 7/20/2017 at 9:31 PM, riverheightsnancy said:

The weakest group of people sans Brooke and Dave ever selected for this show. Season of teams is a total bust. 

I'm with 100%. What a disappointment. 

These contestants have no skills and even less will power 

[LocimusPrime]

No Gill nets this year? 

[LocimusPrime]

I'm gonna be a contestant and plant a gps chip inside the heels of my boot and sewn inside the lining of my thick jacket. My boys are gonna air drop supplies to me in the middle of the night or just drop them off by boat. 200 MREs and I'm good to go. 

Ill split it the winnings with you guys ! 

[MaraJadeSharpie]

24 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

OMG! He actually said that? What unbridled asshattery!

In their Tap Out Q&A.

http://www.history.com/shows/alone/blog/misc/tap-out-qa-chris-and-brody-wilkes

[AZChristian]

Wow.  Brody pretty much said he wished he hadn't done this with his brother.  Thanksgiving with their family might be a little awkward this year.

[Quilt Fairy]

53 minutes ago, LocimusPrime said:

No Gill nets this year? 

We have seen a couple but they haven't caught any fish that way yet.  I don't think anyone has them up consistently or in a permanent spot.

[walnutqueen]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

OMG! He actually said that? What unbridled asshattery!

"Unbridled asshattery" is my phrase of the week, not reserved for just the contestants on this show.  I owe you one, @LittleIggy.  ;-)

[PaperTree]

8 hours ago, MaraJadeSharpie said:

In their Tap Out Q&A.

http://www.history.com/shows/alone/blog/misc/tap-out-qa-chris-and-brody-wilkes

Thanks for the link!  Whoa!  Just full of good stuff.  Chris is a bigger jerk than I thought.

If I were Brody, I'd say "I'll stay on my side of the river; you stay on yours."

He is ticked.

"Brody:  This is not something you want to experience with a family member as this was not a family vacation."

Boom!

[ProfCrash]

"Brody:I was looking forward to resting once I got to the base camp, but the conditions there were not very good when I arrived. My brother had already decided that he wanted to leave and was waiting for my arrival to do so. This made it clear that staying on the island long term was not going to happen, so I decided it was best to compromise and let him push the button."

And then

"Brody:This is not something you want to experience with a family member as this was not a family vacation. After the first day, the adrenaline had slowed down and I became very calm and focused on the task at hand, so I became very comfortable with being alone in the mountains. This is when I had the best rest and reflection of my experience. When I arrived at the base camp, my reflection was distorted by my brother’s experience. Your partner can really have an effect on various components of your own journey including your mood."

Just damn.

Chris is such an asshat. He knew his family did not support his participation so why the hell did he do this? I suspect that his family was worried about how long he might be gone for and he prepped them for a year departure. If he had watched any of the seasons he would have known that the longest anyone had gone was 87 days, no where close to a year. He could have prepped them for 6 months at most and probably would have been fine. But Chris didn't even bother with that. He did absolutely nothing to build a camp and make the experience something doable so why not push the button on day three? Chris allowed Brody to hike for how many days, in crappy, dangerous conditions, for what reason? So Brody suffered on for an additional 10 days when Chris knew he had no intention of seeing this out.

The comments on the Facebook page are almost uniformly negative. The History channel folks only respond to the positive comments. Just an awful season.

[Juliegirlj]

Why didn't Brooke and Dave augment their existing shelter?! Starting over from scratch on a new shelter seems more like marketing for their skills. They are both operating in a calorie deficit, and even if they were able to catch fish every day for the rest of their time there, they are not getting carbs, and the backbreaking work of building a cabin is a challenge even with no food restrictions. 

Were the ratings so lackluster with the first seasons that they felt they had to rework the show? I don't know if I can watch any more episodes-it is just not compelling tv. 

[cooksdelight]

2 minutes ago, Juliegirlj said:

 

Why didn't Brooke and Dave augment their existing shelter?

 

Because this season is filled with idiots.

[AZChristian]

I hereby make a motion that Brody be invited back for the next solo season.

[qtpye]

On Sunday, July 23, 2017 at 10:36 AM, rmontro said:

Maybe Chris should quit his job and stay home all day so he won't miss any experiences with his family.  I'm sure they will be comforted that he chooses them over earning a living and supporting them.

I, as a mother, am horribly selfish, because I am working right now to give my children food, clothing, and shelter.  I guess I am choosing the money.

58 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I hereby make a motion that Brody be invited back for the next solo season.

I am sure if Brody won any money, Chris

would demand some, because " he originally helped get on the show".  Chris is an asshole and Brody should stay far away.  The man forced his poor brother to hike through hell for no reason. 

[ProfCrash]

22 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I, as a mother, am horribly selfish, because I am working right now to give my children food, clothing, and shelter.  I guess I am choosing the money.

Me to, there are times my five year old is very clear that I should be home and not working but Chris is an adult so maybe I should listen to him. (eye roll)

It is very clear that they choose a bunch of folks who had no intention of competing. I suspect that Chris didn't tap out because he was hoping that Brody would feel the same way and Chris wouldn't look like the asshole or a wimp. Look, this show is hard. I would never do it but I know that I wouldn't last a night. I want my nice big comfy tent, air mattress, pudgie pie makers and a cooler full of food and beer when I go out into the wilderness. But I know that so there is no way that I am going to last. Chris knew that he wasn't going to last but he choose to go on the show anyway. And then he tries to turn his quit into something noble. I have far more respect for the past tap outs who did a ton of work, built an impressive homestead and then tapped out because they were bored. At least they stuck it out for a while, did some cool stuff and left because they were done. Chris did nothing. Absolutely nothing. And then he left after guilting his brother into approving the tap out.

[HurricaneVal]

I think it would be hilarious if Brooke and Dave were only half done with their new cabin, and while working on it and discussing where they would put the dishwasher and jacuzzi tub the production team walked up and informed them they were the last team standing and that they won.  The "Wait...whaaaa?" look of dumb-fuzzlement after only three weeks in would be priceless.

[Quilt Fairy]

5 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I hereby make a motion that Brody be invited back for the next solo season.

Word to this.  In the posts quoted Brody comes off as an intelligent, self-aware and  focused individual.  I think he would do very well on a show called Really Alone (We Really Mean It This Time)(....Really).

Edited July 24, 2017 by Quilt Fairy

[holly4755]

I could be wrong but I think in the beginning, it showed that Brook and Dave have built a cabin to live in before. Maybe not is such horrible weather, But there is a moral thing to being able to sit up and maybe stand in your residence. they had a lay down cabin, maybe sit up for a while. Not a real cook in cabin, With a wooden cabin they can sit in comfort like the bamboo people did last year.  They don't have bamboo but they have two people.  If they watched last year it went for 3 months, they may want to wait out the winter properly.  I recall the first year people were complaining about  no one building a cabin.  There should be some middle ground. I think they are being resourceful for food now, so this is the best time to take a big effort. 

 

I think the rest have staying power, so that will be interesting.  I am sure they will be there for a while,  next the Whipples have to start on a drying house and a bear fence, oh and an indoor toilet, it could happen. If they find a pan, they could build a nice compostable toilet. That would be a morale saver!. 

 

I do believe the gingers will come to blows, And for some reason Pete seems a bit frail for this. I am sure Sam will take care of him very well though. 

[meep.meep]

Brooke and Dave may want to build the cabin to separate their sleeping space from their cooking space in light of predators.  Or they might be worried about the water level rising.  Plenty of good reasons.  But it takes a lot of calories.

[dyna]

what are the chances that someone just as tough, fit, motivated and skilled as yourself will be in the same family and both of you be able to take off 3 month's work?  zilch, that's what chance. So you end up with some wuss/incompetent who will tap out FOR you and with whom you'll have to split the lousy  1/4 mill  (that you CLEAR)

2 hours ago, holly4755 said:

I could be wrong but I think in the beginning, it showed that Brook and Dave have built a cabin to live in before. Maybe not is such horrible weather, But there is a moral thing to being able to sit up and maybe stand in your residence. they had a lay down cabin, maybe sit up for a while. Not a real cook in cabin, With a wooden cabin they can sit in comfort like the bamboo people did last year.  They don't have bamboo but they have two people.  If they watched last year it went for 3 months, they may want to wait out the winter properly.  I recall the first year people were complaining about  no one building a cabin.  There should be some middle ground. I think they are being resourceful for food now, so this is the best time to take a big effort. 

 

I think the rest have staying power, so that will be interesting.  I am sure they will be there for a while,  next the Whipples have to start on a drying house and a bear fence, oh and an indoor toilet, it could happen. If they find a pan, they could build a nice compostable toilet. That would be a morale saver!. 

 

I do believe the gingers will come to blows, And for some reason Pete seems a bit frail for this. I am sure Sam will take care of him very well though. 

hth will you do all that work, when you cant feed yourself, eh? NOBODY has managed to do better than "only" losing  1/2 lb a day and they managed that only by doing nothing but lie around. Get out there in the cold, wet and wind, working hard, and you'll either lose a lb a day,  (and soon be too weak to work) or you'll have to spend all your time catching fish, hunting bears, hooking gulls and ducks, juicing kelp and the like. You need  5000 calories per day to be working hard, man.  Mike Phelps has to eat TWELVE thosuand calories per day when he's training and you'll be at it 2x as long per day as he trains.

[dyna]

On 7/22/2017 at 10:51 PM, PaperTree said:

Finally just watched the episode:

Sleeping on the ground in a rain forest may result in your getting wet. Geniuses.  The Bonzo Brothers coming through.  I can't help it.  I laughed when the dude was puking.  Then the tide turns and a bounty of fish show up.  At least they are comic relief.

"Good times are about to roll"  Chop!  Hmmmm  Then the duck shows up for dessert.  Oh my!  I really hope they don't win.

Hey Dad!  It's the Pacific NW, dummy. It rains there A LOT.  Storm after storm after storm blows in from the North Pacific OCEAN in the fall.  

I live in NJ.  I am well aware of the difference in climate between the coasts.  The tides seem to befuddle them.  People from MD should know better.  Chesapeake Bay and all.  And little things like yearly Nor'easters that bring sheets of wind-driven rain for many hours as the storm grinds up the coast.

The LA boys should also know all about buckets of rain and the importance of high ground and have failed to prepare as well.

I agree with so many previous posters.  That tap out was BS.  Quit whining and trying to blame everybody else.  May Chris host every tick in Louisiana for his disgusting behavior.  "We need to get you home"  Fuck off!  Too chickenshit to admit you're a cry-baby loser.  You're brother hiked through hell for 10 days for you.  Credit to the editors showing the scowls on Brody's face.  

My dad was an international airline pilot way back when I was a kid.  He could be gone for 2 or 3 weeks at a time.  He missed birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, weekends, whatever.  Pffft!  It was part of life.  He could bid for certain days off, but that was done monthly, a couple weeks in advance.  We could only plan once the schedule came out and it's strictly on a seniority basis.  He also had one month of standby a year, usually in the summer and a month vacation, usually in the winter, but never in December :)

Meanwhile at Dave & Brook's Seaside Resort.  They seem to be overbuilding this cabin.  Unless they can get more food they might burn themselves out.  

this is set up for a spousal team to win, but this stupid bs about building cabins, when  you can't even feed yourself properly, really shows how ignorant people are about the reality of working hard, out in bad weather. NOBODY so far has taken the trouble to do even a day's worth of research on the net, or they'd be doing things a LOT differently. They ARE allowed to hunt bears and even a smallish bear,  200 lbs or so, will win the contest for one person, and might well do so for a pair. You just have to make a ladder and a tree platform/blind, and use fish and gull/duck guts to bait the bears within 10m of your blind. But you'll need several lbs of salt to reliably preserve that fatty meat and that means several days of boiling off seawater.

[dyna]

you burn a ton of calories doing such work, and it's wasted, cause you wont be there a month and wont be able to do hard work within 2 weeks, if you dont start consuming about  5000 calories per day. Fish and game offer only  800 calories to the lb (ready to eat) and only half of a fish or animal's live weight is edible flesh. So you need to catch 12 lbs (per person) EVERY day, average, of live weight fish or game. You also need to juice  20 lbs of kelp (per day, every day) to get enough carbs to keep your brain working properly. Fish and game offer ZERO carbs, folks.

Durng ww2, many men did not see their families for 5 YEARS, and often almost daily saw brothers in arms killed or mutilated. This show is a CAKEWALK by comparison.

Edited July 24, 2017 by dyna

[SRTouch]

9 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I hereby make a motion that Brody be invited back for the next solo season.

Along with Jessie, the non-klutz Bosdell brother. Actually, Shannon may have been a klutz, but he talked about a log shelter, and was actively collecting stuff to make a crab trap when he fell. But, you're right, Brody was the first to complete the hike, and if his brother had kept his head in the game they might have done well.

[Canada]

I think bear kid's dad deserves a second chance too.  We never really got to see much of him, but I feel like he might have done pretty well, without his scared kid being along for the ride.

[simplyme]

1 hour ago, dyna said:

Durng ww2, many men did not see their families for 5 YEARS, and often almost daily saw brothers in arms killed or mutilated. This show is a CAKEWALK by comparison.

Um, yeah. There are a LOT of reasons why war is horrible and leaves lifelong scars on people. Frankly, I don't really think a TV show for entertainment should be anywhere near that difficult.

[holly4755]

After season 2, Winner Dave said he gained weight the last two weeks he was on the island, he was catching fish and crab regularly and has some other things to eat and had build his shelter so mostly he just ate and sat around.  I would have to search for his post, I am not sure where he posted it, but it might have been during the starvation contest last year. 

Last year Fowler build his castle on the hill when he had energy before starvation contest at the end. 

You expend energy when you have it, although you need to not go overboard and build a mansion, Even the first year, when they were stingy with tarps, Lucas built a yurt. 

[ProfCrash]

14 hours ago, dyna said:

Durng ww2, many men did not see their families for 5 YEARS, and often almost daily saw brothers in arms killed or mutilated. This show is a CAKEWALK by comparison.

 

13 hours ago, simplyme said:

Um, yeah. There are a LOT of reasons why war is horrible and leaves lifelong scars on people. Frankly, I don't really think a TV show for entertainment should be anywhere near that difficult.

This. Yes, we have sent men and women to war for long periods of time with no communication but letters. It is awful but I am going to assume that those who volunteer to fight a war are doing so for very different motives then the people who are participating in a reality TV show. And those men and women missed their families, were scared, were scarred and wanted to come home but couldn't. I suspect that there are a fair number of Vets that will tell you that they would have left if they could have because it was awful and they were homesick. They did not have that option.

I strongly object to comparing entertainment of any kind to war or military life. They are totally different beasts. My respect for men and women who volunteer to serve their country and risk their lives is massive. Most of them make little to nothing and all of them know that they could be sent to some strange location and die defending their country. There is little to nothing that an entertainer or professional athlete can do that is so noble, save give up their career and enlist themselves.

Let's be real, military families struggle when parents are deployed for a long period of time. No matter how awesome the parent at home is, missing a parent is hard on the family. There are special programs to try and provide support for those families for a reason. There are programs to support the deployed individual for a reason. The advent of mass communication and email and skype and the like has made it easier for families to stay in touch but it doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of the folks deployed and their families not with them would far prefer to be home with their families. The reality is they cannot leave without getting into serious trouble and, more importantly, they volunteered to protect their country and that sense of mission is strong.

Arguing that folks in the military, those in peace time or during war time, suck up being away from their families so the volunteer reality show contestants can suck it up and be away from their families is comparing apples and oranges. Worse yet, it undermines the commitment and dedication of our military.

I am first in line to say that Chris is an asshat and that he should never have been cast. He knew that his family did not want him to go and he knew what he was missing. He choose to go. So he left. He quit on day 3 but didn't have the balls to tap then. He did nothing at the camp site and hoped that Brody would tap. Brody didn't tap so Chris decided to try and convince Brody that tapping was necessary. Brody tapped but only because there was no way to drag Chris along on the journey. But I won't compare his homesickness to the homesickness of a military member or their family. It is night and day different.

[SRTouch]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

I strongly object to comparing entertainment of any kind to war or military life. They are totally different beasts.

Speaking as a retired soldier, I totally agree. I'm sure many service members would tap out if they had the choice. And, I'm not just talking those serving in combat or hazardous duty assignments. The military does its best to let service members have leave to go home for important family events and or emergencies, but countless births, deaths, weddings, birthdays, or simply a baby's first steps are missed. Long separations are a fact of military life, as is the high incidence of divorce.

But, as you say, comparing a separation due to military commitment and participation in a reality game show is impossible. Not only because of the tap out button, but also the built in support for both the family and servicemember. That was actually one of the aspects of the original "Alone" that attracted me. Sure I served in some crappy places, but I was always serving with others - may not always have liked those others, but the "Band of Brothers" concept has some truth to it.

Edited July 25, 2017 by SRTouch

[cooksdelight]

My grandfather was in the Burma Theatre for 3 years. Consider a poor man from a very small town in the mountains of NC, with a wife and 7 kids, and one on the way. There is a HUGE difference in going to serve your country and going to play for money on an outdoor game show. I totally agree with you all in this regard.

[holly4755]

OK,I can see that , how about comparing it to people who go on vacation?  When I was in college, I Had friends who hitchhiked across Europe.  I had to pay for college and couldn't do it, but others did and didn't keep in touch with home for over a month and they were fine, the parents freaked out, but the people away were fine. I am sure there are other situations, Long ago and far away, there were settlers who set out on foot and didn't see or hear from family for decades.  Today we don't have to stay out of touch with people, but it was not so long ago that keeping in touch was difficult or impossible. heck 40 years ago my sister moved 800 miles away and we only talked once a month because it was so expensive, a lot of people forget about the cost of long distance. 

[cooksdelight]

That's a much better comparison. I remember when you had to wait until after 7 pm to call long distance because it was cheaper. I had family members I loved dearly that I didn't see for a very long time. The wimp brother is just that. A wimp.

[PaperTree]

1 hour ago, cooksdelight said:

That's a much better comparison. I remember when you had to wait until after 7 pm to call long distance because it was cheaper. I had family members I loved dearly that I didn't see for a very long time. The wimp brother is just that. A wimp.

In the late 70's you had to wait until 11PM to get the best rates.  Lots of phones ringing in the dorm at 11 every night.  I talked to home about once a week and only went home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We were on trimesters and had no Spring Break, but were finished in April.

[MaraJadeSharpie]

It didn't even have to be that long ago. I went to Romania in 2007, but without an international cell phone plan or regular internet access I couldn't keep it touch. I was only able to call home using a phone card about once a week and only for a few minutes. I missed my family, but I had a great time! I was 17 and stayed there for three weeks. I know I wasn't alone in the woods (though neither are they this year!), but I was away from my family.

I don't think the comparison to war was to say the experiences are the same, simply to point out that being away from one's family is a reality for so many. War, vacation, work...there are so many occasions to be away from one's loved ones for weeks to months at a time. Hence it's always frustrating to see them use that as an excuse for tapping.

[Charlesman]

On 7/22/2017 at 11:15 PM, MaraJadeSharpie said:

I am just completely baffled by the "explanation" Chris gives about tapping out:

"The gift I chose to give my family, instead of my half of the prize money, was the experience of being chosen over money. In the end, my half of the prize money didn’t seem like a fair trade off for what they were experiencing."

That's some serious narcissism. The money will do more for your family than your mere presence after a two-week absence!

 

I haven't even applied to be on "Alone". Or "Survivor", "Big Brother", "The Bachelor", "American Idol", "Masterchef", "Wheel of Fortune", "American Ninja Warrior", "Hollywood Squares", "Hell's Kitchen", "The X Factor", "Chopped', "Love it or List It", "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader", "Cake Boss", "The Biggest Loser", "The Great British Bake Off", "Family Feud", "Flip This House", "America's Got Talent", "Top Chef", "The Amazing Race", or "Jeopardy!". By my count, that's about $25 million in winnings I have decided to forgo. I hope my family appreciates all my sacrifice!!!

[ProfCrash]

13 hours ago, Charlesman said:

I haven't even applied to be on "Alone". Or "Survivor", "Big Brother", "The Bachelor", "American Idol", "Masterchef", "Wheel of Fortune", "American Ninja Warrior", "Hollywood Squares", "Hell's Kitchen", "The X Factor", "Chopped', "Love it or List It", "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader", "Cake Boss", "The Biggest Loser", "The Great British Bake Off", "Family Feud", "Flip This House", "America's Got Talent", "Top Chef", "The Amazing Race", or "Jeopardy!". By my count, that's about $25 million in winnings I have decided to forgo. I hope my family appreciates all my sacrifice!!!

It could have been more, you could have appeared on Survivor or The Amazing Race more then once and all those lost cross over opportunities.

[SRTouch]

2 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

It could have been more, you could have appeared on Survivor or The Amazing Race more then once and all those lost cross over opportunities.

Yep, obviously a slacker!

[dyna]

On 7/24/2017 at 1:06 AM, Quilt Fairy said:

We have seen a couple but they haven't caught any fish that way yet.  I don't think anyone has them up consistently or in a permanent spot.

they dont know enough to take PARACORD gillnets and PARACORD hammocks. Nets are like traps. If you want an assured catch, you need a LOT of them.  The 100 sq ft of gillnet  is nothing. If you take the 2000 ft of paracord net and hammock, tho, you can urnavel it to its  2000 ft of paracord, remove the outer sheathing and have 14,000 ft of inner strands. If you weave that into  3" mesh,  6 ft wide, you'll have over  100m of netting. THAT (used properly) will feed you pretty well and give you enough fish guts, to bait in bears to your tree platform/blind, so that you can arrow them from there. Hunting bears IS allowed on this show. They are stupid to not do so, and not take the bow needed to do it.

field made wooden arrows, blunt, with tape fletching, will FLOAT, so you get to retrieve them with your log raft, after trying for swimming ducks.

Edited July 27, 2017 by dyna

[dyna]

It doesn't take that much work to make a log raft,  4x8 ft, with longer poles in the center/point, and then pole outriggers for stability.  Add a chunk of tarp, sewn into a tube shape, tape the seam from both sides, stuffed with soft, force-dried debris, as a pontoon,  for guaranteed continuance of bouyancy.  Encase the pontoon in 1" saplings,  and you'll have something to sit on while you use your kayak paddle, and you can remove the pontoon and lash it down, vs storms.  This raft only takes a score of 5-6" OD logs,  no big deal at all.  You cut a 7 ft long,  2-" sapling, whittle down the center a bit for a better fit in your hands, and notch both ends. Notch some 1.5" OD,  6" long sticks and lash them across the ends of your long pole, forming the paddle. It's not rocket science, guys.  The raft lets you easily and safely haul all your stuff and check out the 10 miles of waterfront that's available to you, so you know that you're  set up in the optimal spot. You need the raft anyway, for check your nets and traps for crabs and fish. Once it's too cold and nasty to be out on the water,  you can pop a few stitches, flatten out the 3 ft wide hunk of tarp and convert it and the stuffing into more insulation to sleep under/on.

the NUMBER of fish is meaningless.  Which would you want,  16 2 oz sunfish, or one 4 lb catfish, hmm? What matters is the amount of calories that go into your stomach, vs how many calories you burned.

[dyna]

no, folks, this is going to be over in a month. It's just stupid to spend time and calories on a fence or cabin, when you cant' produce the 10,000 calories per day (per team) needed to do all that hard work. NO, if it's not basic stuff like SMALL fire's wood and water, the calories and time need to be spent on getting food into your belly (and preserved). These people haven't learned a thing from the previous 3 seasons, channels on youtube, forums, or survival/hunting/fishing manuals and books. The info on how to do this stuff IS available, but they are too arrogant/lazy to look for it (and then put it into practice).

On 7/24/2017 at 8:54 PM, holly4755 said:

After season 2, Winner Dave said he gained weight the last two weeks he was on the island, he was catching fish and crab regularly and has some other things to eat and had build his shelter so mostly he just ate and sat around.  I would have to search for his post, I am not sure where he posted it, but it might have been during the starvation contest last year. 

Last year Fowler build his castle on the hill when he had energy before starvation contest at the end. 

You expend energy when you have it, although you need to not go overboard and build a mansion, Even the first year, when they were stingy with tarps, Lucas built a yurt. 

yeah, and lucas LOST. you are not wise to think or act like the losers.

On 7/25/2017 at 9:15 AM, SRTouch said:

Speaking as a retired soldier, I totally agree. I'm sure many service members would tap out if they had the choice. And, I'm not just talking those serving in combat or hazardous duty assignments. The military does its best to let service members have leave to go home for important family events and or emergencies, but countless births, deaths, weddings, birthdays, or simply a baby's first steps are missed. Long separations are a fact of military life, as is the high incidence of divorce.

But, as you say, comparing a separation due to military commitment and participation in a reality game show is impossible. Not only because of the tap out button, but also the built in support for both the family and servicemember. That was actually one of the aspects of the original "Alone" that attracted me. Sure I served in some crappy places, but I was always serving with others - may not always have liked those others, but the "Band of Brothers" concept has some truth to it.

I've lived alone, without human contact, for 5 months, several times in my life. There's nothing to it, really, if you have inner strength. People who can't even manage 5 WEEKs are just wusses and dont belong on this show.

Edited July 27, 2017 by dyna

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, dyna said:

Hunting bears IS allowed on this show. They are stupid to not do so, and not take the bow needed to do it.

To be fair, you'd have to be pretty great with a bow to take down a bear, especially without a gun available as an "oh shit, he's really pissed off now!" backup :)

@dyna have you tried out for the show? You seem tailor-made for it.

[cooksdelight]

@dyna, if I may ask, what is your background? You seem to know a lot about what and what not to do.

[humbleopinion]

Hey...is Dyna our old friend.... F*ckin' Larry?