S04.E08: Flare-Up

[holly4755]

I was off doing the dishes when something occurred to me about the floating extinguisher. It is possible there is no leak in it,  perhaps they saw it on the beach warmed by the sun and tried it in the water and it floated, but after it was cooled by the water it sunk.  well not important, 

 

As to Dave being offered information about how many were left, I have to think it was someone n the medical team, you can make a rule but you can't get everyone to follow it.   These people are not so far apart they can't see/hear  the boats  helicopters.  They don't know exactly,but I think they can tell when there are less trips.  Supposedly they vary the medical inspection dates so that the contestants can't figure out how many of them are left. 

[simplyme]

7 hours ago, Robodude said:

What happened to eating kelp? 

They could be doing that and we just aren't being shown it, especially since Sam in particular pointed out its presence as he hiked in to join his father. 

It's also possible that a few of them are going a bit easier on the seaweed (like maybe the Bairds) since one of them got sick on it. Apparently the high iodine content can cause some issues. From http://www.livestrong.com/article/470501-what-are-side-effects-of-eating-seaweed/:

"Depending on the type of seaweed you choose, it could be quite high in iodine. The tolerable upper intake level for iodine for adults is 1.1 grams per day, but some types of dried seaweed can provide as much of this mineral as 4.5 grams in a 1/4-cup serving. Too much iodine could cause you to develop an enlarged thyroid, called a goiter, by increasing the amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone your body produces. It can also cause skin problems, including an acne-like rash, and gastrointestinal issues, such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting."

[Snarklepuss]

Didn't one of the guys (forget who) throw up from the iodine in the seaweed a couple of eps. ago?  So someone's eating it.

Regarding the Bumble brothers, what they are is HANGRY - Somebody throw them a Snickers Bar!

I predicted early on that the team format would inevitably result in annoying, stupid bickering.  I think we got off lucky that it's just with one of the pairs and not all of them.  It could have been much worse depending on who remained.  And yes to them ruining the show with this crap, that's not why the audience wants to watch a show like this.

Yes, the two brothers are immature, but not more immature than a few people I know in their age bracket (sigh).

I also think that in some ways the team format is not as advantageous as it might seem at first glance.  We are seeing a case in point about how the weakest link ruins it for both parties.  An interesting life lesson learned from what they used to call in ethics class a "desert island situation".

I also think with the team format, even with two people supposedly able to get twice as much food so as to sustain both of them, it doesn't seem to work out that way in practice.  Either one of them is more adept at fishing or has a more positive attitude and thus finds more food than the other one, or is in better shape and so finds more food, or something like that.

Another lesson about calorie consumption vs. expenditure - I often thought that Sam from Season 1 had the right idea not to expend too much energy.  All that fancy house building and those ambitious crafts projects are only going to put you at an advantage if you have a plentiful food supply to offset all that energy expenditure.  For all that Brooke and Dave supposedly know about this, they're not really learning that lesson soon enough.

Is it me or are they all generally losing more weight faster this season than in past seasons?  I admit I'm not keeping track so it may just be the editing.

[MostlyContent]

3 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

Is it me or are they all generally losing more weight faster this season than in past seasons? 

Nope. Not just you. :)

In the past seasons, though, the 'rations' choice was 5 lbs of 'whatever' (beans, pemmican, jerky, whatever).  I remember that in the past, at least one person took 3 rations as part of their 10 items.  

This year, for some reason, the rations are about 2 pounds.  The Whipples took two, and the other teams who still remain took one (I think).  

The flatlanders from Brett Favre land who tapped out last took none.  Idiots.

Perhaps the producers thought that having two people would produce more food.   Who knows.  Maybe all the program people are just sick of this and want everyone to go home.  LOL.  :)  

I know I do.  

So far the brothers suck (although one is trying to collect food), Brooke is losing body fat massively, and only the dad is having much luck fishing (father and son don't seem to be starving, though).  What they're all doing that we don't see will come out eventually, I guess.  

I'm so OVER this season.  Well, okay. Obviously I'm not because I'm still watching.  <sigh>

[cooksdelight]

If production was willing to tell Dave, or anyone, who was left....and Dave talked about it....that's a breach of their non-disclosure, I would think??? That's big news, for the viewers. And was Brooke saying that to lead the viewers on?

That whole thing bothers me, a lot. 

[januarie]

Has anyone noticed that the few solo women of past seasons, generally fared better, physically,  than Brooke? I think it's because Brooke feels she has to take care of herself and her husband. The solo women only had to take care of themselves. After last season, when the girl (who built a cabin, a sweat lodge, and healed her own infected bug bite with an herbal paste) quit out of boredom, the show changed for me. I want to see the Brooke who built her own shelter with a fireplace, then went to lay on the beach to sunbathe, but I think that Brooke would have gotten bored too. I want to see women compete more but there isn't much "challenge"  when it "looks" easy. These are just some of my thoughts. 

[humbleopinion]

D'oh...got the Bumble. Bros' ages twisted. Ted is 3 years younger than Jim.

Jim needs to pull out of his slump or Ted may come to blows.

[walnutqueen]

Frankly, I don't give a damn which one's Ted and which one's Jim, nor do I care who's older or younger, or who provides more fodder for the stomachs or the cameras.  I was done with those bros on day one, for no discernible reason.  Chalk it up to Spidey-sense, or a deeply ingrained prejudice against ... ??? ... whatever - I just don't like these guys.

I DO, however, like crab - and long for the taste of freshly caught PNW crab (and the ex who used to crack it all for me with his strong hands (I miss the generosity of unencumbered crab-flesh; the ex, not so much!).

That said, I never had any faith in post-production or the editing monkeys, so I am fully anticipating a shitshow of epic proportions for our formerly lovely little show called "Alone".  We ruined it by liking it, and this is why we can never have nice things.

[Auntie Anxiety]

55 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

That said, I never had any faith in post-production or the editing monkeys, so I am fully anticipating a shitshow of epic proportions for our formerly lovely little show called "Alone".  We ruined it by liking it, and this is why we can never have nice things.

I've watched enough television to state that these types of competitive reality shows tend to be best in their first few seasons, before the production and the editing crew figure out how to "make it better." Making it better usually translates into making it formulaic; the final outcome is somewhat predetermined and everything else falls by the wayside. In Alone Except Not, we don't see much of the mundane daily chores, stuff that is actually interesting to us couch survivors wondering how WE would go about living in isolation for as long as it takes to win. Even if TPTB return to the original concept, it's probably too late for us diehards.

[Dittohead]

Does anybody have any theories as to where that fire extinguisher came from? 

[holly4755]

flotsam, could be from any where including from Japan.  

[Auntie Anxiety]

As I've been going around doing my household chores, I've been thinking about the "improvements" that TPTB will come up with for the next seasons. Yes, I'm quite good at entertaining myself.

They can change the name to "Families Alone" and make it similar to the dreck that is Alaskan Bush People or whatever the hell it's called. Or "Alone (with My Pet)" might be fun. 

[AZChristian]

16 minutes ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

As I've been going around doing my household chores, I've been thinking about the "improvements" that TPTB will come up with for the next seasons. Yes, I'm quite good at entertaining myself.

They can change the name to "Families Alone" and make it similar to the dreck that is Alaskan Bush People or whatever the hell it's called. Or "Alone (with My Pet)" might be fun. 

There actually ARE a couple of real families who subsist alone in Alaska (The Last Alaskans and Alaska, The Last Frontier).  Alaskan Bush People is a travesty to the term "reality TV."  "The Stooges Who Are in Alaska Only Part of the Year for Filming on Property They Don't Own" would be a more descriptive title.

[Auntie Anxiety]

28 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

There actually ARE a couple of real families who subsist alone in Alaska (The Last Alaskans and Alaska, The Last Frontier).  

Yes, I referred to The Alaskans and Life Below Zero in an earlier post. Those are the two reality shows that don't seem as contrived as most of the others.

[Quilt Fairy]

On ‎8‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 2:44 PM, holly4755 said:

I read a post, the dog wants to go out, I read another post and the dog wants to come in, I think I am a living gatekeeper for her.

Dogs don't need opposable thumbs when they can train humans to open doors for them.  ;-)

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

They can change the name to "Families Alone" and make it similar to the dreck that is Alaskan Bush People or whatever the hell it's called. 

I almost brought up the Alaskan Bush People before as a joke, lol.

If they did bring entire families out there to compete, at least they wouldn't be able to sit around and whine about how much they miss their families.  

They'd probably start complaining that they missed their neighbors or something.  "I've completed my journey.  I now realize that the important things in life are good neighbors, so I'm tapping out".

[LittleIggy]

Why did they go back to VI? Production costs? I liked Patagonia. Sorry, all the rain on VI gets monotonous, IMO. So does the reliance on fish.

[MaraJadeSharpie]

8 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Alaskan Bush People is a travesty to the term "reality TV."  "The Stooges Who Are in Alaska Only Part of the Year for Filming on Property They Don't Own" would be a more descriptive title.

I hate that show.

Double post, sorry. So I have to wonder...my husband and I have complained about this at length every season. Why is it no one, in four seasons, has caught any land animal larger than a mouse? Are there no squirrels, no rabbits, no creatures of any kind present on Vancouver Island? Or Patagonia, for that matter. We're really tired of Alone [But Not Really]: Who Can Starve the Slowest.

[Snarklepuss]

16 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

I've watched enough television to state that these types of competitive reality shows tend to be best in their first few seasons, before the production and the editing crew figure out how to "make it better." Making it better usually translates into making it formulaic; the final outcome is somewhat predetermined and everything else falls by the wayside.

I know, but we on this board so hoped that wouldn't happen with this show, and were vocal about that from day one......*sigh*.

[ProfCrash]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Why did they go back to VI? Production costs? I liked Patagonia. Sorry, all the rain on VI gets monotonous, IMO. So does the reliance on fish.

I think it was production cost driven. I also think 5 pounds of rations to two pounds of rations was production cost driven. Fewer back up rations = earlier tap outs. They don't want this going three months again. 

[rmontro]

10 hours ago, MaraJadeSharpie said:

I hate that show.

I'll destroy all credibility by saying I like Alaskan Bush People.  In all it's fake, messy, grifting, trainwreck glory.

My main complaint about it is the way the producers try to stretch out the footage by repackaging clip shows.

[Auntie Anxiety]

4 hours ago, rmontro said:

I'll destroy all credibility by saying I like Alaskan Bush People.  In all it's fake, messy, grifting, trainwreck glory.

rmontro, you have a right to your opinion and I have respect for you for owning it. 

It occurred to me today that maybe the Ginger Bros. are being so idiotic because they think it might help them score their own reality tv show.  If nothing else, it would be a good excuse for their nonsensical behavior.

[cooksdelight]

I think they are just assholes in real life.

[Whyyouneedaname]

I just got to watch the show yesterday, man all that bickering with the Brother Reds. Dang, just quit sharing what you catch and to each his own. Also when Dave was laying on the rock at the beginning of the show you could really see his upper gums and they were not pink. Is that normal for him or is it a sign of starvation, he does look the healthiest so maybe it's nothing.

[Subrookie]

On 05/08/2017 at 1:15 PM, Dittohead said:

Does anybody have any theories as to where that fire extinguisher came from? 

We live on the WA coast and you'd be surprised what washes up on the beaches. A few years ago a large part of a Japanese dock ended up here after the tsunami. They even found a storage container somewhere on the VI coast with a motorcycle in it that came all the way from Japan.  

So, if you're willing to scavenge on this show, in this location, there shouldn't be a shortage of bottles, nets,  floats, nylon rope, etc. 

Having a hard time not swearing at my TV this season. Just not a fan of the pairs and after 8 episodes I can't imagine there's more than 2 episodes left. Finding it hard to believe the pair who wins has to stay longer than a month and a half. 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Subrookie

[cooksdelight]

This season has been a huge bust. Not just here with our comments, elsewhere on social media, etc.

[RichE]

I've loved seasons 1 & 2. Juries out on 3. It would be nice to see a season where true outdoorsmen (women) could thrive. Each season in many respects is the same. Sporadic fishing, a few plants and shell fish. Everyone is starving, everyone's loosing weight and enjoyment is rare. How about some hunting environments for small game,  bow and arrows and hey... people capable of building decent shelters (2 so far, my favorite parts). Show people who wish to venture and not spend the entire time in small confined areas?! I love the boats or rafts... but no one goes anywhere. The potential of the show is incredible to expand on.  But it seems like it's getting to be the same ole same ole.  

[ProfCrash]

Agreed Riche. We have all lamented that they don't start them in the spring and see what happens then. I think it is a matter of cost, it would be far to expensive to have to maintain a rescue crew large enough to be able to extract a number of teams at once, maintain the cameras and the medical teams. I would prefer them choose 3-4 hard core people or teams, cut the current number in half, and follow them. that should free up the money to allow for an earlier drop off and we can see what happens then. Give people who really have a clue time to build, harvest, and stock up. Let's see what comes from that.

[holly4755]

also the bears are very active in the spring and it could be more dangerous for the campers. 

[ProfCrash]

There are other locations. I rather liked Patagonia last year.

[cooksdelight]

Taking my response to small talk...

[pagooey]

On 8/4/2017 at 5:06 PM, raven said:

The brothers don't annoy me.  I think Jim is ready to go home and they're both hungry.  When I'm as hungry as they probably are, I can be obnoxious to be around.  With the Not-Alone theme, we're missing not just the introspection but how each individual mentally overcomes obstacles.  With someone else there you have someone to bitch to, if you feel like complaining and waste time with that rather than solving problems.  Sure, F'n Larry would bitch to the camera but he was the exception - it's easier to carry on a bitch fest when you have someone responding to you.

This! I'm sure production thought that the interpersonal dynamic would add something to the show...but perhaps they didn't realize it would do so at the expense of introspection, and self-motivated sink-or-swim problem-solving. 

I do still find Team No, YOU Are annoying, with their childish bickering dynamic firmly established, hungry or not. But hell, my own dear sister and I would have murdered each other by this point. I could probably cope with hunger, but enough sleep deprivation turns me into Bitchzilla. 

[Snarklepuss]

I just saw a promo. tonight indicating that there are only 2 episodes left this season.  Either they're suddenly going to zoom through a lot or we're going to see a lot of tap outs coming our way soon, or both.  Either way, it's the sign of a total bust of a season.  They messed with the show and it backfired.

[Vicky8675309]

I want to root for the husband/wife team but I can't. They got the most favorable location---huge flat meadow area that none of the others had. Also easy access to fish laden water and the husband's hike didn't seem as brutal as some of the other guy's hike. I wanted the second place woman from last season to win but was ok with the winner. This season I'm left with the father son duo. LOL @ the son with the degree in fishery that hasn't caught a fish. I liked his dad's gentle good natured ribbing about it. I also like that the dad is an older guy who is actually doing a lot.

Edited August 10, 2017 by Vicky8675309

[ProfCrash]

6 hours ago, Vicky8675309 said:

I want to root for the husband/wife team but I can't. They got the most favorable location---huge flat meadow area that none of the others had. Also easy access to fish laden water and the husband's hike didn't seem as brutal as some of the other guy's hike. I wanted the second place woman from last season to win but was ok with the winner. This season I'm left with the father son duo. LOL @ the son with the degree in fishery that hasn't caught a fish. I liked his dad's gentle good natured ribbing about it. I also like that the dad is an older guy who is actually doing a lot.

I don't buy that. We have seen more about their area but that is because they have filmed. We don't know how far Brooke moved from their original drop off point. We know that they moved their shelter, so they have been out looking for a better place to be. They father/son team seem to be doing ok with their fishing. The major issue for them has been Pete being bummed that Sam has caught more fish then Pete has. That tells me that they are doing fine with their fishing. I wouldn't trust the buttheads to do anything correctly so they could be sitting on a fishing haven and simply failed to harvest any of it because they are inept. Not to mention, both of the spouses have said that they need more food and that they need it fast.

Plus which, the sites are chosen by lottery. Each site is assigned a number and the contestants pull a number out of a bag. Brooke has had to deal with living in wolf territory and all that goes with that, I don't think any of the other remaining teams have had that same issue with wolves or bears.

Edited August 10, 2017 by ProfCrash

[cooksdelight]

Speaking of wolves, where did they all go?

[ProfCrash]

2 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Speaking of wolves, where did they all go?

I suspect that the wolves decided that Brook and Dave are not a threat and are willing to give them their space.

[Scaeva]

On 8/5/2017 at 8:43 AM, januarie said:

Has anyone noticed that the few solo women of past seasons, generally fared better, physically,  than Brooke? I think it's because Brooke feels she has to take care of herself and her husband. The solo women only had to take care of themselves. After last season, when the girl (who built a cabin, a sweat lodge, and healed her own infected bug bite with an herbal paste) quit out of boredom, the show changed for me. I want to see the Brooke who built her own shelter with a fireplace, then went to lay on the beach to sunbathe, but I think that Brooke would have gotten bored too. I want to see women compete more but there isn't much "challenge"  when it "looks" easy. These are just some of my thoughts. 

With Brooke is probably the energy expenditure of all the work that went into building that cabin, while having two mouths to feed. We've had project people in earlier seasons, both male and female, but they were alone. While being alone potentially means a bigger work load it also could mean more food, because anything you find/catch doesn't have to be shared with another person.

[roamyn]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

They father/son team seem to be doing ok with their fishing. The major issue for them has been Pete being bummed that Sam has caught more fish then Pete has. That tells me that they are doing fine with their fishing. I wouldn't trust the buttheads to do anything correctly so they could be sitting on a fishing haven and simply failed to harvest any of it because they are inept. Not to mention, both of the spouses have said that they need more food and that they need it fast.

Sam is the son, Pete is the father.  Pete has caught 100% more fish than Sam.

[AZChristian]

8 hours ago, Vicky8675309 said:

LOL @ the son with the degree in fishery that hasn't caught a fish. I liked his dad's gentle good natured ribbing about it. I also like that the dad is an older guy who is actually doing a lot.

A degree in Fish & Wildlife Management doesn't really mean you know HOW to fish.  From an online description:

"Core Skills You Will Develop While Studying Fish & Wildlife Management

Most degrees will teach students a wealth of core skills including research and analysis, critical thinking, problem solving and others, but the Fish & Wildlife Management degree will have a strong emphasis on these following core skills.

An understanding that environmental protection requires a holistic approach - that each element of the environment of an individual ecology does not exist in isolation. You will learn that animal populations affect each other and also affect and are affected by plant species.

Report writing - thanks to the fieldwork you are likely to take part in you will be expected to produce reports for stakeholders and decision makers so they can see the full picture of the scenario.

Communication skills - the reports you produce will need to be tailored to different audiences. You will develop an understanding that young children, decision makers, adult learners and government agencies will each have different expectations from you.

Investigation skills - you will learn effectively how to be a detective, to research a problem, to test theories and come to a conclusion based on the evidence.

Research - as a science, and an applied science at that, you will spend a lot of time in libraries and records offices. You will understand how to find a source and how to critically evaluate it."

 

So it sounds like the son could write a report about any fish caught; he just doesn't catch them himself.  LOL.

[cooksdelight]

Here in NC, anyone with a degree in fisheries has to know how to fish. A good friend works for the state's water conservation and protection dept, an avid fisherman. I think the two go hand in hand, and I'm sure the kid has caught a lot of fish in his life. This just isn't his good fishing spot.

[holly4755]

some things on this show are rhetoric and not fact.  Sam caught fish when he first joined his father, since then he has done other things, like discovered their new fishing spot, and do the hard manual labor. 

As for some spots being better than others, it varies,  Some man made improvements (fowler building a teensy deck) make a spot better, others get better flotsam, etc.  Sometimes the person makes the spot look better.  Remember the 18 year old who wandered around looking for a good campsite and ended up tripping and spraining his ankle? did he have more undergrowth on his spot that the others? probably not. 

[roamyn]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Here in NC, anyone with a degree in fisheries has to know how to fish. A good friend works for the state's water conservation and protection dept, an avid fisherman. I think the two go hand in hand, and I'm sure the kid has caught a lot of fish in his life. This just isn't his good fishing spot.

He didn't say he didn't know how, or wasn't a good one, just that luck comes and goes.  Sometimes he's been very lucky, other times not.

[clubsauce]

I think the thing that annoys me the most is that the Ginger-Hanson-Makenzie brothers pronounce "crab trap" as "crob trop".