S05.E03: The Serpent

[Drogo]

Season 5 of the country's boldest and longest survival experiment ever captured for television.

[cooksdelight]

Why would producers bring back a woman with MS, and why would she do this? Did her family not tell her “Stay home, MOM!!!!” I have a good friend with MS, she’d never even attempt something like this and she’s the most outdoorsy person I know.

I did not need to see a snake neutered. Even my dog turned his eyes away.

Her exit was sad to watch. She was there for the wrong reasons. You can be alone at home without people around you.

[MostlyContent]

Heartbreaking, but almost expected as Mongolia didn't seem to have the herbs she uses, unlike VI.  :(

Loving Jesse and even Randy.   

Glad we got to see some shelter building! 

Edited June 29, 2018 by MostlyContent

[dgpolo]

After watching Jesse? and Randy being so careful walking around, and a good thing too for Jesse. It really was scary to watch Sam and Nicole walking around like they hadn't a care in the world! I thought for a while that she would be bitten by a snake before her symptoms got so bad she had to tap.

[humbleopinion]

All that perkiness to mask that Nicole wasn't as strong/healthy as her first go around.

Even if she was on her MS meds, her body may not have been as strong as she was on VI.

Or as a fan favorite the producers thought a little Nicole is better than no Nicole at all.

2 women out for medical reasons...

Brad tapped because his tummy rumbled....

[roamyn]

I adore Nicole, so I’m sad but also relieved.  As someone with RRMS, you never know when it hits.  Usually it’s a slow buildup, like she said, but I had an instance a yr & 1/2 ago where I was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden my hands stopped working, I had severe occipital pain, and part of my face went numb.  Just bam!  They though I was having a stroke.  The good th8ng abt those immediate flares, is that - for me - not only are they rare, but I recover from them in 24-48 hrs give or take.  Luckily my meds control my symptoms.

Good for Sam, getting some protein, but did anyone else wanna yell at him, when he was describing the thought process behind his 10 items “why flour?”! 

Another grouse killed w/bow & arrow!  Go Jesse!  But we can be spared the snake semen next time.

I worry Brooke doesn’t seem to have learned that it wasn’t just lack of calories, but also expending too much energy on that cabin & fireplace, that did her in.  Speaking of cabins...

Randy!  That wasn’t a cabin on the preview, that was a freaking lodge!  So far, I’m liking him a lot more than S2.

[LittleIggy]

Wow, another of my favorites gone. ?

When poor ol’ Sam was doing his happy dance about what was caught in his trap, I was thinking “That doesn’t look as if there is a deer caught in that thing.” Poor tiny bird.

Good on Jesse bagging the grouse with an arrow. I don’t think we ever saw anyone hunt successfully with arrows before. Now we’ve seen it twice this season.

Randy’s shelter looks awesome. Sam’s doesn’t.

[humbleopinion]

Sam had a lousy shelter on VI...maybe that is his strategy...no wasting energy on building.

[Quilt Fairy]

2 hours ago, dgpolo said:

After watching Jesse? and Randy being so careful walking around, and a good thing too for Jesse. It really was scary to watch Sam and Nicole walking around like they hadn't a care in the world! I thought for a while that she would be bitten by a snake before her symptoms got so bad she had to tap.

If I'm not mistaken, Randy was walking around barefoot.

I wish they wouldn't have teased that ending for the last month.  It takes a lot of interest out of the episode when you know who's going to tap.    And when the heck is it supposed to snow?  They have started every episode with a snowy scene, but when we see the campers it's obviously early fall. 

I was really surprised that Sam, like Brad, hadn't caught any fish or game the entire first week.  All of the spots look so equal.  I think they said the campsites are on four different rivers, but they must be fairly close together, why would some rivers have so many fish and some none at all?  (Never been more than a day hiker myself, so I don't understand the discrepancy.)

[MostlyContent]

10 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Sam had a lousy shelter on VI...maybe that is his strategy...no wasting energy on building.

I laughed when he was talking about his extra rations (70-80 lbs) being attached to his body when he's living under a tarp.  I don't think that will work in -40 degrees F.  BTW, Sam....hooks need a barb, so your trapping wire hooks may be cute, but it seems like the fish will easily dislodge them, or your do-it-yourself line will break.   Plus, man........fish bite early in the morning or when the sun sets.   I don't think you have time to sit around with a beer cooler in the middle of the day and fish.  lol!

8 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

If I'm not mistaken, Randy was walking around barefoot.

When he was building his cabin, he was both barefoot and in boots.   He is apparently used to being barefoot in his usual environment of (?) Arizona or Utah?  Not me.  Even walking to the swimming pool barefoot in middle school almost killed me (okay, not really, but pavement can be hot even in Rapid City, SD.)   I can walk in our yard barefoot on the grass when feeding the birds, but that's because it's soft and cool and no rocks or pebbles or anything else.  

 

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Good on Jesse bagging the grouse with an arrow. I don’t think we ever saw anyone hunt successfully with arrows before. Now we’ve seen it twice this season.

I love this.  He got a snake, too.   I have friends who bow hunt successfully(deer).  Would never even try it.  

I went to a Catholic girl's HS, and our choices for PE were 1) bow and arrows 2) ice skating 3) playing poker inside with Sister Bernice.   I sucked at #1.   About twice a month she would be all pissed off for some unknown reason and order us to go outside and 'hike'.  The campus was about 100 acres and gorgeous, but somehow "You go OUTSIDE.  You must go outside and hike.  You must breathe.  You go.  You go" wasn't particularly inspiring.  Some of the older girls would go up the hill and smoke.   The rest of us would sneak back into the dorms and watch TV in our rooms for an hour.  All was forgiven though, the nuns who cooked for us rocked.  They actually blew out eggs, filled them with jello, and twice a week we had 'jello eggs' with whipped cream instead of salad.  LOL!  Yes, that was not dessert.  What am I talking about?  Oh.  

10 hours ago, roamyn said:

Randy!  That wasn’t a cabin on the preview, that was a freaking lodge!  So far, I’m liking him a lot more than S2.

Me, too!  It looks like he's enjoying himself this time around.  

Well, we all know some folks make it to winter.  It's going to be interesting to see who might have been able to preserve food, and how they do it.   

Edited June 29, 2018 by MostlyContent

[ProfCrash]

Finally an episode I didn't fall asleep during. The first episodes I had to rewatch because I feel asleep 30 minutes in.

Nicole's departure was sad but completely predictable. She required certain plants in order to take care of her MS symptoms. She knew what plants she needed. Production knew what type of plants that she needed. She was in an area that did not have those plants. Her body could not handle the stress and she had no way of countering the symptoms. Why the hell did anyone think this was a good idea? I like Nicole and I would have loved to see her again if she had a chance of competing but she could not compete so what the hell was the point?

I am enjoying seeing what people are doing and how they have changed, or not, their approach. Randy's change is to keep busy so his mind cannot screw him over. Jesse is doing a great job providing for himself.

I am trying to understand why some of the folks catching a ton of fish are not catching one or two more and smoking them so that they have something for the winter? I understand not wanting to over fish the stream but those streams are probably rarely fished. I think they could be pulling more so that they can build up their stores. I doubt that they are going to be able to fish when the temperature drops because the rivers are going to ice up fast.

I do wish they would show more of the stores that people are building. They all know that winter is coming and that they need the food in order to survive. They have to be doing a certain amount of foraging in order to prepare but we don't get to see any of that.

[humbleopinion]

Thinking Nicole consulted with the producers and the experts of that part of Mongolia about the local flora and fauna.

Knowingly entering the competition without have the plants she needs to maintain her optimum health was a risk and with expectations of her MS symptoms to return.

Her allowing the camera to roll as she struggles to come to terms to tapping was powerful in its vulnerability and honesty.

[MostlyContent]

2 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I do wish they would show more of the stores that people are building. They all know that winter is coming and that they need the food in order to survive. They have to be doing a certain amount of foraging in order to prepare but we don't get to see any of that.

Right?  While watching Dave starve himself in season 3, we had no idea that he had 50 or so fillets dried/smoked that he could have been eating.  His stores probably wouldn't have been enough to make much of a difference, but had he eaten them a couple of weeks before he was pulled, maybe he might have lasted a bit longer?  Or at least exited not looking like a skeleton? 

Also, is anyone collecting and drying the onions, garlic, greens?  

C'mon, History channel........we'd rather see this than people all freaked out by hearing wolves (which they aren't really and everyone knows it).   

Now if a bear finally shows up..............

Edited June 29, 2018 by MostlyContent

[Yeah No]

It pisses me off now reading that Nicole and production should have known better than to let her on the show this season.  It already sucks that at least some of the female contestants can't get caught a break on this show due to spectacularly bad luck and other circumstantial problems, but this is even worse because it's something that could have been prevented beforehand.  It irks me even more knowing that there are men out there who would use this kind of thing as a justification for why women aren't cut out for this kind of challenge.

[cooksdelight]

2 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Thinking Nicole consulted with the producers and the experts of that part of Mongolia about the local flora and fauna.

Knowingly entering the competition without have the plants she needs to maintain her optimum health was a risk and with expectations of her MS symptoms to return.

Her allowing the camera to roll as she struggles to come to terms to tapping was powerful in its vulnerability and honesty.

And good for ratings.

[Subrookie]

6 hours ago, MostlyContent said:

Sam....hooks need a barb, so your trapping wire hooks may be cute, but it seems like the fish will easily dislodge them, or your do-it-yourself line will break.   

FWIW, there are many places that only allow you to fish with barbless hooks. Typically, you just bend the barb down with a multi-tool or pliers. The fishing regulations in the part of Manitoba I worked in wouldn't allow them. In general I don't disagree with your observation that he should probably have brought fishing gear, but it's not a deal breaker to make your own hooks even if they don't have a barb. Much less efficient than bringing gear though.

I too wish they hadn't teased the medical emergency with Nicole. She is a very likable person and obviously is an extremely competent survivalist, but I'm left feeling like it was a serious mistake to cast her this season. TPTB don't really show us how close the filming sites are to a hospital but it can't be easy to evacuate someone. Accidents happen but she was coming in with a pre-existing condition and that seems risky. It was riveting though and I'm glad she took the time to explain and film what she was going through. If anything, I learned quite a bit about MS last night. 

Loving the cabin. Interesting how some people build a very simple tarp shelter that doesn't seem like it would provide any insulation when the snow comes. The cabin is a gamble since he's not gathering food and burning a lot of calories but could be the difference between staying 50 days and staying 90 days once the weather changes. 

[qtpye]

13 hours ago, roamyn said:

I adore Nicole, so I’m sad but also relieved.  As someone with RRMS, you never know when it hits.  Usually it’s a slow buildup, like she said, but I had an instance a yr & 1/2 ago where I was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden my hands stopped working, I had severe occipital pain, and part of my face went numb.  Just bam!  They though I was having a stroke.  The good th8ng abt those immediate flares, is that - for me - not only are they rare, but I recover from them in 24-48 hrs give or take.  Luckily my meds control my symptoms.

Good for Sam, getting some protein, but did anyone else wanna yell at him, when he was describing the thought process behind his 10 items “why flour?”! 

Another grouse killed w/bow & arrow!  Go Jesse!  But we can be spared the snake semen next time.

I worry Brooke doesn’t seem to have learned that it wasn’t just lack of calories, but also expending too much energy on that cabin & fireplace, that did her in.  Speaking of cabins...

Randy!  That wasn’t a cabin on the preview, that was a freaking lodge!  So far, I’m liking him a lot more than S2.

 

4 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Finally an episode I didn't fall asleep during. The first episodes I had to rewatch because I feel asleep 30 minutes in.

Nicole's departure was sad but completely predictable. She required certain plants in order to take care of her MS symptoms. She knew what plants she needed. Production knew what type of plants that she needed. She was in an area that did not have those plants. Her body could not handle the stress and she had no way of countering the symptoms. Why the hell did anyone think this was a good idea? I like Nicole and I would have loved to see her again if she had a chance of competing but she could not compete so what the hell was the point?

I am enjoying seeing what people are doing and how they have changed, or not, their approach. Randy's change is to keep busy so his mind cannot screw him over. Jesse is doing a great job providing for himself.

I am trying to understand why some of the folks catching a ton of fish are not catching one or two more and smoking them so that they have something for the winter? I understand not wanting to over fish the stream but those streams are probably rarely fished. I think they could be pulling more so that they can build up their stores. I doubt that they are going to be able to fish when the temperature drops because the rivers are going to ice up fast.

I do wish they would show more of the stores that people are building. They all know that winter is coming and that they need the food in order to survive. They have to be doing a certain amount of foraging in order to prepare but we don't get to see any of that.

 

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

It pisses me off now reading that Nicole and production should have known better than to let her on the show this season.  It already sucks that at least some of the female contestants can't get caught a break on this show due to spectacularly bad luck and other circumstantial problems, but this is even worse because it's something that could have been prevented beforehand.  It irks me even more knowing that there are men out there who would use this kind of thing as a justification for why women aren't cut out for this kind of challenge.

 

53 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

And good for ratings.

 

9 minutes ago, Subrookie said:

FWIW, there are many places that only allow you to fish with barbless hooks. Typically, you just bend the barb down with a multi-tool or pliers. The fishing regulations in the part of Manitoba I worked in wouldn't allow them. In general I don't disagree with your observation that he should probably have brought fishing gear, but it's not a deal breaker to make your own hooks even if they don't have a barb. Much less efficient than bringing gear though.

I too wish they hadn't teased the medical emergency with Nicole. She is a very likable person and obviously is an extremely competent survivalist, but I'm left feeling like it was a serious mistake to cast her this season. TPTB don't really show us how close the filming sites are to a hospital but it can't be easy to evacuate someone. Accidents happen but she was coming in with a pre-existing condition and that seems risky. It was riveting though and I'm glad she took the time to explain and film what she was going through. If anything, I learned quite a bit about MS last night. 

Loving the cabin. Interesting how some people build a very simple tarp shelter that doesn't seem like it would provide any insulation when the snow comes. The cabin is a gamble since he's not gathering food and burning a lot of calories but could be the difference between staying 50 days and staying 90 days once the weather changes. 

I love Nicole and agree with all of your assessments. There have been a lot of awesome female survivalists on this show that could have easily taken her place. The 40-year-old woman with the pretty hair in Patagonia comes to mind. She has a condition that will severely limit her chances of success, even though she is very skilled and knowledgeable about survival arts. I also thought this episode was very boring because I knew that Nicole would tap because they already kind of spoiled it in the trailer for the season (similar to Carleigh's fishhook disaster). I knew she was a goner and since each episode had one tap out, she would be the one to bail this episode (not that I blame her).  I am a big fan of Brooke from her season. Her husband and she were like a breath of fresh air on the silly Alone "teams" season and they build the best shelter that we have ever seen on the show. Unfortunately, she had to tap out due to starvation and does not look like she put on any excess weight for this season, which does not bode well for her winning.

[LittleIggy]

Oh, we knew Dave had lots of smoked fish in S3. I remember comments posted wondering why he didn’t eat them.

Edited June 30, 2018 by LittleIggy

[dgpolo]

1 hour ago, Subrookie said:

I too wish they hadn't teased the medical emergency with Nicole.

 

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

I also thought this episode was very boring because I knew that Nicole would tap because they already kind of spoiled it in the trailer for the season

Spoiler

I don't think the teaser was about Nicole at all, during her tap I didn't hear anyone say 'we have a tap out emergency' like in the teaser, it also looked like they were near a river when put on the stretcher not her shelter, plus the teaser had people say 'we got a medic chop' and 'safety team is on the way' which really leads me to think someone get bit by a pit viper or something. Unless this is all in the 'extended tap out' footage which I did not watch. I don't think the teaser was about Nicole.

 

I think Randy should have made his shelter a bit smaller both because it would be quicker to build but also easier to heat. I am glad to see it though.

Why didn't Sam add some of the roots he had found to his 'gravy'? And I thought it was funny how everything tasted like 'chicken'.

Edited June 29, 2018 by dgpolo
to add more

[cooksdelight]

I am beginning to wonder if they deliberately put people in this situations who have medical issues, mental issues, physical issues..... for ratings? 

I’m serious. I know it’s all about the money for this show. They’ve got to make enough revenue to pay the winner, pay the production staff. With each season it seems we’re losing people who are left broken.

I don’t want to watch that.

[humbleopinion]

My favorite cast member this season...the Yellow Evac Truck.

Nickname... Big Yello

Needs its own theme music when it rumbles out to pick up a tap...more stealthy than helicopters

[ProfCrash]

30 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

I don't think the teaser was about Nicole at all, during her tap I didn't hear anyone say 'we have a tap out emergency' like in the teaser, it also looked like they were near a river when put on the stretcher not her shelter, plus the teaser had people say 'we got a medic chop' and 'safety team is on the way' which really leads me to think someone get bit by a pit viper or something. Unless this is all in the 'extended tap out' footage which I did not watch. I don't think the teaser was about Nicole.

100% agree. Nicole is not the person in that clip that we have seen. The blanket covering in that clip is totally different then her sleeping bag and the evacuation urgency was missing. Also, there was no plane involved in her rescue, she went out in one of the big yellow cars. I was thinking it was going to be Jessie with the pit viper this episode and was happy that it was not. So something urgent happens. It might be like the slip that caused the back injury last year, which was urgent, or it might be something worse like a pit viper attack. I am leaning towards more of a back injury type deal because I think something more serious would have leaked.

[holly4755]

12 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I was really surprised that Sam, like Brad, hadn't caught any fish or game the entire first week.  All of the spots look so equal.  I think they said the campsites are on four different rivers, but they must be fairly close together, why would some rivers have so many fish and some none at all?  (Never been more than a day hiker myself, so I don't understand the discrepancy.)

I was wondering if he bait the hooks, I think that makes a huge difference in catching fish, I was the worm digger for my brother's fishing days. not my choice, assigned worm digger by parents, but at least I did not have to bait the hook. but if you listen to who catches and who doesn't I believe bait has something to do with it, although different rivers can have different fish and topography.

 

as to nicole, I have learned people make their own choices, and she had a lot of herbal knowledge, if the plants were anywhere on the land, and they had a random pick of spots, the production company could not interfere and give Nichole the very spot she needed.  she was very capable a person, and she chose to do this again, so I give it to her, and look, she lasted longer than Brad. 

[HurricaneVal]

1 hour ago, dgpolo said:

Why didn't Sam add some of the roots he had found to his 'gravy'?

Because Sam is one of those people who think that food=meat, or food=pancakes, not food=vegetables, fish, greens, invertebrates, bivalves, or insects.  I am not surprised he made (that we were shown, he may be fishing like crazy, but I doubt it) one half-hearted attempt at fishing, then gave up to see if if could find some flat meat at his dead fall traps.  This is exactly how he worked in Vancouver Island.  I was actually surprised to hear him say he caught two fish on VI, since during his original season he made a huge deal about not liking fish.  He went far as a picky guy, but he was basically a slug--his dead fall traps were very close to his slapdash shelter, and that's as much energy output he put into a day. 

I laughed my ass off when they went from Sam's pathetic attempts at fishing, to, Jesse's?  Randy"s? entirely successful breakfast fishing expedition, and then the brag about how they get a fish just about every time they poke a hook into the water.  It may be the location, but I think it has more to do with Sam not liking fish or fishing, so he doesn't actually put forth any effort into it.

Nicole going home early was almost a given.  She didn't look very "built up" with personal fat reserves--her face in particular looked rather thin just going in.  Then her MS is always a crap-shoot:  will it kick in or not?  I have several friends with MS, and they all have different symptoms and triggers, and different treatments, but universally they say that stress and exertion can exacerbate or accelerate episodes.  Long before Survivor, Mark Burnett used to have a show called The EcoChallenge where teams raced across challenging terrain (like down the spine of New Zealand, where the beacons of Gondor were lit in the LoTR movies) in kind of a survival mode.  As I recall, the teams had to be mixed with both men and women, but there could just be a token woman or token man on any team.  There was a minimum amount of equipment they had to have, and some optional equipment, so choosing between protein bars or extra carabiners was a real debate, since each leg was an unknown.   In one of the races, the sole female member of one team called for a medical extraction because she had really bad ovarian cysts, and one was rupturing.  Which, yes, horribly painful, and nothing I'd wish on anyone.  But also?  Why the hell did she commit to the race knowing her risks?  She also hadn't shared her condition with her teammates, so they were pretty pissed about being disqualified for something that could have been prevented.  Mark Burnett was pretty pissed, because of the liability to his company and that she'd essentially lied on her paperwork about existing medical conditions.  It was an ugly scene.

I worry about those pit vipers that keep getting mentioned as a constant danger.  Some folks are just striding around (even barefoot!) or rummaging through the tall grass without a care in the world.  Others are being very cautious, and they seem to be the ones who see the snakes.  Are the snakes actually all over, or just in particular areas, so those who don't seem to be paying attention don't really need to be paying attention?  Or are they just dumb?

[cooksdelight]

2 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Needs its own theme music when it rumbles out to pick up a tap...more stealthy than helicopters

The folks with Survivor could come up with something, they have that moving, meaningful music that plays when Probst look out sadly at someone being evacuated.

[Auntie Anxiety]

Quote

My favorite cast member this season...the Yellow Evac Truck.

Nickname... Big Yello

Needs its own theme music when it rumbles out to pick up a tap...more stealthy than helicopters

I’m thinking something along the lines of “Jaws.”

[Token]

I was disappointed in this episode.  I really felt, watching Nicole, that she has some real mental health issues.  MS is a mental as well as physical disease and she really needs help.  It was painful to watch and listen to her.  I just cringed watching her tap out and how she just clung to her MS like a safety blanket.  It's sad what people can do to themselves physically just with the power of their mind.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Token

[HurricaneVal]

In my, admittedly uneducated, opinion, I think Nicole is in deep denial about her MS.  She is growing older, and the herbal panaceas she's believed in and relied on are not helping her disease anymore.  I don't think it is because Mongolia doesn't have the plants and herbs to help her.   She hasn't been there that long.  We saw her make the choice over and over to ignore the signs, to bull though it, and that didn't work for her.  I think she was genuinely scared to death when her legs stopped working.  I know that would freak me the hell out.  She's lucky her legs stopped working when she was in her shelter, not when she was out in the bush hacking down trees.

I know there are many things in this world that we can't explain, and that modern pharmacological drugs are often based on old herbal remedies, but if you could just drink a particular type of tea to mitigate the symptoms of MS, then that treatment would be more wide-spread.  Or big pharma would have monetized it by now.  Nicole is dealing with the fact that her entire world view is failing her.  She is so into the herbal/crunchy lifestyle that this is a really big blow to her foundations.  I wish her well.

[seasick]

I wonder if Nicole's refreshing bath into 45 degree water was a stresser that brought on her symptoms.  Add that to the other stresses of less food, herbs and heavy work etc.    

[4N6MAL]

6 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

caught two fish on VI

 

21 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Sam had a lousy shelter on VI

 

22 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

as strong as she was on VI.

Every time I see the VI I think you are talking about Virgin Islands! And I didn't recall seeing that location in a season of "Alone" :)

The correct Roman numeral is IV for 4 as in season 4.

[MostlyContent]

2 minutes ago, 4N6MAL said:

Every time I see the VI I think you are talking about Virgin Islands! And I didn't recall seeing that location in a season of "Alone" :)

The correct Roman numeral is IV for 4 as in season 4.

VI = Vancouver Island   :)

[raven]

3 minutes ago, 4N6MAL said:

The correct Roman numeral is IV for 4 as in season 4.

I think everyone means "Vancouver Island" when they are using VI.

I can't blame Nicole for wanting another chance (though the "my family is calling me" tapouts annoy me).  It was a gamble.  I can maybe blame the producers if the cast her thinking she would tap early because of her MS.   I do think it may be time for her to review how she cares for her MS symptoms.  From what I understand, something can help you and then not help you.  I did enjoy her talking about plants, which are best, how to use them, etc - I don't remember anyone else with such a wide range of knowledge on plants; I'll miss that.

I know we had the intro ep but I still have no memory of Jesse.  He's doing well and seems pretty content so far, as does Randy with his kick-ass shelter.  Finding food is a big help. 

The blurbs said Sam had gone 8 days without eating protein or was it eating at all?  I can't blame him for having such a meager shelter; hopefully he will eat more and get building.

I like Brooke and her shelter.

Did I mention I liked the shelters :)  I was happy to seem some building finally! 

Oh and eating the snake was gross.  Ew. 

[seasick]

22 hours ago, roamyn said:

ood for Sam, getting some protein, but did anyone else wanna yell at him, when he was describing the thought process behind his 10 items “why flour?”! 

This came up in the "making the cut" ep I believe.   I certainly asked about it  as it seemed a strange choice.  But a few shared that you an make a form of flour and water dumpling or noodle, and bannock.   Now of course I wonder why Sam did not throw some noodles in his 'gravy or his onions.  Sam does not strike me as a creative foodie/cook so I still wonder  why he brought it.    In fact, as someone else pointed out somewhere..they never mention their rations.  It is no secret..we know you have them!!  

[raven]

2 minutes ago, seasick said:

In fact, as someone else pointed out somewhere..they never mention their rations.  It is no secret..we know you have them!!  

I wondered about this too! They must be told not to talk about/show/cook the rations while on camera.  Like you said......we know you have them!

[seasick]

1 hour ago, raven said:

I wondered about this too! They must be told not to talk about/show/cook the rations while on camera.  Like you said......we know you have them!

I wouldn't put much past the production when I consider how they edit, telegraph tap-out's, and twist  reality etc.  But my guess is it's a matter of pride as in   (Brad) "I haven't had anything to eat in a week" (except for the 2 pounds of trail mix I've been wolfing down and now I'm out of it...  so...)"   

[Quilt Fairy]

10 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Nicole is not the person in that clip that we have seen. The blanket covering in that clip is totally different then her sleeping bag and the evacuation urgency was missing.

I caught that as well, they very carefully never show any part of the person they're loading into the evac plane (or is it a helicopter?).   I kept thinking that Nicole's MS flare-up was a fake-out and it would in fact be someone with a snake bite or an accident.    But then Nicole did tap out and they took her out on a board like the teaser shows, so I thought I was over-thinking it like I've done with Season 2 of Westworld.

But now I think you're right.

[LittleIggy]

Gary on Naked and Afraid XL would have slurped down the snake semen! ?

[cooksdelight]

Way back when Survivor was interesting, someone used flour to make tortillas. But I’d probably never use it out in the wild.

[OoogleEyes]

My heart broke for Nicole. I just wanted to give her a hug. If you're reading this, Nicole,  you . are . awesome 

[seasick]

6 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Way back when Survivor was interesting, someone used flour to make tortillas. But I’d probably never use it out in the wild.

That was Jerri Manthey in Australia!  I remember so  much about the early seasons..not so much lately.  I thnk it was more interesting then!!  

But a crunchy flour tortilla would be a nice change of pace out  here.

[humbleopinion]

I have a sneaking feeling that Sam does not like to eat fish unless it is  frozen and in stick form so his fishing attempts are half hearted...

[Token]

37 minutes ago, humbleopinion said:

I have a sneaking feeling that Sam does not like to eat fish unless it is  frozen and in stick form so his fishing attempts are half hearted...

And someone other than him went to the store to buy it and cooks it for him.  Because, ugh, work is so much like work!!

[holly4755]

a lot of the contestants post on Bushcraftusa.com

her is what Nicole posted. 

Quote

Thanks for the kind words everyone. My symptoms started on Day 2 and I left Day 9 when I couldn't walk...kept waiting for the pendulum to swing the other way and feel better. I'll be writing about what actually triggered the attack and also about my 4 month journey of natural recovery on my FB page - https://www.facebook.com/nicoleapeliansurvival/ and my website's blog (www.nicoleapelian.com) for anyone interested. I am walking again and healthy and back to teaching, running my herbal apothecary and doing natural wellness coaching for people with autoimmune issue. Thanks again :). - Nicole

on this page

https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/alone-season-5-episode-3-redemption-mongolia.226565/

[cooksdelight]

If Nicole can use this show and her experience to bring awareness to MS, and ways to combat the disease.. good!!! 

My friend who has the disease said she’d never go on a show like this, she’d rather spend her time with family.

I’m not sure what Nicole’s motivations are. But I wish her all the best.

[TVbitch]

Are they allowed to take Rx medications with them? 

[humbleopinion]

 Nicole gave the impression she treats her MS with herbs, plants and what nots....

[TVbitch]

Yes, I am aware of that @humbleopinion, I just wondered if people on Rx's were allowed to bring them. I mean, they would have to, right? If so, why not allow Nicole to bring herbal supplements, although I could see where that might open a can of worms as herbs are "food".  I wonder if she could have brought traditional Rx meds just in case she had a flare up. 

[dgpolo]

45 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Are they allowed to take Rx medications with them? 

I don't know, but I really don't see how that would work. The way they push their bodies to extremes would not be good for any medication they would have started out with, and it seems to me that it would open up the show to a lot of liability. What if they lost their meds in the river, or their fire, or just walking around the wilderness. Would production be expected to replace them? If the meds are steroid based they might be considered an advantage? then others would sue... I just can't imagine it would be allowed.

[holly4755]

there are some medications that are preventative. i.e. like cholesterol meds, not good to miss them but I don't think it would kill you that much sooner.  if you had diabetes, the would not be the place for you. if you had a heart problem, they would not have you on the show, so no meds for that.  personally I was on no meds until into my late 60's and these people are younger. Nichole is an outlier.  you can't be on with a lot of diseases, so the odds are the people applying do not have that sort of problem.  maybe someone will sue to be allowed on in the future, but for now, I believe, if you have a problem meeting the criteria of the show (alone without aids, you will be weeded out. 

[cooksdelight]

Prescription meds for minor issues are supplied. These people are not totally alone, as we’ve seen medical staff checking on them. I know women on birth control pills on various shows get their pills each day. But for them to put a woman out there with MS seems pretty reckless on production’s part.

To my knowledge, this is the first person on a reality survival-type show with such a major health issue.