Alone: If you only watch 1 TV show this year | SnallaBolaget.com
If you’re not one for benching yourself in front of the TV or binging on Netflix, there’s still one show you should definitely set aside a chunk of time for. The History Channel, which isn’t really dealing much in history anymore, it seems, has produced one of 2015’s most fascinating shows.
“Alone” puts 10 men in the wilderness, armed with a small but supreme collection of survival tools, and leaves them there to fend for themselves, all with enough distance between them to ensure they can’t come in contact with each other. Then, they each have to survive for as long as possible with what they have, build, catch and find. Last man standing gets 500,000 dollars.
Pure Survival
There’s been a myriad of so-called survival shows over the last decade or so, with some gnarly characters fronting them at times, from ex special forces guys to whatever one would like to call Bear Grylls. As a side note here, one might mention that the reason no one talks about all their success following Bear’s advice, is that they all died following Bear’s advice. Anyway.
Alone has broken a barrier – there are no camera teams, there’s no safety net besides a satellite phone, used solely for tapping out when the participant has had enough and needs rescue. That’s never been done before. The ten guys all film themselves arriving, setting up their first, flimsy camp, getting their first fire started with the flint and steel, and the myriad trials and tribulations that the absolute wilderness serves up on a conveyor belt.
With very limited supplies, the race is on from the first minute, to get set up, get warm, get water and find a food supply. The show has calculated for a maximum stay of 1 year in the wilderness, and even though the contestants never get close to that – (and we won’t spoil it for you) – the last one to go makes an impressive effort. Extremely impressive (and we’d like to see Bear do the same thing).
Survival Gear
We’ve talked about bug-out-bags and survival gear before, but in this show, you can see for yourself what really works when the woods are your only option. Here’s a sample of what the 10 guys had with them;
- 1 pair high leg Hunting boots
- 2 pairs of Outdoor Pants
- 1 t-shirt
- 2 fleece or wool shirts
- 3 pairs wool socks
- 1 hat
- 1 bandana or shemagh
- 1 pair gloves
- 1 light outdoor jacket
- 2 pairs underwear
- 1 rain jacket and rain trousers
- 1 thermal underwear (long)
- 1 pair of gaiters
- 1 military first aid kit
- 1 small mirror
- 1 20×20 canvas tarp
- 1 head lamp
Plus some hunting equipment (no guns), tools and a small cache of basic food stuff. Here’s the full list.
Real People, Real Survival
No matter how short or how long they stay, all the contestants on the Alone show gains insight into both themselves and their abilities during their time in the woods, and there are valuable lessons for all of us here. One of the most charismatic contestants, Alan Kay, is certainly carrying much of the show this season, with not only unique insight into the art of survival, but the human mind as well. He’s well worth your time.
Check out the show, on Amazon or on History.com!
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