2 min read
Alone is the reality show for people who don't watch reality shows. As the title suggests, 10 people are dropped into the Canadian Arctic alone, left to survive off the land, with nothing but 10 items, a vlogging camera and an emergency phone. The last person standing wins a cash prize.
As the contestants battle with extreme hunger and reduced bodily function, we begin to see it's as much a psychological experiment as it is a survival show.
How do they cope with true isolation outside of their weekly mandatory medical checks? Hint: they don’t. Scrounging for something edible in the barren, icy forests and getting stuck in a snowstorm are sometimes not even the greatest challenges.
How far would you go for half a million dollars? Would you silence your waning body with something that could make you sick, like rabbit intestines? Or would you rather watch your body and mind waste away before you as it deteriorates without a proper food source?
The division between the contests really does come down to their resilience. While some can barely handle being away from home, others thrive. They construct double-walled insulated huts, craft fishing lures and slingshots out of tree wood, and go to extreme lengths when their food is stolen by other wild animals.
I’m not big on reality shows, but Alone gripped me. Every episode had me thinking ‘How did they even think of that?’ to ‘That was… the stupidest thing you could have done.’
It makes you think about how long you’d last, when you’d tap out, and what your redeeming quality would be. You might think ‘I could probably fight a bear,’ or ‘I too could create a bouji knife holster out of a rabbit’s hide.’ But the truth is, I can't live without my heater. Or my coffee. I do not want to skin my dinner and assess it for parasites. But I’d love to watch other people try.
All seasons of Alone are currently available to stream on Binge in Australia.
