I wrote about S1 and I've just watched S6. The participants in S6 were outstanding and the conditions way beyond dreadful. I like the show, although it seems like torture porn. I wish they could have a season that wasn't so harsh and really allowed participants to thrive in the wild instead of barely--and I mean just barely--surviving. The extreme conditions work to speed up the process of elimination, but it just seems cruel and very inhumane, like throw gladiators into the arena.
S1: Absolutely extraordinary! A thrilling landscape and a formidable challenge for the participants: survive in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.
First of all, it seems a little risky as a TV show as it wouldn't be impossible for someone to die doing this, not impossible at all. The chances of someone being hurt would be highly likely, in my opinion. The location they use in this season is the spectacular Pacific Northwest, an area I know pretty well having lived in Seattle for eight years and I spent a lot of time in the mountains in Washington and British Columbia. Bushwhacking through these woods is extremely difficult and the weather (I think they began the show in late September or October) is pretty wretched as you will see. Below are a few of my thoughts as I watched the episodes.
I went through Air Force Survival School in eastern Washington (Spokane) and it sucked, mostly because it was the coldest winter in school history (just my luck). I'm not saying that I would do well in this sort of thing but I guarantee I'd last more than a few days.
Dudes are crying after a couple of days-one guy the first night like the fat guy in Shawshank. I could go without water or food for a few days without missing a beat. "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Grow up and grow a pair.
The most embarrassing thing is the "rescue team" that snags the very early quitters, as if they are being rescued. No, you aren't being rescued; you're giving up almost immediately.
"Nobody knows what it's like out here except the ten guys doing it." Dustin (quit after 6 days). I think that a vast Indian population who lived there for centuries would beg to differ.
Stop trying to build a canoe, dude. Make a decent house in which you can sit out a mild Northwest storm without crapping yourself and crying. What a bunch of crybabies. Seriously, Crying? On camera?
"I did it. I made a boat." Fantastic, how does this help you survive? And how the hell does he have time to build a canoe? To do that he obviously isn't having trouble getting food and water in which case one would ask why he feels the need to build a damn canoe.
I think that after three weeks you could walk out of there with your head up. That's a long time and shows that you could probably go longer it you had to do it. By episode 8 they are into their fifth week in the wilderness, time enough to have serious problems with hunger. Sam was the big surprise for me because he looked like some Dungeons and Dragons video game punk and he hung in there. Sam-mouseboy-seems to be putting way too much effort into trapping tiny rodents which present a small pay-off if you succeed and would hardly provide the calories you need. Roasting it wouldn't be the best choice, calorically speaking, to prepare food. Boil it in water to retain every bit of fat. The same goes for fish and shellfish.
In this area if you aren't fishing you are wasting your time. Mushrooms would also be a likely and abundant source of carbohydrates. Shellfish would seem to be abundant and easy to snatch. This part of the world is lousy with mussels and oysters but I didn't see anyone making much use of this resource. A couple of them brought along a bow and arrows and a slingshot (Sam) yet we see only one half-hearted attempt by Sam to hunt. There is only one bit of film of him letting lose a single arrow. They couldn't kill a bird?
I'm just not seeing enough food production from any of them to sustain life. Allan was the only one who seemed even remotely successful in getting a few fish but they never showed him catching anything in his big fish trap. Meanwhile Lucas is spending his time making a lute? Not the best use of your time when you're slowly starving to death. I would spend every waking minute getting food, water, and making my shelter the best it could be.
None of them brought a shovel. Maybe it wasn't on the list but it seems like it would have been a valuable tool. If it wasn't available to bring along they could have made one for clam and mussel digging and other chores around the camp.
Here is what the last four packed in (the other six who left early were complete chumps so I didn't bother with their lists):
Allan 1. Saw 2. Axe 3. Sleeping bag 4. Large 2-quart pot 5. Ferro rod 6. Water bottle/canteen 7. 300 yards single filament line with 25 assorted hooks 8. Small gauge gill net 9. 3.5lb wire 10. Knife
Sam 1. 12×12 ground sheet tarp 2. Axe 3. Sleeping bag 4. Large 2-quart pot 5. Ferro rod 6. 300 yards of single filament line with 25 assorted hooks 7. Bow and 6 arrows 8. Slingshot 9. Extra emergency rations 10. Knife
In the end the best man won, and the funniest man, and the most articulate man, and the most philosophical man. Alan just seems like a great guy.
S1: Absolutely extraordinary! A thrilling landscape and a formidable challenge for the participants: survive in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.
First of all, it seems a little risky as a TV show as it wouldn't be impossible for someone to die doing this, not impossible at all. The chances of someone being hurt would be highly likely, in my opinion. The location they use in this season is the spectacular Pacific Northwest, an area I know pretty well having lived in Seattle for eight years and I spent a lot of time in the mountains in Washington and British Columbia. Bushwhacking through these woods is extremely difficult and the weather (I think they began the show in late September or October) is pretty wretched as you will see. Below are a few of my thoughts as I watched the episodes.
I went through Air Force Survival School in eastern Washington (Spokane) and it sucked, mostly because it was the coldest winter in school history (just my luck). I'm not saying that I would do well in this sort of thing but I guarantee I'd last more than a few days.
Dudes are crying after a couple of days-one guy the first night like the fat guy in Shawshank. I could go without water or food for a few days without missing a beat. "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Grow up and grow a pair.
The most embarrassing thing is the "rescue team" that snags the very early quitters, as if they are being rescued. No, you aren't being rescued; you're giving up almost immediately.
"Nobody knows what it's like out here except the ten guys doing it." Dustin (quit after 6 days). I think that a vast Indian population who lived there for centuries would beg to differ.
Stop trying to build a canoe, dude. Make a decent house in which you can sit out a mild Northwest storm without crapping yourself and crying. What a bunch of crybabies. Seriously, Crying? On camera?
"I did it. I made a boat." Fantastic, how does this help you survive? And how the hell does he have time to build a canoe? To do that he obviously isn't having trouble getting food and water in which case one would ask why he feels the need to build a damn canoe.
I think that after three weeks you could walk out of there with your head up. That's a long time and shows that you could probably go longer it you had to do it. By episode 8 they are into their fifth week in the wilderness, time enough to have serious problems with hunger. Sam was the big surprise for me because he looked like some Dungeons and Dragons video game punk and he hung in there. Sam-mouseboy-seems to be putting way too much effort into trapping tiny rodents which present a small pay-off if you succeed and would hardly provide the calories you need. Roasting it wouldn't be the best choice, calorically speaking, to prepare food. Boil it in water to retain every bit of fat. The same goes for fish and shellfish.
In this area if you aren't fishing you are wasting your time. Mushrooms would also be a likely and abundant source of carbohydrates. Shellfish would seem to be abundant and easy to snatch. This part of the world is lousy with mussels and oysters but I didn't see anyone making much use of this resource. A couple of them brought along a bow and arrows and a slingshot (Sam) yet we see only one half-hearted attempt by Sam to hunt. There is only one bit of film of him letting lose a single arrow. They couldn't kill a bird?
I'm just not seeing enough food production from any of them to sustain life. Allan was the only one who seemed even remotely successful in getting a few fish but they never showed him catching anything in his big fish trap. Meanwhile Lucas is spending his time making a lute? Not the best use of your time when you're slowly starving to death. I would spend every waking minute getting food, water, and making my shelter the best it could be.
None of them brought a shovel. Maybe it wasn't on the list but it seems like it would have been a valuable tool. If it wasn't available to bring along they could have made one for clam and mussel digging and other chores around the camp.
Here is what the last four packed in (the other six who left early were complete chumps so I didn't bother with their lists):
Allan 1. Saw 2. Axe 3. Sleeping bag 4. Large 2-quart pot 5. Ferro rod 6. Water bottle/canteen 7. 300 yards single filament line with 25 assorted hooks 8. Small gauge gill net 9. 3.5lb wire 10. Knife
Sam 1. 12×12 ground sheet tarp 2. Axe 3. Sleeping bag 4. Large 2-quart pot 5. Ferro rod 6. 300 yards of single filament line with 25 assorted hooks 7. Bow and 6 arrows 8. Slingshot 9. Extra emergency rations 10. Knife
In the end the best man won, and the funniest man, and the most articulate man, and the most philosophical man. Alan just seems like a great guy.