There were apparently five episodes total to "Apocalypse 101" even though I only saw one last year. I've said it before but NatGeo can you PLEASE do a better job of advertising your shows? We want to watch them but half the time we cant figure out when they air. See Amazon Instant Video for previous episodes: http://www.amazon.com/.
See my reviews of other prepping/survival resources such as "Doomsday Preppers", "Naked & Afraid", "America Unplugged", Les Strouds, Bear Grylls, etc: http://gmonster320.blogspot.com/search/label/preppers and http://gmonster320.blogspot.com/search/label/survival
The Forge Team
Four former Marines work at Forge Survival Supply in Colorado-- Joel (CEO), Mark (survival fitness expert), Mike (combat intelligence officer), and Jimmy (hand to hand combat expert). They teach people how to survive during crises or catastrophies. As a whole, I thought the series was good. It provided info that we've not seen in other shows. There's more of a practical, low budget, hands on approach. And there seems to be less useless filler than what we've seen previously on "Doomsday Preppers". Will there be any more seasons of "Apocalypse 101"? I would definitely watch.
Creating Barriers Around Your House
Episode 1: "Expect The Unexpected"
Viewable for free on Amazon. The Cokers (Travis and Kim) are taught how to fortify their homestead by Mike and Mark. They have 40 acres to protect and have four little girls (under the age of 6). They have a solar powered RV that can be used as a bug out vehicle. Their well is currently on the grid but can run off a generator and be set up for solar. The Cokers are going to have difficulty stopping intruders from getting to their house. They suggest the Cokers coordinate with their neighbors for defense (since there's no way two people can defense their site).
The road is the most vulnerable spot. They put telephone poles, barbed wire and a car in the way to keep people from driving straight in. They're adding trenches so they can get under cover and fire. They give the Cokers one hour to prepare and then simulate an attack with paint balls. As predicted the two cant defend against four people. At least the preps slow them down soon. Travis still doesnt want to involve the neighbors.
Back at the shop we meet a 14 year old named Josh who has been prepping on his own. He has a 35 lb bug out bag. Mark suggests he practice hiking with the bag at least once per week. Both Josh and his mother have some hand to hand combat training. Mark helps him with some additional skills.
Jerome has all his prepping stash on his motorcycle. He wants to get an assessment of his preps from Forge. He has a large tube that he can use to shoots darts. Isnt that harder to use than a gun (or is it to be used in addition to a gun)? They give him 5 minutes to hide his motorcycle. Being on a motorcycle can create other issues too. He can easily be stopped, his gear can fall off, the motorcycle can malfunction. He has no backups for what's on his bike. They show him a kevlar vest and he needs something on his head.
Ron is trying to protect from an EMP (electro magnetic pulse) attack. They create a Farraday cage. This protects all your electronics in a metal shell and dissipates the pulse around the equipment inside (so they dont get fried). They construct theirs out of wood, rubber and mesh. It's grounded with a 14 gauge grounding wire connected to a grounding rod. Mission accomplished.
Andy gives the guys a firearms refresher. Three types of weapons are recommended: 1. a handgun (he recommends a 9 mm for beginners); 2. a long rifle and 3. a shotgun (12 gauge).
Josh Gets Some Pointers From The Forge Folks
Episode 2: "Ready To Rumble"
Tommy is in gunsmithing school. He wants to learn more about other skills (such as knife use). He has a Kukri knife. They also suggest the Perry blade as a great option. The monkey fist is also available for $10. It's cord with a ball bearing in it and is very effective.
Steve is a Vietnam vet who lives in a highly populated area near a big trailer park. He doesnt want to bug out but wants to stay in place. The team worked on some options but being in that area, all mauraders have to do is burn them out.
Josh is a 17 year old prepper. They cut him down quite a bit but he's very young. They show him how to purchase a better knife and a better blade. They take him to the gun range. He's a good shot even though he hasnt fired a gun before.
Back to Steve. They help him make some cheap preps such as barbed wire, sharpened bamboo shoots and some nasty boards with nails and screws.
Next the team meets with the Long Island Preppers. Two of the founders are a marine and a psychologist (which I found interesting). They do a boot camp and each member has a special skill (surgeons, electricians, lawyers, etc). I am temped to make a lawyer joke here but I'll refrain. They go to their bug out location which needs to support 120 people at least. It is a very large abandoned building (that is going to be hard to defend).
Jeff is a new prepper and wants to learn primitive survival skills. When Jeff did a test run, he gave all his water to his dog first. Fatal mistake in a real situation. Forge says they encounter a number of people who have learned from the internet but have no practical experience with starting fires, etc. They show him how to use a magnifying glass and how to use a 9v battery and steel wool as alternate methods. I can tell you from experience that many grocery stores dont sell steel wool anymore. I've been looking for some time. They show him how to build a rudimentary shelter and how to build snares. Remember "slow is smooth. Smooth is fast."
Fleeing New York City Is A Rough Order
Episode 3: "The Warrior Spirit"
Mark and Jimmy visit novice preppers Jay and Daniel in New York City. Getting out of any large city (especially NYC) is going to be a big challenge. What do they have at home to defend themselves with-- glasses, bottle openers, etc. They teach Daniel and Jay introductory self defense and how to make basic weapons (nails in a bat etc). They do a bug out test and have to pack and get to their location in 30 minutes. Jay and Daniel are attacked in a tunnel but quickly acclimate and defend themselves. They get to the Hudson River and are able to inflate their raft and paddle away. Both men do much better than I thought so that's great. If they keep enhancing their skills and add food/water storage they'll be on their way.
Joel and Mike meet with Theo at the store and show him some practical weapons he can make (a knife tapped to a broom handle, a sling, etc). Theo does well on their outdoor test. He should be able to successfully defend himself if need be.
Billy and his family move from the city to the mountains. He is interested in living off the grid. He has some guns (including an AR). They test the AR and Billy learns how to use the built in sights. Joel takes Bill and his wife to see a friend (Scott's) home. They burn wood, have alpaca, lamas and chickens. Living off the grid is definitely a LOT of work. Next Bill and his wife do an urban drill. Here's some pointers when trying to escape a city on food:
1. Look behind you every 3-5 steps.
2. Walk in a staggered pattern.
3. Communicate using body language.
4. Avoid using storm drains, doorways or alleys.
5. Speed is security.
6. Keep 4-6 feet away from buildings.
Tyler visits the shop. He has quite an attitude. Everything in the backpack needs to be tight so it doesnt bounce around (or get snagged on something). Stay away from cotton and instead use wool clothing. He has a .22 and a .45 for weapons. Both weapons misfire for some reason. This is why I prefer pistols (but no one asked me). Only major problem you'd usually have is if the bullet is bad and then move to the next one. By the end, Tyler decides he has a lot to learn. It is good he visited Forge before he really needed to use those weapons.
Episode 4: "Guns, Bunkers, and Grease"
Mark and Mike meets prepper Jeffrey. He lives as a nomad in his truck with his dog Ky. He wants help with security. He regularly builds a teepee which seems to work well. His dog continually hunts. He uses a slingshot with an arrow to catch game.
Mike and Mark want to mount a 12 gauge shotgun outside Jeffrey's truck. They use a bike brake so he can fire it from inside the truck. That's cool but wouldnt it be better to just keep the shotgun inside the cab with him? They also add a rack on the roof, an outside spotlight and a small caliber gun bracket that he can use from the sunroof.
They also talk about security around his teepee-- natural barriers, tin cans on fishing line or paracord, egress routes, etc.
Leianna is looking for bunker options for her and her seven children. They do a bunker simulation (with a storage container). There are no separate rooms and no privacy. It gets hot and Joel/Mike start shaking the container to simulate an earthquake. They last about 4 hours and then the young children becomes scared. Leianna decides this might not be the best option for her family. I was surprised they steered her away from a bunker. In certain situations they might be very useful.
A native American man named Lloyd and his dog arrives at Forge. He has 30 people in his group. He is looking for help with water purification. The easiest way is a two liter bottle with cotton, sand, charcoal (from your fire) and then rocks on top. Also iodine, purification tablets, and of course boiling water can be used. Lloyd says the spirit ancestors and animals say something bad is coming some time soon.
A woman named Lexi in NYC wants to bug in and needs help preparing. They cover the windows in chicken wire and put razor wire on the fire escape. Trash bags and tape can be used to black out the windows. Cans can be used as early warning devices that will alert her to intruders. She can also put grease on the fire escape ladder. They trap a pigeon and show her how to prepare it. She has been a vegetarian for 20 years so this is not easy for her. Surviving in an apartment alone is extremely difficult. You have to sleep sometime and when you do, you're screwed. I dont think they did her any favors by not telling her the negatives about the situation.
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Episode 5: "Better Safe Than Sorry"Kevin and Joseph are novice preppers but they're also gold prospectors. They barter with gold. The Forge guys show them some storage containers to possibly hide their gold in. Joel and Mike discuss security at their camp (which we can see is right off the road so bypassers can easily see them). There have several guns and bug out bags. Joel suggest having a raft and also investigating other egress routes through the mountains (so they wont have to travel on the road). The Forge guys get a lesson in panning for gold.
Rick is a prepper in Texas. He lives in a upscale community next to a lake (so has a good water source). Rick has lots of guns 10,000 rounds of ammo and other toys. He has a British armored recon vehicle (called the field mouse) and a Hummer. Rick is from Vietnam so has seen how things can go downhill quickly. His family was able to jump on a plane and escape. Mark challenges Rick to transfer his gun room into a war room (so he keeps the workable guns, MREs, water, knives, etc). He should also stock up on items to barter with (alcohol, tobacco, coins, etc).
Next they go to San Antonio to see Dan and Greg. They are novices and want suggestions on how t get started. Bug out bags are reviewed. Forge is big on 550 paracord. And I'm glad they brought up that you need to make sure your weapons are always clean and functional. The guys have a bug out location one hour away. They do a test run. Greg is pulled over on his way. He stops and talks to the two men who let him pass. Dan also encounters two guys with guns pointing at them. He speeds away. Next they see an older woman stranded by the side of the road. No, you should NOT stop for her (and yes that was a trap because there was a man in the back seat). Next two people are walking down the road. We cannot see one's hands (and yes the person pulls a gun). Greg and Dan manage to speed away. Realistically they would have been killed several times during those scenarios. Next they need to add their families and two vehicles to the simulations.
Kevin is a novice prepper. He plans to bug in and currently has 4 weapons-- a shotgun, a .22, a .347 and a .25. Joel recommends an additional weapon-- an AK 47 (which doesnt have that much recoil). The team also suggests a cache burial vault (so he can bury some guns elsewhere in the event he has to leave his house). Kevin goes a good job with the zombie target at the range.
Next Chris shows them his Earth Roamer (which I had never seen before). It has solar panels. Interesting. He wants to beef up his security. Off they go to the Earth Roamer factory. Mark suggests woven kevlar curtains. He also recommends having a roll out plate that would go over the door and function as a safe to hold all Chris' guns (possibly with fingerprint recognition). What I really like about the ER is that its not too big so can be used offroad etc. I might need one of those.
Grade: No score since this is reality show.
The World According To GMonster
TV: Heavy On Sci Fi, Horror & Adventure; Light On Reality
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