"Alone" Season 1 Review: History Channel's Most Extreme Survival Challenge

The first season of "Alone" aired back in 2015 on the History channel. It is currently available on Hulu. See my reviews of other seasons here

For those unfamiliar with the show, ten people are dropped off separately in a remote location. (in season 4 it was seven paired teams). Each person can bring ten items (not including their clothes). Each person is responsible for filming themselves. They are also given a satellite phone to call for rescue if needed. The person who survives the longest gets $500,000.

There is also a spin off series entitled "Alone: The Beast" which premiered in 2020. Here three people try to go it with nothing but their clothes and a freshly killed animal (moose, alligator, wild boar etc). There is also a similar Danish series called "Alone In The Wilderness".

Contestants in the first, second and fourth seasons were dropped off on northern Vancouver Island, BC. The ten contestants from season 1 are listed below along with the items each chose to bring (out of a pre-approved list of 40).

EQUIPMENT

Everyone selected a # of the same items: Axe, sleeping bag, 2 qt pot, ferro rod, fishing kit. Nine people selected a knife (Josh didnt). Six people selected a tarp and saw. Five people selected paracord. Surprisingly (at least to me) four people selected a bow and arrows.

Josh Chavez- saw, axe, groundsheet, paracord, sleeping bag, bivi bag, pot, fishing kit, bow and arrows
Dustin Feher- axe, sleeping bag, pot, paracord, ferro rod, water bottle, fishing line, gill net, slingshot. knife.
Alan Kay- saw, axe, sleeping bag, pot, ferro rod, water bottle, fishing kit, gill net, wire, knife
Sam Larson- axe, sleeping bag, ferro rod, knife fishing kit, tarp, pot, slingshot, bow and arrows, emergency rations (pemmican)
Brant McGee- tarp, paracord, axe, sleeping bag, pot fishing kit, bow and arrows, knife, emergency rations
Lucas Miller- tarp, saw, axe, sleeping bag, pot, ferro rod, fishing kit, extra tarp, extra rations, knife
Mitch Mitchell- axe, sleeping bag, bibi, pot, ferro rrod, fishing kit, gill net, bow and arrows, knife, sharpening stone
Joe Robinet- tarp, pot, paracord, sleeping bag, fire steel, fishing line, gillnet, knife, axe, emergency rations
Wayne Russell- roundsheet, saw, axe, sleeping bag, pot, fishing kit, knife, multitool
Chris Weatherman- saw, ax, sleeping bag, ferro rod, 2 quart pot, fishing line and hooks, box and six arrows, knife, sharpening stone

FINAL RESULTS:

Josh Chavez- tapped out Day 1 due to bears
Dustin Feher- tapped out Day 7 after gale force storm
Alan Kay- WINNER- survived for 56 days
Sam Larson-tapped out Day 55, wanted to get home and see his pregnant wife
Brant McGee- tapped out Day 6 due to isolation.
Lucas Miller- tapped out Day 39, left because he felt mentally, psychically, spiritually he had done what he set out to do. Lucas was one of the most inventive contestants-- making a boat, several structures (including a yurt) and even a musical instrument
Mitch Mitchell- tapped out Day 43, wanted to get home to see his mom who has brain cancer. He was also one of my favorites.
Joe Robinet- tapped out Day 3 since the tide took his ferro rod and couldnt make fire.
Wayne Russell- tapped out Day 4 due to being charged by a bear
Chris Weatherman- tapped out Day 2 due to bears

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

In The Beginning- When the first two guys tapped out, it seems a bit strange. You'd think people with wilderness experience would be used to the presence of bears and wolves-- but I guess not. I think they throw a few novices in the mix with the hard core survivalists in order to make a better story.

The Weather- It wasnt extremely cold in the season 1 locale but there was tons of rain to contend with. There's nothing worse than being cold and hungry with no end in sight.

The Food (or lack of it)- From the show notes the participants had the option of some MREs as one of their 10 items but I'm not sure how many or of what type. The long term survivors seemed to handle starvation pretty well subsisting on kelp, seaweed, a few rats and fish.

The Isolation-Isolation turned out to be the biggest factor that no one prepared for. Lots of people think starving and freezing but no one talks about the toll complete isolation (since there's not even a film crew) has on a person. I think one of the reasons Alan won is he seemed to be more at ease with himself (often making jokes when he was recording). Like he said, if you spend a lot of time alone, you better like yourself. Alan appears to be an all around good soul. He was definitely my favorite from season 1.

Grade: No grade assigned since this is a reality show.

Photo Credits:

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/alone/s01

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eLnWTWh1sk