“Alone” is an enthralling American survival competition series that was featured on The History Channel. The show documents the gripping and solitary journey of 10 individuals, seven paired teams in the 4th season, who face the daunting task of surviving alone in the wilderness with only a limited set of survival gear. Isolated from each other and all other human contact, participants endure the daily struggles of harsh conditions as they strive to remain in the competition for as long as possible.
The show introduces a captivating twist where contestants have the option to “tap out” at any point if they find the challenges overwhelming or fail a medical evaluation. The main aim of the survivors is to outlast all other competitors and emerge as the sole survivor, earning a grand prize initially set at 500,000 dollars but increased to a staggering million dollars in the 7th season.
Filmed in breathtaking and remote locations, often on Indigenous-controlled lands, such as Northern Vancouver Island, Patagonia’s Nahuel Huapi National Park, and the picturesque Great Slave Lake, the series immerses viewers in the awe-inspiring beauty and unforgiving nature of these diverse environments.
Through its spellbinding storytelling, “Alone” offers an authentic portrayal of the physical, mental, and emotional challenges faced by participants who are pushed to their limits in the pursuit of survival. It showcases their resilience, adaptability, and profound connection with the natural world. The series provides a unique insight into the indomitable spirit of humanity when confronted with extreme circumstances, serving as a captivating testament to the unyielding power of the human will in the face of nature’s trials.
Let us have a quick look at the main storyline of the show, Alone:
“Alone” is one of the riveting reality TV series that made its debut in June and concluded its first season in August 2015. It succeeded in captivating audiences with its thrilling story base. The inaugural season comprised 11 episodes featuring a group of tenacious individuals striving to survive in the wilderness. Ultimately, after an impressive 56 days of solitude, Alan Kay emerged as the victor, securing his place in the annals of the show’s history.
The second season of “Alone” premiered on April 21, 2016, introducing several intriguing developments. Spanning 13 one-hour episodes, the season included a reunion episode and a fascinating “Episode 0,” which showcased the selection process for the ten contestants from an initial pool of 20 based on survival skills, on-camera personality, and adaptability to the show’s equipment.
Notably, season two broke new ground by introducing female participants, thereby diversifying the competition. David McIntyre clinched the title, having shed around 20 pounds during the grueling weeks of survival. Mike Lowe stood out as a particularly innovative contestant, impressing viewers by constructing various objects, including a sink, a boat, and even a football game, showcasing his resourcefulness and ingenuity.
The third season of “Alone” was highly anticipated and got premiered on December 8, 2016. This edition of the show presented an even greater test of endurance and determination as the contestants battled the harsh elements and isolation. Zachary Fowler emerged as the triumphant survivor, having endured 70 pounds of weight loss, equivalent to a third of his initial body weight. Season 3 also witnessed the first instance of a participant being medically evacuated.
Dave Nessia, who finished in fourth place, faced critical health concerns due to insufficient caloric intake, which led to dangerously low blood pressure. Carleigh Fairchild was withdrawn from the competition due to significant weight loss and a body mass index (BMI) below the designated threshold. Contestants that had a BMI of 17 or less were automatically prevented from the competition to ensure their well-being.
The fourth season of “Alone” retained the show’s adrenaline-inducing nature while introducing an intriguing team dynamic. Fourteen contestants, consisting of seven pairs of family members, were dropped off individually in remote areas of Northern Vancouver Island. Each team had to divide ten items of survival gear equally between them, necessitating strategic decision-making and fostering collaborative efforts.
Season 5 took a novel approach by selecting contestants from previous seasons who had not emerged as winners. This unique twist offered a second chance to non-victorious participants from Seasons 1 through 4, providing an opportunity for redemption and a shot at ultimate survival.
Season 7 presented an unparalleled challenge for the participants—surviving for an astounding 100 days to compete for a grand prize of $1 million. The season also introduced “Alone: Tales from the Arctic,” captivating segments at the end of each episode where host Colby Donaldson engaged in post-season conversations with the featured contestants, accompanied by previously unseen footage.
Filmed in the fall of 2021, Season 9 of “Alone” tested participants’ resilience in the harsh weather conditions of Northeastern Labrador. This season’s unique twist included encounters with the formidable polar bear, adding an extra layer of danger to the already formidable challenges. Additionally, two new digital content series accompanied Season 9: “The Ride Back,” delving into the emotional journeys of participants as they prepared to tap out, and “Shelter from the Storm,” offering a closer look at the ingenious shelters crafted by the contestants.
“Alone” continues to enthrall audiences with its raw portrayal of survival in the wilderness. The series showcases the indomitable spirit of ordinary individuals pushed to extraordinary limits, confronting the elements, testing their mental fortitude, and braving encounters with predators. Each season brings fresh challenges, unexpected twists, and unforgettable moments as participants strive to outlast their peers and claim the coveted title of the ultimate survivor.
If you have fallen in love with this Alone series, you would surely like to dive deep and watch more such shows, won’t you? So, we are here with a list of 10 shows like Alone that will provide you with the same thrill and enthusiasm but in a pretty new way!
1. Siren: Survive the Island
Sirens: Survive the Island is a South Korean reality competition series on the OTT platform Netflix. The survival show brings together 24 women representing various professions, such as police officers, firefighters, security guards, soldiers, athletes, stuntwomen, etc. These women are divided into six standing groups of four on their job and are sent to a remote island to make a thrilling and exciting journey of challenges and survival.
Over seven days, these teams compete against each other in a variety of nail-biting challenges, testing their physical fitness, mental strength, and teamwork with the ultimate goal of survivors outperforming their competitors and demonstrating their strength and endurance skills.
The first season of “Siren: Survive the Island” consists of ten episodes. The first five episodes of this thriller series premiered on May 30, 2023, followed by the remaining five episodes on Netflix on June 6, 2023. The series makes available to viewers an immersive and intense experience of witnessing competitor success, setbacks, personal growth, or transformation on a remote island or wild place.
2. Naked and Afraid
Naked and Afraid is America’s popular live-reality series that airs on the Discovery Channel. The show chronicles the unique experiences of two survivors (usually husband and wife or other couples) with the arduous task of surviving 21 days in harsh wild conditions, naked completely, without following the daily needs of human beings.
Survivors must be stripped of all existing clothing and belongings, leaving behind only one thing they want to help them in their quest for survival. During the 21 days, they must cope with physical, mental, and emotionally ground challenges. The main goals of the survivors are to build a safe haven, access fresh water, obtain food through hunting, and navigate treacherous terrain.
Viewers can see the struggles, triumphs, and transformations of the survivors in every episode of the show. These survivors battle hunger, harsh weather, the dangers of other wildlife, and their own psychological and physical trauma. The exhibition also provides an in-depth look at survival techniques, basic skills, and the resilience of the human will in adverse times.
“Naked and Scared” season 15 aired on February 19, 2023, and it still continues to captivate audiences with its unique and intriguing storyline. The series delivers an in-depth, moving look late and sometimes inescapable, the ground realities of living in wild places, anywhere in the world. He shows the struggle, determination, and will that is needed to persevere in dangerous and unforgiving places.
3. Man vs. Wild
Man vs. Wild, which is also known as Born Survivor: Bear Grylls or Ultimate Survival or Survival Game or commonly Bear Grylls in the United Kingdom, is a survival television series that is solely hosted by Bear Grylls on the Discovery Channel. The series was originally produced by the British television production company Diverse Bristol. The show first premiered on November 10, 2006, and continued till 2020 in various forms and variations. The host used to visit different wild locations where the survival of a person was not really a cakewalk. He used to give a sort of training to the people to prepare them to face the adversities of life.
The designated format of each episode is the idea that Bear Grylls is left alone in a region with his film crew. The episode is made to document his efforts and struggles to survive and find a way back to civilization in order to save his life. He used to demonstrate the creation of an overnight shelter of some kind that could prevent him from becoming prey to wild animals.
These episodes are mostly wild tropical jungles, forests, or isolated ice-covered areas. But there are indigenous and special episodes as well, like that in Shipyard Gdynia, where the industrial areas are located in cities. Bear Grylls also talks about his successful and failed survivals in the particular area in which he is so that the viewers can learn the tactics and techniques to triumph over such scenarios.
Each episode of Man vs. Wild takes around 7 to 10 days to shoot. Before the shoot of each episode, the crew does reconnaissance for about a week which is then followed by Bear Grylls doing a flyover of the area he is supposed to shoot in. Grylls then is subjected to two days of intensive survival briefings along with a cameraman and a sound engineer. Afterward, the directors oversee location filming, capturing, and the final editing of each part of the episode. Bear Grylls is specially designated as “The Presenter” to highlight his role in demonstrating survival techniques to the viewers.
4. Life Below Zero
Life Below Zero is a documentary presented in the form of a television series that portrays the daily and occasional activities of native hunters who make their living in the isolated and remote areas of Alaska. The show is produced by BBC Studios, and it airs freely on the National Geographic Channel.
Till 18th March 2023, IMDB lists approximately 230 episodes. The show covers the tales of people living in the isolated areas of Alaska who are surviving off the land and making money through different ventures, besides dealing with the many different challenges that come with living in isolation in such an unforgiving and daunting environment. Below is the list of major characters in the show:
Sue Aikens is a 59-year-old woman and is the only resident of the Kavik River camp in Northern Alaska.
The Hailstone family, consisting of Chip and Agnes Hailstone and their seven children, resides along the Kobuk River in Noorvik, located in the Arctic Circle. Agnes, a Native Alaskan and Inupiaq by birth, hails from Noorvik and holds the distinction of being the only cast member who has spent their entire life in Alaska. This makes her the longest-standing resident. With deep ancestral connections spanning thousands of years, Agnes possesses a wealth of traditional knowledge handed down through generations.
Glenn Villeneuve moved from Burlington, Vermont, to Alaska in 1999. He lives solely in Chandalar, which is 200 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska, and 65 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Later his wife and children joined him.
Jessie Holmes is a resident of Brushkana, Alaska, where he works as a fisherman, hunter, and dogsled racer and lives alone with his sled dogs.
Andy Bassich lives on the Yukon River, located near Eagle, Alaska, with his sled dogs. He moved to Alaska from Washington, D.C., with Kate Bassich, his wife. They divorced in 2016, and afterward, Andy’s girlfriend, Denise, joined him at his homestead in Alaska.
Ricko DeWilde is an Alaskan Athabaskan. He had moved into his family’s remote and abandoned cabin, which is close to Huslia, Alaska. Later, his young children started visiting him to begin their teachings about subsistence living in the areas of Alaska.
5. Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West
An entertaining television series or documentary, Pioneer Quest, was first broadcast in 2001 on History TV and PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) for free in Canada. This marked the inception of the producer Jamie Brown’s remarkable “Quest Series,” which includes “Quest for the Bay” (2002), “Klondike: The Quest for Gold” (2003), and “Quest for the Sea” (2004). The series was entirely filmed on a site located in the North of Argyle, Manitoba.
The storyline of “Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West” is both interesting and immersive. The show covers the incredible journey of two couples who courageously decide to step back in time and put themselves in the lives of early settlers in the Canadian West. Their sole goal is to experience an entire year living as 1870s pioneers on the vast Canadian prairie. The catch in the story is that they must rely solely on the resources and tools available during that era which was the only means of living for those people.
In their quest for authenticity, the couples face challenges of various types. They are supposed to build their own homes, gather the essentials, hunt for food, and cultivate crops using traditional methods. Their determination was tested by debarring them of the daily essentials such as running water, electricity, or modern conveniences that they regularly use in their lives. They have to work together tirelessly to feed themselves, construct shelters capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions, and endure the relentless hardships of the inconvenient environment.
In the entire series, the viewers witness the joy of success along with the stress and anguish of failure. The participants must persevere through adversity, learn from their mistakes, and adapt to the unforgiving and daunting realities of pioneer life. The experiences of these brave individuals provide a profound and insightful understanding of how a significant part of Canada was settled and how it laid the foundation for the great country we know today.
“Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West” offers a rare and diligent glimpse into the struggles, triumphs, and resilience of early pioneers. It showcases their unwavering spirit and highlights the immense challenges they faced as they carved out a new existence in the utterly discomforting world. The series sheds light on the profound sacrifices and unwavering determination that shaped the history of Canada and its people by delving into the past.
6. Outlast (TV Series)
Outlast Survival Show is an American reality competition series where the survivalists participate and face all the hardships to emerge as a victor at last. All eight episodes of season one premiered on 10th March 2023 on the OTT Platform Netflix. This show is produced by Aggregate Films and Nomad Entertainment. Mike Odair served as the showrunner, and the executive producers of the series were Jason Bateman, Emma Ho, Grant Kahler, Odair, and Michael Costigan. In May 2023, the show producers and directors decided to renew the entire series for a second season.
The series puts a total of sixteen players, and they are parted into four teams, consisting of four members each, in the Alaskan wild regions, where they are supposed to survive off the land with a very minimal number of supplies. The players are dominantly described as “lone wolf” survivalists. They are bound to work in teams and are not allowed to play the game individually, on their own. The players are allowed to leave the game by firing a flare gun. The last team remaining after crossing all the daunting situations is given a price of one million dollars.
The basic storyline of the series goes like this: 16 players are divided into four teams, comprising four members each, and are dropped into the Alaskan wilderness. These teams will attempt to outlast each other in order to earn a million-dollar prize. There are no such hard and fast rules and no end date for the show.
The only guidelines that persist are that only one team will win the survival game, and the contestants are supposed to be part of a team so that they can win. If they want to leave in between, then the contestants either self-eliminate or are removed on medical grounds. When there remain only two teams, then they engage in a race or hike in order to reach the pinnacle of success.
The very first Season of the Outlast series was filmed in the fall of the year 2021 near the Neka River, on the Chichagof Island that is in the west of Juneau in Alaska. On 15th May 2023, Netflix decided to renew the series for a second season with much more thrill and unforeseen climatic conditions.
7. Surviving Disaster (TV Series)
Surviving Disaster is a depiction of the real-life disastrous situations that are produced by Spike. Each episode of the show is hosted by former Navy SEAL Cade Courtley, and it retells the situations in a worst-case scenario in the most challenging way. It gives the viewers a detailed insight into the techniques that they must possess to survive such tragic situations.
There are ten episodes of Surviving Disaster that have been aired to date. However, the series has not been picked up for a second season yet. The world is indeed a beautiful place that abstracts its own harsh realities, and this makes it a dangerous place sometimes, but Navy SEAL Cade Courtley is here to help you learn how to make it through the worst and survive as best.
Being the host of the show Surviving Disaster, Cade aims to prepare the viewers by letting them visualize some realistic simulations of a variety of natural calamities and disasters, accidents, and some common violent crimes, which primarily include airplane or train hijackings, office or bank robberies, wild animal attacks, landslides, and avalanches.
These events are not that much common, but they really do happen, and, as the host, Courtley makes it very clear in this enthralling yet educational series a handful of people know how to handle such adversaries themselves in real life. This show bridges the gap between simple techniques and common sense and blesses us with tips that could draw a minute line of survival between life and death.
Each episode of Surviving Disaster features Cade Courtley along with a group of five individuals who are being set into a disastrous situation. The disasters aim to feature all possible worst-case scenarios. Host Courtley provides the individuals with the proper advice on how to survive based on the current situation and also gives multiple tips on survival to the audience.
The entire course of the show always includes some detailed interviews with experts and survivors of similar disasters who battled against such adverse situations and emerged victorious. On some specific occasion, the show tries to describe two or more different scenarios that happened in the same disaster (like witnessing a horrendous nuclear blast, being held under different circumstances at the time of a home invasion or hostage, or escaping some sort of pandemic).
In such cases, the host participates simultaneously as a member of both scenario groups. Happens in the course of the show that an individual in a group makes some rash choices that lead to consequences in which they don’t listen to the host’s warnings. This makes their chances of surviving a disaster more difficult.
8. Game2: Winter
Game2: Winter, a Russian survival show set in Siberia, was a destined social experiment and media stunt that was promoted as a Russian reality TV show. It was produced by the Novosibirsk entrepreneur named Yevgeny Pyatkovsky. The survival show was set to premiere in July 2017. The show captivated the attention of the press when it stated that its rules would voluntarily allow some harsh crimes such as murder, kidnapping, or rape, and this sparked outrage and anguish among the people. The show was then compared to a “real-life Hunger Games.” However, the project afterward was revealed to be a social experiment that was primarily used for marketing and research purposes on 31st May 2017.
In Game2: Winter, there were a total of 30 participants, half of which were men and half women. They were supposed to compete on an isolated Siberian Island in the Ob River for a winning price of 100 million Rouble or 1.7 million dollars on a nine-month survival mission. All these contestants were made to sign the death waivers, and they also agreed not to hold the organizers accountable for any sort of criminal activity that may happen during the tenure of 9 months.
However, Snopes found out that in spite of having multiple misleading headlines, the waiver that the news outlets described publicly stated that contestants on the show Game2: Winter would be bound to “obey the laws of the Russian Federation.” Moreover, Game 2: Winter, which was a controversial Russian reality TV show project according to the Russian Media, warned its prospective participants way before the show began about all possible bodily harm, but at last, it all turned out to be a hoax.
9. 7 vs. Wild
Seven individuals of varying expertise in outdoor activities were transported to an undisclosed lake in Sweden. The guidelines dictated that each contestant could bring seven items, not including clothing, and had to survive for a total of 42 days without any human contact. Their objective was threefold: find food, build shelter, and complete various challenges for points.
The contestant who lasted the longest or scored the most points won a substantial prize of 10,000 euros to donate to a charity of their choosing. Over the course of six weeks, the show was filmed with each day showcasing the contestants’ completing tasks which were edited into episodes. Participants were expected to check in regularly with production members on their safety; failure to do so resulted in disqualification.
The inaugural season proved successful, leading to a renewal for another season. Maria claimed victory during the first season, demonstrating exceptional outdoor skills that enabled her successfully to construct a shelter and locate sources for food with ease while exceeding at challenges presented daily, leading her ultimately contribute her winnings towards supporting local animal shelters.
7 vs. Wild has been commended for offering an accurate representation of hazardous environments forcing contestants to be self-reliant without producers’ intervention treating viewers with thrilling yet engaging footage throughout episodes aired while uniquely acknowledging imminent concerns surrounding conservation, urging participants’ efforts to convey ecology and wildlife awareness towards sustainable living practices.
This helped to educate viewers about the importance of conservation and the need to protect our natural resources. The show was a success both in terms of ratings and critical acclaim. It was praised for its realistic depiction of survival, its educational value, and its entertainment value. The show is a reminder that even in the most challenging of circumstances, it is possible to survive and thrive.
10. Eden (Television Series)
Eden is a British reality TV series that was the first series that aired on British TV Channel 4 from 18th July to 8th August 2016. It featured 23 actors who had to live for a year in an isolated part of Scotland and make an attempt to build a self-sufficient community over there. The show was filmed by the participants themselves, and its production started in March 2016.
Without letting the participants know, broadcasting of the show was stopped after four episodes as it got poor ratings from the viewer. However, the remaining five episodes were made public in August 2017 under the name “Eden: Paradise Lost.”
The sole objective of the show was to act as a social experiment so that it can ascertain if the participants could build a self-sufficient community without any assistance away from the technology and tools of modern life. Producers of the show hoped that the participants would not merely survive but thrive and that the footage would tell their stories along with the practicalities involved.
The participants were not provided with any other goal or task apart from the broad aim of building a community. They were allowed to decide for themselves how to locate food, shelter and organize themselves in the harsh circumstances. Participants of the show Eden were approached through an online advertisement that questioned, “Are you tired of modern life?” and “Would you like to start from scratch?”
Participants might quit the show at any time as long as they followed a specific protocol. They were cut off from the outside world and would not be informed of any news or current events that occurred throughout the experiment. Despite this, a pair of fishermen are seen visiting the beach in Episode Two, later returning to leave a package of food and drink.
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