Alone: (2023)
July 9, 2023 12:11 PM - Season 10 (Full Season) - Subscribe
"Ten survival 'experts' attempt to survive alone. The winner receives $500,000." (IMDB) This season's competition is again in northern Canada, on Reindeer Lake in Saskatchewan.
New episodes air Tuesdays and are free online Thursdays at the History Channel site.
I haven’t watched since season 8 and Theresa’s fake accent. I couldn’t handle her or Biko. Be interested to watch if there aren’t characters like that.
posted by dianeF at 5:39 PM on July 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by dianeF at 5:39 PM on July 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
diane: that's not quite the case in this season, unless it's Luke, who likes to rap while he fishes. My early favorite was the first to drop out, although it was a sensible decision, but it only goes to show that picking favorites is no use until it's close to the end. There's so much that relies on chance.
I'm kind of a fan of the contestants who are "characters," assuming they also have skills and expertise. I was pulling for both Biko and Theresa, but IIRC they both got too malnourished to go on. I am fond of when they get loopy and start making costumes and doing sketches for their own amusement. But I also know that it's probably expected by this time, which would make it sad.
Hard to know why I'm obsessed with this show, when I can get it -- I don't subscribe to cable, so I have to catch up. Personally, I would be totally unqualified for anything except knowing what would make you sick (everything) and lying around in the winter without losing too much weight. I seem to be pretty good at that.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:45 AM on July 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm kind of a fan of the contestants who are "characters," assuming they also have skills and expertise. I was pulling for both Biko and Theresa, but IIRC they both got too malnourished to go on. I am fond of when they get loopy and start making costumes and doing sketches for their own amusement. But I also know that it's probably expected by this time, which would make it sad.
Hard to know why I'm obsessed with this show, when I can get it -- I don't subscribe to cable, so I have to catch up. Personally, I would be totally unqualified for anything except knowing what would make you sick (everything) and lying around in the winter without losing too much weight. I seem to be pretty good at that.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:45 AM on July 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
The location in Northern Saskatchewan looks similar to Labrador from last season, only with fresh water. Four episodes in, maybe 2-3 of the contestants looked like they weren't playing to win, but only 5 of the 10 are left now. The fishing looks to be better than in the previous few seasons, but the small game is sparser, so malnutrition is still a major factor in the show, and most of those who tapped out weren't carrying much extra weight to begin with. The contestants (or at least their edits) seem more normal this season.
There was also an interesting episode zero that showed everyone preparing for the show at the base camp, getting basic camera training from the crew, and local natives talking about specifics of the environment.
posted by cardboard at 11:29 AM on July 12, 2023
There was also an interesting episode zero that showed everyone preparing for the show at the base camp, getting basic camera training from the crew, and local natives talking about specifics of the environment.
posted by cardboard at 11:29 AM on July 12, 2023
He is. He got sick, probably with giardia. Good decision, although I could have heard less about the diarrhea.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:54 AM on July 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Countess Elena at 6:54 AM on July 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Poor Melanie! She's still in it, but she made a mistake. She tried to record private footage to speak to her partner when by the competition rules everything she records is fair game. So they used it. She was weeping openly and talking about how hard it was to show strength for the camera all the time. That was brutal of them. It's possible that she was reconciled with it afterward, but she didn't have to be. I thought it made her look even stronger, which is probably why they used it -- but still! C'mon!
I'm pulling for her, although I don't know that she'd be a favorite to win. She talks about concentrating on foraging and not hunting, which has not been a winning strategy, except maybe for the one who won last season by fasting deliberately. I like to pull for either a woman contestant or one who breaks the mold. She's both; I think she's got a really interesting perspective. But what she hasn't got is a lot of fat or muscle mass to burn. Still, as a vegetarian, I would absolutely be looking for berries and reindeer moss if I was stranded out there, so I get it.
posted by Countess Elena at 12:46 PM on July 15, 2023
I'm pulling for her, although I don't know that she'd be a favorite to win. She talks about concentrating on foraging and not hunting, which has not been a winning strategy, except maybe for the one who won last season by fasting deliberately. I like to pull for either a woman contestant or one who breaks the mold. She's both; I think she's got a really interesting perspective. But what she hasn't got is a lot of fat or muscle mass to burn. Still, as a vegetarian, I would absolutely be looking for berries and reindeer moss if I was stranded out there, so I get it.
posted by Countess Elena at 12:46 PM on July 15, 2023
I think this explains why Melanie has had relatively little air time compared to other contestants—she’s more aware of and trying to control her edit. From the contestant profiles, she included food rations as 2 of her 10 items, so she would have had more room to not starve at the beginning, but I’m sure that’s long gone now.
posted by cardboard at 12:24 PM on July 16, 2023
posted by cardboard at 12:24 PM on July 16, 2023
I suppose maggots aren’t poisonous but wow gross.
posted by janell at 8:40 PM on July 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by janell at 8:40 PM on July 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Episode 11 (finale): it was a bit of a surprise on the winner, as Wyatt looked to be better set for food than Alan. That could just be the edit though.
You could see Mikey wilt as the temperature dropped and the conditions got less familiar to him. No disrespect to him, but he clearly didn’t have the extreme cold experience of the two Canadians. If he hadn’t tapped out he would have failed the medical check.
posted by cardboard at 7:30 PM on August 18, 2023
You could see Mikey wilt as the temperature dropped and the conditions got less familiar to him. No disrespect to him, but he clearly didn’t have the extreme cold experience of the two Canadians. If he hadn’t tapped out he would have failed the medical check.
posted by cardboard at 7:30 PM on August 18, 2023
I was also expecting it to be Wyatt at the end (since he recovered from the stick inside his arm infection extravaganza, actually, but especially in this last episode. Though the ice destroying the gillnet … what a bummer that must have been.
posted by janell at 9:17 AM on August 20, 2023
posted by janell at 9:17 AM on August 20, 2023
Just finished watching it and wow, the nicest guy won! I actually really liked both Alan and Wyatt, but Alan just seemed like such a decent, pleasant, kind person. I wish the runner up got a big prize too, they deserve it.
I’ve been binging my way through all the series over the last month or so while I’ve been sick. This wasn’t my favorite season. I always have categories I assign, like “ Most Likely to Shoot Up a Wal Mart” and wow, did Cade ever win that this season.
It’s such a weird show and it’s such an indictment of the US. The contestants almost inevitably come up with these heart wrenching stories of just, traumatic childhood maltreatment. Cade said he was 5 when he killed his first deer and his father yelled at him when he teared up. Then, he said, he knew that killing things was his contribution. I mean, that’s years of therapy to fix that. Richest country in the world, populated by starving five year olds killing whatever they can to eat.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:51 PM on November 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
I’ve been binging my way through all the series over the last month or so while I’ve been sick. This wasn’t my favorite season. I always have categories I assign, like “ Most Likely to Shoot Up a Wal Mart” and wow, did Cade ever win that this season.
It’s such a weird show and it’s such an indictment of the US. The contestants almost inevitably come up with these heart wrenching stories of just, traumatic childhood maltreatment. Cade said he was 5 when he killed his first deer and his father yelled at him when he teared up. Then, he said, he knew that killing things was his contribution. I mean, that’s years of therapy to fix that. Richest country in the world, populated by starving five year olds killing whatever they can to eat.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:51 PM on November 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by rogerroger at 4:23 PM on July 9, 2023