Alone (2015–…): Season 8, Episode 2 - Open Season - full transcript

♪ ♪

- that's definitely
a grizzly bear.

That's pretty damn fresh.

A grizzly bear
can simply end you.

And it can happen
in a split second.

- I've never interacted
with grizzly bears.

I've always been the hunter,
never the hunted.

- Woah, bear. Move off, bear.
Holy *bleep*.

- I have twins on the way,

so I don't really have
the option of going home.

This is my job now.



- That is a *bleep*
mountain lion.

I hope I see him again.

- This is tim. I need help.

I think I might be having
a heart attack.

I made the right choice.
I know I did.

This pain will end my life
if I don't get help.

♪ ♪

male narrator: In "alone's"
most terrifying location yet,

10 participants face

the deadliest predator
in north america...

- There he is, right there.

- Grizzly bears.

- Hey, bear.

- There are a lot
of grizzly here.



I'm gonna have
to live with them.

- Go on, get.

- Every second
we're on the land,

we're being hunted.

- Holy *bleep*, mountain lion.

- He's circling around
my shelter.

Narrator:
Bone-chilling cold...

- Winter's coming.

- You combine the wind
with the rain and the cold,

this place could make
the arctic look easy.

- Oh, *bleep*.

Narrator:
And complete isolation.

- You cannot hide
from yourself

mentally and emotionally.

- there's no place to go.

- I am suffering
from loneliness.

Narrator: Who will survive?

- Yes, yes!

- This could be the end.

- I don't want to tap,

but I don't want
to die, either.

- You have to suffer
before you can succeed.

narrator:
The last one standing wins.

- At what point
do I push the button?

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.

♪ ♪

- what in the world?

This is insane.

There they go.

alone for the next few months.

Holy cow.

♪ ♪

so my mom introduced me
to this show 11 months ago

almost to the day.

She is, like, an "alone"
superfan, and so, like,

I can't tap out
for anything less than,

like, a amputated leg.

It's a really good energy
and motivation

I think I have from my mom.

♪ ♪

I am sweatin'.

I'm gonna get out of these.

Today's really, like,
reconnaissance on,

what do I have available
on this piece of land here?

So that's what I'll do first.

Jeez, these pants
are fitting pretty tight.

Operation change clothes done.

this is just
an insane opportunity.

All right.
I'm gonna enter the woods.

Living off the land,
living with your hands,

taking pride in your work,
being exhausted, being sore.

♪ ♪

oh, it's delicious.

And I get to be on tv, and I
get to demonstrate skills

and go live a dream that I've
wanted to do my entire life.

Like, there's nothing
that would merge or align

with my life and my passions
like this show.

it's beautiful out here.

I've been an educator
in alaska for about 14 years.

I work for an environmental
field school

located on the inian islands
in southeast alaska.

So there are seals,
and otters,

and other predators
that will come rub your line.

They call me
the "jolly green hermit"

because I live on an island
surrounded by wilderness,

and I'm the only
resident there.

I love my bay.

To me, it's a lifestyle,
like, living like this.

I plumbed my house,
wired my house,

because I absolutely love diy,
doing it yourself.

Holds heat for a long,
long time.

My biggest strengths
are living in wild places,

not having a lot of tools
and a lot of resources.

And I've been alone.

Like, I was alone
for 42 days this last winter.

So now I'm gonna go be alone.

And it's not gonna
freak me out,

'cause I've done that before.

Look what I found.
Fresh water.

I've been training for this
my entire life.

I'm here to test myself
and see how I do.

This is my marathon.
I got to go run it.

♪ ♪

all right.

*bleep*.

Bear poop.

Pretty soft.

Let's see.

It's got some worms in it,

but first sign of a big
game animal I've seen.

It's like a bear
highway, here.

♪ ♪

bear bed, bear trails.

lots of berries.

The chilcotin area
that we're in

has an incredible amount
of grizzly bears

in huge concentrations.

Hey, bear.

So every second that we're on
the land, we're being hunted.

We are prey.

Got to move real quick.

There isn't a bear
on the planet right now

that couldn't come and kill
any one of us, any time.

It's scary.

All right.

Get the *bleep*
out of here.

♪ ♪

- well, I'm almost alone.

♪ ♪

finally, alone.

♪ ♪

it's beautiful, just beautiful.

I'm gonna drop this pack,

get down in
some hiking clothes,

and walk the shore line
a little bit.

Let's see what we can find.

When you think about
launch day,

you're amped up,
and you're ready to go.

Boat drives away, and you're
standing there alone.

And you have to realize
it's time to get to work.

Like to get a good spot
for a temporary shelter.

Because there's no one
that's gonna help you.

There's no questions
to be answered,

except from yourself.

And you have all these ideas

and all these plans
that you want to do,

but you have to start
to prioritize

based on what you see.

That's a good spot for now.

You can have
this beautiful plan

that you think
you're gonna follow,

but mother nature will find
a way to tell you real quick

that your plan's
not gonna work.

And that's where I think
I have an advantage.

I'm not a bushman.
I'm not an angler.

What I think I'm good at

is out-of-the-box
problem-solving.

♪ ♪

it's not easy.

It's definitely
not easy country.

well, how about that?

I was active-duty military
for 24 years.

I had two combat deployments,

one in iraq
and one in afghanistan.

There's no other opportunity
for me

to do something to challenge
myself to this level.

It's all the things
in my wheelhouse.

I'm comfortable in the wild.

I'm comfortable alone.

I'm really well-practiced
in a high-stress environment.

That, to me, is a huge skill
for my mental health

and my ability to cope
with anything

that happens out there.

It's another mission for me,

and I just focus
on what has to be done,

and I'll go do it.

I'm leaving behind my wife
and five children.

Even though I miss them,
I have so much experience

of being away from them
for the military.

And I know how to place
that away

and compartmentalize
that emotion.

My philosophy on life

is to always vision yourself
the champion.

You have to see yourself
collecting the medal

at the end.

And I always end up
where I see myself ending up.

♪ ♪

this is a nice, open area.

I'm just checking for scat,

see if it's been visited
by anybody recently

or...If there's any
game trails.

There's a game trail
right there.

So that's a good thing
to keep an eye on.

hang on.

♪ ♪

there's a grouse in the trees.

♪ ♪

right there.

♪ ♪

all right. I see him.

♪ ♪

damn it.

He's gone.

So I made the mistake.

Got greedy on day one.

That's okay.

I'll locate my arrow
and then move on.

my life just put me
through experiences

that are different
than other people,

and it's given me
a philosophy on life

that I don't ever see
the downside of something.

It's required for me
to be positive all the time

and try to stay high energy.

And I just figured
out ways to do that,

and that's why I think
this is a challenge

that's kind of suited for me.

All right.
That's okay.

If that's the one mistake
I make today...

we're good.

♪ ♪

- oh, my gosh.

All righty.

This is them leaving.

Bye-bye, boat.

Bye-bye, people.

hello, solitude

and...Quiet.

It is quiet.

Brilliant.

The site is gorgeous.

It's absolutely fantastic here.

I'm gonna go ahead
and take a little walk around.

And then we'll start looking
for a quick,

temporary shelter site
for the night.

even though
this is going to be

an incredibly difficult
process,

I think it will be absolutely
worth it in the end,

just for the learning
experience.

I do absolutely love
puzzles and challenges,

which are based around
my areas of expertise.

I'm gonna use a reverse grip

'cause it gives me
a lot more power and control.

I'm a stone age specialist.

I have a phd in prehistoric
animal skin

processing technologies.

I have done almost
all of the outdoor skills,

but from a stone age
standpoint,

using stone tools,
bone tools, wood tools.

We're just gonna go ahead
and make these ring cuts.

I decided to participate
because it's the opportunity

to put into practice
all of the skill sets

that I've worked
my entire life learning

and the skill sets
that I teach.

This is a heck
of an opportunity

to really get into the mindset
of someone

who lived off the land.

The 500,000 is actually
a pretty big factor for me.

I, honest to god,
barely make ends meet,

but I still love what I do.

It would allow me to live,

thrive and learn
for a long period of time.

okay.

There's loads
of plant food around.

♪ ♪

fireweed.

Nom, nom, nom.

It's actually kind of spicy.

That's not why
it's called fireweed.

It does happen to taste nice.

♪ ♪

I want to wander
my entire site.

I will probably spend
at least two days doing this.

Berries are just
ripening up now.

There aren't a lot of stone
age specialists in the world.

It does give me an advantage
for problem-solving

and out-of-the box
ingenuity and such.

♪ ♪

wow.

What we've got here
is evidence

that I have a friend
on this beach.

Got a neighbor of the big
furry, toothy variety.

This is actually bear scat.

Track impressions
are just there.

Grizzly bears
are a concern, absolutely.

You don't just bang pans
and have them run away.

They know they're at the top
of the food chain.

They're humongous.

♪ ♪

so let's quickly
get this set up, shall we?

I'm originally american.

Did grow up in wyoming.

♪ ♪

grizzly bears were part
of your wildlife population.

♪ ♪

you really have to keep
a super tidy camp.

And you need to cook
in a separate place

than where you sleep;
it really changes

the entire concept
of how you formulate a home.

Going to boil some water.

Do the things that
you can to help not bring

a bear into your camp,
and other than that,

it's totally
out of your control anyway.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- okay.

Here's our cricket.

It crawled out of the fire pit
this morning.

I was like, "oh, I was hoping
for more crickets."

it does not gross me out
to eat bugs.

In north america, I think it's
a very underutilized resource.

There are many tribes
that live on grubs

and whatever edibles
that they have.

All right.

Crickets: High calorie,
very high in fat.

Whew. All right. Here we go.

Down the hatch.

♪ ♪

a little gritty.

The legs are really...

Get caught on your tongue...

'cause they've got these,
like, little barbs.

tastes okay.

Nothing to write home about.

I spent four years

living with
an indigenous tribe

called the siberian yupik
in remote alaska.

I wanted to live with
an indigenous population

that was still living
with the land.

It's already
really cozy in here.

I'm a teacher.

I've taught kindergarten
through tenth grade.

I've been in the woods
teaching kids

to be more connected
with nature,

and I have a lot of skills.

We have a red squirrel.

I've done primitive snaring.

And I also know
a lot of wild edibles.

I built a primitive shelter,

and then I lived in it
for years.

Most people who teach
in survival schools

don't live primitively
for many years.

So there you go.

I'm leaving behind my husband.

He was right from the start
extremely supportive.

Both of us know
it's gonna be

the hardest thing
I've ever done,

but I've practiced these
skills for a lot of years.

I'm a small person,
but I'm stronger than I look.

♪ ♪

I'm gonna gather a significant
amount of edibles.

♪ ♪

this whole hillside
is covered with wild onion.

Ideally, the shelter
is starting to happen

in the first few days.

But we're kind of late
in the season,

and so a lot of plants, a lot
of the edibles are past prime.

Come on, baby.
Oh, yeah.

Woah, that is the biggest one
I have pulled yet.

So I'm just gonna gather
as much as I can find.

Whoo!

it's warming up.

Do some clothing changes

and figure out
what else to gather.

♪ ♪

stop and have some.

Mmm.

It's quiet today on the lake.

It's nice.

no frickin' way.

oh, my god.

Okay, so there is a bear.

And it has seen me.

♪ ♪

and it is swimming towards me.

♪ ♪

holy crap.

♪ ♪

all right.

♪ ♪

*bleep*.

♪ ♪

holy crap.

damn.

Kind of surprised to see that.

All right.

that's the biggest bear
I've ever seen in my life.

And now it looks like
it's fishing.

A bear's first instinct
is not to attack humans.

But we're on their land.

There it is again.

There's different
temperaments.

You can get a bear
that's acting unusual.

You can get predatory bears.

You just have to really
be with your head on a swivel.

♪ ♪

- so...

Yes, I'm totally using the
camera as a mirror right now.

All right.
That is now my comb.

I've chosen
my permanent shelter site.

I want to do it here.

I've got a large open area.

It is right off the beach.

However, I do plan
to build a pit house,

a semisubterranean dwelling,

in which case the elements
will be held at bay

by a very, very sturdy shelter.

♪ ♪

I want to make a pit house

because they're
incredibly warm.

They are kept at the
temperature of the ground,

which is about 50 degrees.

So really, my fire only ever
has to heat air up

from 50 degrees
to where you want it,

not from
the outside temperature

up to where you want it.

It's a massive advantage.

♪ ♪

it is an extensive project,
and it will take some time.

Lots of digging with a stick
and a rock, oh, and a jawbone.

I found an elk jawbone,
which has also been useful.

♪ ♪

this type of structure
was used quite frequently

in this area
by native peoples.

So obviously,
it's possible to do.

Pit house technique
has been in use

for thousands of years
all over the world,

by various cultures
all over the place.

♪ ♪

mm. Yay.

I keep finding little grubs
while I'm excavating.

And they taste like pine nuts.

They're delicious.

These, these are
the nutty grubs.

They're really, really yummy.

Mmm. Mm-hmm.

Pine nut flavor.
Oh, they're so good. Mmm.

I don't know what they are,
but they're great.

Another grub.

ooh.

that one didn't taste
like pine nuts.

Don't know what that one was.
Wasn't very good.

ugh.

Steep learning curve.

I'm hoping to get this
at least waist deep,

but we'll see how
the substrate holds up

and what happens.

♪ ♪

definitely feel the judgment
coming from the internet.

"oh, my god, she's spending
so much energy.

Why is she doing this?"

because I don't plan
to be here for three weeks.

I plan to be here
for three months,

and I want a nice home
in which to live

that is really, really truly
tight against the elements.

And if I'm gonna do
something like this,

this is the time to do it,
while I still have energy.

♪ ♪

oh, well, I feel
pretty accomplished.

The majority
of the hole is dug.

♪ ♪

hell, yeah.

♪ ♪

- I wish there was a good way
to get these in bulk.

I was cutting through
this log,

and there's tons
of these ants in there.

♪ ♪

that would be
some good protein

if I could collect 'em all.

♪ ♪

they taste, uh...

Sour, kind of lemony.

I'd eat a whole bunch of 'em
if I could.

Anyways,
time to get shelter-building.

♪ ♪

so I'm thinking
about right in here,

building
the permanent shelter.

♪ ♪

clear out these trees
that are here.

♪ ♪

my strongest skill
is my ability to build things.

And my goal is to build
a solid shelter.

That's of prime importance
to me.

♪ ♪

my background is primarily

in bushcraft and hunting.

I've come across
the animal tracks.

I'm really happy to see here.

I'm a carpenter by trade.

I went to school
for engineering.

So I love building things,

traps and structures
and anything

that you can construct
from the natural world.

I am hot, I'm tired,
and I'm dirty.

And I absolutely love it.

I'm leaving behind my wife,
my son, and our dogs.

Daddy's gonna miss you too.

My last dinner home.

Winning the money would
allow me to pay off our house

and be completely debt-free.

And that would allow me
to spend more time traveling,

more time
with my wife and son.

♪ ♪

I lost my daughter
2 1/2 years ago.

When you go through
those kinds of experiences,

that mentally and emotionally

prepares you to handle
a challenge like this.

Anything that
I experience out here

is not going to be as bad
as that.

There's no turning back.

I am full speed ahead.

And I'm hoping I can
make my family proud.

♪ ♪

I'm building a log cabin
with a single slope roof.

Whichever side I put
the sleeping bag on,

I'll have it short

and then taper up
to a tall area,

some place I can stand up in.

Biggest thing,
getting the shelter done.

Then it will be the hunting
and fishing and everything.

♪ ♪

typically, I'd be trying
to cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.

And trying to slow that down.

Don't need to sweat,
just slow and methodical.

♪ ♪

building a log cabin
is a huge caloric expenditure.

I know it's gonna
be a lot of work.

But I know that's what's
gonna allow me to survive

on fewer calories
in the long run.

♪ ♪

I'm doing this saddle notch on
all of the logs to stack them,

kind of like lincoln logs.

And that way, they can
sit fairly tight together,

and there's very little gap
in between the logs

that I'll have to fill in
later on.

♪ ♪

this thing's beautiful.
Beautiful, I tell you.

♪ ♪

well, I've worked myself
out of logs.

That's it for today.

♪ ♪

I feel very good about
my potential to win this.

♪ ♪

but I also know
that things happen.

Nature is brutal,

and any one of us
can be brought down

when we least expect it.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

damn it.
Where did you go?

*bleep*.

♪ ♪

I have no idea
which way he went.

♪ ♪

I guess I need
to get that cabin built.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

you can see there's
a bit of a path

that goes through right there,

which would explain
a lot of the noise

coming through last night.

♪ ♪

and you can see my shelter
right there,

100-125 feet away.

Oy!

I feel super vulnerable.

I have to get
this shelter done,

but it's gonna take
a long time.

♪ ♪

obviously, at some point,

I'm gonna have to get
some food in me,

gives me a bit of a conundrum.

I can only go
so long without food.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- *bleep*.

a lot of things
went wrong on that one.

Don't know what attempt
this is; six, maybe.

Against the pleading
of my mother,

I didn't bring a ferro rod,
so sorry, mom.

so I've tried to have fires
three nights,

and I've got it going twice.

So I'm two for three, mom,
two for three.

That's not bad.

You make it in the hall
of fame with those numbers.

All right.
Here we go.

I chose not to bring
a ferro rod

'cause I'm just as bad
with it

as I am with a bow drill,

but a bow drill
doesn't count against me

as one of my ten items.

A ferro rod does.

So why bring an item
that counts?

The other reason
is I wanted to bring a tarp.

I have plans
on water catchment

and different things,
so that was my choice,

and for the next few months,

I am hoping that I can do
better with the bow drill,

or I'm out of here.

Ta-da!

just as simple as that.

Kids, listen to your mothers.

♪ ♪

it's really enjoyable.
I like this.

I just wish I had food
to go with it.

I think a boat--

I think this season a boat's
gonna be the way to go.

You're gonna have forage,
fish, trap and hunt,

but I think fish are gonna
be the most dependable,

so I'm gonna change
and build a boat.

I never built a boat before.

well, this is gonna be fun.

I was a math major in college.

I loved the numbers,
and I look at,

like, risk analysis
or probability analysis

on where
you invest your calories.

Pretty straight.

Some people
invest their calories

into really fancy shelters.

Some people invest them
into really fancy firepits.

Some people invest them
into whatever it is,

but where's the priority?

♪ ♪

for me, it's investing
in food systems.

All right. Think, colter.
Think, think, think.

If I can build a boat
that I can use every day...

♪ ♪

perfect.

I think it's gonna give me
an edge

and an advantage over
the rest of the contestants.

♪ ♪

okay.
Now I just need that paracord.

When it comes
to building a boat,

I have absolutely
no *bleep* clue.

♪ ♪

but I've boated
my entire life.

I've canoed, kayaked,
powerboat.

I used to have sailboats
and dinghies so, like,

I know about boating.
I know about physics.

Yeah, this will be the back.

Pretty great, that'll be
the heaviest part of the boat.

♪ ♪

getting' there.

♪ ♪

- I strung up bolete mushrooms
last night,

and one is gone.

So I'm guessing I got robbed
by a squirrel this morning

or last night.

Awesome.

Good.

Competing with nature.

♪ ♪

I can't just live
on bolete mushrooms.

Need to get some food.

Need to catch a fish.

Time to drop a trotline.

♪ ♪

all right, like I said,
I think we should--

or I should...

Make a few flies,

three of them,
set up a trotline,

and then I can
get back to work,

and it can fish for me,

and then right before dark
or sunset, I'll go pull it.

'cause I'm old--oh, wow.

♪ ♪

you can see everything.

I'm burning calories
without calories coming in,

and that's concerning.

So my plan when it comes
to gathering food is,

how can I do it without
the least amount of effort?

♪ ♪

if I was a fish,
my gut would eat it.

So passive fishing using
a set line, or a trotline,

will give me
a tremendous advantage

because I don't have to
hand-fish the whole time.

it's not pretty.

oh, I apologize.

I tend to speak with a horrible
irish-scottish accent.

It's my inside-head voice.

I don't know why.

It's just...

That's what happens
when I'm alone.

So you're just gonna
have to bear with me.

I'm sure
you'll judge it and be like,

"it's the worst ever."

I mean, I am irish
and scottish, so--and german.

♪ ♪

so I'm allowed.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

all right.
Let's go set the trotline.

♪ ♪

I'm not a professional angler.

I didn't grow up with a father

that taught me
hunting or fishing.

Come on.

But at 16,
I joined the military,

and I saw combat
twice in the army,

and what I take away
from combat

is that it's
a heightened level of stress

that you become accustomed to.

♪ ♪

so fear of death
or fear of facing the enemy

don't faze you anymore.

♪ ♪

so out here, whether
it's weather or starvation

or a bear or whatever it is,
it's not an issue for me,

'cause I have
a warrior's heart.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- pretty certain--sure
I just heard a bear.

♪ ♪

good lord.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

so what I heard last night
was indeed a bear.

See the back foot
pretty well here.

But, you know, hopefully it
doesn't come back very often.

It was the middle of the night.

When I'm zipped
into a sleeping bag,

wearing nothing
but my underwear,

is not when I really want
to have a bear in camp.

♪ ♪

because of the bear situation,

I need to get the pit house
pretty sorted.

I am just gonna push hard.

♪ ♪

stairs.

I need some place where I can
securely leave my things.

♪ ♪

once shelter is done,

then it's all
toward gathering.

It's gonna be food,
food, food, food.

♪ ♪

now I have to dig
the center posthole.

this is actually not
how pit houses

are normally constructed
archaeologically.

They normally have
four posts in the middle,

but if I were to do that,

there would be
no floor room left,

so there's gonna
be a center post.

♪ ♪

so this is the beam,
I foresee,

for a big center pole.

Takes a lot of energy.

I can basically just feel
my body eating the calories.

♪ ♪

it's a big gamble,
calorically speaking.

♪ ♪

god, that's got to weigh
50 kilos,

if not more.

I do feel like
I'm losing weight

a little bit, though,
already, which is not ideal.

this is gonna
be the tricky part.

Whew.

But I just need
to focus on this.

If I don't just focus on this,
it'll never get done.

♪ ♪

if you put too big rocks in,

then they don't actually
lock together very well.

These small ones, when you
pound them, put sand in them,

then we pour water on them,
et cetera,

then everything locks in
nice and tight.

I am under no illusions
that this is going to be

an easy experience.

Physically, you're gonna

be pushing your body
to the limit.

You're gonna be tired,
you're gonna be hungry,

and because you're hungry,
you're even more tired.

Beautiful.

There's always something
that you've done right.

There's always
something that's okay.

So deal with the one thing,

and focus on the thing
that feels good.

It's attached using
some of my snare wire.

We're past all
the really tough stuff.

♪ ♪

as solid as.

Brilliant.

Super happy.
Super excited about that.

That's just great.

♪ ♪

- I really want a cheeseburger
right now.

I'm a big fan of cheeseburgers,

so I'd like to just catch
a cheeseburger

right out of the lake
right now.

That'd be excellent.

Ahh!

That's not good.

I really don't know how
I'm supposed to fish in this.

♪ ♪

it's just
a frustrating location

to try and get a line out.

♪ ♪

this wind is ridiculous.

I want to see
what the shoreline looks like

further up here.

I need to explore and see
if I can find any deeper spots.

♪ ♪

I'm starting to get hungry.

Yesterday I was fine.

I'm starting to feel it
a little bit today.

♪ ♪

I definitely need to keep
working on the cabin,

but I'm still just trying to
explore the fishing options.

♪ ♪

getting this shelter done
is a massive calorie draw.

Right now, I'm just
burning on stored energy.

I'm needing fish.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

I have walked and walked
and walked and walked.

I'm gonna head back.

♪ ♪

oh, *bleep*.

Looks like there's
some weather moving in.

♪ ♪

I'm about to get caught
in a gnarly storm.

♪ ♪

that's looking bad.

that point way out there,
that's where my shelter is.

Looks like I've got a *bleep*
walk home.

♪ ♪

oh, right in the gun barrel
of the wind!

this is some monster water
for a lake.

It'd be a long time for someone

to come rescue you
with these waves.

This is insane.

This is like hurricane winds.

You don't want something bad
to happen right now.

Holy *bleep*.

♪ ♪

oh, *bleep*!

I have to time it
and then make a run for it!

♪ ♪

this is crazy.

Should have been working
on the shelter.

♪ ♪

I'm gonna get back,

and I'm gonna have
a little tarp tent.

No warmth, no hot shower,

no hot food,

and, for my efforts,
one old crumpled soda can.

♪ ♪

today was a huge reminder that
I need to stick to my tasks.

I need to get the cabin built.

To come back
wet, cold, and tired

and not have a real structure
just is not--not fun.

♪ ♪

- wow.

I can't tell you
how good it feels

to sit in this chair.

It's super weird. It's like...

♪ ah ♪

okay.

Get going with the shelter.

♪ ♪

long-term shelter
is gonna be over here,

up here on top of the hill.

It's pretty high up.

Look at this view. Seriously?

Can you even
freakin' believe that?

I mean, my god.

♪ ♪

my plan is to build
two tripods

and just use paracord
to lash them,

and then I'll put
the support beam on top.

Super sturdy.

And this is done.

This will allow me to hunt
and fish more

and focus on food.

Okay.

Tripod, let me remember

how to do a clove hitch.

in survival, you
are looking for protection.

The lake is gonna
be ferocious,

so I need to be up and away.

I don't want to be down
on the beach.

I don't want to be exposed
to the winds,

exposed to the weather.

♪ ♪

there we go.

Walking up and down the hill
to get my water

is gonna be
a physical challenge,

but I feel like it's worth it

to have that
kind of windbreak.

♪ ♪

that's pretty--pretty good,

and that's a nice line.

♪ ♪

come on, baby.

Doug's brother mike
has down's syndrome.

Whenever he's, like,
playing a video game,

he'll say, "come on, baby."

oh, god, that's heavy.

He can't speak very well.

Whew!

Mike lives with us
for part of the year.

♪ ♪

the prize money
is significant.

That would allow him
to live with us full-time.

We don't have children.

He's really our heart.

It would be money well-spent.

♪ ♪

would you like to take a tour?

It won't take long.

Here's the inside.

Still got some
tying off to do,

but, oh, my god, look at that.

So beautiful.

Okay.

And we're done.

♪ ♪

- all right.

*bleep*. Holy cow.

I just dropped
my knife facedown,

and it just stuck in it
and didn't make a hole.

Holy!

What an idiot.

First thing I did
is drop my knife.

Oh, that's so funny.

Oh, my god.
I just did it again.

But it didn't--
it didn't do anything.

You can see the outside,
but good god.

Colter, it's the worst time
to drop your knife.

Get that knife away.

Golly.

♪ ♪

now the last step.

I gotta put my ribs into there

to stretch out the tarp

to the bottom of the boat
to hold its shape.

There's some good willows
and alders here.

Will they hold?
I don't know.

My worry is that
too much of the weight

is gonna go on these.

These aren't supposed to be
necessarily structural.

They're supposed to hold
the tarp and give it shape.

Will the laws of physics
be on my side?

we'll see.

if my boat is unsafe,
I'm out of here.

I'm gone.

Oh, crap.

That's not right.

Need to come
from the other side.

I'm just gonna be like,
"everyone else has built

a boat on this show
and I'm gonna be swimming?"

and that could be the end
of my experience

and the end of my life.

In alaska, numerous people die

from hypothermic drowning
in lakes

and in cold water
just like this.

I have lost friends.

So I need to build
a stable boat.

♪ ♪

floorboards feel secure.

All right. Paddle time.

All right, log,
want to be a paddle?

Let's see how it turns out
of a solid chunk.

A lot more we can take
out there,

but save it, colter.

Go on the water, test the boat,

not your *bleep* paddle.

Oh, yeah.
There comes the wind.

Just in time
for the old test drive.

Yeah, that'll work.

Let's go.
Get on the water.

♪ ♪

it's a little windy.

Not only am I going out

in a homemade boat
that's untested

and first time I've ever built
a boat, I'm going out on water

that can kick up at any moment
and it's cold.

Well, she floats.

It is a high risk.

This could be a decision
that costs me

not just the $500,000,
but the whole experience.

All right, you guys,
wish me luck.

Stay there.

She feels tippy.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

ah!

♪ ♪

easy now.

♪ ♪

slow, steady.

♪ ♪

you got this, baby.
Come on now. You got this.

♪ ♪

*bleep*.

Ah!

tippy as hell.

Definitely want an outrigger
for this guy,

but it's working.

I did not think I would build
a boat this solid.

This feels so good.

Yes! Yes, yes, yes.

I know I need outriggers,
but the frame didn't buckle.

I haven't heard any cracking.

I'm not taking on any water.

Like, this is sweet.

First test is a success.

I'm gonna explore their bays.

I'm gonna go north.
I'm gonna go south.

I want to fish
off these points.

These points are usually
good fishing.

Like, I think this boat's
gonna pay off.

Boy, that'll wake you up.

Holy *bleep*.

Oh, man.

Excited!

♪ ♪

- those squirrels
got a mushroom.

Now watch where he stashes it

and then I'm gonna steal it.

yeah, you heard me talking
about stealing your mushroom?

I will.

All right. He's gone.

It's a bolete.

They stole mine.

I stole theirs.

♪ ♪

all right.

Just to get some
protection from the wind,

I think I should do
a permanent shelter

away from the shoreline.

And I'll probably just do
a a-frame, center beam,

a-frame,
like an old boy scout tent.

All right. Let's go build.

♪ ♪

I haven't eaten today,
which is normal for me.

♪ ♪

beautiful.

I'm limiting my energy
on my shelter.

I'm not building
a castle or a cabin,

just a place to sleep
and store a couple things,

and if you have a smart
heat system in there,

if it's just you and your body
well-insulated,

I could heat a small space.

♪ ♪

I positioned
my a-frame shelter

running from east to west.

I believe this spot
will get about two hours,

three hours of direct sunlight
through the trees,

and then fill it
with spruce boughs

so that that also provides me
some protection

and gives me some warmth
from the ground.

♪ ♪

so basic frame is done.

As time goes on, I'm just
gonna continue to log it,

and I should be cozy in there.

So I need to get
something to drink...

And then go check our set line
and see if we're cooking fish.

♪ ♪

it's still out there, floating.

♪ ♪

look like it's moving?

♪ ♪

just looks like it's bobbing.

Maybe we should pull it in
and reset it.

♪ ♪

I got a fish.

I got a fish.
Let's see if we can get it in.

oh, *bleep*.

What are you doing?

Oh, my god.

What are you doing?

♪ ♪

oh, my god.

Oh, yeah.

That is a bull trout.

Oh, my god.

Oh...Look at that.

♪ ♪

set line worked.

Told you.

Thanks, buddy.

I'll get you cleaned up
down here,

farther away from camp,

and then we'll get you cooking.

♪ ♪

it's a great day.

Trout line worked out great.

♪ ♪

my shelter is built.

♪ ♪

so everything is working out.

This was a choice of mine,

to do something that allows me
to test my skill set,

test my determination
and my resilience,

and it's, like, the best

problem-solving challenge
out there.

♪ ♪

how do you survive
by yourself?

Do you have the philosophy
and the mental fortitude

to do that, to be alone
and to keep yourself occupied

and be successful and start
to thrive in the wild?

It's tough.

You have to make
all the right choices

or deal with your mistakes.

♪ ♪

'cause we're all gonna
make mistakes.

We're all gonna
overdo something

or underdo something,

and we're gonna have to fix
and pivot

and continue to be resilient
no matter the struggle.

But along that journey,

you're gonna learn from it,

and that's the best part
about it.

What am I gonna find out
about myself?

I like to think that I've
figured most of that out...

but I think, to me,
that's the biggest thing,

is to see if I am the man
that I think I am.

♪ ♪

- my game plan is to try
and swim across this bay here.

- Yep, that's *bleep* cold.

- I am so dizzy and nauseous.

I'm afraid that
I poisoned myself.

- Oh, *bleep*, fire.
Holy *bleep*.

♪ ♪

hey, bear!

♪ ♪

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.