My favorite television program is “Alone.” If you’ve never seen it, ten individuals compete in a contest for a prize of $500,000. Each contestant camps alone on a tract of land. The object of the contest is to survive living in the wilderness by relying on their own skills. Most of the programs I’ve watched take place in northern Canada during the late fall and winter. The contestants are permitted to bring ten items which can be used to construct shelter and procure food. Every contender is supplied with cameras to film their experiences.
I like the show because the producers choose beautiful wild settings for the contest. As a viewer, and someone who enjoys the outdoors, I feel drawn into their world when I hear the rustle of leaves and rippling water. I imagine the fragrance of the pines and the smoke of the campfire.
Each episode follows the various characters through their struggle to survive. Some people decide to build a shelter right away while others decide finding food is their first priority. Each setting includes access to a lake. In order to insure it is free from bacteria, the water must be boiled.
Contestants collect edible plants, fish, and hunt for food with primitive tools. Guns are not permitted. After a successful catch or kill, the meat is sometimes stored for future use. This too, is a challenge, since food caches draw scavengers like pine martins, bears, and wolves. The contest is not only among contestants, but with nature itself.
Anytime during the contest a participant can “tap out” by using a special phone. Some contestants tap out after a few days due to injury or illness. Gastro-intestinal issues are common when a person eats something deadly. I would not enjoy eating some of the animals the contestants eat. But if you’re hungry, anything’s game! The last man or woman standing earns the prize money. I have watched episodes where the winner of the contest survived for 80 days.
The real test for every contestant is overcoming loneliness. Everyone misses their family members. Some contestants focus on winning the money and how they plan to spend it. This goal keeps them going for awhile, but loneliness eventually consumes even the most introverted person. Some contestants have created dolls and statues to talk to. Everyone talks to the camera, because eventually the show will be produced and their loved ones will watch. The contestants pretend they are actually talking to someone—but no one talks back.
One contender remarked that that he understood why prisons use solitary confinement to punish people. It is difficult to be alone with your own thoughts and stay positive. Love is a force which empowers humans to live. Relationships change our objective from physical survival to living for a higher purpose. In addition, working cooperatively can accomplish more in less time.
The author of Ecclesiastes speaks to the benefit of friendship. “Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls down and has no one to help him up.” Eccl. 4:9 NIV
The contestants on “Alone” are allured by an idea of rugged individualism. But each season of the show teaches the same lesson. People need people. The program makes me appreciate the life I live, and my relationships which make life meaningful.
When I compare my outdoor skills with these survival experts I know I wouldn’t stand a chance of lasting more than one night. What would you miss most?
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