6 wildest moments from 'Alone'
As perhaps the most gruelling reality TV show out there, ‘Alone’ has plenty of wild moments for fans to watch over and over again.
Image: Carleigh Fairchild had to withdraw from season five after getting a fish hook stuck deep inside her hand | Alone
In the brand-new series of Alone, participants are plunged into the unforgiving Arctic Circle. Battling within grizzly bear territory, bone-chilling cold and icy landscapes, these individuals strive to survive in complete isolation with the hope of winning the coveted $500,000 prize. Alone starts Thursday, 15th August at 9pm on Sky HISTORY.
Since it first hit our screens in 2015, Alone has gripped audiences all across the globe. By dumping brave individuals in the most inhospitable of climates and leaving them to fend for themselves, the series brings reality television into a whole new sphere of nail-biting entertainment.
With the show widely considered to be the most extreme survival challenge out there, it’s unsurprising that Alone has produced some truly jaw-dropping moments. But which stand out among the field? We’ve compiled our pick of the bunch below.
1. Carleigh takes a hook to the hand
After being pulled from the show against her will in the third season for having a BMI below the safe threshold, Carleigh Fairchild finished as a worthy runner-up to Zachary Fowler. Having lasted a whopping 86 days in the wilderness, she was invited back to take part in season five.
Unfortunately, Carleigh couldn’t get anywhere near her previous record the second time around. After just five days, the survivalist had to leave the show after catching a fishhook in her hand. Try as she might to remove it, she could not – and even the professional doctors had a hard time doing so once she left. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and Carleigh now teaches others how to survive like she did.
2. Jordan takes vengeance on a wolverine
Not only did Jordan Jonas walk away as the victor of season six, but he stole the show with his unflappable temperament and dry wit amid a climate that makes the worst of UK weather look positively tropical. He was also a dab hand at hunting, killing both a moose and a wolverine during his time on the show.
When most of us think of a wolverine, we might imagine Hugh Jackman’s knife knuckles or a werewolf character from yesteryear, but these ferocious mustelids are most definitely real. This one didn’t faze Jordan though, even after it stole some of his moose fat reserves. Instead, Jordan simply took his vengeance by shooting the beast with an arrow and then finishing it off with an axe. No big deal.
3. Brant hallucinates from moss water
Brant McGee thought he had struck on an ingenious method of filtering brackish water to remove its impurities. Sphagnum moss contains iodine and has long been regarded as a potential filtration aid, but shortly after ingesting his clear-looking effluent, Brant began experiencing extreme nausea, stomach cramps and hallucinations of bright lights.
‘This is one big s**t sandwich and I’m the only one here to take a bite,’ lamented Brant, before reluctantly throwing the towel in and calling for a medic. Although he was loath to admit defeat, he said himself that not even the beautiful challenges posed by the show were worth dying for.
4. Tracey Wilson is surrounded by bears
Tracey Wilson confessed she’d already mentally prepared to see bears, but when she found herself between a mother and her cubs, things ratcheted up a few notches more than she was comfortable with. Wilson successfully scared the bears away with a few aggressive shouts and blasts of her air horn, but the damage was already done.
The incident appeared to have triggered some sort of PTSD within Tracey’s mind and she tapped out shortly afterwards, confessing that the violence of her own response brought her to a place she didn’t want to be.
5. Roland Welker kills a musk ox
Self-proclaimed ‘Ultimate Survival Machine’ Roland Welker did not disappoint during season seven of the show, lasting 100 days to claim the $1,000,000 prize money. His time was peppered with epic moments, but perhaps the most impressive was his lengthy chase and eventual defeat of a musk ox.
After shooting it with an arrow after several failed attempts, Roland finished the job with his belt knife. He made use of every part of the animal, oiling his gloves and moisturising his face with its fat, as well as eating the regurgitated grassy contents of its stomach. That’s commitment to the cause, right there.
6. Dave Nessia starves himself out of the game
Ever heard the phrase ‘you’re your own worst enemy’? Dave Nessia knows the truth of it more than most. Despite having stockpiled a modest supply of fish, Dave preferred to starve himself and save the food for when he really needed it. However, the brain fog brought on by his extreme hunger meant that he was not capable of judging when that time had arrived.
A routine medical check found that his weight had dropped significantly, and his blood pressure was dangerously low. A poor diet and insufficient calories have overcome some of the most famous survivalists from history, and Dave fell prey to the same fate after he was pulled from the show for starvation. The difference? Dave had the food to eat and chose not to do so!
