01x00 - Before the Freeze

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music]

- Whoa.

Narrator: For nine seasons,
participants on "alone"

Have been pushing boundaries

Of what
the human spirit can endure.

- That's a [bleep]
mountain lion.

♪ ♪

Narrator:
Dropped into the world's

Most extreme environments,

The survivalists
share a common goal:

Overcome the elements.

- Half a million
dollars up in smoke.

♪ ♪

Narrator:
To be the last one standing.

Now, six of "alone's"
strongest are returning

For another shot
at a half million dollars,

But the rules have changed.

♪ ♪

To win,
they'll need to last 50 days

In a place that's colder
and harsher

Than any previous location--

The frozen coast of labrador
in the north atlantic.

♪ ♪

Even worse than the cold,
the six participants

Will compete for resources

With two of north america's
largest predators,

The black bear
and the polar bear.

When these giant beasts
get hungry,

They've been known to
actively stalk and eat humans.

This is the most difficult
and dangerous

Survival experience
ever attempted.

♪ ♪

[soft dramatic music]

♪ ♪

Narrator:
Meet the first of six

Past "alone" participants

Undertaking
this brutal challenge.

♪ ♪

- Why aren't you wearing shoes?

- Um, 'cause it feels good to
warm your feet by the fire.

- Where's the frostbit toes?
- Yeah.

- It's everywhere.

- All of them?
- No...

Yeah, so, I mean,

Part of the reason
to have them out more

Is just to condition--
like, get them conditioned

Because we're kinda going
like from summer.

It was summer back home
to the colder weather here.

But these four toes had
frostbite a little bit,

And then this one's
had it the worst.

The whole tip of this toe
was black.

They were mentally prepping
me for the worst, really.

- What we're trying
to avoid is,

As you know, serious,
devastating,

And potentially irreversible
damage...

- Yeah.

- To your frostbitten feet.

And so as a result,
I'm going to have to

Extract you from the field
for medical reasons.

- I love this place so much.

[sobs softly]

♪ ♪

But I don't want to lose a toe.
[chuckles]

I love my feet very, very much.

I want to--I want to do
what's best for my feet.

[sniffles]

♪ ♪

Yeah, it's amazing though,

How the body regenerates
and regrows.

That this was--
this was just black

And totally dead tissue down
past my toenail.

- Past the toenail?
- Past the toenail.

- You weren't worried
about gangrene?

- They were.

I was just--
I think I was convincing.

- [laughs]

- Any of you guys
that are on cameo,

You can pay to see her feet.

[laughter]

This is your freebie.
[laughter]

- This is the morning routine
every day.

Our day starts
with milking the goats,

Getting that liquid gold.

It's how we get breakfast here.

I'm callie and I live
in northwest montana.

I'm a goat herder

And an ancestral
living skills instructor.

Oh, my god!
Awesome!

I was on season seven
of "alone"

And I stayed out for 89 days.

♪ ♪

And it's me in my it's real,
real, real cold outfit.

[beatboxing]

I loved my experience
on season seven.

I was able to find food and
stay there for three months.

We have a sweet little--

A sweet little bunny.

Thank you, arctic.

By the end of it,

I was really experiencing
this place of quiet mind,

And I really love
that mental space.

The hardest part was the cold.

I am frosted up.

I mean, negative 40
plus wind chill,

So it was a very cold,
windy location

And that posed its challenges.

Whoa!
[thuds and grunting]

♪ ♪

Leaving on day 89 was so hard

Because I felt my mind
was so strong,

But having
to accept the reality

That I can't
push my body any further

Without major consequences.

What ultimately ended my time
in the wilderness

Was frostbite on my toes.

My frostbite injury
is my kryptonite.

Last time on season seven,
I didn't listen to my body.

Both my feet feel totally warm,

But then that tip of the toe
just, like, hurts a little bit.

My body said,
"hey, your feet are cold.

"we need to stop
and warm 'em up."

And I said,
"oh, what's a few more hours?"

I'll warm them up
once it's dark.

And that decision
led to a frostbite injury.

I have a really big blister
on the tip of my toe

And it's turned worse.

So this time my goal is
to really listen to my body,

Keep myself fed,
and keep myself warm.

I really want
to stay the 50 days.

If I learn enough
so I can stay warm

And stay fed for 50 days,
that would be incredible.

That's my hope.
That's my goal.

I want to prove that living
in the wilderness

Can be abundant and fun.

This land is gorgeous,

But it's already cold
and it's gonna get colder.

And here, this is a wet cold.

It's a totally different
kind of cold than dry cold.

Most people are going to
prefer dry cold over wet cold

Because wet cold
just sticks with you.

It gets down into your bones
and it's just cold.

It's so cold.

So I really want
to get a really cozy shelter

Right off the bat.

If I have
a really warm shelter,

I'll be able
to dry my gear out well,

I'll be able to
warm my feet up, warm my body.

On season seven,
it did take me a long time

To finish my shelter
and I spent a long time

Walking all over the territory

Looking for
a good shelter spot.

So there was a lot
of back and forth for me

Deciding on the shelter spot.

Going in,

My expectations are lowered
for the perfect shelter spot,

Just to find one
that's good enough

And gonna work
and get going on it.

♪ ♪

"alone" has never
done this before.

We still have ten items,

We're still all alone
self-documenting our journey.

So those are the lungs
inflated.

But it's different because
there's just six of us.

We're all past participants,

And we're trying
to last for 50 days.

And in the end,
whoever is at the 50-day mark

Is going to win
half a million dollars.

At first when I heard 50 days,
"oh, that's gonna be fun.

No problem.
50 days."

Because all of us six,
we've all proven ourselves.

We've all proven that 50 days

Is something
that we can handle,

So what's the catch?

Why is it only 50 days?

And that's because

We're getting dropped, boom,
right in winter.

Usually, we have a few weeks
of good weather

To get ready
for the harsh weather.

And that's why
all the wild animals,

They prep all summer,
all fall

So they're ready
for the winter.

They don't start
getting ready in November.

Perfect weather
for hypothermia.

The labrador coast,
where icebergs are born.

♪ ♪

- These are the ten items
I brought to last 50 days.

So I'm going to start with
the most important items,

And it's a little bit
different this season for me

Because of my
last experience on "alone."

So this time, I'm starting off
with a hairbrush.

Last time,
I had to make a hairbrush,

And it was a pretty big pain.

This is the worst comb
in the world,

But it does the trick.

Always important
to have a hairbrush

When you're out there.

All right, this is
another hygiene item,

And I went with the razor.

So no ax.

Don't need it.

My third item.
I brought a bowl.

Having a bowl is something

That's really,
really convenient.

I can eat out of it.

I'm not bringing
any of those items.

[chuckles]
just wanted to see

What the camera guy's face
looked like.

- That was just...Unique.

That's new.
All right.

[laughter]

[upbeat music]

- Whoa!

My name is mark d'ambrosio.

I live in washington.

[g*nsh*t]

All right, very good.

I lasted 44 days
on season seven.

I was able to catch
a lot of fish.

This is totally
a dream come true.

All right.
18 fish.

I was able to catch small game.

I was out hunting
every single day.

Yeah!

Got myself a rabbit.

Happy.
[laughs]

So I was having a blast
being out there doing this.

♪ ♪

Day 35, it was
a turning point for me

And I started getting
extremely tired.

My body is just shot.

I feel tired from everything.

[soft dramatic music]

And I made it another ten days

Before I had a tap
for health reasons,

And it turns out that
I ended up having trichinosis.

Trichinosis is a parasite

That is in the meat
of meat-eating animals,

And when you ingest it,
goes into your stomach,

Your stomach acids break apart
the calcium deposit

Around this parasite,
they become alive again,

And they go
into all your muscles,

And your heart's a muscle,
all your organs.

It looked like I had had a
heart attack to the doctors.

A couple more days could
have been a different story

Whether I lived or died, so...

I remember saying
when I came out here

I'd rather die than quit.

No, I wouldn't.
I'd rather live.

I definitely never regretted
any moment of tapping out.

It was the best decision
I've ever made in my life,

And I also know what it's like

To go
and push yourself that far.

So anything less than that
has got to be a good time

While I'm out there this time.

So when I did tap,
you do have that thought

In the back of your head of,
if I didn't have that parasite,

How far could I make it?

Because I was having
such a fun time.

While I was out there
and I was cooking my fish,

I was living like a king.

And I was happy.

And I was cooking
my fish medium rare.

[chuckling]
not bad.

If you cook your meat
160 degrees or more,

You don't have
to worry about it.

But I thought, bear.

You know, if I catch a bear,
trichinosis,

Cook your food all the way.

I wasn't thinking fish ever.

When I go out there this time,

I don't care what it is
that I catch,

It is getting
boiled completely, cooked.

It may be a little bit overdone
this time.

This is a little bit
different this season

Because we're inserting
about a month later

Than we did last time.

People may think
it's easier, 50 days,

But the elements
we're getting thrown into

Are already more miserable.

We've got the atlantic ocean

Bringing in northeast winds,
which can get extremely high,

All the way up to hurricanes.

[wind howling]

The terrain is
completely different.

We're on the coast now,
and as far as fishing

And the food
we might be bringing in,

That's a whole 'nother
ecosystem

Of plants and animals
that we'll be dealing with.

Shelter--we may not have tall,
straight trees

Where we're going
because of the high winds,

So we've got to take that
in consideration.

What kind of shelter
are we building.

Animals--we've got moose,
polar bears,

We've got black bears,

But polar bears are
a pretty big threat.

And once you do start
bringing in that food,

That's something you've got
to take into consideration.

How are you going to
deal with a polar bear?

And the simple answer to that
is you're not.

You're not dealing
with the polar bear.

The polar bear is
dealing with you.

Polar bears look like
the cute and cuddly bear

That you see in all
the commercials.

They don't really show

The savage nature
of these animals.

They're apex predators.
They're at the top of the list.

Nothing out there
is hunting polar bears

Other than men with r*fles.

So if you see a polar
bear, okay, great.

We're feeling pretty good.

It's those moments that
you're not seeing polar bears.

This animal
will camouflage itself

Like a sn*per,
stalk up on you like a sn*per,

But it's an animal.

It's a 1,500-pound sn*per
concealed and hunting you.

And these things blow
right through a cabin,

Professionally-built cabins,
so our survival shelters,

They're just not gonna
stand up to a polar bear.

There's nothing
that we can do.

If you get a polar bear
that's starving,

That needs food,
you're [bleep] out of luck.

Success to me is not quitting

And becoming better while
you're out there.

You've got to be
able to do things

Multiple times be able to say
that you can do something.

You can get lucky once, right?

But if you do it
multiple times,

It means
it's not luck anymore.

But everything here
has me concerned.

I mean,
to go out there and think

That you're gonna make it
to 50 days easily...

♪ ♪

You're either stupid
or just ignorant.

Every day is not a given.
Every day is a struggle.

It's going to be a struggle.

[soft dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- My name is woniya, and I was
on season six of "alone,"

The first season
in the arctic,

And I was out there
for 73 days.

It's happening!
I'm alone!

My time on season six was the
fulfillment of a lifelong dream

To be out on wild land
in a remote and rugged place

And really applying the skills

That I've spent
my entire adult life learning,

Practicing, and teaching.

So it was really
a dream come true.

Check it out.

Beautiful,
woven rabbit scarf,

And may it get longer
and longer

And become a rabbit shawl,
and then a rabbit blanket.

Whoo-hoo!

My first time on "alone,"

I had all of these routines
set up.

I had a dance party
every Thursday.

Self-care was mondays.

I would sing the sun
up and down every day.

And there were a lot
of things that were

Uncomfortable and challenging.

It was cold,
and I was starving.

Desperate times call
for desperate measures.

Okay, I have these intestines
in my pot

For bait for ice fishing.

♪ ♪

Now is the time
to get real humble

And eat those myself.

I'm going to
scooch out the guts now,

And then rinse again
in a fresh pot.

Eating rabbit intestines
is next level,

But it was what I wanted.

And so letting go of that
and knowing that

It might be the only time
in my life

That I would get to experience
that pinnacle of wildness

And self-reliance and being
so connected to a place,

Stepping away from that was
the hardest thing.

What brought my time
on season six to a close

Was knowing that my body
was just about done,

That I had really
given it my all,

And that it was getting colder

And I was getting
less and less food.

And I wanted
to go out empowered

And setting an example
of choosing the right thing.

My time on season six
of "alone"

In the arctic was hands-down

The most powerful experience
of my life.

And while I have studied
ancestral skills

And wilderness skills
and survival

For all of my adult life,

There was something
so different

About being out there
living it.

And it's such a rare
human experience now

To have that opportunity
to do that

And really
test my lifetime of skills,

And see what it's like
to live 100%

On just what I can make
and do and bring in.

It's really unprecedented,

And I would wish
an experience like that

For every human alive.

♪ ♪

Biggest thing that I learned
on season six

Was the importance of
always bringing snare wire

If you go into the wilderness.

I did not have snare wire
with me,

And all I had to use
was fishing line

And parachute cord, so 90%
of my snares were disabled

When I went to check them
the next morning.

The rabbits just
nipped them off.

Had that been snare wire,

That rabbit
might have pushed past it

And it would have
caught the next wire,

So not having snare wire
was a massive handicap.

I also am bringing
an ax this time.

When the lake froze over,

Then it was a major issue
not to have an ax

Because it meant
I couldn't get through the ice,

So ice fishing wasn't
a possibility for me.

And had I been able
to get fish consistently,

That could have really
added weeks to my stay

And made a huge difference.

So this time, I'm bringing
both snare wire and an ax.

Labrador is a place
that is constantly in flux.

It's sunny and beautiful,

And then
it's spitting ice at you,

And then it starts raining,

And then all of a sudden,
your fire is too hot

And you have to
take a layer off.

You cannot predict
what's coming your way next,

Which means you have to
really be paying attention.

♪ ♪

I can say that
I have strategies now,

But the reality is
that when I'm out,

I don't really know
what's going to happen.

And it's really my spirit

That's going to lead me
to what I do.

Knowing that
I am one of a group

Of incredibly skilled
participants

Adds to the challenge
of this season

Because I know that everyone
out there is really capable.

And I feel like
that's going to push me

To really find the depth
of my own capacity and skills.

Knowing that amós was
surrounded by wolves

And stood his ground...

♪ ♪

- Callie slashed her face open
and stayed out there.

- I hit my tooth, hit my lip.

♪ ♪

Uh-huh.
It's--

And my eyebrow.

Uh-huh.

Good old eyebrow split.

- Everyone
who's on this season

Has really
shown their capacity

To stand up in the face
of adversity,

And I think that's going
to be inspiring

Rather intimidating for me
out there.

♪ ♪

There are a lot of different
ways to define success

And certainly,
I love the idea

Of being out there
for 50 days.

That is only 2/3rds of
how long I was in the arctic,

So it feels achievable.

But I have to
remind myself, too,

That 50 days is a long time,

And all of the people who
make it to 50 days out here

Are deeply skilled
and experienced woodspeople

Who need a lot of heart
and determination

To make it to the goal.

[soft dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- You don't need the
figure four, paiutes, all that.

The simplest trigger system
is just that.

You want two flat rocks
if possible, right?

Basically, you got to find
the sweet spot for it.

Same as anything else.
- Yeah.

- But they're easy to set.

- When did you learn this?

- I came up with it.
- Sweet. Yeah, he's--

- Because, you know,

I'm always reading
all the books from way back,

And then I'm finding,
okay, well,

Can't you simplify things?

I always try
to simplify things.

So now you guys know.
- That's awesome.

- Don't waste time
on figure fours.

- Yeah.
That's great, greg.

Thank you so much.
- To greg travers.

- What are we going to call it?

- The gerg.
- That's greg backwards.

- The greg, the gerg.

- The gerg.
- [chuckles]

- The gerg.
- The gerg.

♪ ♪

- I'm greg ovens.

I live in the valley of bc,

Which is in
the rocky mountains.

I live in a teepee out
in the bush out there.

And I was on season three
of "alone" in patagonia.

Now, we're sailing.

Yee-haw!

I was able
to stay there 51 days.

Now I'm making
a comfortable bed.

It's going to be
like a posturepedic

Or whatever they're called.

The more comfortable
you make it--

This will be good.

It can actually be enjoyable
living off the land.

The fishing, I think I caught
more fish than anyone else,

But some of them were
really small fish,

So it's not really enough when
you got all the filming to do,

Shelter to build.

I was doing a lot of hiking,
checking fish traps.

It was--
I liked doing the videos.

I tried to make them
interesting.

♪ ♪

Oh, look at this.

That's quite the
piece of wood, eh?

It looks like a saw.

Ah, I like mine better.
[chuckles]

Up until about day 40,

When I was really
starting to lose energy

From the lack of food,

Then it became
more of a burden.

It was just difficult

Because there just wasn't
a lot of food.

I didn't see any birds,
I didn't see any squirrels.

There wasn't hardly
any plants.

It was just strictly fish.

Okay, I don't want
to lose this.

I don't know how I have
a fish on there, but I do.

But I got to get in there.

Basically,
what had happened was

I hadn't eaten
for a couple of days,

And I knew
I had a fish on one line,

But it was caught
on some reeds.

The water didn't look
that deep,

So I attempted
to go and retrieve,

Get the fish off,
and as I got close...

Whoa!

Within reach,
it was like a quicksand.

And it grabbed my feet,

And I did a face first
into the water.

[gasps]

No, no, no, that's cold.

And after that point, I just
couldn't warm up after that.

I did retrieve the fish,
though.

I didn't let go of the fish.

I fell in the water,
but I didn't lose the fish.

I got to get to the fire.

Oh, my feet.

Ow.

Oh, my goodness.

[groans]

No.

The water was so cold that it
was just downhill after that.

I can't get warm.
There's no way of getting warm.

I've got hypothermia,
probably second stage.

This is not
a good situation at all.

I can't move my hands.

♪ ♪

There's just no way
I can stay warm like this.

Oh, I can't deal with this.

I ended up getting hypothermia
and had to basically tap out.

I've been pretty hypothermic
all day.

I'm soaked.
All my clothes are wet.

I'm officially tapped out.
I just can't do it anymore.

I just didn't have any
calories to warm up

And that was basically
the end of it.

♪ ♪

Here in labrador,
first of all,

Collect any plants
that are available,

Set up any snares right away
and shelter right away.

Firewood, as well,
while you have energy.

Those are the priorities
I'm anticipating,

That here is going to be a lot
more wind and a lot more cold

Than I experienced there,

So my shelter will be
a little more complex,

Where I can have a fire
inside the shelter.

So my game plan basically
is to be more prepared

As far as being able
to keep dry and warm.

Because the weather is
going to be harsher here.

So I have to prepare more
as far as shelter

And fire and keeping dry.

I'm anticipating
that perhaps firewood

Could be a bit of an issue.

I'm hoping that on the coast we
might at least have driftwood.

There's going to be tundra,

So I'm anticipating hopefully
ptarmigan and grouse as well.

But we have a lot
of black spruce here,

Willows along the river here,

But I don't see
a lot of firewood

And that could be a bit
of an issue.

And we know there's
the polar bears around,

So that could be a deterrent
for some participants as well.

I personally don't want
to see a polar bear.

[dramatic music]

Winter is here.

It started.

It's only gonna get worse.

So from now on,
it's just going to get worse.

♪ ♪

[soft dramatic music]

- As you're filming it,
are you thinking about...

How things are proceeding?

- Yeah, I was watching myself,
and I was like,

"god, I'm such a dork."
- [laughs]

- I'm like
the biggest dork ever.

- I loved watching you.
- Ever.

I mean, I looked at my husband,
I'm like, "I am so cringy."

And he's like,
"babe, it's great."

I'm like, "no."

Well, it's me again,
tonya riesling,

Coming to you live
from chilko lake.

If you're planning
on a leisurely kayak

Today on the lake,
you should...

Perhaps choose another day.

Can't afford this
[bleep] right now.

♪ ♪

My name is michelle finn,
I live in coastal maine,

And I'm
an educational consultant.

I was on season eight.

Okay, there is our cricket.

♪ ♪

A little gritty,

Legs are--really...

[chuckling]
get caught on your tongue

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

And I tapped out on day 21.

My time was ended
due to starvation,

So I felt it was best
to quit while I was ahead.

♪ ♪

I didn't realize the extent

To which I would lose weight

As quickly as I did,

So I didn't have any time
to spare.

But I thought
I had three to five days

To just bust a*s
on my shelter

And really focus on that.

You've got to eat
like it's your job.

That's your primary job,

Eating as much as you can
as often as you can.

♪ ♪

That might be one
of the worst things

I've ever put in my mouth.

It's hard to hunt,
it's hard to do anything.

I mean, by the time I saw
deer tracks the last two days,

It was at the far end
of my property,

An hour and 45 minute walk.

And I just was like
what's the reality here?

Could you even
process this deer?

Could you carry it back?

It was pretty drastic
for me...

Ooh.

So I was out there
for 21 days.

I lost 22 pounds.

Just feel really...

♪ ♪

Just super weak.

♪ ♪

As you get kind of
broken down a little bit,

Another part of yourself
becomes more prominent,

Something that
you might not see every day.

So there's something about not
just being in the wilderness

But being alone
in the wilderness

That's very specific.

So even as I was
incredibly beaten up,

There wasn't
a day that went by

I wasn't grateful
for every second out there.

Whoo.

And I just felt like
the luckiest person.

I would get up in the morning
and I'd watch the sunrise,

And I'd just revel in that
ability to be out there.

So I think
that's something that--

You can't buy that kind
of experience.

It's really such a gift.

So to be given this again,
I can't believe it.

I really can't.

I'm still pinching myself
about it.

♪ ♪

My survival strategy this time
is a little different.

Last time I didn't use the ax.

Most bush crafters are like,

"I would never go into
the forest without an ax."

For me, giving up the ax
I didn't use that much--

I know I'm not ice fishing
this season, so for me,

That would be the key.

I would have to have an ax
if I was going to ice fish.

And then paracord.

But weirdly,

I ended up building my entire
two shelters, full shelters,

Almost exclusively with wire.

So I know I can do it.

It may bite me in the a*s.

I hate these sound bites

Because you always friggin'
bring them back

And, oh, yeah, here she is
regretting her decision,

But that's my story and
I'm sticking to it right now.

This season, one of the biggest
challenges will be the weather.

You're going to get storms
that back in off the ocean

Bringing cold weather.

We also have a lot of bears,
so I'm no stranger to bears,

[chuckling]
having been in season eight.

Oh, my god.

Okay, so there is a bear...

And it has seen me.

♪ ♪

But we've got a lot
of black bears,

And the nunatsiavut people
mentioned

That they're nuisance bears,

So they're going to be
all up in our grill

Bothering us, coming into camp,
which can work in our advantage

Because we are able
to hunt black bear.

♪ ♪

There aren't a lot of things
that I am really scared of,

But having lived
in polar bear country,

They're one of them.

For me, it's like--
be like chum in the waters

And diving in
with great whites.

Polar bears tend to return
again and again

If they think
there's a food source,

So if we are
getting a lot of fish,

They have an incredible sense
of smell for many, many miles,

So they'll know we're there

Before we'll know
they're there.

And the last thing
in the world you want

Is a polar bear
knowing you're there

And you don't know where it is.

♪ ♪

I know it's going to be
extremely challenging,

But I also know it's going
to be very beautiful.

What we see here is
the lack of people.

We're seeing
untouched wilderness area,

So we are incredibly lucky
to be able to be here.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- The sound of your voice--
- oh, right.

Yeah, it's weird.
[chuckles]

It's so weird.

- Now watch
the sound of your voice

When they dub it
to another language.

- Oh, yeah. Right.
[laughter]

- That was--

I was like,
"my voice is not like that."

[laughter]
he's talking really weird.

- So it's overdubbed
in other countries?

- Yeah.

In spanish for spanish-speaking
countries, all latin america.

- I didn't know they did that.
- Yeah.

- Of course, the character
that they play on tv for me

Is kind of like a softer guy,

So they put, like,
really soft voice.

- Oh, my gosh.
Seriously?

- And he's speaking
and he's talking really weird.

- How can we see that?

Where would we--
how can we get access?

♪ ♪

- [dubbed speech in spanish]

[chuckles]

♪ ♪

[laughter]
- that's awesome.

- I want to hear what
I sound like in spanish.

- I--
- is it sexy?

- Oh, my gosh.
[laughter]

- It was terrible.

♪ ♪

That's it.

My name is amós rodriguez.

I am from el salvador.

I live currently in indiana.

I have a small business.

I am the ancestral skills
practitioner and instructor,

And I was on season seven,
great sl*ve lake.

This is the olympics
of the survival community.

♪ ♪

And I was there for 58 days.

Great sl*ve lake,
I had a great time

And I felt really connected
to the land.

Fishing was spectacular.

A small pike.

Lots of fish,
hundreds of pounds of fish,

And I felt like I did pretty
good with 58 days,

But trapping was
really difficult

Without trapping wire.

And the fact that I didn't
get to see big game animal.

Without a big game animal,

It's difficult to continue
once winter sets in.

The fish was pretty much gone.

I had trouble with the freezing
and unfreezing of my bay.

Some people by then were able
to ice fish and in my bay,

The ice was breaking out
every two days.

What brought
my experience to an end

Was the lack of
a big game harvest.

♪ ♪

Especially with no food.

I had almost like a
consultation with my own self

The night before.

You know,
this is a big decision.

You know, it's like
you know you have more to go.

I had a great time
during my quest.

I didn't want to turn it
into suffering by starving.

Yeah, I just made that decision
that morning, basically.

And I feel like it was
the proper decision.

I'm really pumped about
having a second chance.

The way I see,
it is like your phd.

You know, I went through
my master's out there,

Now I'm going through my phd,
and I'm gonna try to do good

'cause I'm a teacher
of those things.

I'm validating myself
with my skills.

It's a big opportunity,
but also a big responsibility

To all the natives
of the american continent.

♪ ♪

Some of the challenges
we're facing on this season

Are we're by the ocean,

So the area gets
mid-latitude cyclone systems.

It's really windy,
really wet, really cold.

You need to have
a good shelter

Pretty much right away,
so I'm taking this time a tarp.

We're by the ocean,
so the tarp I have

Is going to
get me off the wind,

The rain right away.

If I have a tarp,
then I can dedicate more time

For a hunting
the first two weeks,

Which are very critical weeks
for big game,

Before the bears
go into hibernation,

Before the place
gets too disturbed

By you cutting the trees
for firewood and for shelter.

Need to make the
structure right away.

I still need to go and search
for a go shelter site

For a couple of days.

This time
we're launching later.

A lot of food sources might
have dwindled by then.

Last time, I knew that I
needed to walk really slow,

But it's hard to grasp
that concept completely.

I mean, yeah,
we're walking slow,

But I feel like I learned that
I need to walk even slower.

'cause sometimes you
miss a few berries here.

If you're walking too fast,
you might scare a rabbit

That he was just right there

For a closer bow shot,
you know?

Your bubble of awareness
need to be bigger

Than your bubble
of disturbance.

That way you can get closer
to your food.

Also in terms of gear,

Last time I did not take
trapping wire

And trapping
took a lot of calories.

Trying to make rope
with the roots of the trees,

With fishing line
and paracord,

Just survival snares.

So I'm taking trapping wire.

If I am able to spend a good
time challenging myself,

Making sure
my skill sets are sound,

If I'm able to acquire food,

Hunting a big game animal,

The black bear will be
a big success.

I'm a teacher
of survival skills,

So I want to prove
that my strategies are sound

And I'm putting myself
as the guinea pig.

You know?
[chuckles]

It's the only way to know

If you are teaching
the right things to do them.

It's going to
be a really joyful moment

To have, to see the faces
of whoever is left

At the end of the challenge.

We have returned participants,

And we are in
a really challenging place,

We're launching late.

It's going to be one of the
best seasons of "alone" ever.

♪ ♪

[soft dramatic music]

Narrator: Now, a sneak peek
at what's to come

On this season
of "alone: Frozen."

♪ ♪

- This season of "alone"
is probably going to be

The most extreme weather yet.

♪ ♪

- We're going to get
high winds, a lot of storms.

♪ ♪

- We're going to be
exposed to hurricanes

And gale-force winds.

Horizontal rain and snow.

Winter is on its way soon,

So this is kind of like
the calm before the storm.

Oh!

Check out my beautiful
little beach.

♪ ♪

- Yeah!
[laughs]

I'm so looking forward
to hunting, man.

♪ ♪

The completely different
wildlife like polar bears,

Black bears, makes it
a dangerous situation.

Polar bears,
they don't mess around.

They will just hunt you down
and eat you.

- A little more remote than
it was before, I think.

♪ ♪

- On my own.

Just going to find a spot
and hope for the best.

I don't want to see any
polar bears tonight.

♪ ♪

- You can plan all you want,

But nature's gonna give you
just what she wants.

We're launching later
in the season,

So it's already getting cold,

And it's going
to affect resources.

I just got to eat
like it's my job.

♪ ♪

Over here is about
as remote as it gets.

This is wild country.

It's going to be wet cold,

Which is a whole different
kind of cold.

It's a lot harder
to deal with.

I have to push myself further
than I did last time.

Man, that helicopter
was powerful.

It blew me over.

♪ ♪

[laughs]

♪ ♪

- It may be a shorter amount
of time,

But in no way, shape, or form
is it going to be any easier.

The elements we're getting
thrown into are 100% worse.

I must love some pain, misery,
and suffering, right?

'cause here I am again.
[laughs]

♪ ♪

[sighs]

- Until your feet
hit this land,

You have no idea what's here.

Oh, my god.

- In a survival situation,

You do everything you can do
or you're gonna die.

[bleep]
[animal squealing]

Ooh.
Well, that was intense.

♪ ♪

My lucky arrow.

♪ ♪

- My body's breaking down.
[retching]

- Oh, this is the real deal.

♪ ♪

- Crazy, life-threatening
if you're out in it

Kind of weather.

- Everything's frozen
in the morning.

- I almost, like, feel like
it could knock me over.

- Labrador keeps you guessing,
huh?

- Winter's not coming.
Winter's here.

- Horizontal snow.



Ta-da.

- There's 2,500 polar bears.

- No freaking way.

- I can't--[chuckles]

Stop thinking
about these polar bears.

- I'm seeing bear poop
everywhere.

- Oh, yeah.

[bushes rustling]

- Probably the most scary thing

That's happened to me
in wilderness.

- Everything seems harder
this time for some reason.

- Whoo-hoo!
It's storming now.

- It's not a very
appealing world out there.

- [imitates choking and laughs]

♪ ♪

- I'm going to really suffer.
It's inevitable.

- Oh, my god.

- This place is crazy.

- I've got about half visual
acuity in my left eye.

- I feel like a
drowned rat here.

- I didn't agree to do "alone"
again for a suffering contest.

Whoa!

♪ ♪

- You're really
in the middle of nowhere

When you come up
to northern labrador.

It just doesn't
get any worse.

- [imitates whipping sound]

♪ ♪