12x02 - Best Laid Plans

[bunniefuu]

They call this place
the Land of Great Thirst.

The great Karoo desert,
South Africa.

We are in one of the most
inhospitable places on Earth.

Ten participants.

Whoever can stay
the longest wins.

It's pretty simple.

I found the baboons.

There's ten of them,
but I only have five arrows.

This place is dry, dry, dry.

The sun's beating down
on you every day.

I'm so tired,
and I'm so thirsty.

Oh, man.

I really don't feel safe
drinking this water.

This is a place to be,
if not feared,

treated with a lot of respect.

I changed my mind!

Ah, look at the size
of that thing.

There's a big herd
of wildebeest right there.

Rhino tracks.

Meat's back
on the menu, boys.

They call Cape buffalo
the Black Death for a reason.

They'll just
straight up k*ll you.

We don't control the game.

Here we go--flooding.

This is nothing
compared to what's coming.

It hurts so much, man.

It's freaking ice.

So the question is,
how strong of a mind

do you need to have
to win this?

Whoo!

What the
did I get myself into?

Long, cold night.

The last one to tap

walks out of here
with 500,000 grand.

This is one of
the hardest things

that a person can do
in their life.

Oh, my gosh.

It's another great day
in Africa.

Look what I just managed
to bring in--

an Orange River mudfish.

First night in,
I've got a fish.

Crazy.

There's a big kudu bull

right over there.

, he saw me.

Be a bad idea to take an animal
that big right now, though.

Not ready.

I see a warthog.
Holy [bleep].

It's so exciting
that I have food.

This warthog gives me
the energy and the will

to stay out here
for a long time.

I'm just lounging
in South Africa,

eating a warthog--no big deal.

Water's so dirty.
Wow.

I don't want to get sick
from it,

so I need to
filter it somehow,

because otherwise you're going
to have problems later on.

I could sit here
and wait out

a couple more days.

Is it worth it?

This is Jit.
I'm officially tapping out.

It's sad to leave,
because there was still

so much I hadn't explored,

but I know it was
the right thing to do.

This is it.

I'm going on 35 years
of doing this kind of stuff,

and this is the ultimate way
to test what you know.

I know it won't be easy,

but looking forward
to the unknown.

That's what makes it fun.

Ha!

There they go.

It's me in South Africa.

This is going to be a trip.

It's sinking in.

I'm truly alone.

What the
did I get myself into?

I changed my--

I changed my mind.
I changed my mind!

I changed my mind!

Well, [bleep].

Okay, first thoughts,

first thoughts...

Yeah, I'm going to lose
a lot of weight.

Baha!

Baha is here!

Now, this is kind of cool.

This is actually--a moose
laid down for the night here.

That's my house, by the way.

So they were sleeping right
here by my house all night.

I was born in Soviet Union...

in a small republic
called Kyrgyzstan.

I served in Kyrgyz Army
in Border Patrol division.

We were trained
in the rural area a lot,

and that's where I learned
a lot of survival skills,

but after the collapse
of Soviet Union,

Kyrgyzstan,
it turned into chaos.

Here we go.

So I made the decision
to leave Kyrgyzstan for good.

I am doing this for my family.

I am the only provider,

and currently I live
from paycheck to paycheck.

Winning 500,000,
we will be able

to pay off our debt,
fix our homestead,

as well as give our children
their independence.

It will float like this.

I can win this competition
because I have the skills

and the different type
of a drive

that none of these guys have.

Living outside of comfort,
I came from that world.

And it's a constant push
to do better.

We love you a lot.

So I'm going to be the last
one standing in this contest.

So the plan of the day...

Sun in the sky.

This is actually
an opportune moment

to put a stick to indicate
my south and north.

It is important
to assess the site

because then I can build

my survival strategy.

Although I've never been
to Africa,

some parts sort of reminds me
of my childhood in Kyrgyzstan.

Very dry air,

and although during the day
it gets very hot,

nights are much colder.

It cast a shadow this way.

So...

Southern Hemisphere,
where the sun is,

it's actually north.

But east direction,
this is where my sun rises.

The sun rises behind that...

tall, tall ridge.

That's not very good.

It means my mornings are going
to be colder longer.

I think I would like
to be over there.

From a distance,

it looks very hopeful.

So I need to move there

so that I have more sun
in the morning.

First day...

it's the only day to do it.

I have the most amount
of energy...

for such journey.

But this is going to take

a long period of time,

and it's a very

injury-prone situation.

I decide to go fishing,
so I need to get some bait.

I noticed a couple
grasshoppers.

Ah, [bleep].

I know you landed
here somewhere.

Hopefully this guy
will catch my first fish.

My strategy is definitely
a belly-first approach.

As far as deciding which game
to target, I don't know yet.

I don't know
what's here exactly.

So fish is a really
great starting place.

One of my goals is
to just eat every day.

And I think if I can do that,

then my psychology
will benefit.

It's going to be lonely and
difficult in many respects,

but if I've got food
in my system,

I think that my mind
will be able to work

through those
other challenges.

Gonna let that sit
for a little while.

So I'm going to attempt
to get a fish.

I made a little bow here.

This is just
a little 15-minute job.

You can see it's super crude.

I'm Nathan Olsen.

I live in southern Idaho,

and it's the place
where I grew up.

It worked.

I am a child
of Larry Dean Olsen,

and he wrote the book
"Outdoor Survival Skills."

That book became
a national bestseller,

and he kind of became famous.

My father never had
a regular job in his life.

His whole career
was completely absorbed

in wilderness skills.

They peel like a banana.

The family business
essentially was survival,

and so we were just
exposed to it

for so many hours and days
that it just

became a part of who
every member of my family is.

My brother Luke
actually went on the show,

and when he returned,
I considered applying.

Right now I'm one of the
owners of a software company,

definitely not pursuing
the same type of career

that my father had.

Yet my free time involves

a lot of time
in the wilderness.

It's always been
an escape for me.

Thinking about how
to honour my father

through this experience.

In a way,
I feel the responsibility

of representing
the skills that he taught.

That ought to work.

Well, the line's out.

I'm gonna gather a little bit
of grass for my bed tonight.

Don't want to sleep
on the hard, cold ground.

I think one of the things
that's helped prepare me

is that I have
a balanced set of skills.

Beautiful resource.

Gonna sleep comfy
and warm tonight.

I've been a hunter
my entire life.

I also know

some of the old-school
primitive skills.

I've spent a lot of time
finding food to eat,

starting fires,
managing fires,

and sleeping on the ground
in the wilderness.

I found a little spot here

that I think
is going to work well.

It's on the downwind side
of the bush,

so I'll have a little
wind protection.

It's also the shaded side,
so I can hang out there

in the heat of the day.

From the research I've done,
it's extremely rare

for it to rain this time
of year in this location,

so I feel no pressing need
to build a shelter.

I'm just going to make
a comfortable grass bed

and spend my time
focused on getting food.

Let's try it out.

Oh, yeah.

Mm.

It's a really great view
from right here.

Yeah.

I'm gonna go check
the fish line,

see if I can get some dinner.

Oh, I got something,

on a tiniest
little grasshopper.

It worked, though.

Okay, it's
a smallmouth yellowfish.

All right.

Well, I've solved
my bait problem

as well as my dinner problem,

so we're off to a good start.

Tired from walking...

but journey continues.

This looks like a cow patty.

Perhaps there are buffalo,
Cape buffaloes here.

I don't see
Cape buffalo tracks,

but those are big, big...

piles of [bleep].

And what do we know
about Cape buffaloes?

They are extremely dangerous.

Hell of a workout.

From my heritage,
I know that

it's not wise to do
something physical

during the peak of the day
because the heat

will wear you out.

Ah, buffalo thorn.
Let go.

And I am getting hotter,

"tireder," thirstier,

but I feel this is
a right decision

because it will help me
later on.

Look.
Look.

This is it.
This is my spot.

Look at that.
There's firewood.

There's lots of clay,
and there is lots of rock.

I'm happy...

and I am tired,

but, first, I'm thirsty.

But to have water,
I need to build a fire,

so I need to build a bow drill.

Oh, yeah,
that looks really good.

I did not bring ferro rod,
because I feel confident

making a bow-drill fire.

There is a bit of a risk,
but I learned bow-drill making

in my service in the army.

I have made a number
of bow-drill fires.

I've used different materials,
depending on my location.

I brought bank line.

Not as strong as paracord,

but I am allowed...

A lot more bank line...

and I feel like paracord

would have less applications.

This environment provides
with a lot of dry wood.

And dry is good for fire,

so I'm not going
to have problems.

This is a hot environment,

and doing anything
makes one sweat a lot...

So drinking water,
extremely important,

and to have a lake
beside myself is wonderful.

But I cannot drink the water
out of the lake

without boiling

because I know
I will have diarrhoea,

and I will drop out
as soon as I drink

that water without boiling.

I have to, absolutely
have to make fire.

Not good.

I don't think
it's going to work.

I need to prepare for

a long, cold night.

I recognise that
the hardwood is not

an ideal material
for my fire board,

but I am too exhausted
for today.

No fire, no shelter...

No water.

If don't make fire tomorrow

and no water tomorrow
all day...

Damn it.

I...

Forgot to film
throwing out my lines.

I went in to pull it in to--

I'm getting ready to go to bed,
so I was going to put it

over by the shelter, and bang.

I started pulling it in,
thought I was snagged.

Look at this thing.

Oh, buddy.

That's several days' worth
of food right there.

I'm going to take
that catfish head

and just turn it into soup.

Extract all those nutrients
out of it.

And I'm going to try to
just air-dry this meat.

People has-air dried meat

for tens of thousands of years
here, if not longer.

I'm very familiar
with smoking meat,

but in this part of the world,
smoking is not necessary.

It's more to do
with the humidity

than the temperature.

If you can keep it
at a lower temperature

to where the meat
don't spoil in the sun,

then the warm breeze
and the low humidity

just draws out the moisture
and preserves the meat.

That's a pretty good haul
for one catfish.

This is pretty wild.

Can't believe
I'm here doing this.

Well, that didn't take long.

I'm a carpenter by trade,
but I consider myself

first and foremost
a bow hunter.

That's my bread and butter.

I was a hunter
since I was a kid.

I k*lled my first squirrel
when I was three.

Dead deer.

I was drawn to traditional
archery because it's hard.

Well, got a rabbit.

It's not something
that you can just pick up,

and it's not a thing that
you find success by accident.

Beautiful trout.

I'm real excited
to be in a ecosystem

that I've never been in before

and feel it out
and look at it

in the micro and macro levels
and be immersed in it.

As you can see,
it cleared up really quick.

I believe I have the ability
to do this challenge

because of my bow hunting.

That's a way to get big game
and large caloric storage,

which will let me go longer
than anyone else

has ever been out here.

I've put myself
in the predicaments.

I've k*lled


I've had to work them
all down by myself.

It's not
a theoretical situation.

It's something
that I've done physically.

So I feel like
I have the advantage.

We're out here looking for some
morel mushrooms with my family.

I'm leaving
my girlfriend, Carrie.

We've been together
nine years,

and we just do
everything together.

We love each other's company.
She's my best friend.

You gonna miss me
while I'm gone?

Sometimes.

I'm going to miss her like
crazy while I'm out there,

but that amount of money
is life-changing,

because I can set up a life

that we can
be comfortable with.

I feel like I've prepared
for this my whole life.

There ain't no more
mental preparation.

There's no more
physical preparation.

I'm just ready to win this.

I love you.
- I love you.

Be careful.

It's a nice morning.

I feel pretty safe
up off the ground

a little ways, because of
the spiders and the scorpions.

Mm, that's pretty comfy.

No naps.

There's work to do.

I know it's going
to get warm today,

and I don't need to be moving
around in the heat of the day,

so I need to do
some scouting and hunting.

I'm going to have
to figure out

what food is going to be
feasible in my area.

This is some big...

open country.

This is some cool stuff.

I'm excited to hunt
other species

that I've never even
seen before.

I don't know anything
about the mannerisms

of the animals here.

I don't know anything
about their level of security,

you know, how close
they'll let you come

with them knowing
that you're there.

So my plan is
to watch them from afar

and try to get a feeling
of how the animals act.

Wow.

Holy [bleep].

I just had...

two female impala



I thought the wind was
going to mask my noise.

Man, I don't know if
I've ever been around animals

this damn jumpy.


just running like hell.

I wish the animals were dumber.

So I'm headed off for
a walk/hunt this morning.

Gonna check the wind.

Yeah, so the cool air
is coming downslope right now.

So I'll be downwind
from anything on the slopes

as I explore
this area up that way.

Let's see what I can find
this morning.

My dad always said, "Store
your food in your belly.

Make sure that's satisfied."

I caught a fish.
Ate it.

Feeling really good.

So now I want to scout
my entire area

and observe what I can
about the animal patterns

within that area.

I'm finding all kinds
of fun poop today.

This is white rhino...

The only thing that could do
something that big.

With the big game,
just being patient

and waiting can be successful.

But in a situation like this,

I think taking
whatever opportunity you have

is really important.

Hmm.

There's a sable bull
somewhere in here.

There's a sable bull.

And they're a prey species,
and so they're always alert.

It's going to be really hard
to hunt here...

so might as well keep going.

I believe that fish
is the number-one priority

as far as quality
food source for longevity

and likely easier to obtain
than these antelope species.

Look at that.
Beautiful.

And, also,
it's still quite warm.

So, to k*ll a big-game animal,

that meat's going to spoil
pretty quickly.

If I wait a little later,

I'll have more time
to process that meat

before it spoils,
get it preserved.

Here's a view
of my little peninsula.

Pretty amazing place
to be able to go for a walk

and see that many species.

I feel really confident
that I'm going to be able

to stay here until the end.

Check this out.

[grunts softly

It's a poop of some kind
of antelope.

This could be treasure.

So perhaps I can use that

as a fireboard.

I need to make fire
as soon as possible.

I feel depletion
of the water in me.

I can feel it.

In order to hunt,
in order to live,

in order to survive,
I need water.

I never experimented
with animal poop.

I hope it's hard enough
to stay together.

If I don't make fire today,
then the latest,

tomorrow,
I will have to tap out.

It's not hard enough.
It's falling apart.

.

Making fire
without deal material

is exhausting.

Oh...

there's a monkey.

There he is.

I don't know what he is,
but I wonder

if this monkey figured out
how to make fire.

Now I need a different board.

This is going to be
challenging

because I cannot identify
this wood,

but the longer
I don't have water,

the less strength I have to
continue trying to make fire.

It's going to be
trial and error.

I feel dehydrated.
I feel frustrated.

But I don't want to give up.

Providing for my family
is a huge responsibility.

My wife, my children,
my grandson,

and my niece and nephew--

this is my family.

Time for
a different board again.

I'm not making a lot
of money on my own,

and the winner
gets a hefty prize,

so there is no stopping.

Give me fire.

Thank God.

Exhausting.

Freakin' baking right now.

I need to transfer
this fire in the shade.

I'm beginning to realise
that this environment

is a lot harder
than I thought,

but I don't want to fight
my way through it.

I want to adapt,

and I want to live
my way through it.

Water.

I want to take a break,

but I have to keep
feeding fire.

This wood is very dry.
It burns fast.

Once I feel that
I am comfortable here,

things will become
a lot easier,

and I can start surviving.

Oh.

Ahh.

More acacia.

Sleeping on the ground
with a boma around me,

it seems to be working.

This acacia will cut you up.

What's going on over here?

Got some big animals
up on the top of the hill

looking at me.

Is that a zebra?

I don't see antlers
of any kind.

Yeah, I think it is a zebra.

And just staring at me.

Not on the menu for us.
Just as well.

I mean, that's
a big, big animal.

That's cool.

I've never seen
a zebra in the wild.

Okay, I need food.

I'm traveling south today,

see what's available...

maybe a little porcupine,
something like that.

I'm doing this
because it's a lifelong dream.

In fourth grade,
one of our teachers read

"My Side of the Mountain"
to us, you know,

about a teenage boy
who gets lost in the woods

and survives
on his own for a time.

He problem solves one thing
after another and succeeds,

and that became
an escapist fantasy for me.

So it led to actually going
to the library

and finding some books
that related to that.

And that was all like,
this is real.

This isn't some
fictional situation,

and I thought
that was amazing.

Beautiful.

A mere two-hour plane ride

from anywhere
you've never heard of.

Hey, we're out here
to get a little demo of this,

this slingshot r*fle
that I created.

Whoo-hoo!

I live in New Hampshire,
and I'm a web designer.

The thing that drives me
is the desire to understand

how to make something.

You need to take it
piece by piece

and sort of work backwards
from what you're trying to do

and, by prototyping,
find your way to the goal.

Works great.

What got me into bushcraft was
an interest in friction fire,

and the moment I had success,
it just felt like magic,

and that was the thing
that opened the floodgates.

This is a crossbow that I made.

New England is a long way
from South Africa.

That's good stuff.
That'll make a good pesto.

But I think
I'm suited to handle

this experience
because I've studied

a lot of different things
in my life.

C-shaped piece is engaging
and disengaging.

I went hunting and fishing
with my father.

Shot placement,
stalking, ambushing...

those are transferable skills.

Success.

And so I want to do this
to see

if what I've learned
over the years

actually amounts
to something useful.

Here we go.

That said, only one person
is going to win,

and I'm going to be
that person.

Mmm.

All right.

More water.
Yay.

Water is life.

Let's check it out.

Oh, interesting.

Look at that.

Crab.

, yeah.

Son of a [bleep].

It's not much,
but it's something.

Oh, look, that's another one.

Crab number two.

Little guy.

But I'm very thankful.

I'm thankful for the crab.

I'm thankful for the land.

I'm thankful for being alive.

I hope you are, too.

Let's eat it.

We got the big crab that I got

and then a big batch
of purslane,

and then we'll round it off
with buffalo thorn leaves.

My philosophy on calories
is pretty simple.

Food preservation out here

is going to be
extremely difficult,

and there is no better place

to store those calories
than in me.

So, if I have food,
I intend to eat it.

Down the hatch.

Purslane and crab,
it almost sounds like

you get that at the fancy
restaurant or something.

That's good.

What a lovely breakfast
I had.

Eggs and breakfast sausage

and bacon...

and pancakes

with maple syrup.

It was...

it was a b*mb.

I feel so stuffed right now.

It's a joke.

Get it?

Today I feel strong.

Now, I better go
build a shelter

because I'm sleeping
out exposed to the wind.

I need three...



There you are.

I learned how
to build shelters

in military service.

It became a skill.

And I know a number
of different configurations,

whether it's a tarp shelter,
whether it's

a natural-material shelter,

dugouts, tepee-style.

And I have a technique

of making up a tarp shelter.

It's a three-sided shelter.

It will be closed
on all sides.

It will provide me
with a secure environment.

It will protect me
from weather elements

from any side,

and because
of its triangular nature,

it will be sturdy.

This is the shape
my shelter is going to be.

Shelter...

Main purpose
is sleeping at night.

Therefore,
it doesn't need to be big.

One particular benefit
to the shelter

and simplicity of its erection
and lightness,

if I for some reason
have to move the shelter

to a different location,

I can just quickly
pick it up...

and move it
to a different spot

without disassembling it.

A little bit of a geometry
involved in here.

I recognise for survival,

shelter should take

as little as possible effort,

and it has to be not too big
and not too small,

and that's what this is.

I'm very happy with my design.

My shelter doesn't have
official name.

It's something
that I come up with myself.

It's just a Baha shelter.

It's not bad.

I mean, it's not big,

but I think it's plenty.

Some bedding would be nice...

like animal skin.

Oh, yeah.

I think it's siesta time.

Got a group of baboons
yelling at me.

They're not too happy I'm here.

I'm probably down here
where they like to get water.

So that might be a problem.

We'll see if they
give me any trouble.

Baboon's on the menu, though,
so they might not want

to give me too much trouble.

We'll see.

Let's go for a walkabout,

try to get some red meat.

Getting a fish was huge.

It's enough food
to sustain you several days,

but I'd really like to see

more animals than I have.

A whole lot of nothing.

Hunting definitely has become
kind of an identity to me.

My dad was a big outdoorsman.

Some of my first memories
are with my dad,

hunting squirrels and
sh**ting targets and stuff.

Ah, tough hunting.

My dad would tell me
bedtime stories

about Jeremiah Johnson

and John Colter
and Daniel Boone.

So I heard all these stories
about these great hunters

and being out in the woods,
and he was just like that.

I'm a little bummed that
there ain't more animals,

but I'm not surprised.

They put me in the middle
of a [bleep] desert.

Growing up,
I felt like my dad was

the strongest man
in the world.

He was just, like,
my hero growing up.

Holy [bleep].

There's a water buck.

.

That water buck's bugging out
of here from 300 yards away.

It's just a big bowl.
It's like a stadium.

Everybody's in the seats,
and I'm on the field.

All the animals can see
every move I make.

Damn it.

I'm gonna go back to camp.

We'll see how appetising
catfish-head soup is.

Not real wild about eating
this catfish-head soup.

I don't know why.

I like fish.

Just something
doesn't seem too appealing

about catfish-head soup.

But while I wait,

I'm going to make
a little spoon.

It's odd.

Being by myself,
being out in the wilderness

has me thinking
about certain things.

I miss my dad.

I was about 22
when I lost him,

and it was just really,
really hard for me.

It's funny the little things
you take for granted at home,

like sandpaper.

I'd love to have just a square
of sandpaper right now.

I wasn't always 100% truthful
to myself that I was okay,

you know, that I could just
not acknowledge the feelings

that I was having.

You know, the manly thing
to do is to just suck it up,

pretend it's not an issue,

suppress stuff
like my dad did.

He wasn't a big
emotional person at all.

I think I seen him
really cry twice--

at his dad's funeral
and when our dog Wishbone

got hit by a car.

But he was just trying
to cultivate me into a man.

Like, don't worry
about the little things

that really don't matter.

I'm not sure that's healthy,

but there's an aspect
of that that's good.

The idea
to just be a tough man,

and that made me who I am.

That'll work for now.

That first bite--

I thought it was
congealed fat on top.

It was just fish slime.

Oh, I can't do it.

That's all I can do.

I think the dried catfish
is going to be a lot better.

Probably won't have
that slime on it.

And maybe as the days go on,
I'll get hungrier,

and that slime won't bother me.

I don't know.
I'll still probably hate that.

Doing a little exploring.

It would be good if there
were fish in the pockets,

but I don't see any.

I need some wood
to build stuff.

It's beautiful--
just no food.

I'm going to gather
some more firewood real quick,

and I'm going to do
a little bit of exploring.

Archaeologically,
this is probably...

where some of the earliest
people in the world

hung out
in the millions of years.

God, the rock resources
are just crazy.

I mean, dang,
I mean, everywhere.

Africa has always been
a place I've wanted to go.

It's a dream come true.
It's such a big place.

And everything's
not what you'd think,

but I'm good with that.

Nice and slick.

Damn, look
at the freakin' chert.

I mean, really nice material.

God, I'd love to take
something like that home.

Acorn cap used as a whistle.

I teach primitive technology,
primitive skills for years.

I like to carry on what
I learned to other people.

Real simple atlatl.
It's just a branch.

I came into survival
real early.

I was in college.

I was taking a class called
North American Indians,

and it just resonated with me.

That's sharper the way it is.
I can use it.

But I can also alter them
a lot easier.

I'm so passionate
about primitive survival

because it's not going
to the store

and buying
all this fancy gear.

We're making a predator call.

It's going out into the wild
and seeing what's available

and using what's available
to survive.

I'm definitely going to be
looking for something

to make a blowgun out of

because I am the expert
on blowguns.

I wrote the book on it.

This is a blowgun dart.

I did that so many times,
I can do it blindfolded.

They're so simple
to make and sh**t,

but they're so complex.

So you're taking
a big piece of grass

and blowing a dart through it
and k*lling something.

It's just a...

It's so mystifying
and magical.

I'm really big with my family,
so winning the money

would set me up free where
I could be there for them

because they all came together
for me to be here.

A month before we launched,
I found out my dad had cancer.

But he told me,
pursue your dream. Have fun.

Since I was a kid,
this has been a dream

to come to Africa.

So, if I was going to win,

this is the place
I'd love to win.

All right.

I'm tired of sleeping
under the stars.

So underneath this tree,

I'm gonna build me a shelter.

I'm going to use some
of these dead wood.

There's a bunch
of it around here.

Shelters are
what's going to keep the sun

from beating down on you
every day

at the hottest part
of the day.

Your shelter is not just
protection from the elements.

It protects against predators.

So you got to build something
to deter animals

from coming into your space.

My ideal is to just get
some stuff on the roof

and kind of get right here.

I'm going to leave my fireplace
outside my tent.

So...

that's kind of...

But I can pretty much guarantee

it's probably not going to get
done tonight.

I think I'm going
to take a break.

This was probably not
the smartest thing

in the world to do.

And my wife's probably going,
"What the [bleep]?"

Predators, they're everywhere.

The big danger
is Cape buffalo.

I don't care how fast
you think you can run,

you're not going to outrun
something like that.

And they've got tempers.

But there's also rhinos.

I don't want
to get chased by one.

I got a bow, but a bow
wouldn't do nothing.

It would just make it madder.
So that's a big concern.

I'm tired.
I'm going to go to bed.

And hopefully
I won't be rhino bait.

Oh, good morning.
Oh.

I heard something big
moving around, grunting.

So I got to be careful.

I'm going to check
some of the watering holes

and see if there's
anything hunting around.

At night, you hear noises.

You hear stuff walking around.

You could see silhouettes
of stuff walking around.

You know, it's close enough

that I could reach
through my shelter

and touch it.

This is one
of the watering holes.

You can see the tracks
and everything...

the fresh tracks.

Something's coming down here.

So...

at least there is game here.

You know,
you're in the desert.

Electrolytes are a big thing.

You're going to need salt,
salt's in blood,

and it's in meat as big game.

You're not going to get
any salt from fish

and stuff like that.

A lot of the smaller animals,

you're not going to get
as much salt.

So you're going to have to
take some big game to survive.

I don't see anything.

I'm going to check
this afternoon.

All right, I'm gonna head back.

It's a beautiful morning
in Africa.

Last night was a rough one.

I was laying there,
sound asleep,

and my tarp ripped,
and I hit the ground.

I guess this wasn't made
to be a hammock.

So no more hammock.

I'm gonna go for a walk today
and see if I can't find

any building materials.

Probably try to work
on a permanent shelter here.

I don't know what my idea
for long-term shelter is...

but I'ma figure out something.

Man, this stuff right here--
there ain't much.

Look at this.

Rocks and some bushes
for as far as you can see.

I can't see a tree.

There is no trees.

There is no lumber
to make a shelter out of.

It's just bushes.

Being alone is something
that's not foreign to me.

I mean, I've spent
a lot of my life alone.

But out here,
you are truly alone.

I can't pull out my phone
and scroll social media.

I can't pick up my phone
and call my best friend

and talk about your bad day.

I'm thinking
about stuff at home

that I don't normally
think of,

things that my brain
intentionally pushed down.

You know, arguments
that I had with my dad

when I was a teenager.

Now I don't have Dad.

This looks like the spot
if I can keep from getting

on by birds.

Let me get my stuff.

You know, the times
that he called me and said,

"You want to go fishing?"

And I had something else
stupid to do.

Oh, I wouldn't trade anything
for a day to fish with him.

It's feeling
pretty rough today.

This is only day four,
but holy [bleep].

It's not good.

Coming out here,
there's no distractions.

You're just with your emotions
and with your feelings

and with your thoughts.

But when there ain't no way
for these things

to be suppressed anymore,

there ain't nowhere
to go but out.

I can't put it
in the back of my mind.

It's in the forefront--
nothing else mattering.

It's just stealing every bit
of joy that I could have.

I haven't been hungry
in four days.

It's weird.

But I need to be
eating something.

I love the outdoors.
I love being alone.

I love nature.

But there's something else
going on.

Really grossed out.

My hands.

Everything smells like fish.

I can't keep feeling
like this.

I can't just suppress this.

I can't just push it down
and pretend

it was just a bad day
or whatever.

Just something
about that catfish-head

slimy soup...

Turned my stomach.

My fish is drying out.

Oh, but it just...

It's the last thing
I want to eat.

Ooh.

Something's wrong.

I just can't believe
I'm having these thoughts.

You know,
I don't even know if--

I don't know
if I can get through this.

I'm starting to wonder
if I should even be out here.

Well, I'm starting
to think maybe...

something's wrong.

Caught a fish.

Wasn't happy about it.

I'm on a big sandy beach
on a lake in South Africa.

But I'm not happy about it.

I feel like I have everything

that I would ever want
right now,

and for some reason,
none of it excites me at all.

None of it's making me happy,

and I wonder what will
make me happy.

It seems like I can dwell
on the negative,

but it's real hard to find
anything positive right now.

I'm just kind of blindsided
by this.

I had no idea that this
was even an issue.

But in the world
that we live in...

it's real easy to just get that
endorphin snap in your brain...

but without all that,
I'm finding it pretty hard.

You know, I really have
two options right now.

I can try to get through this
on my own,

try to work it all out
in my head...

just try to get over it.

, four days.

Four days.

Or I can pick up
that sat phone

and get out of here.

But something's got to change.
I can't feel like this.

This is hell.

I never thought
in a million years

I'd be making this phone call.

Depression is real, people.

Don't kid yourself.

Hello, this is Colton.

I'm officially tapping out.

Just spiralled into a bad place.

Just... just depression--

it just came in on me.

I don't know how to explain it.

I thought 100% I'd go out here
and just k*ll it,

and then...

I just can't get
over this hump.

I just feel like I need help.

I feel like I need
to talk to somebody.

You know, it's embarrassing
to tap out in four days,

but I can't feel like this
for no more.

I'm giving up this opportunity

that I thought
was so important in my life--

to be on "Alone,"

to go out here
and show everybody

how much
of a big hard-a*s hero I am,

and that doesn't matter
in the least.

What's important
is your own happiness,

and I'm gonna think about that
for a long time,

but it shows
how severe this is.

And I've never been more sure
of anything in my life

than to make this phone call.

You can't just suppress
your feelings of depression.

You can't just pretend
they're not there.

It's like pretending
you don't have cancer.

It ain't going
to help anything.

All my life,
I thought that if I showed

a lot of emotions
that weren't manly emotions,

I was being weak,

but it's okay for a man
to say, "Hey, I'm not okay."

It doesn't make you weak.

It doesn't make you
less of a man.

If my dad was here
to see the stuff

that I realised about myself,

I think he'd give me
a big old hug.

I've got a lot of work to do,

and I'm kind of excited
to get home

and start this next chapter.