05x11 Reunion Special

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music]

- Welcome to
"Alone: The Reunion."

I'm your host, Kevin Burkhardt.

"Alone" is the chance for
survivalists and bushcrafters

to put their knowledge and
skills to the ultimate test,

to be dropped off in
the middle of the wilderness

with limited tools,
no help,

and 60 pounds of camera gear

to find out if they can
truly survive 100% alone.

This season took place

in one of the coldest
locations on the planet:

Mongolia,

a foreign land
of vast expanses,

wild weather,
poisonous snakes,

and large predators.

- Wolves.

- And these weren't
just any participants.

Each one of them had been

through this experience
once before.

- They're letting
me do this again!

- This season
was all about redemption,

a chance for ten individuals
to use what they learned

the first go-round
while getting a second chance

at winning $500,000.

- Ah!

- And tonight, we're going
to hear from five for them.

But first,
let's take a look at what

the season five participants
went through in Mongolia.

- This is going
to be the toughest

season of "Alone" ever.

- Northern Mongolia?

We're about to be plunged

into the most insane
weather in the world.

- Anything could take
anyone out at any time.

[growling]

- That sounded like a bear.

- [whispering]
Something is over there.

What if it charges me?

- In Mongolia,
when you're hunting,

just know that something
else is hunting you.

- That used to be alive.

Still see a little blood on it.

- Big snake, guys.

Be real careful, Sam.

- We share this land
with grizzly bear and wolves.

I just hope that if I stay
away from them,

they're gonna
stay away from me.

- I don't want
to focus on starving,

but there's just no food.

- It's bigger than my head.

- Rahh!

- Every calorie counts
out here.

- Got myself a snake.

- Thank you, Mongolia!

- I'm in the midst
of a really bad MS attack.

My legs aren't functioning.
[cries out]

- Ah, okay.

My abdomen is very violently
tensing up.

It's like someone pulling
barbed wire out of my stomach.

- Oh, I'm hungry.

- Big hoof tracks.

They are extremely
close to my shelter.

- I don't know what'll happen
in these next few days,

but whatever it is,
it's not going to be easy.

♪

- And we are joined
by Carleigh Fairchild now,

and Carleigh,
it's great to see you again.

- Good to see you.

- When you got the call,

and it's a chance
for redemption,

right,
what did you think of?

- There wasn't any question

whether I would
come back again or not.

I wanted that second chance

and hoped that I could make
it all the way this time.

- You pushed yourself to
the absolute limit last time.

Like, you were
taken out medically.

You had to leave.

And you probably still
didn't want to go.

How did you think
you could be better?

How did you think you could
possibly outdo that?

- Being--
a body weight issue

is why I had to leave
last time.

This time, my goal going into
it was to try to gain weight

and try to up my game
in hunting and fishing

so that I could sustain myself
out there.

- Well, I know this isn't
exactly as you had planned,

'cause you went from
the woman who survived

the longest on "Alone"
to, unfortunately, the woman

who had the shortest run
on "Alone"

by a strange circumstance.

Why don't we take a look
at your journey in Mongolia?

[light percussive music]

- Caught my first grasshopper.

Just got to figure out
which pocket to put it in

to keep it from hopping away,
like it just did.

Here in Mongolia,
I'm going at it

in a more aggressive mindset
that I had in Patagonia.

[laughs]
Yes!

Starting off with three fish,
I feel like I can do this.

Yes!
I'll be able to make it.

[chewing]

Mmm.

Thank you, fish.

There's a couple
of overhanging trees and logs,

so I'm going to hang some
line and hooks off of those.

Got one!

I'm starting to think
I might need to make

a smoker soon
and start smoking fish

if I'm able to continue
catching so many.

Yay, biggest fish.

Ahh!

[bleep]!

That went in my skin
all the way.

[bleep].
Ahh!

[cries, sniffs]

I'm not sure what to do.

It's in really deep.

I don't feel like
it's safe to leave it in.

I think the sooner
it comes out, the better.

Yep, I just made it worse.

My stomach just feels sick
that I'm doing this.

So, I don't want to,

but I feel like I have
to tap out to get some help.

Never in a million years
thought that a fish hook

would be why
I would have to leave.

I'm most disappointed
in not really being able

to test myself out here yet.

I hadn't yet made
this place my home.

- So, what emotion do you have,
watching that back now?

- [laughs]

A lot of emotion.
Um...

You know,
just a lot of sadness,

and just the pain of

being taken out by something
I never expected.

- How long did you
really go and think,

"Okay, can I survive with this?

Can I go on with this?"

- When I--you know,

moments after I got
the fish hook in my hand,

uh, you know, after the shock
and the initial reaction of it,

there was that voice in the
back of my head that's like,

"You're gonna have to tap out."

And I was like,
"No, I'm not gonna give up."

- Yeah.
- Like, I am not gonna give up.

I'm gonna try.

- So, we saw the idea
when you--you know,

you tied the knife around,
you tried to kind of

use that for leverage.
- Yeah.

- What else did you try
at this point to get it out?

- You know, we have
a basic first aid kit.

There's a pair
of tweezers in there.

So I tried
to use that to help,

but I just couldn't get it.

- Social media people
were wondering,

"Oh, how come you
couldn't get it out?

How come you couldn't cut
into your hand?"

Can you give an idea
of how much it hurt,

and when you tried to get
it out, what it felt like?

- You know, it was in right by
my thumb and forefinger tendon.

I was concerned
that it was in a tendon,

and I didn't want to make
any long-term injury happen.

- So, after you made the call

and they come get you,
what next?

- It was just about
as heartbreaking

as it was to get pulled
in Patagonia.

- Mm.
- Um, it took a full day

to get to the city
to get to a hospital.

- [scoffs]

I don't know if you're
going to love this,

but we have some
never-before-seen footage

of this whole process

of getting this hook
removed from your hand.

Let's take a look.

- I was fishing,
and the hook came out of a fish

and went into my hand.

Literally seeing the hook
down into my hand,

and knowing that there's
a barb on this hook,

it's not something
easily taken care of.

If it is attached
to my tendon,

what is that, long term,
gonna do?

The tip is coming out?
- Not quite there yet.

Carleigh, just hang in there.

- Ow.

- Carleigh, you are tough.

I mean, it took two people
to get that out of your hand.

- The doctors, as well, there
tried to poke the tip through

to cut the barb, and they
couldn't do that either,

and so it took two of them to
pull and rip it out backwards.

- Just going through that,
though, did it make you

feel a little bit better
knowing that there was no way

in the world you could've
ever gotten that out yourself?

- It definitely gave me
some justification

to having not been able
to do it myself.

- Glad your hand's okay,

and it's great to see you,
Carleigh.

- Thank you, Kevin.

- Thank you very much.

Up next, we have a participant

who learned from
his past experiences,

put all his effort
into hunting for food,

covering more ground
than anyone we've ever seen.

Take a look.

- The memory of me
starving in Patagonia

is affecting my thoughts
and actions out here.

I'm trying to make sure that
that doesn't happen again.

Ha!

I just got a grouse
with a bow.

I don't hunt to k*ll.

I hunt to eat.

♪

Aww, sorry, buddy.

Wasn't a clean k*ll,
which--I'm sorry.

I--I don't like this.

I don't want that
to happen again.

I don't want to k*ll.
I don't want to be a k*ller.

But at the same time,
I want to take care of myself,

and I don't want myself
to starve to death.

[whispering]
I heard something running.

[tense music]

♪

I hit a cormorant.

I hurt something else out here.
I don't like that.

I mean,
I'm hurting these animals,

and it hurts my heart.

So what do I choose?
To be a vegetarian?

Do I push the button?

[voice breaking]
Or do I keep k*lling?

♪

- Welcome, Dave Nessia,
to the show.

Great to see you.
- Hi, Kevin.

- What do you think when
you're watching that?

- Series of emotions going on,
that's for sure.

- Can't wait to find out
about it, 'cause I have

a lot to ask you,
so stay right there,

because we will
be discussing Dave's

Mongolian experience.

[brushing]

- [inhales, exhales]

That looks good.

[exhales]

[squawks]

[hissing]

Dang.

That'd scare me.

- Yeah, I got to be honest, I'm
pretty freaked out right now.

[both laughing]

- I'm pretty good at keeping
myself busy, I guess.

- I guess so.

Welcome back to
"Alone: The Reunion."

I'm Kevin Burkhardt,
joined now by Dave Nessia.

So, you get the call,
you're going to Mongolia.

What were your thoughts,
initially?

- Yes, I'm ready to go.
- Why?

- I mean, for me,
it's the experience.

You know, it's life experience.

It's something new,
it's something different.

Um, Mongolia, come on.

Who wouldn't--
who wouldn't say yes to it?

- What was your thought
process with the food?

Because in Patagonia,
you lasted a long time.

And you actually had food,

and you were trying
to ration it out,

but you were losing
too much weight.

So what did you learn
from that,

and what was your thought
processing going here?

- Yeah, I learned to eat.
[laughs]

Eat what I had,
and very quickly,

and so I was--I was eating
quite a bit.

Everything I caught,
I would eat.

- So it sounds like
you kind of understood

your body's cues this time.

Is that fair?
- Much, much better.

I definitely understood
my body's cues.

I definitely understood,
you know, "Okay, well, yeah,

"I'm starting to starve
at the end here.

"I'm starting to feel it.

I'm starting to get dizzy."

I'm starting to understand
that and realizing,

"Well, do I want to put my body
to that extreme anymore?"

- How about
the redemption value?

- I wanted to, you know,

have a lot of experience
with the land.

I wanted to learn.
I wanted to grow.

And I did--I really
wanted to get big game.

- Well, that was
fascinating to watch you,

because Patagonia,
you caught a ton of fish.

You did well there.

And here,
you were all about hunting.

We saw some great
hunting skills.

- My strategy was figuring out

what the land needed
for me to survive on it.

I was definitely seeing grouse,

I was seeing squirrels,
seeing chipmunks.

So I was going after all
of them as well

as I was seeing deer,
and I just figured,

man, I really wanted to do
whatever I needed to do.

- How do you gauge the calories

you know you're going
to expend doing that?

- Definitely thought about
the amount of calories

that I was expending,
and I was expending a lot.

But I mean, honestly,
I wanted deer bad.

- Yeah.
- And so I was like,

"Well, I'm just going
to have to go with it."

And a lot of times,
I tried to move slower

if I could, you know,
try not to use as much energy.

But building a tree hou--
you know, a tree stand,

building a whole
nother shelter,

of course
I'm expending calories.

So that--when you're
calorie deficient,

you can definitely feel
that energy drain.

And it hits you.

- So, talking
about hunting, right?

And there was another part.

Look, you're a great shot.

It was fun to watch when
you hit a squirrel

from, I don't know,

But that wasn't it for you,

because there's a big
emotional aspect for you.

I mean, every time you got
something, there was an emotion

to you that you didn't
want to hurt the animal.

- I don't want to be numb
to the k*lling.

That's important to me.

I don't want to just--
even outdoor--

or even when I'm in society,
I don't want to eat a hamburger

and just ignore the fact
that I'm eating a life.

I mean, it gets difficult, and
you're raw at that situation,

when you're taking
for every meal you have.

You're k*lling something
for every single meal.

That was more difficult to me.

That's why, one
of the reasons that I was

hoping to get deer
was because, okay, one k*ll--

- Could last.
- 100--100 meals.

You know,
or whatever that might be.

- You mentioned the deer stand.

That was as fascinating
as anything

that's ever been done
on the show, I think,

because there's so much
risk there, right?

You're going up,
and you talked about

your willingness
and what you needed to do.

But you go up--what were you?

the ground, right?

- Yeah.
Probably about 25 feet, yeah.

- I mean,
especially in that state,

you could be injured,
you could--jeez,

you could die if you fall
the wrong way there.

So we have some video of how
this came to fruition for you.

- I'm having a very, very
difficult time getting fish.

I'm not seeing grouse.

Deer is what I
need to go after.

There's a lot of action,
a lot of movement in here,

so I'm going to set
up a tree stand.

I'm not a young spring
chicken anymore.

It's a huge caloric
expenditure.

It's a lot of energy,
but I'm going to put

every last ounce
into that deer.

Getting it from one tree
to the next,

I think that
was the most difficult.

'Cause I'm holding on
with one hand

and then actually trying

to lift the branch
to the other tree.

And that was difficult,
and then trying to find

the position, and then trying
to tie everything up,

making sure I was safe.

What's motivating me?

It's being alive on the land.

It's learning
every last bit I can,

and it's being thankful
every moment of the day.

But right now, I'm just
sitting here starving,

and that's not why I'm here.

- Just because
of your calories

and your state of where
you were at that time,

and your body, was there
a worry about falling?

- Of course you're
worried about falling.

You're in a tree.
You're 25 feet off the ground.

Of course you're worried
about it, but, I mean,

you can get--you know,
you can just hold on tight.

[laughs]
That's all I can say.

- Dave, thanks,
and good luck to you.

- Appreciate it.
- All right.

Coming up next is the man
who loves the outdoors

almost as much
as he hates mice.

Here's a few of his highlights.

[ominous music]

- Boo-yah, baby!
Boo-yah!

Rahh!

That has got to be
the dumbest [bleep] chipmunk

I've ever seen in my life.

Thank you for your life.

The struggles
that I went through

on season two
are in my mind.

I know the cravings
that are gonna come,

I know they're
gonna be intense,

and I know they're gonna
be absolutely brutal,

but I also know that I've
been in that place before,

and I'm ready to push past it.

Whoo!
There's my dance.

There's my fishy dance.
Whoo!

Whoo!

I'm losing weight
pretty rapidly,

and I'm getting
these head rushes.

Whoa.

[grunts]

A lot of the yarrow's dead,
plants are dying out.

The only thing left,
really, are mice.

It takes so much energy
to try and find food.

Sure, I don't want
to be agony anymore, man.

I don't want to k*ll myself
anymore for this.

But it's just beyond amazing.

I'm alive, Mongolia!
[shout echoes]

I am here!

A frickin' echo.

I don't know why that makes
me want to cry, but it does.

It makes me so happy.

Since I've been here,
I've realized

I need my family to survive.

I'm leaving on my own terms.

It's okay to know
your limitations.

It's okay.
I don't have to push myself

as hard as I've pushed
myself my entire life.

I'm starting to realize that.

- Larry is here, and I
can't wait to talk to you.

There's a lot
in there to discuss.

Are you ready?
- I'm ready.

- All right, well, hang on,
because we've got more

with the one and only
Larry Roberts,

[distant howling]

- There's a wolf.

Whole pack of them.

[chuckles]
One wolf to the other:

Hey, Bill, did you know
that there's a newcomer?

Kind of moved in over there
by that, you know,

that one patch of birch trees?

No, I didn't know that.

Well, you know, I've been
kind of watching him, Bill,

and, uh, he's not very
graceful.

And I heard him cuss
the other day.

I'm thinking he'd
be a pretty easy meal.

Well, hell, George, let's
mark that down on the calendar.

Let's go get his a*s.

[chuckling quietly]

- Oh, that is great.

We get a little look at
the one and only Larry Roberts,

as we welcome you back
to "Alone: The Reunion."

Great to see you, Larry.
- Thanks. Good to be here.

- Most remember you, of course,
from Vancouver Island

as the cursing guy who
really doesn't like rodents.

- That's a fair statement;
I do not like rodents,

and I do cuss a little bit.
- [laughing]

Let's start with
the alone part of it.

What is it like,
and was it any different

this time in Mongolia?

- Doing it a second time
is really a trip for me.

I mean, it was just--it was
harder all the way around.

And the alone part hit me
more in Mongolia, for sure.

- Why do you think that is?

- [sighs]
It was just...

dwelling on the past
from Vancouver Island.

I--I really pushed myself hard,
and you know,

I've said it many times, uh,

Vancouver Island
kind of broke me.

And so, just everything--
the trials, the tribulations,

just everything were
compounding more in Mongolia.

- When you're talking about
what you're talking about,

the word "redemption," right?

Is that something that
came into play for you?

- I wanted another chance,
and I wanted to be fixed,

because when I came back
from Vancouver Island,

it was a very hard experience.

I took second place very hard.

I wanted to win.
I pushed myself very hard.

- So how did that affect you
in your home life?

- My wife was very supportive,

and it just took a while
to re-acclimate to each other

and to re-acclimate
to going back to work.

In season two, you know,
I talked about going to work,

and about how I didn't
like going to work,

necessarily, waking up
at 4:00 in the morning.

And Mongolia gave me a chance

to reflect back and realize
that it's not bad at all.

It's very good.
I've got a good job.

I've got a good boss.
I've got a good family.

And I've got a pretty good
life, and knock it off.

You're doing pretty good.

- Also hard to deal with

for you when you
were out there was mice.

You don't like them, do you?
- [laughs]

No, I do not like mice.

- I mean, not at all.
- No.

- Why don't we take a look
at the mice in Larry's house?

[tense music]

- My name is Larry Roberts,

and I do not like rodents.

Ch-ch-ch-ch!

[imitates scratching]

Just all over the place, man.

They are just driving me
bat [bleep], so crazy.

Ooh!

Wake up, mice!

[horn blowing]
Wakey-wakey!

You wake me up,
I'm waking you up!

You want a little bear spray?

I hope that it just filled

their little lungs
with toxic fumes.

That's fun.
[laughing]

They were getting really bold.

They were, like, crawling
right out of my shelter

and just basically
flipping me the paw,

and I'm like, "You know what?
I'm gonna get you."

[bleep] mouse.

[yelling]
If you stick around,

I will stab you in the throat
with my knife and eat you!

The Paiute's definitely
given me a few calories.

It's been fun making,
been fun improving upon.

Boo-yah!
Flatter than a pancake, baby.

Booga-booga-booga-booga!

Booga-booga-booga!

Oh!

Craziness.

I think it's time
to name the Paiutes.

The first one on Vancouver
Island I named Slayer.

This one's Slayer number two,

and this is the one I just
made, the Death Dealer.

- You're really taking pride
in the fact that you were

getting them, aren't you?
- Yeah.

It's a great satisfaction when
you get to squish your enemy.

And you know what the best
thing about last night was?

There was no mouse
in the house.

There was no mouse in
the house.

Mice are all gone, yeah!

- All right,
you gotta tell me.

What do they taste like?

- Just like victory.

[both laughing]

- Like victory.
Over and over and over again.

- And over, and over again.

- All right, so take me--
the breaking point

had to be the bear spray,
right, in the house, right?

I mean, that's a pretty drastic
measure, I would think.

How did you get there?

- These mice keep crawling
into my grass bed,

which was fine,
if they were down by my feet,

but they were right
under my head,

and I actually thought--
I mean,

there was a couple times I
thought they were crawling up,

like gonna get in my head,
or gnaw on my ear or something.

And it was stressful.

I didn't want that.

- The hunger,
you talked about it, right?

And what it does to you.

So how did you know this time,

the level that you were
able to take it to?

- The longer you want
to stay out there,

the more you
have to push through it.

And there comes a time where
the amount of time in the woods

that you get to spend isn't
worth the amount of turmoil

that's going through your body.

I just always knew that
there would be a point

where I didn't want to push
myself any further.

- Right.
- And I found that point.

- So, last time we talked,
we learned about your tattoo,

which kind of took us through
the story of your experiences.

I hear there's an addition
to the tattoo.

Is that right?
- Yes, there is.

- This happened as
soon as you got back?

- Soon as I got back.

- All right,
so let's take a look.

Wow. That is a full back.

Tell me about
the new additions.

- I made a fishing pole
out there,

and I was able to catch
some decent-sized Lenok,

and the elk were a huge
part of the journey.

I heard them bugling
all the time.

And the wolves were there.

They kept me company
all night.

And, of course,
the little b*stard mouse.

It's just
what I remember of it.

It was just a beautiful,
crazy experience.

- Larry, it's great to see you.
- Yeah, it's good being here.

- Thanks for sharing
your stories.

We appreciate it,
as always.

Up next, the runner-up
of season five,

but before he gets here,
let's take a look

at his experience in Mongolia.

- There it goes.
There it goes.

[helicopter blades whirring]
Here I am.

I'm back.

I didn't feel like I left
Patagonia and I'd failed,

but I didn't attain the prize
that I had come for.

[dramatic music]

I'm a grasshopper eater.

Watch out,
you hopping sons of b*tches.

I've got my family
to provide for,

and that's my goal this time;
I'm here to win the money.

Check out that haul.

We all have ideas
of lasting longer

than the longest
winter ever,

but everybody's got a plan

until they get
punched in the mouth.

Ooh, that's a big one.

Are those bear scratches?

Look how thick those are.

Those are big claws.

The competition's
starting now.

It becomes a game of who can
endure the cold the longest.

I've been in bed
for over 17 hours.

And if you knew how cold
it was, you'd understand why.

It's getting to be where
all I want to do

is stay warm,
stay still.

As much as I'm trying to keep
my family in mind

and do it for them, if my wife
could see me right now,

it would bring her to tears,

and she would beg me
to come home.

I'm just beaten down.

I can't lay in there another
night by myself

and be freezing and hungry,

and I know what
I really, really need

is waiting for me on the other
side of the world.

And I just really want
to get back to that.

I'm definitely not
the prototypical survivalist.

I'm that dude that sits
over in accounting

and does the spreadsheets.

I'm not the guy that goes out
in the wilderness for 56 days.

I achieved a great deal,
and I'm really proud of it.

- Season five runner up
Britt Ahart is with me.

And you were ready to come
home about that point, huh?

- Yeah, I was.
- Well, good.

We got a lot to talk about,
so stick around.

Can't wait to do it with you,
to discuss

Britt's 56-day experience
in Mongolia.

You're not gonna
want to miss this.

More "Alone: The Reunion"

- [laughing]

This is where all the--
all the snowmen

come to worship their idol,
"Mongolion."

♪ Oh-oh

♪ Mongolion, Mongolion

[laughs]
Yeah, I'm stupid.

[both laughing]

- Welcome back to
"Alone: The Reunion."

I'm Kevin Burkhardt,
joined now by Britt.

What was the thought
process when the invite

to come back
and do it came up?

- Well, the thought process
was that I'd never be able

to do it again,
because my wife told me,

"You'll never be able
to do that again."

So when it came up,
it was actually a long time

before I could actually
get myself to tell her.

She brought it up,
and I was like, "Yes!"

I was really excited
to have the opportunity again.

- Well, food,
obviously a major thing,

and you were catching
fish with no problem.

And that seemed like
a lot different

than your last experience.

- It was a lot different.

The last time, I felt that

the location that I was in,
which was a cove,

kind of inhibited my catching
the fish as it got colder.

But where I had now,
where I was situated this time,

I had so many spots that just
stayed flourished with fish

the whole time.
I just had to get to them

and angle as best as I could,
and it ended up working out.

- Yeah, we saw you eat a lot,
like grasshoppers.

They became your friend.
- Yeah.

- Were they good?

- They were actually better
than you would think,

if you toast them right,
and you get to a point where

a lot of things that wouldn't
be good today would be good

in that situation, and I'd put
grasshoppers on that list.

- So you're looking
around for food sources,

and you know you're doing
whatever you can to fish, hunt,

and then a deer comes
swimming down the river.

That is not something you
would think you would see.

- No, no.

It blew my mind
when it happened,

because I was just--
I was on the beach,

you know,
it was like every other day,

and I just catch it
in my viewfinder.

And I mean,
I probably did a triple-take,

because it just didn't
make any sense to me.

- Yeah, but like--
- Just wasn't ready.

- You have to think quick,
right?

So, tell me,
just in that quick moment,

what were you thinking?

"Okay, how am I gonna do this?"

How am I--
take me through that.

- Well, I saw it
going down there.

I'm thinking, okay,
how am I gonna get it?

Because I have a small window
before it's gone.

I don't know
if I have enough arrows

to try and take the shot.

I need to get situated
in the right part of the beach.

Hopefully it's gonna get
snagged on something

or stop somewhere.

I need to keep filming.

And that's another part
that's weighing on my mind,

because half of me
wanted to just

drop my camera and tear off
after it.

- Yeah.

- I have to prepare to get
across the river

if I make the shot,
so as I'm filming,

I'm undressing, and I'm trying
to get all my stuff together.

And there were just too many
things for me to calm myself

and focus.
- Right.

- I just--I was just way
out of my head

before I even drew
the bow back the first time.

- When did the food
start drying up?

When did you really notice a
difference that it became hard?

- Um...

When the grasshoppers
kind of disappeared,

and the pockets I was
trying to reach,

the fish didn't
seem to be there anymore.

- How did the cold
weather play into that?

- I mean, I'm pretty resilient,

so I tried not to let
the cold get to me.

I tried not to let things like
the elements get me down.

But I didn't feel like I
suffered that much in terms

of really being hungry
as I felt really being weak.

So it was a lot different.

My stomach was bothering
me in Patagonia.

In Mongolia,
I just felt the fatigue level

just totally wash over me.

- Well, let's look at what
it did to your body, right?

Let's take a look
at these pictures

from a little before
and after.

So, in the beginning of your
journey, there you are,

day one, getting ready to go.

And then switch to day 56.

You look like you've
had enough.

- Yeah, I got that
thousand-yard stare.

- How about the element
of being alone?

You just said how last time it
was a little bit

more for you.
- Yeah.

Well, now your thought process
is different,

and what is that like,
being all by yourself?

- Well, initially, my thought
process was different,

because before I left home,

my wife and I had
a long discussion.

She was like,
"There's things that hurt you

"and made you come back home,

"needing to be with us,
wanting to be with us.

"You need to turn those around
and use those

as, like, your
driving strength."

So it helped me feel like
I had their companionship

a lot longer than
I did in Patagonia,

because I didn't feel
that separation.

- You have got a son
at home, too,

and I'd have to imagine,
that's hard for both ends.

You know, you know going in
that if things go right,

you're not gonna see him
for a couple months, right?

- Right.

- So how do you deal
with that?

- Well, in Patagonia
it was different

because he was younger,

so he didn't totally
understand what was going on.

He had a difficult time while I
was gone, and when I came back,

it was like, you know,
a great reunion.

This time he's older,
so he understood.

I started laying the
groundwork that I was gonna be

gone as soon as I could,
just to get him to understand

this is happening again,
I'm gonna be leaving.

- Yeah.

- You know,
you need to prepare,

as well as I need to prepare.

We're preparing together for
this long period of separation.

So he was a lot
more broken up

when he had to say goodbye to
me at the airport this time.

But he was the man
while I was gone.

He knew what his mom needed.

He knew how to help
the family.

So, I mean, he muscled
through it just like I did.

- Near the end,
you were sleeping a lot.

You were cold. I'm sure
you were miserable, right?

Take us through those last,
final days,

and what was the most difficult
about that situation?

- Most difficult
was just trying

to retain body heat
in the last several days.

Like, I'd spend stretches
of 17 to 22 hours

just laying in my sleeping bag.
- Wow.

- I said that my shelter
started to feel like a morgue,

'cause I had the tarp with
the green light coming in,

and my bed was like a slab.

And it was so cold in there,
that it just felt

like I was just, like,
you know, halfway dead,

just sitting there, waiting
for the time to tick by.

- All that being said, though,

the one thing about you
is you always seem positive.

- I try to.

- And that comes
through in the show.

And, matter of fact,
why don't we look at some

of these big moments for you
and how you came across

as always positive and happy.

♪

- What if all of my
footage was this close?

[laughing]

I hurt my stomach,
I started laughing so hard.

It's very important for me
to have a good frame of mind,

because positivity
is a huge thing.

That's why I talk nonstop.

I just keep telling stories,
just keep telling jokes.

Because if I sit idle,
then you start thinking

about the stuff
that's bumming you out.

[silly gasping]

[raspy voice]
It's day 62,412.

I died last night
for the third time.

[laughing]

I didn't expect to be
as warm as long as I was.

I'm grateful for it.
But this...

Today is the day it feels
like the season started.

And I mean,
the season of "Alone."

Now it feels like it's started.


- This was the first big snow.

This is when I walked
out of my shelter

in the first big snow,
and I started making

snowballs and juggling,
'cause I was just so happy.

I felt good,
I was freezing my butt off,

but I was like, I got to go out
there and make some snowballs.

[vocalizing]

What I'm going to do,
I'm gonna make

a really cool Christmas orn--

I'm gonna make Christmas
ornaments for our tree.

Damn, that is going
to occupy a lot of time.

It's definitely
a battle of the mind.

If you lose that quickly,
then it doesn't matter

how well you're eating
or how well you're living.

If your brain's out of it,
you're done.

That's for Campbell.

I miss my family, but I know
they're there waiting for me.

It's gonna be all good.
So I'm all good.

That stone right there, that
I just kept writing "family"

in a piece of ash over and over
on the stone, is my motivation,

and that ended up

being the tattoo
that I got before I left.

I found a Mongolian
tattoo artist,

and I got old Mongolian script,
pronounced...

[speaks Mongolian],
And it says "family."

- Pretty good way
to remember the trip.

- Thank you.
- All right, Britt.

Stay right there,
because we'll have more

with Britt and the winner
of "Alone" season five.

Sam Larson will join us

I'm Kevin Burkhardt.

Britt Ahart remains with us,

and obviously there's
a redemption part,

there's the chance
to do it again,

but it's also the money,
I mean, right?

I mean, this is life-changing
type of money.

So how much was that
a factor for you?

- Well, a lot of it's
about the money,

obviously,
because again,

I said I was out
there for my family.

I knew what I was gonna
put myself through.

I knew it was gonna be hard.

I was gonna starve,
I was gonna freeze,

I was gonna cry,
I was gonna be alone.

But they were what kept
me going day to day.

Everything I did out
there was for them.

- 56 days
is when you tapped out,

and when you finally did,
what was

going through your mind
at that point?

- That I had just
reached my limit.

I pushed it as hard as I could.

I tried to get myself
to the brink, and I did.

And I just knew that
I was at the point where,

as much love as I felt
for my family,

I needed them right
next to me at that point.

It wasn't even the food so much
as just needing them again.

- Yeah, and at that point,
you know, I mean, you're

thinking there's probably only
a couple of people left,

if not one other person, right?
- Right.

- Are you thinking it's Sam,
maybe, as that other person?

- Um, Sam was one of the people

who I knew might have been
somebody who was formidable,

just because of the size
of that guy when I saw him.

You know, just the girth
he was carrying.

Like, he mentioned
he had 70 pounds

of rations
attached to his body.

I mean, it was evident,
so I knew, like,

I have to outlast, you know,
that whole gut right there.

So I knew it was
gonna be tough.

- Well, I mean, I think
we should bring Sam out.

The winner of "Alone"
season five, come on in, Sam.

Say hello to your buddy Britt.
- Hey, Britt.

- How you doing?
- Good to see you, man.

- It's been a minute.
- Yep.

You look good, man.

- So what do you think?

You guys are buddies.
It's okay.

You know, we weren't sure.

Wanted to make sure how
the relationship is here

with you guys battling
it out to the end.

- It's actually pretty good.
Our wives are close.

Our families are planned
to getting closer.

I'd like to meet his kids.
He hasn't met my kids yet.

But our wives are buddies,
and, you know, we actually

developed a relationship
throughout the course of this.

- That's really neat.

Well, we were talking about
family and motivation

and things like that,
Sam, and similar, right?

Because you both are dads,
and you're both husbands.

I mean, you left when you
had a one-week-old at home.

You already had
a 2 1/2 year old son.

Just how difficult
was that for you

with the pull
of family at home?

- It was extremely difficult,
but when it came down to it,

I thought about them
when I was out there.

And honestly,
I was thinking, you know,

if I tap any minute now,
I'm gonna go home,

and they're gonna say,
"We're so proud of you!

We're so happy
that you did what you did."

And that's the kind of people
you want to try hard for.

So, that was my motivation
the entire time,

and I know that was a huge part

of why Britt did so
incredibly well this season.

- Yeah, there's no
question about it.

Did you have any idea
that, maybe,

it would be you two
down at the end?

Did you have any thought
process of who else

was out there
when you were there?

- It's actually really
weird, because

I was also thinking
about Britt the whole time,

and we had had some good
talks before the show,

and he just seemed so
motivated and so ready

to take on the challenge
that I did actually expect it

to be Britt, to a lot of,
you know, to a big extent.

- So, what would you
say to Sam,

sitting next to him right now,
after this whole experience?

- I'd say he's a tough SOB,

because I know how
hard it got out there,

I know how cold it
got out there,

and if anybody was out there,
like, suffering as much

as I was, then I've got
to take my hat off to him.

He did a great job.
- How about you, to Britt?

- Well, you always think,
like, who is this crazy person

who's out there with me still?
- Yep.

- But proud of him, and

I think he did an awesome job,
and it was fun to watch.

- Well, Sam,
you pulled off 60 days.

It was five days longer
than you did

on season one of "Alone."

So why don't we take
a look back

at your journey in Mongolia.

[helicopter blades whirring]

- Oh, my goodness.

What have I gotten
myself into once again?

After season one,
I went back to my cubicle,

got really depressed,
got out of that job.

It was a rough transition

while still trying to provide
for my family.

That's a little bit difficult,
when you open your pack

and the first thing you see
is a picture of your family.

[crying]
This could be a hard, uh...

This is gonna
be a hard season for me...

to get through it.

This is a different
go-around for me.

I know how hard
I'm gonna need to push.

My wife relies on me.
I've got two kids at home.

They deserve a dad
who can provide for them.

Oh, my gosh!

Yes, I did it!

Yes!
I got first blood!

Today could actually be like
a turning point for me.

[howling]

[tense music]

[distant howling]

I don't feel super good

about my situation
at the moment.

I want to learn
from this place,

but I also am out here--yes!

That dead mouse means
I'm gonna get my red meat fix.

No sign of nothing.

I'm not getting a bite.

I haven't even gotten my
bait taken away from me.

Am I really that garbage
at catching fish?

I'm not getting enough food.

My gill net needs to work.

Piece of garbage.

♪

I've gone something
like a week

without any
protein at this point.

Like, I can feel the muscles

just wearing out
as the days go by.

I can feel my strength
giving way.

At this point, I'm not sure
how long I can go like this.

I'll have to tell my wife
and my kids...

"Even though Daddy tried his
best...couldn't do it."

[sighs]

Oh my God!
[sobbing]

- Well, that
is great stuff, Sam.

Can't wait to dive into your
experience in just a moment.

Meanwhile, Britt, it's
always great to talk to you.

Thanks so much for sharing.
- Thanks so much, Kevin.

Thank you.
- All right, guys.

Friends and rivals
will separate in just a second.

More "Alone: The Reunion,"
and Sam Larson,

the winner of season five,
Mongolia.

[rattling]

- You know you're on "Alone"
when you wear

the same pair of pants
multiple weeks at a time.

Although, my wife
would probably argue

that I do that
in real life anyway.

- [laughs]

Welcome back to
"Alone: The Reunion."

I'm here with the winner
of "Alone" season five,

Sam Larson.
Let's go back to the beginning.

You know, you got dropped
off there, and right away,

as you're unpacking, you take
out a photo of your family,

and you broke down.

Take us back to that moment.

- I think "Alone"
delivers, like,

the most gut-wrenching
scenario possible.

So, you're in this very
intense situation,

you're in a helicopter, and
then it's just, like, "Bye."

It's a very dramatic
experience there,

and for me, the big thing
was swallowing that pill of,

"Okay, I'm gonna be away from
my family for a long time,

"I'm gonna get through it,

but I just have to release some
emotions so I can move on."

- So, as you're trying
to figure out food,

and you're having trouble
catching fish,

why do you think that you
struggled in that area?

- I think it definitely
had something to do with

not having real fishing line
and real hooks.

So, fish have a big sensitivity
to hook size

and line size
and things of that nature.

I think a big reason, though,

was also I didn't have a lot
of great fishing spots.

Also, I'm just garbage
at fishing.

- So you're the only person
not to bring any hooks.

Why did you make that call?

- I just decided I really
didn't want to bank on fishing.

I wanted to bank
on just being able to fast

and lose weight really slowly,

rather than trying
to put in food

as fast as possible.
- Right.

- So I wanted to just
slow down my body

to go the distance.

- So, you're not
catching any fish,

and you probably had maybe
the most disgusting moment

in the history of "Alone,"

because things
were getting so dire,

you decided to eat leeches.

Let's take a look.

- First thing I'm gonna do
today is check my fish trap.

Hopefully there's
something in there.

It looks an awful
lot like a leech.

So it appears to have been
sucking on this mouse blood.

That's about the grossest thing
you can eat

is a leech who's been
feeding off of mouse blood.

I feel very down

about not being able
to score more protein.

At this point,
I will eat anything.

Whoa.
Smells bad.

I don't like it.
I don't like it at all.

We got nine leeches
and a snail.

Oh, if this was Smell-O-Vision,
you guys would be getting it.

All righty.

One leech kabob
coming right up.

Bon appetit.

[ominous music]

♪

Oh, what the heck?

Let's get these,
all four, all at once.

♪

Still, like, deciding
if I'm gonna throw up or not.

- [laughs]

- [groaning, laughing]

Gross!

Gross! Ooh, gross!

Yuck.

- Did you throw up?

- I did not.
- Oh, come on, really?

- I did not throw up.
- What did they taste like?

- It's like a--like a tainted
leather green bean,

is kind of what
they taste like.

Really chewy,
but it's protein.

Right?
- Yeah.

- There's something in there
that is good for me.

I'd probably go after more,

to tell you the truth,
and stockpile my leeches.

And it's not every day you
get to take part in, like,

an organic, local,
free range leech.

- [laughs]
That's--

- Can't buy that at the store,
Kevin.

- I think we've invented
a whole new fad.

Well, Sam,
after 60 grueling days,

you were finally rewarded
for your persistence.

Let's take a look.

- You know, I'm ready to--

I'm ready to go
at this point anytime.

Um...

It's--if this was just
a wilderness excursion,

and it was just me, and, you
know, I left a little bit ago,

but I'm willing to push myself
to provide for my family.

[tense music]

[crying]

[gasps]

[sobbing]

I miss those kids a lot.

Like, I can...
[sighs]

I feel like I got
a little bit in me,

even without a lot
of food and all that,

but yeah, protein has not been
there for me, but that's okay.

It's been, you know, a good
two weeks without protein,

but I just keep thinking,
like...

[sniffs]

♪

- Hi, babe.

- [sobs, gasps]
- Hi.

- [sobbing, laughing]
- You did it.

- [sobbing, laughing]

- You did it!

- [sobbing]

Oh, my gosh.

Oh.
Oh.

- How are you feeling?

- Oh, so happy to see you.

Oh, my gosh.

Oh! I had no idea
it would happen today!

Oh, yes!

All right, who has food?

Who has stinking food?

Which one of you guys
brought food with you?

- That's so great.

What's your reaction,
watching back?

- You know, it's almost funny
in hindsight,

because my wife
is right behind me.

Um, I was really
frazzled that day.

I was confused what
the crew was doing.

It was freezing cold.

I was just ready for those guys
to leave me alone again

so I could just get
back to my business.

But I'm glad they didn't.
I'm glad they...

they brought my wife
with them and I got to see her.

It was just--it was the most
joyful moment,

probably,
of my life, you know,

other than having
kids and getting married,

and all that stuff. It was--
- Gotta cover yourself there.

- Exactly.

- How has your life changed

since you've come back?

- Well, my little girl
is a year old now.

- She was a week when you left.

- Yeah, a week when I left,

and nearly three months
when I got back.

So it was huge to see that.

I felt like I couldn't even

pick her out of a lineup
if I had to try.

And then my boy was talking
and running around,

and so it's just been great
to see the kids grow up,

and to know that, like,
they're gonna be okay.

Like, they're gonna
be in a stable situation now.

- Well, Sam, it's been awesome
to watch your journey.

Congrats on winning
"Alone" season five.

- Thanks, man. Thanks.
- All right.

Thank you for being
here as well,

and congrats to all ten
participants of season five

of "Alone: Redemption."

Thanks for watching.

[dramatic music]