07x01 - Million Dollar Mistake

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

male narrator:
For the first time,

ten participants will fight
to survive the Arctic

for longer than anyone
in "Alone" history.

A grueling 100 days.

- This is the ultimate
challenge.

- A hundred days in the Arctic
is no joke.

narrator: If they can endure,

they'll win
the biggest prize ever:

$1 million.

♪ ♪

- Whoa!
- Holy [bleep]!

- You can't tap out

when there's a million bucks
on the line.

- Oh, my gosh.
- [growls]

- How hard can you work
for $10,000 a day?

- It looks like frostbite.

- [screams]

- Holy [bleep]!

narrator: This is "Alone:
Million Dollar Challenge."

- They're just surrounding
my shelter.

[wolf growling]

♪ ♪

[low dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[cheering]

[helicopter rotor droning]

♪ ♪

- A million dollars.
"Alone" has never done this.

- This is high stakes,
my man.

Good-bye!

- If you make it to 100 days,
you're rich.

That's a huge factor.

Whoo!
Now what?

[laughs]

- This is the Arctic.

That means that these

are gonna be harsh,
harsh conditions.

It can reach down
to negative 30,

negative 40 degrees.

[laughs]
Whoa!

♪ ♪

- Nobody's made it 100 days

in places that
weren't the Arctic.

An environment that's
gonna get that cold,

I know it'll be harder
and harder

to push through this.

♪ ♪

- That's it.

And I'm alone.

♪ ♪

- Black bears, moose,
wolverines.

They're dangerous creatures.

Running into one of those
is gonna be a reality check.

That's it.
They're flying away.

- Oh, my God.
This is awesome.

You can get hurt so fast.
And one injury, that's it.

See you!
[laughs]

♪ ♪

- No food, extremely
cold conditions.

I'm expecting my worst
nightmare.

- This is the Olympics
of the survival community.

♪ ♪

- Last chance
to change my mind.

♪ ♪

And now, I'm alone.

Alone, alone.

I mean, anybody out there
ever has any doubts

about this process,
it's just me and this camera.

There's no green room.

There's no donuts.

Whatever's waiting for me
in those woods.

[panting lightly]

All right, I have to track
down the camera equipment.

Oh, there it is.

All right, I gotta
lug this thing around.

Whoa, look at that.

Looks like where a bear's
been trying to get in this.

♪ ♪

[sighs]

Oh, man.

They put me over here
with Smokey the Bear.

♪ ♪

That's got some nice
teeth marks in it.

♪ ♪

[insects buzzing]

All right, Mr. Bear.

I'm gonna move myself
to a different spot,

because as much as I want to,

I'm not ready
to take on a bear yet.

[grunts]
Already and I just got here.

Fantastic.

What's up, guys,
this is "Sean With the Wild."

I don't know about y'all,
but I'm getting pretty tired

of eating grass.

I do bushcraft videos
and sell my stuff online.

I am an "Alone" show superfan.

♪ ♪

I'm a student of the show.

I've watched every season,
every episode multiple times.

And over the last few years,

I've been tailor making
myself to win this show.

This would have to be much
more insulated for the Arctic,

but it's lasted about
a year and a half.

I think my biggest strength
is gonna be in bushcraft.

Having those
creature comforts,

you're gonna stay
a whole lot longer.

I do a lot of hunting out here

and always conscious
of where game trails are.

I like to design my own traps.

Whoo!

A hundred days
almost seems impossible,

but, you know, I'm doing this
because it'll be

so much validation
in my skill set.

I live with my wife
and my youngest daughter.

I'm gonna miss them,

but that's part of the game,
you know?

That's why it's
called "Alone."

$1 million is a lot
of motivation.

And I know that I'm gonna
get what I want out of it,

and I'll make it to the end.

- We love you.

- I'll do what I gotta do.

♪ ♪

[grunts]
Okay, the first thing

I'm gonna wanna do
is some scouting.

I'm gonna go ahead
and get this bow strung up.

With the bear
running around here,

kinda even the playing field
a little bit

if he pops up on me.

Let's have a little
look around.

This experience,
to me,

is the holy grail,
if you will.

From watching the seasons
past,

it's more competition
with yourself

than it is
with the other contestants.

But going 100 days
is gonna be the hardest.

When the snow
really sets in,

the game's
a little more sparse,

morale's gonna go down,

and that's when you find out
how gritty you really are.

[panting lightly]

[exhales sharply]

I love it out here.
I love it.

[guffaws]

Crap.
What is that?

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

[bowstring creaks]

♪ ♪

[arrow thwacks]

Boom.
Mm.

[laughs]
Just got a porcupine.

[laughs]
Look at that.

I'm sure that's got
some fat on him.

Oh, yeah, boy.

♪ ♪

Everything pumping.
Whoo!

My goal is 100 days.

If I can keep my weight up,

I have no doubt that I can
make it that long.

♪ ♪

Mm, he got some fat in there.

But for this show,

you gotta kinda manage
expectations versus reality.

I have expectations,

but what the reality's
actually gonna bring,

you don't ever know.

Mm-hmm.

♪ ♪

That's why you wear the gloves.

♪ ♪

You know, everybody has a plan
until they get punched

in the face,
but I'm doing good.

Gotta pay attention to
the land and the animals.

One porcupine barbeque
coming up.

Woot-woot!
Yeah, yeah!

[foreboding music]

♪ ♪

- Folding a tarp
by yourself 101.

The wind is your friend.

[tarp snaps]

Lay the tarp down.
Even out the other side.

♪ ♪

One fold.
Is that floss?

♪ ♪

Sure looks like
some dental floss.

[thread snapping]

Hmm.
No, little degraded.

[tsks]

Hmm, so quiet.
I love the quiet.

[sighs]

♪ ♪

Here, Bee,
do you want this?

Come here.
Take it.

I am a biologist for
the National Parks Service.

[chainsaw revving]

I grew up in a rural area
and I've always been outdoors.

I love building.

I love coming up
with novel solutions

to technical problems,

like using unfamiliar
materials

to build a structure,
and I started finding myself

wanting to do more and more
extreme things in wild places.

♪ ♪

I feel like I've learned
a lot of lessons by myself

in the wilderness.

I definitely can cope
through hardship.

♪ ♪

Working for the parks,

I've developed a lot
of plant ID skills.

My strengths lie in
reading the landscape

and understanding
relationships

and the ecosystem.

♪ ♪

$1 million is a life-changing
quantity of money.

I think it would be hard
to subject yourself

to this much
potential hardship

without the idea
of a reward at the end.

But ultimately,
what I hope to gain

isn't really something
tangible.

It's about the experience and
learning from that experience.

♪ ♪

Let's do a little walking.

I wanna figure this place out.

[soft eerie music]

♪ ♪

This will definitely be
the most difficult

wilderness challenge
I have ever undertaken.

[water lapping]

[exhales]

I think this season is going
to be much more difficult

psychologically
because in past seasons,

you knew that
when it was your time

and you were
the last person

that someone would
come get you and tell you.

I feel like now,
you don't know if at day 20

you're the last person
standing or if at day 99

you're the last person
standing.

But the goal
of the competition

is to make to 100 days,
outlast all others.

♪ ♪

[squirrel chirping]

Squirrel friend,
I hear you.

I see you.

♪ ♪

Worth taking a shot, I think.

I'm not a hunter,
so I'm the only person

not coming out here
with a bow.

But I have to have protein,
so I need to adapt.

♪ ♪

Ooh!
Little high.

Is he gonna give me
another shot?

[squirrel chittering]

Ooh, he didn't like that.

♪ ♪

Ooh.

♪ ♪

Oh, I got him.
[laughs]

Got a squirrel.
Hoo!

I knew Little League Baseball
was good for something.

[thrumming dramatic music]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- Time to heat up my porcupine.

We just gotta
get a fire started.

[flint scraping]

[sighs]
Crap.

[foreboding music]

Everything is wet.

Out here, the moss on
the ground holds moisture in.

So anything you pick up
off the ground,

you might as well forget it.

It almost seems impossible
to start a fire,

even with a ferro rod.

And you cannot survive
in the Arctic without fire.

Are you serious?

I need a bigger ball of fluff.

♪ ♪

[branches crackling]

[chuckling]
All right.

I decided to cut off
the leg quarters

and cook them in a pot.

The rest will just cook
slowly overnight.

Should pull it apart nice
and easy in the morning,

be good breakfast.

Anyway, we're
cooking some meat!

[quiet dramatic music]

♪ ♪

Mmm.
Oh, that fat is so good.

♪ ♪

You can't beat that.

Oh, yes.
Thank you, Mr. Porcupine.

♪ ♪

Mmm.
Mmm-mmm-mmm.

Mmm.
Mmm.

All right, take my pot
down to the shoreline.

'Cause if there's one
good way to get a visitor,

it's to have something
in your sleeping quarters

that they want.

[quiet tense music]

♪ ♪

[metallic clanging]

It's just getting dark,
and I just fell asleep,

and I was woken
by a clanging sound,

which I know it was my
cooking pots, so I'm kinda--

kinda, like, freaking out
a little bit.

I think the bears have
probably found me again.

♪ ♪

[metallic snapping]

I don't know of anything else
that coulda knocked that

cooking pot around like that.

It's pretty heavy cast iron.

Either a bear or wolverine.

[zipper zipping]

I'm trying to slip up
and get my bow

and get down there and see--
see if I can see something.

[grunts]

[tense music]

♪ ♪

I'm trying to move
pretty quick here.

See if I can see anything.

[animal growls]

What is that?

Something knows I'm here.

[exhales sharply]

[leaves rustling]

[low animal growl]

I'm not the only one out here.

I'm definitely not
the only one hungry.

[bleep]!

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[rustling]

- Back!
[sighs]

♪ ♪

Aw, crap.

[exhales sharply]

Aw, dang it.

Hmm, yeah, there's definitely
something been in my pot.

♪ ♪

It's definitely unnerving.
Something knows I'm here.

[panting lightly]

♪ ♪

All right.
Maybe I run him off.

♪ ♪

Everything out here
wants to take your food.

Everything.

♪ ♪

[grunting and panting]

I don't imagine
I'll get any sleep, listening.

[tarp crinkling]

[light tense music]

♪ ♪

[branch rustling]

- Seven snares.
Right on.

Are you ready for this?

[hard exhale]

[laughs softly]

Oh, there's some wicked
bundles of spruce sap.

I'm just gonna chew some,

'cause this actually looks
like, um, pre-chewed.

I may regret this,
but I'm gonna do it.

[clears throat]
Did think that was cleaner.

Worst idea yet.

[light ominous music]

♪ ♪

See if my snares produced.

It would be pretty wonderful
to have a rabbit.

My main priority is to provide
myself with enough food.

If I'm not actively hunting
or fishing,

I want to be passively
hunting or fishing.

So my goal is to set
seven snares a day.

Making to 100 days is going
to be extremely hard.

I think psychologically
it's nice to have

a definite end date, but that
doesn't make it any easier

to physically get there,
but I know how to put my head

down and just get things done
when things are tough.

♪ ♪

We've got snow again.

My profession is a wilderness
snowshoe guide.

Day 15.

My husband and I do remote
wilderness adventures

through minus-40 degree
weather, snowstorms, slush.

Everyone's ready for a
knock-'em-out, easy day, 10K.

I have the ability to overcome
harsh environments.

I'm still making my gill net.

Knowing what to expect
in the Arctic,

that's going to be
a huge advantage.

The only thing
that would make me tap

is an injury
or starvation.

[arrow thwacks]

My husband Dave, he and I,
we do everything together.

We are best friends,
business partners.

$1 million is more
than I could even imagine.

Having that money means
that we can take more time

to live off the land
and have the simple life.

- We got this.

- I want to show people
how resilient women can be.

[motor revs]

This is an opportunity
for me to prove to myself

that I can do it without Dave.

I have full confidence
that I can make it until

they come and get me
on day 100 with $1 million.

[rabbit cries]

Hmm, that's my snare.

My first rabbit.
Sweet.

[rabbit crying]

[bones snap]

[sighs]
[sniffles]

[sniffling and sobbing]

Such a small guy.
Noose was too weak.

This is awful.

[crying]

I just feel really bad.

[mournful music]

♪ ♪

Not everybody gets the chance
to look in the eye

of the animal
you're about to eat.

♪ ♪

Out here there is no
grocery store.

You can't just
open up the fridge,

and when you have
to k*ll your food,

you don't take it for granted.

Mmm.

[quiet foreboding music]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- [sniffles]
I see breakfast.

Ants just boiling
out of that birch.

Bunch of them are getting
away too--I gotta get them.

[grunts]

[light music]

Here's a big one.

[crunching]

♪ ♪

Out here,
any little thing's good,

even if it ain't
a major food source.

[chuckles]

That one grabbed
ahold of my tongue.

You gotta make sure
you eat their heads first,

or they'll pinch your tongue.

We'll eat stuff you'd never
even touch back home.

Crunch down every bit of it,
and drink the juice

and lick the bowl.

That might be about it.

Nobody got a clue what
it's like to rough it.

[light dramatic music]

I've been living off the land
pretty much my whole life.

I don't do the pacifist,

"all one with the wilderness"
bull[bleep].

I'm a registered big-game
guide in Red Devil, Alaska.

That was a good shot.

I do extreme wilderness hunts.

I'll spend all winter
out there trapping.

I call this my moose shot.
I am good at it.

And when I get bored,
I got logging

and try to smash myself
that way.

I have this opportunity
to make a million bucks.

That's huge in my world.
That's big money, man.

There is nothing going on
in my home life to make me

tap out of this, nothing.

You're gonna have to pull me
out, because a million bucks

is just too much money.

I'm the ultimate
wilderness machine,

and I'm doing this
to show the whole world

I'm the big bull
of the north woods.

♪ ♪

What a beautiful lake.

There's a nice little
beach here.

There's some old black bear
tracks here in the sand.

I wanted to look in the sand,
see if there's any fresh prints

of moose or whatever.

Small black bear,
pad and toes.

Old sign.

Clear back,
summertime old.

Oh, there's a big find
right there.

This is what I didn't bring,
and it's what I might need.

I can untangle that and get

a hunk of serviceable
fishing line.

It could pay off big time

if I can come up
with some kind of hook.

Heading up the shoreline here
to prospect for fishing sites.

♪ ♪

I think it's gonna take
some very strong medicine

to be the last man or woman
after 100 days.

You're gonna
have to do things

you would never dream
of doing.

You're gonna have to be tough,

you're gonna have to be smart,

you're gonna have
to be aggressive,

and I got all that
and a couple more.

There's deep water here,
could be good.

I'm gonna go see if there's
a bay on the next side.

[panting lightly]

[dramatic music]

Oh, [bleep]!

♪ ♪

[animal growls]

[foreboding music]

♪ ♪

- [bleep]!

[animal growling]

[panting]

♪ ♪

There he goes.

That [bleep] was close.

Looked to be about
a 40-pounder, too.

♪ ♪

How was that for some
close encounters?

That was some pretty intense
wolverine action there, man.

He popped up over that rock
in my face, just right here.

But I didn't have a bow.

If he had been any closer,
the axe might have worked.

But no good.

♪ ♪

Hoo!

I don't like him
being around my camp.

Those things are notorious
camp busters.

They're gonna steal your meat.

♪ ♪

[soft dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- Kinda worried about
the bears coming, you know?

I will be sleeping with my air
horn in my sleeping bag again.

And the reason for that--
is I have bear spray also.

But the bear spray's gonna
require me to jump up and move

and spray.

The air horn, I actually
don't even have to move.

I can just deploy the sound
from inside the sleeping bag.

I don't think my family wants
me dying over anything, so.

[grunting and exhaling]

[light dramatic music]

♪ ♪

The money would do a lot.

This journey
and this experience

and getting to be here
was because of a lot

of my hard work,
but my wife and kids

had to sacrifice as well.

The way to repay them would be
to get them that money.

So for me to stop
anything short of the end

would almost be
kinda like betraying them.

Good night.
Love you guys.

[brisk ominous music]

♪ ♪

[birds chirping]

♪ ♪

- All right, people.
Let's get cleaned up.

♪ ♪

[groaning]

Oh, it's not warm.
[grunts]

Oh, damn it.

Oh, this feels weird.

Getting over it, though.
[laughs]

[exhaling sharply]

[grunts]
[chuckling]

All right, good and warmed up.

Gonna do a bit
of berry foraging,

maybe bring back
a few mushrooms.

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

That's a juniper.

♪ ♪

Coral fungus.

♪ ♪

All edible, as far as I know.

♪ ♪

What is that?

Definitely seeing some
tracks in here.

Pretty well-established
little trail here.

Pretty matted down.

Used somewhat recently.

Tough to say
in this environment.

[branches rustling]

Oh, [bleep], there's a bear.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

It's coming my way.

♪ ♪

It could be heading
straight into my camp.

The smell of guts.

There's kind of two ways
to go about doing this.

Leave him alone
or go on the offensive.

[sighs]

[zipper zipping]

All right, I'm gonna
go toward the bear.

Oh, there he goes.

[indistinct yell]

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- Feel a little vulnerable
with nothing but a green tarp

between me and a bear.

Hoping I can get up there
and head him off.

♪ ♪

It'd be pretty thrilling
if I had a bow in my hands

right now, wouldn't it?

I'm not the person
who sits in the dark woods

and has the hair stand up
on the back of my neck

as soon as there's a sound.

I'm the person
that hears that thing

and silently goes toward that.

Before he gets the idea
that I equal food,

I'd like him to have the idea
that I equal scary,

loud noises.

[light panting]

♪ ♪

I'm not gonna be
able to get up that ledge.

♪ ♪

Dang it.

[flies buzzing]

I think he got around me.

This is getting crazy.

♪ ♪

I've only challenged myself
in this way before

on my own terms.

Never in this way
have the factors

been so completely
out of my control.

[birds chirping]

[quiet dramatic music]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- [sniffles]

Morning.

So much to do.

I wanna finalize my shelter.

The days are gonna
go by quickly,

and if I can forget
about my shelter early on,

then that's--
that's great.

[light tense music]

[axe thudding]

[wood snapping]

It's simple.

I'm a "keep it simple"
kind of person.

Originally, I really liked the
idea of the seven-pole pitch.

That's how prospector tents
are set up.

All right, in she goes.

But I wanted it to be narrow
enough that the tarp

could go all
the way to the bottom

for wind protection,
because an airproof shelter

is gonna keep you a lot warmer
than a leaky one.

I have to build that up,
way up.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

The Arctic is one of the most
dangerous places because

you have to be on your game
for everything.

Winter is coming, and winter
is harsh and relentless.

It doesn't care
if you're here or not.

♪ ♪

On the gear list
was a pair of gaiters.

I sewed them together.

I'm going to use them
as a door.

Don't hate, appreciate.

Through my career I've been
able to inspire a lot of women

that are thinking that
they can't do some things

that aren't necessarily
womanly.

I want to be a voice for women
to feel like they can

just get up and do it.

I'm stronger than a lot of
guys, physically and mentally.

I wanna finally have a woman
win this show,

and I can be that person.

[upbeat dramatic music]

♪ ♪

This is my new home.

♪ ♪

[soft eerie music]

♪ ♪

[wood crackling]

Gotta say, big fan
of my little caban.

It's just gonna keep
getting better.

I feel like my knee
could use a, uh, hot tub.

[sniffles]
[exhales]

Maybe I'll order one on Amazon.

Do you think they give
free delivery here?

When I left home, there was
numerous nights crying,

telling Dave that
I was scared.

But now that I'm out here,
I'm not leaving.

Like, not happening.

[slurps and gulps]

[thrumming tense music]

♪ ♪

[birds chirping]

[rustling]

♪ ♪

- Morning.
[sniffles]

Why do I have the Toys-R-Us
song stuck in my head?

What the [bleep]?

I think it's 'cause I thought,
"I don't wanna get up."

Which turned into
"I don't wanna grow up."

But I'm not gonna sing it,

'cause I'd like for it
to go away.

[quiet dramatic music]

I'm definitely hungry
right now.

I'm setting snares and
experimenting a little bit

with different methods,
but I'm just keeping it

consistent, figuring out
what's working

and what's not working.

[exhales heavily]
Gotta start getting some food.

Everybody knows that's
the name of the game here.

I've probably been getting
about 500 calories a day,

something like that.

I'm pretty used to
functioning on minimum,

but I am starting to feel
the effects, you know?

And we're barely
getting started.

♪ ♪

Holy [bleep], I got a rabbit.
[bleep] yeah!

[laughs]

Oh, yeah, buddy.
Thank you.

Oh, thank God--
Oh!

It worked.
I got you, buddy.

I got you, bud.

[panting]
Oh, hey.

Hey, bud.
[sniffles]

Oh.

It's a hare.

Yes.

Oh.
[chuckles]

♪ ♪

He's got some weight to him.
Hope he's not all belly.

Yes!

There's another one.
Holy [bleep], I got two.

Oh, man!

♪ ♪

Look at that.

I'm out here trying
to last 100 days

in a harsh environment,
and I've got a long way to go.

But I'm off to a good start
out here, friends.

Let's try to keep it that way.

[low tense music]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[bird cries]

- For more on this build,
and to see if I die

in the Arctic,
tune in this Thursday night

to "Alone" on History Channel.

Or maybe I'll get
mauled by a bear.

Tune in this Thursday night,
only on "Alone"--No.

Tune in every Thursday night
for "Alone" on History Channel.

How is that,
is that a better view?

No, I'm in the dark--
No, I'm in the sun.

Welcome back.
I'm Shawn Helton,

AKA, "Shawn With the Wild."
AKA, bushcraft ninja.

AKA, Thor of the woods.
AKA--I don't know.

I don't really have any more.

[mallet thumps]

[sniffles]

[bird cries]

Right now, I feel great.

I haven't seen any sign

or heard any sign
of the bears lately,

so I've been able to work
on building a shelter.

I'm not going really fast,
but I'm making progress.

What I'll try to do today
is get some food quickly,

skip out on the shelter
building,

just do a little relaxing.

[upbeat dramatic music]

♪ ♪

What is that?

[exhales sharply]
What?

No.
Yes.

Holy [bleep],
that's an old boat.

[laughs]

[hollow clanking]

[grunts] This journey
just keeps getting

more and more absurd.

All right,
I'm just gonna go for it.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[exhales sharply]

Nice workout.

You know, maybe I can
raise it up with some rocks

and build a fire
under the metal.

You got yourself
a sauna or a hot tub.

How nice would that be, to be
out here in the freezing cold,

and have yourself a little--
little spa treatment.

[guffaws]
That's crazy.

[driving tense music]

First, I gotta get some water,
bring it back up here.

♪ ♪

It's a crazy day to be trying
to go and taking a bath,

but nobody can argue
with a nice, hot bath.

♪ ♪

This is the low side,
so I should draw air from here

and ventilate out
the high side over there.

Never thought I'd be
starting a fire under a boat.

Oh, she's a-popping.
Heat that water up, baby.

♪ ♪

Nice and toasty.
[laughs]

♪ ♪

Ooh, it's like a sauna in here.

♪ ♪

[water splashing]

[exhales slowly]
It's hot.

It's hot.

Ah.

[laughing softly]

We can't forget
this little piece.

Northwest Territory, who?

Arctic Circle, what?

I'm out here in a hot tub
full of green tea.

Come on, man.

[guffaws]

♪ ♪

Keep my junk covered up
with junipers.

[laughs]

I told my wife I wouldn't
get naked on TV.

Technically,
this is not naked.

Think if I was back at home
right now,

I'd be doing
the grind at work,

day to day,
nine to five.

Everything's hustling
in my world.

Kids coming and going.
Don't get me wrong,

I love them to pieces,
but, you know,

there's people in and out
of the house all the time.

Really no such thing
as solitude.

♪ ♪

[grunts]

This journey, this adventure,
this was for me.

That's my reward.

♪ ♪

Feels amazing!

Whoo!

Look at that.
I'm pruning.

♪ ♪

[groans]

Man, if I can make it
to the end,

that would be so cool.

[light dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[sighs]

All right, all right.

[exhales]

Man, that whole experience
was amazing.

[grunts]

I'm gonna get us some water on.

All right, Shawn.

[zipper unzips]

♪ ♪

The heck is my fire steel?

[grunts]

[zipper zipping]
[groans]

[sniffles]

♪ ♪

My pants.

Come on, come on.

♪ ♪

Let's drag everything out,
it's gotta be there.

Gotta be there.
Gotta--Gotta be there.

Just got to.

[fabric rustling]

♪ ♪

Gotta be here, gotta be here.

♪ ♪

[screams]

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

- [sniffles and sighs]

Come on.

Come on, God.

Please let me find
this fire steel.

Come on.

[fabric flapping]

[exhales]

I know I just had it.

God, come on.

[sighs deeply]

♪ ♪

Okay, so...
[laughs]

I got a bit of a problem.

[sighs]

Somewhere out there on that
trail I've lost my fire steel.

♪ ♪

[sighs]

♪ ♪

That's such a hike,
I'm so tired.

So tired.
I gotta find it, though.

I gotta find it,
so I'm gonna have to go.

[sniffles and exhales]

♪ ♪

Go back and rehike
that whole trail

and hope I can find it.

Oh, man.

Okay.

[grunts]
Come on!

[sighs]

♪ ♪

Come on, let's look for it.

Not having fire
in the middle of the Arctic

is a serious situation.

Where is it?

Can't be out here without
a damn fire steel.

That's your means of cooking,

and that's your means of
keeping the predators away.

This can't be it.
This can't be all of it.

This can't be the end.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

[bleep] never gonna find it.

♪ ♪

[yelling]

♪ ♪

[groans]

[breathes deeply]

[sniffling]

[grunts]
Fire's everything out here.

♪ ♪

It's not only a means
of cooking your food,

it's the only warmth you have.

There's no surviving
the winter without a fire.

You'll die out here.

♪ ♪

Just don't have the energy
to pursue friction fire.

♪ ♪

I've been struggling to start
a fire anyway with a ferro rod

because everything was damp.

[light suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[sniffles and sighs]

I know what has to be done.

[sighs]

♪ ♪

[device beeps]

♪ ♪

Hello, this is Shawn,
and I'm officially tapping.

[melancholy music]

[sniffling]
I had everything.

I had all the pieces
to the puzzle.

♪ ♪

I could do it.

[breath catches]

I just can't do it
without fire.

♪ ♪

[groaning and sighing]

The hardest part of it is...

♪ ♪

It's having to go
back home knowing that

you've failed your family.

♪ ♪

I'm sorry.

[sobbing]

♪ ♪

[groans]

♪ ♪

[sighs deeply]

♪ ♪

Sorry, guys.

I can't survive out here
without a fire.

[sniffles and sighs]

I do have experience
making friction fire.

Um, even in optimal conditions,
I'm not--

I'm not the best at it.

And then to keep up
that kind of--

keep up that kind of
energy level and pace

over the next 90 days...

It's just unrealistic.

And there's no need
prolonging the inevitable.

[sighs]
So I guess I'm done.

♪ ♪

Being on "Alone" was my dream.

It consumed me
for three or four years,

and I was able to achieve
that dream.

But I wanted to tell
a longer story.

I wanted to feel complete.

All these things are causing
these emotions.

Everything that you've worked
towards and put into

into get here, is all gone.

Honestly, I don't really know
what to do with myself now.

I realized that when you think
you've got everything,

and you have everything
figured out,

how quickly it all can just go
away just by making a mistake.

♪ ♪

Welcome to "Alone:
Tales from the Arctic."

I'm your host,
Colby Donaldson,

here with the participants
of tonight's episode,

Shawn, Joe, Kielyn,
and Roland.

We are ready to talk about
everything we just saw.

As a fan of the show,

and having watched
since season one,

it's really obvious
that "Alone"

has a very high respect
and regard

in the survival community.

Roland, tell me about that.

What is it that makes
this series so special?

- This is the Super Bowl

of the survival world.

- How you doin', Roland?

- Hey, I'm on top
of the world, man.

To be chosen for "Alone"

is beyond all ten
of our wildest dreams,

and it is absolutely

You stick a man or a woman
out there

with nothing to eat,
it's for real.

This is big-time.

- Love it.
Kielyn, let's talk about

launch day.

What kind of emotions
are going through you

as you're launching,
as you're preparing

for this adventure?

- Yeah, it was just
a lot of excitement

just to get things going
and start to

implement your plans

that you had been making for,
you know, months beforehand.

As soon as that helicopter
dropped me off,

it was just silence.

There was a big, uh,

feeling of relief

that it was starting
so it was like

now the game is on.

[laughs]

That's it.

The bugs
are out.

And I'm alone.

[chuckling]

- So Shawn,
when you land at your spot

and the chopper takes off,
drops you off,

and you truly,
suddenly are alone,

take us through
those first few moments.

- You kinda have it
hyped up in your head

of what it's gonna be like,

and it's a pretty
surreal moment

when the helicopter
takes off

and you know it's not
comin' back.

You know it's it
and it's time to go.

- As soon as you find
that hard case

that your equipment's in,

you realize that there are
some scratches

on the outside of that.

Somebody had already discovered
your camera equipment

before you did.

- Okay, so right back here
behind me

about...30 yards or so

is where the...

bear's already tried to get
into my camera case

before I even got here.

- What was that like,
you know, having proof

that there are predators
out there with you

that quickly
into the experience?

- I wasn't expecting
any kind of encounter

with a bear immediately,

so I had to start thinking
in my head, you know,

if I do have this encounter,

you know, and I'm able
to get a shot off,

for this kind of meat
right in the beginning

would be huge,
but then I also have no way

to procure that meat either,
so...

I kind of had to step back
and be like,

you know, I might just
have to let it go

if I do see it,
because I'm not really ready

to kinda take on that kinda
responsibility yet.

- Okay, Joe, I gotta
talk to you about, uh,

the squirrel--

one of the most accurate
stone-throwing shots

I've ever seen.
Then you decide

to chase a bear.
What was sort of the logic, uh,

goin' after that bear?

- In my day job,
I've actually done a fair bit

of bear hazing,
or aversive conditioning,

where we actually go scare
bears out of campgrounds

and picnic areas sometimes
if they're, uh,

starting to behave badly.

So I'm fairly accustomed
to chasing off black bears.

All right, I'm gonna
go toward the bear.

I really felt
the best course of action

was for me to go, uh,

try to give that bear
a scare.

It wasn't going to
serve me in any way

to have a bear in my camp.

- Roland, didn't take long
for you to have an encounter

with a wolverine.
Tell me about that one.

- Yeah, the wolverine was...

wham, right in my face.

I moved my hand down
to have it on my axe,

and then, of course,
he saw that movement,

pegged me, and went away.

That was a very exciting day,
absolutely.

- Joe, looking back
on that first ten days,

any mistakes that you made

that come to mind?

- I don't think I made any
mistakes on the first ten days.

First ten days were
really awesome for me.

- Kielyn,
you feel the same way?

And I don't mean
they could be big mistakes,

but goin' back, if you
had to do it over again,

maybe something you woulda
changed up in the early part

that you adapted to
or learned

that maybe you changed

as the experience went on.

- I think like Joe
I was really happy

with the first
ten days.

You know,
I knew my priorities

and stayed adaptable
as well.

When I didn't
get a spot for

you know, my gill net,
then I just went right into

snaring rabbits
and, you know,

I was successful at that.

So I think, you know,
I was prioritizing

and it was always changing,
so...

yeah, I was happy.

- Roland, first,

tell me what it takes
to survive

something like this
experience.

- Most people have no idea

what it's like not to eat.

We are so blessed
in this country

with however many
meals a day you want.

And it's--it's not like that
when you leave.

That was a good piece
of root right there.

Nice, thick outer shell,

and that's the part ya eat.

It came right off,
that woody stem.

[soft, dramatic music]

Breakfast finished.

And even for me
that has experience,

or any of us that has
experience like that,

to be dumped with nothin'--

you got your ten items
and some clothes,

and that is it--

it's just a burden
on the mind and the body.

- I've heard of something
called "drop shock,"

you know, basically where
you get dropped off

and all of a sudden,
you forget everything

you were planning
or going to do.

Did any of you ever
experience that out there?

- I believe everybody
would experience

drop shock, absolutely.

'Cause that's when it...
comes down, you know.

Now we're gonna do this.

And your plan starts
fallin' apart from there.

- Well, Shawn, you look like
you were having' a great time

out there.
I mean, you even ended up

with a hot tub.

You found all sorts of
stuff out there.

In fact, we have some
never-before-seen footage

of some of those items,

one of which I don't think
anyone expected.

Let's take a look.

- Oh, man, oh--boom!

Ha ha ha ha ha!

That's a game-changer
right there.

See what other kinda goodies
we got around here.

Ha ha ha.

No way!
[laughing]

What?

Check that out.

Mm. I'ma droppin' them
squirrels now.

Puh-puh-puh!

That's insane!

Get offa my lawn!

Look at that.

[suspenseful music]

No holes!

I'm keepin' that bad boy.

Ha ha ha!

Look at that!

Love it!

- Shawn, tell me about
finding all of those things

out there.
- Okay, so that's one of

the things I kinda
pride myself on

is bein' able to make use

of kind of left behind
resources.

And I was able to find
a lotta stuff like that

and several other items--
they would have

came in really handy for me.

I started thinking
to myself that, you know,

you've got a fair shot here
to win this thing

with all these 'cause, like,
I can guarantee

that nobody else
was havin' such luck.

You know, and at that point,
that may have been

when I started gettin'
a little bit too comfortable

and a little bit complacent.

- When you lost
your ferro rod,

we saw you go back and look
for it for a few hours.

Um...tell me about,

you know, the potential
of viewers saying

well, once he lost it,
why didn't he, you know,

try to make a bow drill,

or why didn't he give it
one more night,

go back out and look for
the fire steel the next day?

Answer those questions
for me.

- In the end there, you know,

there were several factors
that led me

to believe that, you know,

it just wouldn't be a outcome
if I didn't have a fire.

I had the negative-60
degree bag.

I could have made it on that.

I could have forged on
berries.

But the fire really
was all that was

keeping the predators
off of me.

- Yeah. Well, I know
you wanted

to be a part of "Alone,"
for many years.

You've been watching
from the outset.

Did the experience
live up to your expectations,

in spite of the fact that
you were out fairly early?

- Oh, yeah, it was 100%,
you know,

everything
that I wanted it to be.

And, you know, just gettin'
there for me was a big deal.

Of course, I would have
loved to have stayed

a little bit longer.

But I've always been a fan,
and that's one of the things

I kinda worried about
in the beginning

was that, you know, if I had
a bad experience

that I would kinda fall out
of love with the show,

and that just really
didn't happen, you know?

I would--a lot of people
in the past

will say they don't
wanna go back and do it again,

and I was immediately
wanting to go back in

as soon as I came out.

- I just wanted to say
that, uh,

you know, whether it was

that you should definitely
be proud of yourself.

You know, there's millions
of people at home watching

that, you know, wouldn't even
dream of trying to do this.

And we wish we could have seen
more of you out there for sure.

You were a fan favorite.
- Well, thank you.

- Well, g*ng, that's it for
"Alone: Tales from the Arctic."

I'd like to thank Shawn, Joe,

Kielyn, and Roland

for joining me today.

Make sure you tune in
after each of the episodes.

We'll be right here talking
with the participants.

And now, as we promised,

a sneak peek
at the rest of season seven

of "Alone: Million Dollar
Challenge."

We'll see you next week.