12x05 - The Tempest

[bunniefuu]

The fishing situation has
been a little maddening.

No fish.

There hasn't been
much protein in the diet,

so scorpion time.

What do you think?

Out here, I've got no choice
but to just keep trying stuff.

It's good.

I mean, it's burned,
but it's good.

I saw a mouse running around,

so I'm gonna build a
figure-four deadfall trap.

The main reason I want a mouse
is for catfish bait.

There's some monster catfish.

There we have it.

I'm kind of consumed right now
with catching one.

Last two nights,
it just gets cold.

Right now, my shelter--
that's my priority.

Yeehaw.

Rain is probably not
gonna be an issue

because of the dry season.

I hope I'll be able to
see some type of change

and not be freezing.

I am building my shelter
in a dry riverbed

because there's no rocks.

Unless a giant storm comes,
this will suffice.

And if a giant storm does come,

then I'll be washed away
in this dried riverbed.

As long as I get it on film.

Oh, my God.

In three days to a week,
there's gonna be proper rain.

Storm's a-circling.

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.

Oh, 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!

Ahh.

Look at the size of that thing.

There's the big herd
of wildebeests 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.

This 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?

A long, cold night.

The last one to tap walks
out of here with 500 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.

Ah, yes.

Looks like the
figure-four deadfall worked.

Exactly what I was
hoping for today.

We didn't catch a mouse.

We caught something bigger.

What in the world is that?

So there's something here
called an elephant shrew.

This whole thing is
gonna go on one hook.

I'm gonna try for one of
those giant catfish with it.

That's really good news.

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 gonna spend
my time focused on food.

Staring at it won't help.

I'm gonna go take a bath.

So I brought a bar of soap.

It was one of my ten items.

I think sanitation
is really important.

We've got high density
of animals.

They're pooping and peeing
on everything.

And so staying clean, I think,

has positive
long-term consequences.

Just laying here on this rock,

enjoying the sun.

So is this little guy.

Oh, that bath was
a little cold.

I'm chilled.

Put some warm clothes on
and check out my fishing pole.

I definitely got
something here.

Wow.

I finally figured
something out.

I thought the sharp tooth
catfish was cannibalistic

and would eat their own flesh.

But they will not.

Every fish I've caught so far
has been on a bait

other than catfish.

So to keep these
guys coming in,

I keep pursuing other baits.

Super happy.

So this is my
little crappie k*ller.

So I want to make
a ponytail holder.

I'm just going to cut some
elastic and see what happens.

Ooh.

Elastic.

Okay, hair tie.

Let's try it out.

Oh, my gosh.

I have a ponytail holder.

You guys, look at that.

Ponytail, ponytail!

Now we can rock.

Okay, I don't really know
how to rock and roll.

Okay, well,
now let's go fishing.

I'm doing really well
in the first ten days.

My food strategy is working.

I have my warthog jerky
to eat, which is amazing.

But you also need fat,
and fish is where

you need to get your fat.

Casts better than I thought,
which is good.

Oh, man.

Fat is very important,
in a survival situation,

for brain function.

You also need fat
to help break down

protein in your metabolism.

So I've been thinking,
I probably have,

if I eat a lot,
three to four days left.

If I don't eat a lot,
five to six days left of jerky.

And if I don't get any more
food after that, you know,

I could probably
make it to day 30.

I feel like I'm
a great fisherman

because I grew up on a lake,
fishing, from a toddler on.

I fished in Costa Rica and
Alaska.

I mean, I fished everywhere.

I feel like I can
definitely bring some in.

I see fish swirling everywhere,
except for in front of me.

Oh, my gosh, I got one.

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh.
You guys, I got one.

Oh, my gosh.

Easy. Easy.

Easy.

Oh, my gosh.

I got one.

Ah.

Look!

Pretty sure that's
a smallmouth yellowfish.

We're having fish tonight.

Oh, my freaking Lord,
we got a fish.

This is so cool.

Oh, my gosh.

This is a huge boost
of getting fat

and omega 3 fatty acids

and something different
other than jerky.

So here's my fish.

It's a small fish,
definitely can't preserve it.

There's not enough,
but it's a great full meal.

Clouds are moving pretty fast.

Hopefully, this weather
is nothing more

than just some clouds.

It's the dry season.

Getting rain is unheard of,

so I do not have any concerns

about being
in the dry riverbed.

You guys...

This is delicious.

Num, num, num, num, num.

I'm on top of the world.

I have harvested
something with my bow.

I have caught something
with my paracord lure.

Definitely boosts my confidence
in staying here longer.

My boyfriend would be
like, yep, not surprised.

That's my girlfriend.

Shovelling food in her face.

Mm-hmm.

I'm gonna sleep
extra good tonight.

We're live, live from
the Great Karoo Desert.

I'll take adhesives
of the world for 800, Alex.

It's a gum that sometimes
exudes from acacia trees.

It's also made into edible,
water-soluble adhesive.

Do you know where it's used?

Your answer in three, two, one.

Some of you may have guessed.

It's the back
of postage stamps.

And that's what
this tastes like,

the back of postage stamps.

Okay, let's go fishing.

I'd like to find bait,
which is just things that

might be living under rocks.

The thing about this game is,

lots of stuff can
be under these rocks.

Nothing.

Clouds.

More clouds.

That is a rare sight.

I wonder if
weather's moving in.

But anyway, good for fishing.

Okay, worms and grubs,
where are you?

Right now, I'm sleeping on
the ground under a tree.

I'm running a bit
of a risk there,

but I'm trying not
to invest in a shelter

until I've got some
regular calories coming in.

Ooh, I don't know
if you caught that.

That was a yellow-colored
scorpion with small claws.

If I were to get stung
by one of those,

I'd be pushing the button

so that someone could come
and help me.

It's just how it is.

So...

I'm not gonna mess around.

All right,
time to grab my shovel.

You can know all the stuff.

You can know all the skills
and have all the plans,

but any survival situation
is incredibly taxing.

Ooh, fat grub.

Fat grub works.

Okay, let's catch a fish.

I'm gonna go up here
on the rocks.

There are only so
many things I have.

It's definitely fish rising.

I can't call a friend or
try a brand-new fishing rod.

I have to try what I have.

What a show off.

So persistence is
a critical component

of trial and error,
which is the path

to learning and to success.

Come on.

Yes!

Ladies and gentlemen,
a catfish.

Persistence does pay off.

All right,
time to go to sleep, bud.

Hallelujah.

Thank you, Great Karoo Desert.

I think the tables
have just turned.

I've made a makeshift lure

out of some threads
from my shemagh.

And I've tied it on a hook,

hoping that I can get
a fish to bite.

I'm gonna cut a groove
around my pole

so that my string
might not slip.

We'll see.

Every time I go fishing,
I think about my dad.

My dad was
my big fishing partner.

We would go every night.

If we didn't catch fish,
it didn't matter.

I still got to spend time
with my dad.

And here's my wonky lure.

I'm hoping when that gets wet,

that'll kind of do its thing.

I am tired.

I haven't eaten that much.

I would love to catch a fish.

I'm gonna try here first.

Thinking of Dad,
hoping he's okay.

My dad is a role model.

He instilled in me and my
brothers a sense of family

and what family was.

We, as a family, all met up
on Thursdays to go to dinner.

No matter how busy life is,

we all took the time to spend

an evening together
as a family.

It's a great way
to spend your life.

Then, a month before
we launched,

my dad had chest pains.

I took him to
the emergency room

because he thought he was
having a heart attack.

And they found a tumour.

It was cancer.

But he was like,
this is your dream.

Go.

I've got an amazing wife.

And me and my little brother
are really close.

So they're taking care of him.

And by winning, it'd set me up

where I could be there
for him all the time,

not just once a week.

Well...

I think this is a... bust.

That's okay.

You just can't get depressed
about stuff.

If it doesn't work, then
you think of something else.

All right, I'm gonna
walk back to camp.

It's getting cold.

You can see my breath,
so it's cold.

I'm gonna try three pairs
of socks tonight.

I've been using two.

It's very windy,
like a front moving in.

I don't expect it to rain,

but, you know, things happen.

Hopefully, I'll catch a fish,

my belly'll be full,

and I can go
through the motions

of gathering
firewood every day,

walking down and catching
a couple fish,

and eating every day.

Food is heavy on my mind.

So is my family.

When you do something
like this, yeah, I'm alone

and I'm suffering,
blah, blah, blah.

But my family is suffering too.

I'm still here.

I'm still happy.

So I'm still not
ready to quit yet.

I don't know how far this
train is gonna take me,

but I'm along for the ride.

At 57, I'm too old
for this [bleep].

Oh, but we'll see.

I'm attempting a bench
so I can watch my ducks.

My favourite colour is purple.

My second favourite colour
is lime green,

so I'm gonna put it together
with some lime-green paracord.

Just checking.
This would be the height.

Out here, being alone
day after day,

it is very hard mentally.

And it just depresses me
to sit at camp all day.

Let's just see if this plan
goes as planned.

So I'm trying to give
myself something

to do to keep
my mind off things

and to look at the positive.

I feel like "Alone" is


Look at--they're standing.

20% skills.

♪ Da, da, da, da, da, da

Winning.

You have to be mentally strong
no matter what.

Ducks are laughing at me.

They're like, what
are you building?

Now, the theory is
to lay wood across here,

and then that's my seat.

And if it doesn't work out,

I guess I could use it
as a clothes-drying rack.

Oh, man.

We have some decently
dark clouds coming in.

Hope it doesn't rain.

I just found some
warthog sign that was here,

digging these wild tulips.

Oh, man.

But it's beautiful.

The sky, 360.

Doesn't look like
the weather's gonna break.

Ice.

It's freaking ice.

Holy [bleep].

Crap.

Oh, [bleep].

See it?

It's really raining.

But I am warm and dry.

Snug as a bug in a rug.

So it's kinda sucky.

The rainstorm appears
to be getting

progressively more intense.

I didn't expect that.

I'm gonna have a lot
of drying out to do tomorrow.

Dry season, my a*s.

It's absolutely down pouring.

I'm holding this up
because the rain

is coming down so hard that
it's gonna pool up and cave in.

Oh, [bleep].

Here we go.

Batten down the hatches!

Oh, my God.

I'll hold the shelter down,
and you can all pray for me.

Hope that storm's not
terrorising someone else.

As you can hear,
it's still raining out.

Camera's soaked.

I'm soaked.

My clothes are soaked.

Blanket's wet.

Everything is wet.

I mean, there's not a
single dry piece of clothes

that I have.

Sucks.

I'm no longer snug
as a bug in a rug, guys.

That's no longer a thing.

Five to six hours
before daylight.

We have to hold out
through the night,

which is gonna suck because
the ground is saturated.

If it keeps raining like this,
nothing's gonna dry.

Even with a fire,
it's gonna take forever.

When I meant my bench
was gonna be

to hang laundry to dry,
I wasn't serious, guys.

Oh, well.

We just gotta see
what tomorrow weather brings.

Okay, well, I think I can try
to go back to sleep now.

I was not concerned
about putting my shelter

in a dry riverbed

until the 3-plus inches
of rain came.

Wow.

Look at this.

But the dry land couldn't
saturate that much water,

and then it all
came down to me.

As much as I love my bench,
I need to dry out my blanket.

Everything is so wet that a
fire is not an option for me.

I really need
to dry out all my gear

if I'm going to be
able to continue

to sleep warmly at night.

Okay, we have lots to do today.

Okay, you know what?

I'm happy with just building
a shelter right here.

I'm super over it.

I'm super over it right now.

So we're gonna build it
right here and be done.

During the storm, I moved
my shelter up on the bank.

I had to do something
rather than be

soaking wet in the riverbed.

The storm definitely had
an impact on my mental state.

But it's okay to fall down,
as long as you get back up.

The hardest thing I've ever
been through in my life

was my divorce.

I was very, very down,
very, very, very depressed.

I had nowhere to go,
nowhere to sleep.

I just felt like a failure.

I felt alone.

That was my deepest hole.

But I got out of it by myself.

And if I can come
back from that,

I can come back from anything.

Oh, sunshine.

Hallelujah.

I'm happy with that.

I just hope
the weather shapes up,

because I can't do
this crappy weather.

That was a big storm
last night.

Everything got wet.

There was lightning
and thunder

literally, like, on top of me.

And my whole body, with
the thunder, was vibrating.

It was crazy.

I'm feeling very motivated
to keep working on my shelter.

It's crazy, this weather.

I expect that after
this rolls through,

there'll be a shift
into colder weather.

That's typically what
happens back home

when winter starts coming on.

But I've started the shelter,
which is great.

And I'll just see if
I can't start putting--

collecting and just putting--
weaving saplings

really tight around the frame.

Okay.

When the rain came in,
it's feeling to me

like this is another step
in the country showing

its power to everybody.

I'm gonna need to do
something about this

and create a little bit
more safety for myself.

It stopped everything.

There's no fishing,
there's not much hunting.

Everything sort of
pausing now at this point

because I'm having to attend
to this weather event.

It'll be another
vegetarian dinner tonight.

That's okay.

But I'd like to be able
to get the space set up.

But it's a bit ramshackle.

I'll put this canvas
back up here

to make a bit of
a protective barrier

until it's time to pull
it down and go to sleep.

I think that'll feel
really comforting.

Hang on.

Turn you off, and then we'll--

we'll just get all
those basics done.

I'm just completely in love
with the craft of weaving.

And I came across
this one website,

and there was this
beautiful Aboriginal woman

just staring out, holding
a bunch of coloured pandanus.

And so I rang up.

And I was like, I'm coming.

And the minute I got
out there,

I just felt like
I'd found a home.

And so I got adopted
into this amazing family

of women who have
inherited weaving

from the beginning of time.

I mean, they're literally
like elders to the world.

And the wisdom that
they carry is phenomenal.

I hope every woman who weaves
can appreciate this shelter.

The way that Western people
look at survival

is very different from the way

that Indigenous people
look at survival.

It's not so much that
it's a particular skill.

It's more a way of being,
and it just feels

really important
to honour that.

I think there's
more rain coming.

That's as far as
it'll go tonight.

Look at that,
a little bit more protected.

You're so beautiful.

It's day 14 today, guys.

It rained all night,
and it's drizzly this morning.

I thought this was
the dry season.

Indoor day today.

Decided to go ahead and
build a temporary shelter here.

The ground is so saturated
that I could just pull it out

by the root, and it
left grass in nice bundles

for putting on the shelter.

It rained like hell
again last night.

Everything's wet.

I got one emergency tinder
and kindling,

and I can start one fire.

But after that, you know,
I can't start any more.

I checked around
for dry tinder.

I can't find anything.

It's windy again.

It doesn't look like
it's gonna...

give up.

Without a fire,
I can't keep myself warm.

Survival is about
playing smart.

Don't try to be
a badass and go, well,

I'll just go out and do this,
or I'll go out and do that.

Nature is unforgiving.

There's just not anything dry.

Who would have thought this
freaking crap would rain for--

for days and days and days?

The reality of this is,

I could be home,
seeing my dad.

I've been thinking
about my father

the whole time I'm out here.

I'm worried about
what's going on.

Maybe the storm happened
for a reason.

When you practice
primitive skills,

you're getting into the mind
of a primitive person.

And they believe that stuff
like that happens for a reason.

So maybe it was a sign saying,

hey, maybe you need
to get out of here

and find out what's
going on at home.

Hey, this is Douglas.

I'm officially tapping out.

The last three days were--

Pretty bad as far as the rain.

And, you know, I mean, it was--
it was rough, so--

and then I don't I have no idea
how long this is gonna last.

I'm looking forward to seeing
my wife and seeing my--

my dogs, my family, my dad.

I'll get to spend
Father's Day with him.

So--

so that's good.

You know, just, you know,
I get to spend time.

And I can do all
the stuff for him now

that my brother and wife
had to do because I was gone.

And so that--you know,
that makes me feel good.

This place was beautiful.

I wish I could have
stayed here longer.

But like I said,
I got to do the smart thing.

I found out about my dad less
than a week before I got here.

And I decided, yes,
I am gonna do this,

and I'm totally
committed to this.

And it cleared my mind,
because all I had

to concentrate on
was my day-to-day stuff.

It did make me happy,
and now I can

go home proud of what I did.

You know, if you did
the best you could,

and you know in your heart
that was the best you could do,

there's nothing
to be ashamed of.

I feel that this whole
experience was an expression

of gratitude for my dad.

He told me, go.

And I'm glad he told me to go.

I had a great time.

Another catfish.

Oh, that's really good.

My catfish dinner last night
seems to be sitting just fine.

Hoping I can continue to get
fish like that for a while.

That would be--

that would be huge.

In terms of just the moment,
it's chilly.

The air is now damp,

and the wind
makes it feel quite cold.

When I got here,
it was all sun all the time.

And now it's like I'm in some
coastal village or something.

All I'm missing is like
the sound of a lighthouse

in the distance, the foghorn.

It's a radical change.

Speaking of which, I have
to figure something out.

That shelter,
that's part of the plan,

and I'm gonna stick to it.

Unfortunately, I didn't
pitch the tarp perfectly,

and the storm made
things pretty damp.

So I need to start to think
seriously about making

a more permanent shelter.

Given that the rain has
been pretty consistent

for several days, I've got to
come to terms with the fact

that the desert can be wet.

Being wet out here at night
is a dangerous situation.

I need a solid roof
over my head

and a place to consistently
stay dry and get warm.

Step one is just
a ring of stones

for a water purification fire.

I'm feeling really
good about things.

I've got good plants.

I've caught two catfish.

I've got good protein.

If I can do this consistently,

I believe I should
be able to stay

out here for weeks,
maybe longer.

So I'm thinking a dome,

start to put down
the base layer of stones.

The new shelter location
is a lot like the old one.

It just has more
of the good things.

There are large rocks there,
so I can build a foundation

that will support
the structure

and, you know, keep
the big animals

from stumbling over me
in my sleep.

It's a little further
from the water,

which feels good
in terms of staying

safe relative to buffalo.

Cool that water off.

I'm gonna need that
drink sooner or later.

Yeah.

It'd be great
if I could get up,

chip away at the shelter,

maybe boil water midday,

get a little rest,

head out for an
afternoon fishing excursion,

land something, eat it,
go to bed.

That would be a good model,
if I could sustain it.

Oh, rain.

Again.

Time to put on more
of those clothes.

Whew, yeah, I'm tired.

All right, let's give you the
walking tour of the progress.

I need a long-term shelter.

Building a shelter out
of stone just makes sense,

but the type of shelter
I've chosen to build

is gonna be a huge
calorie expenditure.

I need to do some hunting

or I'm not gonna
be able to last.

There is an antelope.

I'm gonna try to stalk him.

I was doing really well
by harvesting a warthog,

and now I'm exhausted.

Oh, my God, look, a warthog.

Come on.