Alone: Frozen

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⭐9/10

I randomly came across this show while flipping around on my TV and instantly knew I had hit a goldmine. I had heard of this show, but I guess I figured it was some hacky network reality series that I'd have no interest in and didn't give it a second thought. Silly me! I have been in love with all things survival since I'd read Hatchet as a kid, and this show was made for me specifically as it is basically Hatchet: the Series. 

It's a show where contestants are dropped into the remote wilderness with 10 items and are forced to survive off the land there for a specified amount of time. All the footage is recorded by contestants and the items they bring are limited, and so it really is something of a simulation of living in pre-civilized society. This is actually a spinoff season where all the contestants are series veterans, and are dropped into the Canadian Arctic just before winter hits. 

I loved every second of this show. There were a few glaring flaws which I will get to, but we finished this season of 9 episodes (40 mins each) in essentially 2 days. We stayed up till 4am because we had to see what happens. It's exciting as you get attached to these oddballs (you have to be a weirdo to do this kind of thing) struggle each day to find food or battle the elements. They are all super smart, super tough, and have creative ways to respond to certain challenges. A huge positive is also that they drop these people in untamed, beautiful wilderness so this show is constantly a delight to look at. 

This show teaches you in some fundamental ways the way the world works. This is what humans had to contend with for thousands of years, and in some cases still do. I love how connected the contestants are to the land, a feeling of enlightenment that I envy. You also see the toll it takes, that each time they eat, they have to commit a gruesome murder. These people love animals way more than I could claim to, and so it was a very sobering feeling knowing that I am far more complicit in the murder of animals, I just don't see the yucky parts so I can live with a feeling of moral superiority. This show doesn't skimp on the details and you see the ugliness it takes for humans to survive in a cold and uncaring world. I actually felt quite the revelation while watching and it made me want to make some changes. 

Spoiler Warning 

I also wanted to discuss a few things specific to this season. It was the first one I watched, but from what I gather, a big disappointment to the fans. I think it appealed specifically to me because I always tend to romanticize arctic survival, but I can see it. 2 people drop out almost immediately, more because they have their PTSD triggered instantly from a previous season and decide to quit before they are invested. This show is also a bit of a starvation contest as nobody really found a good way to survive. 

But the biggest flaw I found was the absolutely bizarre decision to cut the entire final two weeks of the contest out. We start with 6, but by day 35 everyone but one person quits, and so they're just like, yeah so this person made the 50 days. Okay?? How'd she do it?! I thought for sure when 2 remained that both would quit, and was so impressed someone made it. So show me! That must have been miraculous! 

That leads me to my final (positive) point which was that the finalists totally shocked me. They introduced the 6 contestants, 3 men and 3 women, and sexist old me thought that 2 women would have no chance. Those were the final 2! Two of the men quit almost instantly, and the third was the next one out. Woniya totally impressed me. She is a total hippee who I didn't think would have it, but she was clearly the toughest, smartest, best survivor out there. She was also the first woman to win the show, and when she broke down upon seeing her husband at the finale I had tears pouring down. Her story was really wonderful and I found it super inspiring. 

So that's it. My new favorite show. I got a warm feeling seeing all the seasons that are out. Don't expect any review besides for the next year. 

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