Alone Australia

[MrsBlueSky]

I'd like to think I could last more than two days on Alone before tapping out.
But watching this video I realised I knew very few of the camping tricks and many would be good for Alone - and I don't see the contestants in the first two seasons of Alone Australia using many of them either and they are supposed to be what I would call professionals.

https://fb.watch/rtFNvMk6Qd/

 

[Vader]

What are people's thoughts/expectations for episode 4, tonight?

With no tap outs last week, it's almost certain that we'll see at least 1 (possibly 2) this week. I will be very annoyed it it's Suzan or Jason going home, given that we were only introduced to them last week - after they'd already spent a week in the bush. It would be a massive production failure to have 1 of the first 3 players departing as one of the last 3 introduced.

Last week's episode was sadly lacking in anything vaguely resembling drama. The possum kill was the only sign of anyone making progress in the game, with very little food procured and next to no progress made on improving or building of shelters.

Hopefully this week we'll see people starting to build their permanent shelters, or work on upgrading their existing shelters to cope with the rigours of the upcoming winter. Fingers crossed we'll also see them finding more protein, either possums, fish, or deer. It would be nice to see someone making use of their bow & arrow (which they all brought with them), for more than just casting a fishing line.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Whoever caught the fish last week seemed not to use a pan or dish to cook it, although everyone took something to cook with. That seemed strange to me to cook it over the fire and not make a soup or whatever to make it go a bit further as that was his first meal.
I'd certainly like to see a few more skills happening.
The 10 all took bows and it will be interesting to see how many are successful with using it, other than to get your hook out into the water while fishing.
The Americans seem to be a lot better at this game than us, especially when they have bears to contend with.
There's the scene of the exit boat arriving and i guess it will be for the person who ate mouldy berries.
I hopoe we have only one tapper tonight - the more the merrier to watch I say.

 

[Vader]

Whoever caught the fish last week seemed not to use a pan or dish to cook it, although everyone took something to cook with. That seemed strange to me to cook it over the fire and not make a soup or whatever to make it go a bit further as that was his first meal.
I'd certainly like to see a few more skills happening.

He was shown cooking it (boiling it) in a saucepan.

The 10 all took bows and it will be interesting to see how many are successful with using it, other than to get your hook out into the water while fishing.

We've yet to see anything they could actually hunt with the bow - let alone seeing someone taking a shot. Mind you, a few of them have gone looking, they just weren't successful.

The Americans seem to be a lot better at this game than us, especially when they have bears to contend with.

They also have a much bigger "survivalist" culture than Australia, and the areas where they've done their filming have had fewer hunting restrictions. Mostly they've lived off grouse, rabbits, and squirrels. Native birds are off the menu in NZ (by law), and we've already seen one possum go in the pot.

As far as survival skills goes, this batch seem to be roughly on par with most of the US contestants - the utterly useless Leanne being a notable exception.

There's the scene of the exit boat arriving and i guess it will be for the person who ate mouldy berries.

Possibly, though they weren't the only person contemplating tapping in last week's episode.

I hopoe we have only one tapper tonight - the more the merrier to watch I say.

They need to cull it down before we get to the mid-point of the series. We're down to 8 participants and 7 episodes now. That's above par for the US series on average.

By the last 4 episodes it should be whittled down to the last 3-4, those who are capable of demonstrating real survival skills.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

Just embarrassing mate.

 

[Vader]

2 taps tonight - one because the body wasn't coping with starvation, the other because he felt that he needed to be with his pregnant partner. Never go on this show if you have a pregnant wife, or young children - it's never going to end well.

Good to see a few making progress, some catching fish, others starting to work on their permanent shelters.

Suzan is still feeling weak after catching gastro, from eating berries off the ground. It's self-inflicted, so I don't have any sympathy for her. It's hard to recover from that without food, and she hasn't shown any inclination to look for substantial food, so I think her time will likely come to an end next week.

Disappointed with the producers for giving Jason so little air time. He was completely ignored in the first 2 episodes, introduced in the 3rd, and gone at the very start of the 4th. Surely they could have given him some more air time in the first 2 episodes, instead of wasting air time on Leanne?

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Just embarrassing mate.

What did you think of tonight's episode?

 

[StingBitten]

This season is so far looking like a... Bust?

Hope I'm wrong

 

[MrsBlueSky]

My God that was the worst episode in Alone's history - no wonder it was just Wader and me watching it!!!!
And that might be because the sounds in the background could be coming from Darth Vader's heavy breathing.
What a shocker.
I learnt about a woman having her periods, everyone seemed to be rushing to get back home to something, one bloke had trouble telling the difference between a pile of leaves and a deer, another (Andreas who I would expect to win) took nearly 2 weeks to put up a make shift shelter in which he'll probably get drenched in the upcoming storm and the sand flies are going to take someone out pretty soon.
That's an hour of my life I can't get back.
Where's that car door to slam my willy in to get more satisfaction than watching that crap.
The executive producer used the watch the show before taking over - obviously she thinks it's enjoyable to watch people highly skilled in bushcraft sitting around bleating about how they miss their mum.
She is the only one with a knife and she's putting it fairly and squarely into the chances of any more series of Alone Australia being produced.
Now where's that car door.....

 

[Vader]

My God that was the worst episode in Alone's history - no wonder it was just Wader and me watching it!!!!
And that might be because the sounds in the background could be coming from Darth Vader's heavy breathing.
What a shocker.
I learnt about a woman having her periods, everyone seemed to be rushing to get back home to something, one bloke had trouble telling the difference between a pile of leaves and a deer, another (Andreas who I would expect to win) took nearly 2 weeks to put up a make shift shelter in which he'll probably get drenched in the upcoming storm and the sand flies are going to take someone out pretty soon.
That's an hour of my life I can't get back.
Where's that car door to slam my willy in to get more satisfaction than watching that crap.
The executive producer used the watch the show before taking over - obviously she thinks it's enjoyable to watch people highly skilled in bushcraft sitting around bleating about how they miss their mum.
She is the only one with a knife and she's putting it fairly and squarely into the chances of any more series of Alone Australia being produced.
Now where's that car door.....

Fair point about her menstruation being a major case of over-sharing. Other than that, I think you're stretching a bit. It was a lot more interesting than last week's episode, where nothing happened at all.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

What did you think of tonight's episode?

Just love that somebody used rocks that are free and within 20 metres of your camp-site.
They need to change criteria and stop taking soft people.

Woman's camp-site has nowhere near the sandflies that others have

There's more deer there than you could eat

 

[Vader]

Just love that somebody used rocks that are free and within 20 metres of your camp-site.
They need to change criteria and stop taking soft people.

Woman's camp-site has nowhere near the sandflies that others have

There's more deer there than you could eat

The problem with killing a deer is how to store the meat safely, so it doesn't go off. They don't need to worry about bears or wolverines stealing it, but preventing it from going off will be very difficult.

The climate in NZ is wet, humid, and not cold enough to keep the meat frozen. They can try smoking it, but even that will only buy them a few days. They can't store the meat indefinitely, as the USA contestants do in the freezing cold of northern Canada.

On SM-X205 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Sqotty from office works]

The problem with killing a deer is how to store the meat safely, so it doesn't go off. They don't need to worry about bears or wolverines stealing it, but preventing it from going off will be very difficult.

The climate in NZ is wet, humid, and not cold enough to keep the meat frozen. They can try smoking it, but even that will only buy them a few days. They can't store the meat indefinitely, as the USA contestants do in the freezing cold of northern Canada.

On SM-X205 using BigFooty.com mobile app

Rocks.
Build a smoker NOW.
When the day comes you are prepared to smoke meat and preserve for months if necessary

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Fair point about her menstruation being a major case of over-sharing. Other than that, I think you're stretching a bit. It was a lot more interesting than last week's episode, where nothing happened at all.

Sorry I called you Wader and not Vader.
What do you think of that breathing sound they play in the background.
I reckon it could in fact be the executive producer who is missing her mum and she wants to high-tail it out of NZ's fast as she can and probably put it in the head of one contestant how lovely it would be to sunbake in his undies - not mentioning that sandflies are going to rip his body apart and he'll have to go home.
And perhaps she suggested to others that three of the 10 items can be photos of your kids and another item a calendar to remind you what you're missing out on.
I tell you what, the people back home are the one's missing out. What an incredible opportunity these contestants have.
Relying on your own skills and ability and not some little mongrel like in The Bridge voting you out because you're working too hard on building the bridge.
The possibility of beating just nine others for 1/4 of a million and the chance of good jobs like what Gina got afterwards.
And these are people who are supposed to like it outdoors and even teach it. F..k being taught by any of them.
No wonder they didn't show that bloke who left because his wife was pregnant too much - I felt like chucking a rock at the screen. Perhaps not try for a baby when you know you're going on the show if you're going to be a sook. He was worried about the sandflies - how about moving camp, get away from the water's edge, don't just sit there whinging.
Someone dried some fire lighting stuff in a hollow log with hot rocks. That's about as close as it's come to survival techniques.
I'm not sure about your views on how long meat will last. The bloke who whacked a possum over the head with a shovel seemed to hang the uncooked carcass over a branch and eat a leg every so often. I think it was him who you saw with the frying pan, as I'm pretty sure the fish guy cooked his over the flames which would be a silly thing to do.
Bear Grylls would be horrified.
That bloke who makes programs going out in the bush with one match, no clothes and a camera would be horrified.
I'm horrified.
You should be too.
It's pathetic and just not good enough.
I hope nobody wins this bloody season and get rid of that damned producer if SBS want to lose money again next year.
And if it's your heavy breathing in the background that you're proud of, then I apologise but it's scaring all the contestants away as well as the viewers

 

[Kram]

On ep 3, snoozefest so far.

What's with the Nimrod bringing boots that fall apart..

 

[MrsBlueSky]

On ep 3, snoozefest so far.

What's with the Nimrod bringing boots that fall apart..

I agree. How ridiculous was that.
And they don't even seem to have rain proof gear.
I reckon I could beat them all, particularly as my wife would be very happy not to see me for at least two months.

 

[Vader]

Rocks.
Build a smoker NOW.
When the day comes you are prepared to smoke meat and preserve for months if necessary

How long would the smoked meat last in those weather conditions - cool (but not freezing), wet & humid? Those are perfect conditions for spoilage, not even remotely conducive to long-term storage of food.

 

[Vader]

Sorry I called you Wader and not Vader.

No problem. I figured it was just a typo.

What do you think of that breathing sound they play in the background.

I know it annoys a lot of people, but I barely pay any attention to it.

And perhaps she suggested to others that three of the 10 items can be photos of your kids and another item a calendar to remind you what you're missing out on.

They're allowed to take 1x photo of their family, or a collage of photos up to 1x A4 sheet in size. It doesn't count towards their 10 items. Having said that, I was annoyed to have 3x family videos dropped into last night's episode. Family videos should only be used for the players' initial introduction, and not for subsequent episodes.

I tell you what, the people back home are the one's missing out. What an incredible opportunity these contestants have.
Relying on your own skills and ability and not some little mongrel like in The Bridge voting you out because you're working too hard on building the bridge.
The possibility of beating just nine others for 1/4 of a million and the chance of good jobs like what Gina got afterwards.

Alone is definitely good for generating subsequent career opportunities. I wonder what benefits Mike received, after being the S1 runner-up?

No wonder they didn't show that bloke who left because his wife was pregnant too much - I felt like chucking a rock at the screen. Perhaps not try for a baby when you know you're going on the show if you're going to be a sook. He was worried about the sandflies - how about moving camp, get away from the water's edge, don't just sit there whinging.

I'm not sure that the sandflies are restricted to the area near the water's edge. He stated that they only discovered she was pregnant AFTER finding out that he was going on the show. Maybe it wasn't a planned pregnancy? Personally, I think it was a much better justification than Leanne's.

I'm not sure about your views on how long meat will last. The bloke who whacked a possum over the head with a shovel seemed to hang the uncooked carcass over a branch and eat a leg every so often. I think it was him who you saw with the frying pan, as I'm pretty sure the fish guy cooked his over the flames which would be a silly thing to do.

Meat spoilage is my biggest concern, particularly when they're hunting bigger game (i.e. deer). It's less of a concern for smaller animals, such as fish & possums, which would be consumed in a few days (before they go off).

Rick cooked his fish in a frying pan, Andreas did the same with his possum. Chace boiled his fish in a saucepan.

Given the conditions, I'm wondering if hunting possums might be the optimal solution, as far as red meat is concerned. Hunting dear uses a lot of energy, and storing the meat will be highly problematic if/when they do make a kill. Possums should be relatively easy to find at night, due to the noise they make and their reflective eyes. Of course, that assumes they are around in sufficient numbers, and that they're at reachable height in the trees. A possum kill every 3-4 days would be ideal, and would possibly require relatively low energy expenditure.

 

[Vader]

On ep 3, snoozefest so far.

What's with the Nimrod bringing boots that fall apart..

I was reading about them on a different forum. Apparently they're $300 boots, which used to be top quality, lasting 10 years. Then the manufacturer changed the construction process and now they have a reputation for losing their soles after 6 months.

To be fair, he did state that he'd had them re-soled by a professional cobbler, only 6 months earlier. I'm assuming he didn't just take them to the Mister Minit in his local shopping centre.

 

[Vader]

Here's a summary of where the remaining contestants are at in the game - health, mental, shelter, food. Apologies if I get a few things wrong.

Andreas - Looking good mentally, and no health problems to note. Killed a possum in Ep 3, which is still sustaining him in Ep 4. Started work on his permanent shelter in Ep 4, but may have left it a bit late - he's now facing a rain storm with a high roof and no walls to protect him from droplets being blown in.

Tammika - Hasn't had any protein since the drop, but did find some starchy vegetation which she cooked and ate in Ep 4. The lack of food has taken a toll on her health, affecting her menstrual cycle, though it's not debilitating. She's made more progress on her permanent shelter than any of the other competitors, though it's hardly weatherproof at this stage. Mentally, she seems to be doing better since moving to the sunshine.

Rick - The boot issue seems to be his only problem at this stage. Mentally, and health-wise, he's looking good. He caught his first fish in Ep 4, so he's no longer hungry. We haven't seen any evidence of him working on his permanent shelter yet, but we also haven't seen his shelter in a while.

Suzan - Eating those berries off the ground has really hurt her. The subsequent gastro attack has really knocked her about, and there's just no way to see her getting back into the game without food - and she doesn't have enough energy to obtain food. Similarly, she hasn't made any progress on her shelter, and lacks the energy to do so. Worse, she's thinking of moving her shelter to be closer to the water, and there's no way she has enough energy to achieve this. It's just about game over for her, and I'm expecting her to tap out in the next episode.

Kryzszystofff - Not shown in Ep 4, and there wasn't much to report from Ep 3. Hasn't found food, and we have NFI where he's at with his shelter (given that we haven't seen him in so long). His mental & physical health were fine last time we saw him, but that was 3-4 days ago. Of the remaining competitors, he was the only one not to appear in Ep 4 - not sure what we should be reading into that.

Jack - Appears to be in a good place with his physical & mental health. Hasn't found any food, but the Ep 4 "cliffhanger" ending saw him hunting deer, and close enough to hear them barking warnings about his presence. However, if he made a kill, then I guarantee it would have been in the preview... and it wasn't - so I'm guessing he doesn't make a kill this time around. We haven't seen him working on his shelter, but I don't recall much footage of his shelter to begin with.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

How long would the smoked meat last in those weather conditions - cool (but not freezing), wet & humid? Those are perfect conditions for spoilage, not even remotely conducive to long-term storage of food.

Maybe 2 years if dried smoked properly.
Most hunters can do it with ease.
Learning to do it would be a 5 minute lecture

 

[Vader]

Maybe 2 years if dried smoked properly.
Most hunters can do it with ease.
Learning to do it would be a 5 minute lecture

I'm sure they all have the skills to do it. I'm just not convinced that even smoked meat is going to last that long, in that environment.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

I'm not sure if I can stomach a whole lot of episodes, but we'll have to wait and see about the red meat situation.
If the meat can be cured and stored and you're not missing your mum too much someone could sit there for months contemplating their naval - about as interesting as watching what's been happening so far.
The shoes losing their sole was not good enough, especially in a situation where you're going to be walking around in wet ground all the time.
Thanks for your rundown on everything, Vader, really good explanations.
From Alone, Outback Mike may have got a few more people to watch his YouTube videos. I reckon he epitomised what these contestants are supposed to be - resilient, adventurous, genuine and skillful. He should have got something for second place and that would have helped him a lot in his adventures. Hopefully he will get invited to take part in an all stars series but at this stage it's just him and Gina from Australia.
I did realise about the photos not being part of the 10 items. What I don't know is if you can double up on any of the 10 - like take two additional tarps.....or an extra roll of dental floss, face washer, comb or toothbrush which wouldn't surprise me if these people took them.

 

[Vader]

I'm not sure if I can stomach a whole lot of episodes, but we'll have to wait and see about the red meat situation.
If the meat can be cured and stored and you're not missing your mum too much someone could sit there for months contemplating their naval - about as interesting as watching what's been happening so far.
The shoes losing their sole was not good enough, especially in a situation where you're going to be walking around in wet ground all the time.
Thanks for your rundown on everything, Vader, really good explanations.
From Alone, Outback Mike may have got a few more people to watch his YouTube videos. I reckon he epitomised what these contestants are supposed to be - resilient, adventurous, genuine and skillful. He should have got something for second place and that would have helped him a lot in his adventures. Hopefully he will get invited to take part in an all stars series but at this stage it's just him and Gina from Australia.
I did realise about the photos not being part of the 10 items. What I don't know is if you can double up on any of the 10 - like take two additional tarps.....or an extra roll of dental floss, face washer, comb or toothbrush which wouldn't surprise me if these people took them.

Here are the equipment rules for the US series - I assume the Australian rules would be very similar:
https://www.history.com/shows/alone/articles/gear-list

Note that it says: No duplicate items can be taken from the following list.

In response to your specific questions:

• 1 toothbrush, and 1 personal photo, are listed in the Personal Effects section, and do not count towards the 10 survival items.
• 1x 40mm roll of Dental Floss, 1x comb, and 1x face flannel are all listed in the shelter/bedding/hygiene section. They are permitted, but they do count towards the 10 items.

As for sitting there forever, given a decent supply of red meat... This is potentially one area where NZ offers different challenges to the USA.

The US shows are shot in late Autumn & early Winter. Resources become very scarce once winter hits - and it becomes almost impossible for them to obtain fruit/vegetation foods, and finding meat sources becomes much harder too. Simultaneously, the body needs more energy, to keep warm in the lower temperatures. Most US contestants subside on a diet of small animals - rabbits, squirrels & grouse, which are harder to find in winter - but they don't disappear completely. On the flipside, the meat they are able to obtain doesn't spoil in the winter temperatures.

The temperatures in NZ aren't going to be as low as they are in northern Canada. I'm not an expert in NZ native vegetation, so I don't know how availability is likely to change over time. There's a lack of small animals, for that regular sustenance. We've seen 1x possum, but no rabbits or squirrels, and the birds are all protected. Then there's the issue of spoilage, should they make a large kill (i.e. deer), with the NZ conditions making it infinitely harder to store their food than the freezing Canadian conditions.

Given the nature of the forest, and the energy required to hunt deer, their best bet is to spend their time fishing, supplementing this with the occasional possum (as the opportunity arises). Fishing has the advantage of not consuming energy, and having multiple lines in the water at the same time. It's also boring as hell, which brings the mental side of the game into play.

There are good reasons why the North Island had a much bigger Maori population at the time of European settlement, and why the southern Alps were barely populated at all. It's a very challenging area in which to survive, and surviving alone is always harder than surviving as part of a tribe. I think it would be much harder to survive there long-term than you give credit for.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Here are the equipment rules for the US series - I assume the Australian rules would be very similar:
https://www.history.com/shows/alone/articles/gear-list

Note that it says: No duplicate items can be taken from the following list.

1 toothbrush, and 1 personal photo, are listed in the Personal Effects section, and do not count towards the 10 survival items.

I got the choice list from this website (if I'm allowed to post the link) but it may include personal effects:

The Alone Australia Season 2 Gear List Has Dropped

What would you take with you into the wild?

weareexplorers.co