Alone Australia

[Vader]

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

Looks like a pretty similar list.

Note that the list contains equipment which counts towards the 10 items. It doesn't include the personal items which are permitted, but do not count towards the 10.

Also note that I have updated my previous post.

 

[StingBitten]

I think part of the problem this season are with the contestants - but even worse is the editing. Most people watch Alone to see the cool survival techniques not the drama... and the drama has taken the forefront so far. It's not MAFS or Survivor, I daresay there's some cool things the contestants are doing we aren't seeing.

Going to be a real bust if they don't get the balance right for the remaining eps.

 

[Vader]

Tonight brings us the 5th episode of Alone Australia (season 2). As usual, what are people's hopes or expectations for tonight's episode?

Kryzsyszzstoffff has been MIA for the last 2 episodes, so I'm expecting him to feature prominently. Suzan has been getting weaker & weaker, ever since eating those fermented berries off the ground - I'm expecting her days on Lake Te Anau to come to an end. Episode 4 finished with Jack hunting deer, who were grunting warnings to each other - I'm betting he goes back to camp empty handed.

In terms of progressing the game, I'm hoping we'll see some contestants making progress on their permanent shelters. Tamika made a good start last week, with Andreas having started work on his permanent shelter but it's currently less weatherproof than it was initially (not good, with the rain coming in). We have NFI how most of the others are progressing with their shelters.

Hopefully we'll also see some more players procuring food - ideally protein, most likely fish.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Tonight brings us the 5th episode of Alone Australia (season 2). As usual, what are people's hopes or expectations for tonight's episode?

Kryzsyszzstoffff has been MIA for the last 2 episodes, so I'm expecting him to feature prominently. Suzan has been getting weaker & weaker, ever since eating those fermented berries off the ground - I'm expecting her days on Lake Te Anau to come to an end. Episode 4 finished with Jack hunting deer, who were grunting warnings to each other - I'm betting he goes back to camp empty handed.

In terms of progressing the game, I'm hoping we'll see some contestants making progress on their permanent shelters. Tamika made a good start last week, with Andreas having started work on his permanent shelter but it's currently less weatherproof than it was initially (not good, with the rain coming in). We have NFI how most of the others are progressing with their shelters.

Hopefully we'll also see some more players procuring food - ideally protein, most likely fish.

Alone: Grizzly Mountain was on TV today. One bloke built a pier to stop his feet getting wet while fishing. I'd just like to see someone do something tonight, apart from whinging about missing their mum.
Some people don't have that sort of prizemoney at the end of their working lives and here they are with a 10 to 1 chance of winning and they drop out after a day or 2

 

[Gak Attack]

Man they've had some pathetic contestants these first two seasons.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Below is a link to my man to watch, Andreas, being interviewed.
I found it extremely interesting.
The number of views it's had is probably indicative of how many people watch this show and why it probably won't be on again in Australia

 

[JamisonRun40]

By the time they get their shelters made, the contest will be over. Seriously five contestants left in less than three weeks. There is no food. Had to laugh at Andreas catching two big trout then couldn't cook them due to not being able to light a fire. I like the shelter the woman built which has a chimney allowing her to have a fire inside.

 

[JamisonRun40]

I thought Rick might win but his boots will be his undoing. I like the guy Kost??. Not a fan of Andreas. And I was hoping that Jack would of caught a fish instead of Andreas. I would be ok out there as I live alone and spend a lot of time by myself. I can fish and cook but that would be the extent of my abilities. Would be useless building a shelter and hunting.
My 10 items: fishing rod, hooks and lures etc; shovel, roll of wire, multi tool, sleeping bag, block of salt, tarp, machete, knife, saucepan and frypan.

 

[HirdyLannister]

The swed has got this game sorted.

 

[Vader]

The swed has got this game sorted.

He's got catching fish sorted. The half-arsed shelter, lack of dry firewood, or any way of preserving the fish, on the other hand...

 

[MrsBlueSky]

He's got catching fish sorted. The half-arsed shelter, lack of dry firewood, or any way of preserving the fish, on the other hand...

He didn't take an extra tarp, which I think would be very useful keeping stuff like firewood dry or if the one the give you gets ripped. It doesn't look like he will use his bow and arrows for hunting.

 

[Vader]

He didn't take an extra tarp, which I think would be very useful keeping stuff like firewood dry or if the one the give you gets ripped. It doesn't look like he will use his bow and arrows for hunting.

Most competitors keep a supply of firewood, at the very least tinder and kindling, inside their shelter. He made no such efforts, and doesn't even have anything resembling a weatherproof shelter.

Not using the bow and arrow may turn out to be a good way of saving energy anyway.

I don't think they're allowed to take 2x tarps.

On SM-A5360 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Most competitors keep a supply of firewood, at the very least tinder and kindling, inside their shelter. He made no such efforts, and doesn't even have anything resembling a weatherproof shelter.

Not using the bow and arrow may turn out to be a good way of saving energy anyway.

I don't think they're allowed to take 2x tarps.

I think they're all given one tarp and can chose another one in their 10 items.
Andreas said in the interview I posted above that hunting requires a lot of effort and may not give the right bang for the buck (intentional gag).
He also said making a you beaut shelter sometimes isn't worth the effort. Having a second look at it, his shelter does look pretty sturdy.
He also does calculations - like weighing up proteins and calories which is clever.
And he was the one cooking over the fire without a pot - when he BBQ'd a leg of his possum (he does have a cooking pot).

 

[Vader]

I think they're all given one tarp and can chose another one in their 10 items.

Nope... the tarp is one of the 10 items, and the 10 items are not allowed to contain duplicates. It's definitely NOT tarp + 10 items.

Here's the list of permitted items for Alone Australia S2 (tarp is 4th from bottom in the list):
https://weareexplorers.co/alone-australia-season-2-gear-list/

The "no duplicates" rule is spelled out on the History Channel's Alone website (I'm assuming Alone Australia uses the same rules):
https://www.history.com/shows/alone/articles/gear-list

No duplicate items can be taken from the following list.

Andreas said in the interview I posted above that hunting requires a lot of effort and may not give the right bang for the buck (intentional gag).

It's been fairly apparent that they're not having a lot of success with the bow hunting - and that wandering far from camp, through incredibly thick forest, would be massively calorie consuming (for no return). Most of the bow & arrow kills in the US version have been small critters - mostly grouse & squirrels. We haven't seen any small animals, other than the single possum, which have been on the permitted kill list. With only deer to hunt, it's simply not worth the effort.

Don't get me wrong, getting a "beast" kill can definitely be a game changer - particularly in the US version, where the weather is cold enough to make meat spoilage a non-issue. However, it's definitely a high-risk high-gain proposition. Hunting uses a lot of energy, and there have been very few beast kills over the course of 10 seasons. It's a ticket to victory lane if you get lucky, but if you're not then it's a lot of energy wasted.

He also said making a you beaut shelter sometimes isn't worth the effort. Having a second look at it, his shelter does look pretty sturdy.

They don't need to be "you beaut", to the same standard as the US version, where the latter parts of the show are invariably snowbound. They do need to be weatherproof, to the extent of keeping the participant and their equipment dry, given the wet & windy conditions in the Southern Alps. His consists of a high roof, with no walls to prevent the rain from blowing in. That's not good enough.

Tamika & Kryzszyzysztoffff have built shelters which are reasonably roomy, and relatively weatherproof. They're not massively insulated, like what the US participants build, but they are sufficient for the conditions faced in NZ. Andreas' shelter falls a long way short of this standard.

He also does calculations - like weighing up proteins and calories which is clever.
And he was the one cooking over the fire without a pot - when he BBQ'd a leg of his possum (he does have a cooking pot).

... and yet he didn't have any way of lighting a fire after he caught the fish.

I'm really not sure about the wisdom of BBQing without a pan/pot. So much of the fat drips into the fire and is lost to the competitor. They need all the nutrients they can get, and losing fat in this way doesn't strike me as being a clever idea.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Nope... the tarp is one of the 10 items, and the 10 items are not allowed to contain duplicates. It's definitely NOT tarp + 10 items.

Here's the list of permitted items for Alone Australia S2 (tarp is 4th from bottom in the list):
https://weareexplorers.co/alone-australia-season-2-gear-list/

The "no duplicates" rule is spelled out on the History Channel's Alone website (I'm assuming Alone Australia uses the same rules):
https://www.history.com/shows/alone/articles/gear-list


It's been fairly apparent that they're not having a lot of success with the bow hunting - and that wandering far from camp, through incredibly thick forest, would be massively calorie consuming (for no return). Most of the bow & arrow kills in the US version have been small critters - mostly grouse & squirrels. We haven't seen any small animals, other than the single possum, which have been on the permitted kill list. With only deer to hunt, it's simply not worth the effort.

Don't get me wrong, getting a "beast" kill can definitely be a game changer - particularly in the US version, where the weather is cold enough to make meat spoilage a non-issue. However, it's definitely a high-risk high-gain proposition. Hunting uses a lot of energy, and there have been very few beast kills over the course of 10 seasons. It's a ticket to victory lane if you get lucky, but if you're not then it's a lot of energy wasted.

They don't need to be "you beaut", to the same standard as the US version, where the latter parts of the show are invariably snowbound. They do need to be weatherproof, to the extent of keeping the participant and their equipment dry, given the wet & windy conditions in the Southern Alps. His consists of a high roof, with no walls to prevent the rain from blowing in. That's not good enough.

Tamika & Kryzszyzysztoffff have built shelters which are reasonably roomy, and relatively weatherproof. They're not massively insulated, like what the US participants build, but they are sufficient for the conditions faced in NZ. Andreas' shelter falls a long way short of this standard.

... and yet he didn't have any way of lighting a fire after he caught the fish.

I'm really not sure about the wisdom of BBQing without a pan/pot. So much of the fat drips into the fire and is lost to the competitor. They need all the nutrients they can get, and losing fat in this way doesn't strike me as being a clever idea.

17 minutes and 30 seconds into the Andreas interview he says they each get a tarp and he decided not to chose a second one.

 

[Vader]

17 minutes and 30 seconds into the Andreas interview he says they each get a tarp and he decided not to chose a second one.

That's not what the rules state.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

That's not what the rules state.

I know. It's all very confusing to me. Like, when did the contestants find out they needed a passport, were they told before or after where they were going when they had to chose their items, all the contestants were skilled at bow and arrow even tho it's unlikely any one of them will kill anything with it and what about the applicants who couldn't use a bow they weren't even considered, the executive producer said she used to watch the show - well if she did she wouldn't be sticking on contestants who can't survive a day without their wife.

 

[Vader]

Ep 6 is on tonight. So, the usual question - hopes/expectations?

We're down to just 5x competitors now - Rick, Andreas, Kryzyszysysysytoffffff, Tamika, and (surprisingly) Suzan.

Rick is in a good place mentally, but hasn't come up with much in the way of food so far - only 1x fish caught (which still puts him ahead of everyone other than Andreas). His disintegrating shoes are a bit of a concern, but he doesn't seem to be overly bothered by them most of the time. We haven't seen his shelter in ages, so we have NFI whether or not he's upgraded since setting up his initial temporary shelter.

Andreas has found plenty of food, with 1x possum and 2x fish - the only person to have multiple protein meals. His shelter though is a complete shambles, and his failure to have a stash of dry tinder/kindling/firewood this late in the game was extremely amateurish. His inability to cook the fish he caught, due to wet firewood, would have been comical if it wasn't so serious.

Kryzyszysysysytoffffff wasn't sighted in eps 3 & 4, only to reveal quite a substantial shelter setup, which SBS completely failed to document. Mentally, he's in a good place. His biggest problem is a lack of protein - he's been getting by on greens, but he hasn't managed to catch a fish (and we've discussed the issues with bow hunting). I'm working on the assumption that his absence from eps 3 & 4 means he's going deep in the game.

Tamika has one of the two best shelters, along with K. Her big problem is food. She's decided that bow hunting is out, though her refusal to eat animals that care for their young would appear to leave fish on the menu... though we haven't seen her attempt fishing yet.

Suzan bounced back surprisingly well after losing 5 days to gastro. That's 5 days she didn't have for gathering food or improving her shelter. More importantly, recovering from gastro would have severely depleted her body's reserves. On top of that, she's decided to move camp, a task made infinitely more difficult by the weight/bulk of the camera gear they need to move. I still think she's likely to be the next one out, probably in this episode, but she's proving surprisingly resilient.

My guess is that we'll see K procuring protein this week, probably fish or a possum. I don't believe we'll see a deer kill at any stage in the competition, and most of them have now realised the futility of hunting them. Hopefully Andreas will wake up to his shelter's deficiencies, and we might see whether or not Rick has upgraded his accommodations. Hopefully the game doesn't just devolve into a starvation-fest.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

My money is on Andreas to win and I think tonight we will see that he was able to eat the fish the following day.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

My money is on Andreas to win and I think tonight we will see that he was able to eat the fish the following day.

Think you're right.
Women tell me stress makes them bleed for extra long time. She's done.

WONDER IF THEY WILL PUT A DRUGGED UP ANIMAL INTO THE GAME SO WE CAN SEE A ARCHERY KILL AT SOME POINT.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

I'm in the West and can see tonight's episode online.
Krjsyzxtofff making the spinning wheel is an excellent start to the programe.
Perhaps i should have started watching half way through this season because that's all I wanted to see - people putting their bush skills to good use.
Andreas showed us that you have to measure twice before cutting a notch in wood
Tamika showed us that you have to tie a good knot the keep the fish on your line. And she should have made camp amongst those rocky outcrops above where she caught her first fish and she could have had a much happier first few weeks.
Suzan showed us how to polish a boot with her beanie.

 

[Vader]

... and Rick showed us that he's a slow learner - the only competitor who hasn't yet figured out that hunting deer is nothing more than a waste of time & energy.

 

[Vader]

My thoughts on Ep 6...

Rick - We haven't seen him eat anything since he caught that one, solitary, fish. He's the only one left who hasn't woken up to the futility of bow hunting for deer. It was interesting seeing his bush ingenuity skills, in attempting to repair his boots - I doubt his attempt at homemade glue will be successful though. The boots are a problem for him, but he's not giving any indication that it's likely to be a show stopper for him. We still haven't seen his shelter since Ep 2.

Andreas - He's now the clear favourite, having obtained 4 protein meals (3x fish, 1x possum), with another possum spotted nearby. He's got the fishing code cracked, and is the only one (that we're aware of) to go night fishing, when the trout are most active. His shelter though, remains a bit shoddy. Not sure how comfortable he's going to be when that storm blows in. It was, however, nice to see him working on his bedding - getting off the ground is likely to be important when the storm hits.

K - Still hasn't had anything substantial to eat, other than a few greens here & there. The spinning wheel was a nice but of bush workmanship. I wonder what he's going to build with the rope he's making? They're allowed to bring 80m of paracord with them, which seems a LOT more than you'd need just for building a shelter. US participants have built shelters and still had enough paracord left over to build multiple gill nets, so I'm not sure why he was so wasteful. Bushcraft might help keep him in the game mentally, but he really needs to find some protein, or his days will end long before everyone else.

Tamika - It's amazing how one single thing (catching her first fish) can turn things around mentally. The competitors have been in the bush now for ~20 days, and the lack of food is playing havoc with their bodies, including their hormones and mental stability. Tamika went from the lows of a 30-day menstrual cycle, crying and thinking about tapping, to the high of catching her fish, all in the space of a few minutes. The big question is whether this is the first fish of many, in which case she can stay put indefinitely - or was it just a solitary bump in a downward slide?

Suzan - Once again, I'm surprised by her resilience. After all she's been through, she's still there, and showing very few signs of giving up. She found a bit of edible vegetation, but couldn't get the fire lit to cook it - pretty much summing her experience up in a nutshell. Credit where it's due, nobody can accuse her of being a quitter - she's the complete antithesis of Useless Leanne.

I expect that the ladies will be the next 2 to depart, though we now seem to have achieved the core group who are all capable of going deep into the competition. Expect the number of days per episode to start blowing out now, with all of the early tappers having now left the building.

 

[MrsBlueSky]

My thoughts on Ep 6...

Rick - We haven't seen him eat anything since he caught that one, solitary, fish. He's the only one left who hasn't woken up to the futility of bow hunting for deer. It was interesting seeing his bush ingenuity skills, in attempting to repair his boots - I doubt his attempt at homemade glue will be successful though. The boots are a problem for him, but he's not giving any indication that it's likely to be a show stopper for him. We still haven't seen his shelter since Ep 2.

Andreas - He's now the clear favourite, having obtained 4 protein meals (3x fish, 1x possum), with another possum spotted nearby. He's got the fishing code cracked, and is the only one (that we're aware of) to go night fishing, when the trout are most active. His shelter though, remains a bit shoddy. Not sure how comfortable he's going to be when that storm blows in. It was, however, nice to see him working on his bedding - getting off the ground is likely to be important when the storm hits.

K - Still hasn't had anything substantial to eat, other than a few greens here & there. The spinning wheel was a nice but of bush workmanship. I wonder what he's going to build with the rope he's making? They're allowed to bring 80m of paracord with them, which seems a LOT more than you'd need just for building a shelter. US participants have built shelters and still had enough paracord left over to build multiple gill nets, so I'm not sure why he was so wasteful. Bushcraft might help keep him in the game mentally, but he really needs to find some protein, or his days will end long before everyone else.

Tamika - It's amazing how one single thing (catching her first fish) can turn things around mentally. The competitors have been in the bush now for ~20 days, and the lack of food is playing havoc with their bodies, including their hormones and mental stability. Tamika went from the lows of a 30-day menstrual cycle, crying and thinking about tapping, to the high of catching her fish, all in the space of a few minutes. The big question is whether this is the first fish of many, in which case she can stay put indefinitely - or was it just a solitary bump in a downward slide?

Suzan - Once again, I'm surprised by her resilience. After all she's been through, she's still there, and showing very few signs of giving up. She found a bit of edible vegetation, but couldn't get the fire lit to cook it - pretty much summing her experience up in a nutshell. Credit where it's due, nobody can accuse her of being a quitter - she's the complete antithesis of Useless Leanne.

I expect that the ladies will be the next 2 to depart, though we now seem to have achieved the core group who are all capable of going deep into the competition. Expect the number of days per episode to start blowing out now, with all of the early tappers having now left the building.

Great wrap up mate. Very good indeed.
I was surprised not to see Tamika tap and now she be well be on the road to sticking it out.
I love the way you're now down to K for Kryszjozyxpzh
How strange was Andreas saying he made the small cut on the wrong side of the log and would now have to look at hios mistake all the time he's there. Also strange he was able to sleep directly on the ground for so long and then over-engineers a bed. Perhaps he should have made a simple bed frame on day one - but he's too proud to do a rough job like that...i still absolutely admire his ability and his family and friends should be proud of him.

 

[PastiesPeake]

Hope that dude fixes his shoes. what an enthralling story line that has been