Alone

Has the seemingly endless social isolation imposed by COVID-19 left you devoid of television shows to consume? Perhaps the eerie feeling of being alone has begun to ooze from the walls as your favorite Netflix show comes to an end. You are unsure of what to do next. Your mind subconsciously steers your device towards the “watch again” section. Not minutes from the final episode coming to a close, you suddenly crave the sensation you feel from diving deep into a classic show on your roster. Yet when you follow through with the first episode, that feeling is gone. The theme song comes on, your screen is filled to the brim with your favorite characters and each is cheerfully introduced one after the other. Your eyes glance from the screen to a nearby distraction and you eventually pause the show. What is there to watch if not this?

Your favorite shows have been doing a lot of heavy lifting lately and may need some support. There’s no greater way to fill this time than witnessing an array of individuals attempt to survive in rugged lands without any assistance, camera crew, and often times, food. The History channel’s reality survival television show Alone can most definitely quell any desire to go outside and experience the elements. You will rediscover your love for your home as you gaze upon participants living under a tarp for extended periods of time. That stroll to your fridge won’t seem so long after witnessing the contestants of alone eat yet another mouse. You will be one with the wilderness as participants share their experience through the act of filming themselves while they attempt to survive the longest. Do they do this for fun? For shits and giggles? That may be in the books for some of the contestants but the winner of Alone also goes home with $500,000 and the bragging rights for surviving in tough conditions the longest.

The core idea of the show is that contestants are dropped off in an isolated area. They are allowed to bring 10 items with them and are provided a set of cameras to film, and a radio that can send out their location to the medical team. Contestants can “tap out” at any moment which sends an alert to the medical team to provide evac. Throughout the show, Alone’s contestants will utilize the tapping out procedure for a variety of reasons including physical emergencies, stress caused by the mental aspect of being alone for an extended period of time, and wildlife. Use items found in the wild.

Locations and other elements of the show change, but the isolation of the show combined with the winter months, reign supreme. Each season introduces a new set of characters to watch. One of my favorite parts of this is to guess who will be the person that is eliminated hours after being in the wilderness. How would you fair in the wild, with no one around, all alone?